STLCC Men’s Basketball team opens season
By: AARON MCCALL
Staff Writer
The STLCC men’s basketball team launched their 2013-2014 campaign with an 87-60 win Nov. 2 against the Missouri Baptist University junior varsity basketball program.
The season opener marks the beginning of a new regime for the Archers under head coach Randy Reed who kicked off his college coaching debut with a win.
“I’m just excited more for the young men than myself. I think we’ll be ok,” Reed said.
With 14 players on the roster, the Archers have nine freshmen taking the floor this season. It is a new start for not only Reed, but the majority of Archers roster this season.
“I’m just excited for these young men. It’s a new start for a lot of them; they’ve never played either so it’s just a special and wonderful day for all of us,” Reed said.
Coach Reed said he has certain expectations for his players so that they can continue to be successful on and off the court.
“I want to make sure everyone has their grades first and foremost in junior college and play together as a team,” Reed said. “Team chemistry and defense will prepare you for a high level. I think we can win 20 to 25 games, and we’ll be very good.”
On the court, teamwork is valued, but that is only part of what it takes to have a successful team. Reed said there are two components to every college student athlete. The athlete, which is what others see the most, and the student which is more behind the scenes. Athletics and education are somewhat synonymous. Both require focus, hard work and dedication to prosper in either field. Although it’s early in the season, team goals have been set.
“A national championship [is the goal]. I came from winning, and I plan on bringing winning here,” Reed said.
At the season opener, Freshmen guard Jaylen Fulton chipped in 12 points on 50 percent shooting. At one point Fulton made a move that caused a Missouri Baptist defender to fall to the floor.
“We played well on offense but we can improve on defense and tighten up. I need to work on my defense and stop fouling so much,” Fulton said.
As the players reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, they echo the goals their coach has for them.“Play together and play our role we can go far. We can go far if we put our mind to it and all play together,” Fulton said. “That’s all it takes is for everybody to be on the same page and play as one.”
