Men’s basketball buckles down for homestand
The CWU Men’s basketball game vs WWU was a hard fought battle throughout the entire game.
January 23, 2019
The CWU men’s basketball team currently sits with a 9-7 record, good enough for eighth place in the GNAC standings. But with 12 games still left to play within the conference, a rise is within reach. If they want to make a push, it all starts with their three game homestand coming up against Western Oregon University on Jan. 24, Concordia University on Jan. 26 and Northwest Nazarene University on Jan 29.
There is room to hope for CWU to make such a charge. First off, five of the seven losses this season have come within single digits. Head coach Brandon Rinta has led the young team to the number one ranked offense in the GNAC with 86.7 points per game.
“I think they’re playing really well together as a team, we’ve found a good rhythm offensively,” Rinta said. “We’re continuing to fight to improve on the other end of the floor defensively and rebounding wise.”
Junior guard Gamaun Boykin and freshman forward Matt Poquette believe the success is due to their teammates unselfishness and ability to be coachable. However, the team is giving up 80.7 points per game, the highest in the conference. If the team wants to play in the GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships, flipping the script on that statistic is going to be necessary.
“We have to have better communication on defense, that’s why we have most of our defensive lapses,” Boykin said. “It’s something that’s easily fixable.”
Of the seven total losses, six have come away from Nicholson Pavilion. The team boasts an impressive 6-1 record at home. With the help of the wildcat fans, continuing to defend their homecourt will be crucial down the stretch.
“We’re blessed with a tremendous home court advantage with the support that we get,” Rinta said. “Our guys really enjoy playing at home in front of that environment.”
The race to make the GNAC tournament is heating up. Fans are encouraged to go and support the Wildcats for their critical homestand against conference foes.
“We want to win not only for ourselves, but for our fans,” Boykin said. “We want to put on a show for them.”