Club basketball hoops it up and gives back
Shaun Shah
Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: Men's Basketball
In the two years of its existence, Men's club basketball has managed to accomplish a bit more than you would expect. By this year, its second season, it gained the support and sponsorship of the university. In the team's inaugural year it had a few notable victories over big schools such as Duke and UNC. However, instead of making progression this year, the unit has made changes, as coach David Kaplan put it.
The squad came into this year with the absences of their two best players from last year, Adam Hall and Matthew Boswell. Even with those absences the team managed to pull out wins over UVA and Campbell. The squad has also dropped a few tough games to Wake Forest, Maryland and Penn State.
Even though the team is sporting a sub-.500 record, Kaplan has considerable enthusiasm. "I believe we have a lot of promise, we are a really deep team. There really isn't a lot of drop-off between the starters and the role players." He went on to add, "There is a lot of chemistry and camaraderie here."
Unfortunately, with a sub-.500 record, it is not all positive. Kaplan noted that there could be significant improvement in boxing out and rebounding. "Five guys have to hit the glass every time." The team's upcoming schedule consists of tournaments at Lynchburg College and ECU. With a few more quality wins, Kaplan is confident he could land a showdown with Virginia Tech, among other schools.
"It's hard to schedule games and compete with some of the larger schools with larger enrollment numbers because the pool of talent is usually greater," explains Kaplan. He continues, "But my team doesn't back down, no matter who we play. That's something I love about my guys!"
In his two years as the coach, Kaplan has been able to gain the utmost respect from his players. Of his coach, senior Drew Blazure says, "He is a down-to-earth guy who fights for his guys."
Blazure is averaging 6.7 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game. Other notable players are Joel Flowers (11.6 PPG, 4.5 APG) and Dante' Humphrey (10.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG). Humphrey is not only a top performer, but also a team leader on and off the court.
The squad came into this year with the absences of their two best players from last year, Adam Hall and Matthew Boswell. Even with those absences the team managed to pull out wins over UVA and Campbell. The squad has also dropped a few tough games to Wake Forest, Maryland and Penn State.
Even though the team is sporting a sub-.500 record, Kaplan has considerable enthusiasm. "I believe we have a lot of promise, we are a really deep team. There really isn't a lot of drop-off between the starters and the role players." He went on to add, "There is a lot of chemistry and camaraderie here."
Unfortunately, with a sub-.500 record, it is not all positive. Kaplan noted that there could be significant improvement in boxing out and rebounding. "Five guys have to hit the glass every time." The team's upcoming schedule consists of tournaments at Lynchburg College and ECU. With a few more quality wins, Kaplan is confident he could land a showdown with Virginia Tech, among other schools.
"It's hard to schedule games and compete with some of the larger schools with larger enrollment numbers because the pool of talent is usually greater," explains Kaplan. He continues, "But my team doesn't back down, no matter who we play. That's something I love about my guys!"
In his two years as the coach, Kaplan has been able to gain the utmost respect from his players. Of his coach, senior Drew Blazure says, "He is a down-to-earth guy who fights for his guys."
Blazure is averaging 6.7 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game. Other notable players are Joel Flowers (11.6 PPG, 4.5 APG) and Dante' Humphrey (10.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG). Humphrey is not only a top performer, but also a team leader on and off the court.
Be the first to comment on this story