High Hopes for Turnaround Season

It’s that time of the year: basketball season. Students begin to fill the Pit as the men’s basketball team hits the court and this year, they mean business. After a rocky season last year, the team is determined to work hard and rack up wins, which will essentially lead to their hopeful climb in GSAC standings later in the season.

“I am super excited about what God is going to do on this team this year. We have a great group of guys and every player is invested in having a successful season,” senior Billy Thompson said.

In response to losing a few key players from last season, the Lions 2011-2012 team aims to improve its performance through hard work, discipline, and new talent.

“This year’s team is more athletic and has the mentality to always get better. The incoming freshmen and transfers are very talented and a great addition. We all want the program to be successful this season. I’m very excited to see what this season has in store for us,” senior Cameron Khoury said.

The team welcomes ten new players this season, three of which are red shirting, with expectations of gaining success through the addition of fresh talent being brought to the court.

“We have all worked really hard this off season to prepare for this year. We are learning what it means to be unified on the court and we play hard every night,” Thompson said.

Senior Chris Raybon believes the team is unified.

“Our strength this season is that we plan on playing extremely hard; whether we’re up or down, and we always stick together. We are closer as a team this season,” senior Chris Raybon said.

The Lions are off to a good start and with only three non-conference games left before GSAC begins, it’s time to step up their game. As of recently, the Lions hold a 3-2 record, an improvement in comparison to last season’s start. Their dedication and teamwork are showing on the court and the team has set some pretty high goals.

“We want to win 20 games this year, which would be a huge turnaround from last season, and we feel like we have the talent to get that accomplished,” Thompson said.

Despite last year’s records, the men’s basketball team plans on doing big things in its upcoming games this season against tough competition. Bring your Lion pride and cheering skills to the Pit this season and come support the Lions as they advance one game at a time.

“These non-conference games give us the chance to really fine-tune our future product, and when we finally get to that point, we are going to shock a lot of people that doubted us about this year,” Khoury said.