Men’s Roundball
They say players make plays. Not some players.
On Sat., Feb. 1, I sat and watched as Ron Bradford started, scored three points, made one assist, and grabbed one board in 33 minutes of play. Those are not starter numbers.
Eric Williams, however, came off the bench and scored ten points, brought down two rebounds, and served two assists in 17 minutes. He also brings a defensive intensity that Bradford refuses to demonstrate. Why is Williams not starting?
After Bradford, another starter remains in the lineup who should not: Josh Connor.
Connor is a good player, and made the All-ODAC second team last year. Unfortunately, he is undersized as a 6’2”, 185 lb. power forward. There is nothing powerful about Josh Connor. He would be undersized as a small forward, and, incidentally, is afraid to shoot.
I’m the type of guy who loves team players. Connor is that type of guy. But he needs to shoot some.
He averages a respectable 5.5 rebounds and 6.8 points, most of which come from the free-throw line. First-year Genaro Lawhorn has averaged 5.6 points and 2.6 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per game. Give him the start at power forward.
At 6’6”, 320 lbs., the team would be working with a forward containing power. Lawhorn, teaming with transfer sophomore center Brandon Clifford, would bring an inside presence on both sides of the paint, something most teams could not handle. Then, the answer is simple: feed the big fellows.
Clarence Martin played fearlessly, proving his worth as a starter, scoring 13 points (all of which came in the second half), and dishing out five assists. Jevon Clarke played tough as the Marlins of Virginia Wesleyan mounted a comeback.
Down big with more than 11:30 remaining in the game, senior forward Ryan Kahle sank a three-pointer to bring the Marlins within spearing distance. However, Clarke answered on the very next possession with a three-pointer of his own that seemed to collapse the Marlins’ lungs.
The Quakers won the game 72-60.
It’s exactly that kind of killer instinct that keeps Clarke in my starting lineup.
For those of you keeping track at home, I’m proposing a first string of Martin PG, Williams SG, Clarke SF, Lawhorn PF, and Clifford C. The first two off the bench should be Connor and Devon Clyburn. Clyburn has shown a defensive passion that jolts the rest of the team’s intensity.
Coach Butch Estes has players on his team who make plays. Here’s to hoping he uses them.
Women’s Roundball
Around the women’s 28.5” ball, Coach Barb Bausch has shown an ability to place her players on the floor that prove they can play. To make my point, Jennie Keichline has come on strong in recent games and earned a spot in the starting lineup.
Keichline poses matchup problems for other teams. As the only six-footer on the team, she was able to counter the size of Randolph-Macon during the game on Sat., Feb. 1. The team seemed to gain confidence instantly when Keichline entered the game.
Randolph-Macon has three players six feet or taller, and each was out-played by Keichline on Saturday.
Early in the game, the women looked like a globe from the dark ages. Sophomore forward Courtney Hill, for example, was not fighting through screens and did not put a hand in a shooter’s face. She was not the only one, though.
But, her game did not end then. She finished solidly with 13 points and four rebounds.
First-year Jennifer King has looked impressive on the court, although she was rendered ineffective on Sat. due to foul trouble.
In a game where the flow was dictated by the referees, Guilford never gave up. And with 48 seconds remaining in the game, Nicole McCrory fit a basketball through a needle hole on a pass to Keichline, who made a shot to put Guilford ahead 73-72. Randolph-Macon never scored again, and the game ended with a missed four-foot jumper, which would have tied the game and sent it into overtime. The 74-72 win extended the women’s home-winning streak to 21 games.
The women play with confidence, which trickles down from the coach. Bausch is courageous, and wins because she is willing to play her best players. Those players continue to prove her theory correct.
With the women’s team near the top of the standings and the men’s team near the middle of the pack, maybe Estes can take some pointers from Bausch.