Photo by: Andrew Fielding
November was a month to forget for the men’s basketball team.
After a 1-5 start in the opening month of the season, the team hopes it can recover and learn from its early experience.
“I hope when we look back on these months [November and December], we can judge it as a good experience in getting us the answers we need to become a better team,” said head coach Joe Scott.
Right now, there are two problems that shine brighter than others: rebounds and turnovers.
The Pioneers (2-6) are currently No. 347 in the nation in rebounding, averaging 23.8 boards a game as a team.
One reason behind this is injuries, in particular to senior forward Rob Lewis, who is facing a potential season-ending leg injury.
“Right now, I would have to say 90 percent he’s not coming back,” said Scott of Lewis’ status. “It is a big blow, especially early on, because he adds depth, experience and size and not having that hurts, but it’s what happens and we can’t afford to dwell on it.”
In addition to Lewis, redshirt sophomore Trevor Noonan has suffered a few minor injuries, which has kept him off the court during some games.
“The low post is a work in progress for us as we continue to adapt and grow there will be less turnovers, which will allow us to find answers to some the questions we have down low,” said Scott.
As Scott sees it, there is a direct correlation between the low post problems and the team’s turnover problems.
So far this season, the Pioneers have 119 recorded turnovers, which is slightly less than 15 a game.
“We must take better care of the basketball in order to play better on the offensive end,” said Scott. “With better execution and less mistakes will come better results.”
According to Scott, the team has been playing better in overtime the past two weeks. Last Saturday the team won its second game of the season, beating Cal State Northridge 66-63.
In the win, the Pioneers forced 21 turnovers, while limiting themselves to only 15 errors.
“We are playing better, more competitive basketball right now, especially on the defensive end,” said Scott. “The whole season is in front of us right now and we’ve got to continue to attack and go after it every single day.”
