Scots pick up their first home win
The men’s basketball team has had a rough start to their year, but after winning their first home game against conference foe Methodist University on Jan. 25, the season is looking a lot brighter.
“[The team is] starting to understand what it takes to win consistently,” said Assistant Head Coach Sean Jones. “Especially when you play at home and for a team that’s back-to-back conference champions.”
A lot of people have been wondering why this team has been putting forth such a low win column. In recent games, there has been a pattern of letting the last few minutes slip away, even when the team has won 75% of the game. Coach Jones commented on this.
“If we can do that and be in those positions to win games right now, then you have to be really excited about the future,” Jones said. “These guys are only going to continue to get better and grow their knowledge of the game. Plus, they’re only going to become more comfortable playing together. So, I’m really excited to see what they’re going to be down the road, but I’m excited to see what they’re going to do right now.”
Head Coach Raul Placeres along with Jones shares the same sentiment that this team can be a conference winning team. The men are (at the time of this article being written) only 2.5 games out of second place in the USA South Conference. They have also had smaller victories, of which Coach Jones is also proud, such as raising the team’s GPA last semester and getting much better at playing defense.
In the game on Feb. 1, the Scots made a huge leap. The game went down to the wire even though the final score does not show it. Two freshmen really stood out among the team, one in the form of a starter and the other off the bench.
Kordell Kah came off the bench for the team and dropped 25 of the team’s points. He almost ended up with a double-double in rebounds from his flex forward position. He ended the night of Feb. 1 with nine rebounds. This kind of play is what Coach Placeres and Jones view as the championship-contending potential that they see in this team.
The other standout is Felix Uadiale. He has been starting in the post for the Scots this season and also had a fantastic night on Feb. 1. He finished with 23 points and an outstanding 15 rebounds.
This men’s team has an incredible amount of potential moving into their future seasons. In nine of the 13 losses, the team was either tied, winning or within two possessions. One of the biggest positives for this team is their incredible post presence.
Behind the senior leader Josh Brooks’ ability to drive the lane and the paint-crashing ability of Kah and Uadiale, the team has the ability to turn around the season late and possibly do something in the conference tourney.