Men's Basketball Continues to Dominate Conference
Elias Maxwell DuBose
Issue date: 2/6/08 Section: Sports
BALTIMORE, MD-Looking back at the beginning of the season, the Morgan State Men's basketball team was originally ranked to finish fourth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Skip to the present and one won't find that name in fourth place, nor would it be at third or fifth. No, this time around the Bears have continued to rampage through the competition, picking up wins on the road and at home, improving their record to 10-8 as of Saturday. Oh, and they are the number one team in the conference.
Punctuating their conference dominance, the Bears have won six out of their last seven games and have remained undefeated at home throughout the season. A big reason behind this is the Bears' defense, which has allowed the fewest points per game (54.8) in the conference. Empowering the defense has been MEAC Defensive Player of the Year Candidate Boubacar Coly, who has racked up four consecutive Defensive Player of the Week honors during this run by the Bears. Coly has denied several offensive threats that have come into his lane by either swatting away potential field goals or controlling the boards. Coly nearly averages a double-double per game off of points and rebounds and as a triple threat in blocks (ranked 24th in the nation), opponents have a hard time dealing with the Senior from Senegal.
However, it has not been all defense that has guided their team to their 12-8 record. The Bears' leading scorer Jamar Smith has ignited the offense on the outside and in the post (averaging 18.2 points per game). Complimenting Smith's catalytic play is Senior Marquise Kately, who has come to be second scoring threat on the Bears' offense averaging 14.1 points per game. Other role players such as guards Jermaine Bolden and Jerrell Green have assisted in setting up opportunities for them to advance further down their road to a championship.
The bench has also come in at just the right time for the Bears, relieving starters in key points of the games and sometimes sparking a comeback for the team; something they had missed earlier on in the season. Sophomore Reggie Holmes leads the team in three-pointers made and is third on the team in scoring. Indeed, when it isn't Holmes behind a key shot from downtown, it was Karanvir Aujla. Though only averaging a little less than four points per game, the senior forward has proven himself to be a key situational player on both sides of the court.
Looking forward, the Bears have an advantageous schedule ahead of them; five of the last nine games of the regular season include teams that they have already beaten. Quick note: all of the Bears' final opponents, except for Hampton, have losing records.
Punctuating their conference dominance, the Bears have won six out of their last seven games and have remained undefeated at home throughout the season. A big reason behind this is the Bears' defense, which has allowed the fewest points per game (54.8) in the conference. Empowering the defense has been MEAC Defensive Player of the Year Candidate Boubacar Coly, who has racked up four consecutive Defensive Player of the Week honors during this run by the Bears. Coly has denied several offensive threats that have come into his lane by either swatting away potential field goals or controlling the boards. Coly nearly averages a double-double per game off of points and rebounds and as a triple threat in blocks (ranked 24th in the nation), opponents have a hard time dealing with the Senior from Senegal.
However, it has not been all defense that has guided their team to their 12-8 record. The Bears' leading scorer Jamar Smith has ignited the offense on the outside and in the post (averaging 18.2 points per game). Complimenting Smith's catalytic play is Senior Marquise Kately, who has come to be second scoring threat on the Bears' offense averaging 14.1 points per game. Other role players such as guards Jermaine Bolden and Jerrell Green have assisted in setting up opportunities for them to advance further down their road to a championship.
The bench has also come in at just the right time for the Bears, relieving starters in key points of the games and sometimes sparking a comeback for the team; something they had missed earlier on in the season. Sophomore Reggie Holmes leads the team in three-pointers made and is third on the team in scoring. Indeed, when it isn't Holmes behind a key shot from downtown, it was Karanvir Aujla. Though only averaging a little less than four points per game, the senior forward has proven himself to be a key situational player on both sides of the court.
Looking forward, the Bears have an advantageous schedule ahead of them; five of the last nine games of the regular season include teams that they have already beaten. Quick note: all of the Bears' final opponents, except for Hampton, have losing records.
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