The Sinclair Tartan Pride men’s basketball team finished last season with an 18-13 record, two games under the 20-win benchmark that Jeff Price and his coaching staff have hit for the previous four seasons.
“Last season, we had some guys that weren’t buying into the system,” Price said. “[This year] we’ll have a whole lot better team chemistry. We’ll have a lot better continuity with what we’re trying to do. We’ll have more guys buying into the system.”
The system Price is referring to is the fast-paced, quick-transition basketball. As a team, the Pride averaged 86 points per contest, according to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) statistics.
“If you want to watch a game in the 50s, you watch Wright State,” Price said. “If you want to watch a game in the 70s, you watch UD. And if you want to watch a game in the 90s, you watch us.”
Although the team is known for scoring in bunches, Price is stressing the importance of defense to his players.
“That is the meat and potatoes of most successful basketball programs,” Price said.
Even though defense isn’t sexy, Price knows it’s what will win him games.
He said that his players are maturing tremendously from last year and he can see his players are buying into the concept of team.
“What we’re trying to show them is that the personal success doesn’t outweigh the team success,” Price said. “Maybe if you take less shots, we’ll win more games and you might get more scholarship offers.”
The players
The Pride lost one of their top three scorers from last season as forward JaBriel Coaston is ineligible. But they are returning a player who was red-shirted last season, Mark Allen, who was named team captain for this season.
“Mark Allen is a good strong leader,” Price said.
The 6-foot-3-inch guard from Cincinnati was named captain because of his hard work ethic, Price said. In his freshman season he averaged 10 points per game for Sinclair on 52 percent shooting from the field, according to NJCAA statistics.
The top two scorers on the team from last season are point guard Charlie Byers (32) and shooting guard Gavin Schumann—each player averaged 18.2 and 15.7 points per game respectively, according to NJCAA stats.
“Charlie goes hard on the court,” Price said. “[And] Gavin is playing well. He has hit that realization of how far he can go with a little hard work. He’s starting to make a name for himself this summer. These are guys that really know the system and understand it.”
Schumann said he has been working on his three point jump shot and has been hitting the weights this summer to get stronger for the upcoming season. He also said that this year’s team should have better chemistry and should play better as a team.
“I think we have a really good chance of winning the conference this year,” Schumann said in a phone interview.
As for Byers, he said that although he led the team in scoring, last year was a wake-up call for him and now he is ready to take his game to the next level.
“I feel pretty good,” Byers said in a phone interview. “I’m excited. I’m ready to lead the team again and I just want to lead our team to the most wins we can get.”
Price said that Byers could be what he described as a “show piece” player for Sinclair. But Byers said there still is work to be done on the court.
“I’m glad he (Price) gives me the opportunity to be successful by putting the ball in my hands,” Byers said. “I just got to go out and play basketball like I know how.”
Price said he is also intrigued by many of his new recruits—but Drew Moore, from Tri Village High School in New Paris, Ohio— is someone who Price described as a microwave.
“Right now—he could be the best pure-three point shooter I’ve had in 20 years,” Price said. “Everybody picks him up first when we’re in open gym. He’s gonna’ be our Vinny Johnson. It’s going to take him one trip down the floor and he’s going to nail a three.”
In addition to his projected stellar backcourt, Price believes his taller recruits should address the rebounding and defending issues his team had as last season progressed.
Two 6-foot-8-inch forwards, Shannon Walls and Floyd Lee should provide the Pride with the stability they will need in the frontcourt.
The schedule
The Pride will play a total of 31 games this season and of those games one sticks out the most when you look at the 2012-13 schedule—a trip to Georgetown to play their “club team.”
The team will travel to Washington D.C. as part of what coach Price calls “preparing them for life after basketball.”
The trip will be funded in part by the “Putts fore Pride” golf fundraiser that took place on Aug. 20.
In addition to the team playing the “club team” at Georgetown, the Pride will be visiting various Washington memorials, including the Lincoln Memorial and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. They also will be taking a tour of the White House and the Capitol building.
Schumann said that he anticipates the trip to be a bonding experience for the team and should help the team grow.
“It’s always good to get out and see new places outside of Ohio,” Schumann said.
Coach Price’s goals
Sinclair’s coach said he is the most excited he has been in two or three years about the team he has put together this offseason. And every year he has a set list of goals for his team.
This year, the list hasn’t changed.
“Our first goal is to not lose anyone academically,” Price said. “We want to be an Academic All-American team. Secondly, we want to have all of our sophomores get scholarship offers. Last year we had all four of our sophomores get offers. Then, we want to win 20 ball games, win the conference championship, win the district and then—win the National Championship.”
Price said that he sees his team winning the conference this year because he feels the team will accomplish what he believes it takes to return to successful basketball.
“I want to get back to the point to where we walk in the gym and a coach says, ‘we have to play our best to beat this team,’” Price said. “[This year we’re going to play] strong, hard defense and aggressive offense. This year I expect a whole different attitude.”
The season tips off at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7 against Miami-Hamilton University on Sinclair’s main campus.