Christopher Morris/The Mirror
The men’s basketball team has experienced both positives and negatives so far this season as they try to right the ship before conference play tips off this Sunday against Loyola.
Three non-conference road losses have been bookended so far by conclusive triumphs over Sacred Heart and Norfolk State.
“I’m not happy but in the last game (91-56 over Norfolk State) we saw a lot of good things that we can continue to improve on”, said sophomore guard Derek Needham.
The Stags put on a clinical offensive performance against the Spartans of Norfolk State after failing to break 60 points against Rutgers, Penn State, and St. Joseph’s in its previous three games.
While the Stags have put up solid defensive performances against all five opponents, the offense has failed to break 60 points except for the 91-point outburst against Norfolk State.
“We wanted to play faster, and we proved we can do that”, Needham said.
Spirits were high as the Stags opened up the season Nov. 13 with a comfortable win over cross-town rival Sacred Heart by a score of 62-45.
However, a three game losing streak followed the opening win. The Stags only averaged 51 points during those three games.
However, Needham is putting a positive spin on the early season slip-ups: “We now know what not to do and which areas to improve in.”
The Stags soon will enter a pivotal part of the schedule as the start of conference play beckons along with some tricky out-of-conference tests as well.
The next match-up will be with Savannah State in Savannah, Georgia on Thursday. When the Stags return from the warm confines of the southeast, it will be time for MAAC play to begin.
December proves to be a very trying month with conference games against Loyola and a trip to the three-time defending champions, Siena.
The Stags will also make a trip to Gainesville, Florida to take on the Gators quality out-of-conference opponents such as Vermont, Holy Cross, Army, and Howard throughout the month.
There are many opportunities to make statement victories over the next month, starting at home Sunday over the Loyola Greyhounds.
As the integration process of freshmen (Fields, Barrow and Matthews) and players coming off serious injuries (Nero, Edney, Hawkins) continues, the results should improve consistently.
This team should look and play a lot differently in March than it has in November. The talent and coaching expertise is still there to drive this team to the NCAA tournament.
As season-ticket holder Kevin Coppolecchia ’11 stated recently: “This team is still feeling itself out – but with a little more repetition, and some elbow grease – we will soon start to see great results in the near future.”
The Stags are undoubtedly somewhat of a work in progress, but if the recent win at Norfolk State is any indication, the ship is headed in the right direction. The Stags next tip off with Savannah State tomorrow night in Georgia. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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