by: Jack Ridenour, Sports Editor

The men’s basketball season is under way, as they had their first full team practice Sunday, October 15th. Last year, the team finished with an overall record of 10-16, and a conference record of 6-12. The team finished 8th in the conference, losing in the first round of the playoffs to St. Vincent College.
The team’s first season came two years ago, where they finished the season 5-20. They recorded their first program win in team history against Washington and Jefferson College, and defeated the number eight seed Geneva College in the preliminary round of the playoffs. They would go on to lose in the next round of the playoffs to the eventual conference champions St. Vincent.
This year the team looks to build off of last year. With a five-win improvement, and their first double digit win season, the sky is the limit for the Cougars. With their entire starting lineup returning they not only bring back experience, but also a core group of guys that have developed a sense of chemistry on and off the court.
“Our chemistry definitely has grown both on and off the court because we have gone through all of this together,” said junior Anthony Bomar. “We know that each and every one of us would do anything for one another off the court which leads to us being able to trust them on the court no matter what the situation is.”
The team has grown from their first to third year on the court together. The value of hard work has been something that’s been instilled in them from the first time they ever came together as a team.
“Well we have always had the hard work and that’s never changed. So something about how we have become more mature and have a more of a positive attitude during practice and outside of practice.” said senior Logan Hunter. The team’s hard work will carry them throughout the season as they face a tough in conference and out of conference schedule.
Players have noticed a difference in this year’s team compared to last years.
“Our motto this year is less talk, more action. This basically means that we’d rather show you how we have improved from last year rather than talk about it.” said junior Andrew Guanci.
This shows how the team has matured from last year to this year. With that being said, there are things that the team will need to improve and focus on, to be a strong opponent in their conference. The team is not the tallest, but what they lack in height, they make up for in other ways.
“I would have to say our game experience as a whole will give us an advantage because we have been playing full game from the time we have stepped on campus, something that most freshman and sophomores do.” said junior Alex Schoppen. “Now that we have a few full years under our belt, that experience is going to go a long way.”
With hard work, chemistry, and a lengthy period of time playing with one another, the team has the potential to be a potential playoff team. With the motivation from the previous mistakes in past seasons, the team looks to build on top of that to becoming an even more successful team in the conference.