It’s that time of year again, where the Pride faithful pack the Building 8 Gymnasium and the Pride themselves heat up the winter days with their play. This is a new Pride and they have one goal and that is a championship.
The 2015 season was a great year for the Pride. They set the school record with 21-0 start to the season. They finished 28-3 but had a disappointing loss in the tourney, an early exit to an amazing season. The regular season losses were only by a combined ten points, an impressive feat for the team.
The heart and soul of the Pride is head coach and Coach of the Year in 2015 Jeff Price, who has been the head coach since 2003. The program has been on the rise since Price has took on the role of coach and it is more than just a basketball game.
Per Price’s biography on the team’s website, “Along with working hard in the classroom and on the court, the Men’s Basketball Team has been actively involved with a number of community service projects to complete the three C’s (Classroom, Community Service & Competition).”
The services projects include the annual trip to the Dayton VA hospital and serving Thanksgiving dinner at the Boys and Girls Club.
According to Price’s biography, “The framework has been set for a solid educational foundation as well as the re-birth of a competitive NJCAA Division II Men’s Basketball program.”
The Pride have become a very competitive team with several returning players such as number twenty-three Akiean Frederick and number fourteen Quinnten McComas. Guard Jackson Pietrzak is also a returning player from a season before. Frederick was an OCCAC Player of the Week in February and an OCCAC Honorable mention as well. A key player returning as well as the other veterans on this new look Pride.
The team had a few scrimmages, the first of which was on the fifth of October and the final which was the Twenty-ninth of October. The team starts the 2016-2017 season ranked 13th and poised for another strong start to another championship run.
Around campus you will see posters with a championship ring and that’s our boys schedule of the games and one goal: National Title. The hunt for this goal began November fifth at Kellogg Community College and then the Pride came home to play Miami University – Middletown on Wednesday November 9.
Justus Hayes
Reporter