Forward Reshardd Harris has continued with strong performances against Hocking College and Henry Ford after being named OCCAC Men’s Basketball Player of The Week.
Harris contributed 21 points and 26 points with 19 rebounds in the two games respectively, both of which led the team in points. Harris’ success also says volumes about the players around him as well.
“He is a pretty determined young man, but he is also playing on a team that is pretty unselfish. We’re top 10 in the nation in assist, so we share the ball really well,” said Price.
Harris has been dominating under the basket, and Price said that is his role. While being in the right spot at the right times and earning trust from his teammates, he is also shooting an impressive 68 percent from the field, compared to the team average of 51.4 percent.
Patrick Crawford, a guard out of Centerville, is done for the season after a torn ACL. Crawford had only played seven minutes in the first game of the season before suffering the injury that will land him on the bench. Guards DeAngalo Gates and Quinnten McComas have stepped up nicely. Gates was three assists away from a triple-double in the Hocking College game, while McComas added 14 points of his own.
Four of their five victories have been by double digits, two of them by more than 30 points. Even with these blowout wins, Price still feels they haven’t overly dominated any of the teams they have played.
“We’ve been having decent margins as far as wins. We still have not put our stamp on a game—to come out and completely and overwhelming dominated our opponent. We have that ability. It is still so early in the season and everyone throughout the country are having that issue,” said Price.
Putting a stamp on a game does not mean blowing a team out by 30 points. According to Price, beating a team with pure athleticism isn’t putting a stamp on a game. Price hopes to put a stamp on the Pikeville or Cedarville game, two games he expects to give them some slight challenges.
“They’re not gonna be roll overs. They’re going to give us challenges, but athletically, we’re going to be better than them. We need to go out and put our stamp on it. That means make sure we execute, make sure we are sharp, make sure we are not getting outside of our discipline,” said Price.
11 of their next 13 games are at home, a stretch that lasts until January 16 when the Pride will take on more road games later in the season.
Matthew Summers
Sports Editor