Men’s Basketball 2016 Preview

As the season jumps off with the men’s basketball team’s first week of practice, the Frostburg community mumbles about the possibility of a turn-around season.

The Bobcats plan to bounce back from a sub-par season last year, ending the season 7-18 overall and 5-13 in CAC competition.

The team returns this year with nine confident teammates from last year, including two seniors, Jake Wiegand and Terry Martin, who are willing to work hard together to put together a winning team, and of course with the instruction from their leader and head coach, Webb Hatch.

The first week of practice is always a little rough on the players, but the coaching staff is under a lot of pressure. The coaches are tasked with figuring out offensive and defensive schemes, putting in plays, understanding every player’s ability on and off the court, while implementing the new players into the role of a college basketball player at Frostburg State University.

Coach Hatch stated, “We’ve practiced less than a week, only four practices, so it is a little hard to know what we are going to be good at and what we won’t be good at.  We have some ideas, but just because you shoot it doesn’t mean you make it.”

One of the most important things that has to happen this year is for every player to step up and commit to their role, and to try and execute that to the highest level.  The players that did not start last year, who didn’t average that many points, and freshman will all have the opportunity to shine this season. After watching practice last week, many of the freshman recruits are proving that they want to be here. “Our primary recruiting needs were point guards, and we have three: Rhashad Johnson, Obediah Stith, and Lawrence Pettis, Jr. Three guards that are all similar but very different, unselfish players that understand the role of a point guard and who are all going to play this season,” stated Hatch.

To be only a week in, Coach Hatch, assistant Coach Bradley Johnson, and the rest of the coaching staff are very excited and confident in the team that they are planning to put together this season, which puts a smile on many of the basketball team’s supporters.

The season jumps off November 15 in Bobcat Arena against Mount Aloysius at 7 p.m., with the first conference competition against Mary Washington on November 30 in Fredericksburg, V.a. at 8 p.m.