Keene State College’s men’s basketball is back and the Owls are heating up the winter season with three wins.
At this point in last year’s season, the team held a record of 0-3. This year, however, the team’s current record is 5-0.
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Head Coach Rob Colbert attributed his team’s success so far this year to the players’ willingness to share the ball and play as a team.
“Very selfless group … It’s something that we noticed very early and it shows itself in varied forms. We’re not only sharing the basketball, but doing a lot of little things,” Colbert said.
He continued, “If you’re selfless as a team, you’re not afraid of doing the things that don’t get publicity. You’re not afraid of setting another guy up, or covering for another guy defensively and so far we’ve done a good job of that.”
Colbert also said that his players need to work on their offensive half-court play, among other things.
“We can get better in a thousand different ways,” Colbert said.
Jesse Lacroix, a junior guard on the team, said that the energy that the players have while in uniform is a major strong point so far in the young season, but he and his teammates need to work on the technical side of the game.
“We have a lot of energy … We have a lot of guys just bringing it every day in practice, bringing it on game day,” Lacroix continued, “Obviously, we have a lot of X’s and O’s stuff to work on, but as a whole we’re just bringing a lot of energy and really staying together.”
Rodney Jean-Marie is a sophomore forward playing his first season with the Owls and said that communication and hard work will be what helps the team win games.
“I think communication is key. We’re communicating with each other, playing as a team. Coach always talks about playing hard and just giving your all. I think we do work hard on the court and as a team we work hard … I feel like if we continue to work on those, results will continue to come,” Jean-Marie said.
Lacroix said that the goal of the team is simple: win games and be Little East Conference title holders.
“You play to win the game. It’s all about championships … This year, the championship is definitely on our mind, but we’re just trying to take one game at a time and not think too far ahead because once you think too far ahead, you forget what’s right in front of you,” Lacroix said.
The team has yet to play in a conference game this season, but the first in-conference match up will is against UMass Boston on Dec. 6.
Coach Colbert said he expects his team to keep improving as the season goes on and continue to show the team’s strengths.
“Hopefully we’re not playing our best basketball right now … We want to continue to be a selfless group. We want to continue to be a very coachable and hardworking group and grow as a group as we get along,” Colbert said.
Jacob Barrett can be contacted at jbarrett@keene-equinox.com
