Sinclair Community College’s men’s basketball team fought through their season with high and low moments as any other team. However, their strength did not go unnoticed by the people watching them closely.
Jeff Price, head basketball coach, was impressed with the group of young men and how they came together to finish out the season, referring to them as “a really good group of guys.”
The season had a rough start in the beginning with losing a couple of scholarship players in the first few games. Price was impressed with how the team rebounded from that set back and their ability to get things done. The team made it through and ended the season with a 16-14 record, two of the wins being part of the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference. Price said even with the trouble in the beginning, they came out to play every single night.
According to Price, the Tartan’s had a strong pre-season scrimmaging with two National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II teams — Fairmont State and University of Indianapolis. During the season there were nail biters, such as their away wins over Columbus State Community College and Edison Community College, both in over time that showed the team’s strength.
“We didn’t win some of the ball games I thought we were going to win, but I think they learned,” Price said.
He refers to the team as a “learned group” that came out better at the end of the season than when they started.
“They never gave up and they stayed with us — every pregame, I looked in their eyes they were ready to go,” Price said.
The overall goal of the men’s basketball program is not only to win games, but to be good student athletes.
A mission statement the team follows, goes by the three C’s, which is to be good in the classroom, participate in community service and compete well.
Price proudly states that on average, four out of five guys go on to four year schools in the 10 years he has been here. Many of his former players come back wanting to help in some way because of what they got out of playing at Sinclair.
“We put you in classes that will transfer, not just keep you eligible,” Price said.
The players this season have held that up with not losing anyone academically and staying on pace to transfer.
Price views his job as getting players from point A to point B as soon as possible with the latter being ready to go to a four year school. In and out of this past season, it was said that the group are “good character guys,” fighting through the adversity in the beginning and coming out stronger from it.
For more information on the men’s basketball program, visit http://sinclair.edu/athletics/MensBasketball/.