Jeff Davis
Staff Reporter
Coach Kevin Curley and the men’s basketball team are looking forward to another exciting season.
With 8 of the team’s top 10 players returning from last year, the team is starting right where it left off at the end of last year. “Competition is good throughout,” says Coach Curley.
Led by senior captains Buggy Barry, Steve Wilson, and Josh McKay, they have an excellent shot at returning to the playoffs for the second straight year. Other seniors Chad Arrington, Ryan Finch, T.J. Odunlami, and Joe Potucek offer strong supporting roles in their final year of college eligibility.
“All of these guys are very close,” emphasizes Coach Curley. “Practices are extremely competitive, and the players really make each other better. It also provides great depth.”
For example, Rob Koebke, a junior academically but only in his sophomore year of eligibility, was a big part of the team’s success last year. Other players who are looking to continue to be big contributors from last year are junior Miguel Jones and sophomore Kevin Henry. Henry came out of the gates fast last year as a freshman, scoring nearly 10 points each game, and is looking to further help his team in his second year.
The team also has players like Brett Bonneville to help out, who was a walk-on as a freshman last year. In addition, there are five current freshmen ? Mitch Belella, Tyler Tart, Devon Lesniak, Marcus Dyson, and Louis Sarris-Grau. These five guys are all competing well in practices, and a few them can expect playing time this year.
Coach Curley finishes with sage advice that could help any coach for any sport: “Our goal, our plan is to make the playoffs again, and we really hope to be there as a team. But the only way to be able to do that is to take it one day at a time.” With Curley’s cool, solid approach and with a wide array of skilled players, the men’s basketball team will be a lot of fun to watch in the upcoming season.