With Sinclair Community College’s men’s basketball team entering conference play, coach Jeff Price said he was worried about the opening game at Owens Community College.
“You know what you’re walking into when you play Owens,” Price said.
The Tartan Pride defeated Owens 82-66 on the road, up in Toledo. Price said that Owens has a program that he and his team respects.
“Anytime you can go to Owens and win it’s a good thing,” Price said. “They have a great tradition. It’s a really nice school and their coach, Kevin Skaggs, does a really nice job.”
Last year, Sinclair met Owens in the regional tournament and defeated them. Even though both programs feature new players every year, the two have developed a strong respect for one another, according to Price.
Sinclair plays in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC), a seven team league made up of Sinclair, Owens, Cincinnati State, Cuyahoga Community College, Lakeland Community College, Columbus State Community College and Edison Community College.
Each school plays each other twice, for a total of 14 games.
“We’re excited about conference play,” he said. “These games are played at that ‘next level.’ We are playing rivals now, unlike non-conference play. We really don’t have any serious non-conference rivals.”
However, with three schools being regional rivals (Edison, Cincinnati State and Columbus State), plus the history with Owens and that Price calls Lakeland coach Terry Bowe one of his best friends, all of the conference games mean something.
“Plus, Cuyahoga gets to recruit in Cleveland,” Price said. “And they’ve won a title in the last 10 years.”
Price said that with his young team, he’s still cautiously optimistic about their future. Most of them, aside from sophomore starting center Colton Everitt, had only high school experience behind them. A typical high school season would be over by now, and Price said “we still have half of our season to go.”
“We’re asking ourselves, are these guys going to hit a wall?” Price said. “The one thing that will help is our depth. It’s really our best thing.”
He said some coaches work hard on teaching their players what their next opponent will do, and Price admitted he spends some time on that. But he said the goal is for the team to get better “at what we do best.”
“We’re looking to be the best we can be by the end of February,” Price said. “For the regional tournament.”
Tartan Pride ranked No. 13 in nation
On Tuesday, Jan. 11, the latest NJCAA Top 25 Division II Men’s Basketball Poll was released and the Tartan Pride were ranked for the first time all year, entering at No. 13. The Pride are currently 14-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
“We didn’t expect this,” Price said. “Especially to be 13. Usually teams break into the 20s.”
He said the ranking is about the team and their effort.
“It’s a credit to what our players are doing,” Price said.
Price said that the team doesn’t talk about being ranked and didn’t strive to be ranked, but for the sixth time in Price’s eight years at Sinclair, he has a ranked team.
Assistant coach Marcus Stewart has been ranked three times in his tenure.
“It feels good,” Stewart said. “It’s what I’m used to.”