Winter break went well for the Sinclair Pride. They won all nine of their games by double digits, visited the nation’s capital and finally came together as a team, according to coach Jeff Price.
Road Trip
While making out his team’s schedule, Price said he deliberately planned to have his team’s longest road trip of the season (seven games) over winter break so they wouldn’t have to miss any classes and so he could save home games for when school is in session and crowds are bigger.
The Pride went 7-0 on the road trip, which took them all the way out to Philadelphia to play the University of Pennsylvania’s junior varsity team at the Palestra, a historic arena that has hosted more NCAA tournament games than any other building, where Price earned his 100th win as head coach of the Pride. Price said team rebounding, good communication and the overall depth of his team were some of the keys to the success of the road trip.
No one knew
“(The team) didn’t know it (was my 100th win) until I walked into the locker room and thanked them for it,” Price said.
Sinclair Athletic Director Jack Giambrone presented Price with the game ball from his 100th win before their victory over Ohio University-Chillicothe on Dec. 29, and the entire team signed the ball after the game and wished Price “the best of luck.”
“In about 65 days we’re going to be done. In 65 days we’re going to have nine sophomores that will no longer be competing on this floor, but they cared enough that they wanted to put their names on the ball. That was special,” Price said.
Coming together as a team
Price said his team really bonded during their road trip, especially during their tour of Washington, D.C., where they got to see the Tomb of the Unknown, the Capital Building, the Korean War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the White House.
“Once our guys got into a real big city like (Washington,) D.C., their eyes were like ‘we’re not in Kansas anymore,’ ” Price said. “It was kind of a validation for them. They could say ‘I’m playing college basketball at a high level, I’m in an important place and my hard work is paying off.’ ”
Price said because the road trip forced his team to be together so much, they were able to create bonds they might not of necessarily had before.
“They’re going to remember that trip for the rest of their lives,” Price said.
Roster changes
Guard Jared Nolan and center Phillip Hayes were ruled academically ineligible after fall term. Also, freshman guard Jamar Huff has a stress fracture and will miss some games. The Pride did get back center Javon Watts and forward Maurice Mendoza.
Price said losing players is unfortunate, but not unusual at community colleges and that his team will adjust to the roster changes.
Vest opts for Division II
Guard Kevin Vest committed to Tusculum College in Greenville, Tenn. The 6-foot-1 Vest is averaging 10.6 points, 4.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds a game, as of Jan. 6.
