The Sinclair men’s basketball team is 15-5 on the season and look like one of the teams to beat in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference.
The Pride have their work cut out for them, as they still have to face the no. 15 ranked team in their region, the Lakeland Community College Lakers.
Men’s Head Coach Jeff Price said he knows it will take around nine wins to bring home the conference banner this season, which means the Pride can only afford to lose two more conference games.
The season opening stumble against Owens Community College was a wake-up call for the Pride as they turned around and defeated the no. 19 ranked Columbus State Community College Cougars on Jan. 19.
Sophomore point guard Charlie Byers exploded with 38 points in 42 minutes, putting the Pride on his back on the way to a huge OCCAC win. Sophomore Gavin Schumann chipped in 12 points as well.
Price hopes his team is ready to come together now that conference season is underway, as the team has been ravished with injuries all season long. He said his team has been a resilient bunch, crediting his bench as being the strongest part of the team.
“We’ve spent our non-conference season trying to grow and fight through a lot of injuries,” Price said. “We’ve had many different line-ups. We have a really good bench. I’m really proud of how our bench has played.”
Those valuable minutes from each of his players has allowed his team 82 points per game, which is ranked #20 in the nation at the Division II Junior College level, according to National Junior College Athletic Association statistics. The Pride is also ranked sixth in free throws made per contest.
Schumann leads the Pride with 18.6 point per game this season.
Price said he is happy with his team’s record, but he knows the job isn’t done. He mentioned the team is approaching full strength and he hopes (barring anymore unforeseen injuries) his team will be at full strength by the end of February, just in time for the NJCAA District XII Tournament.