As many of you are aware, our men’s basketball team is very impressive. In fact, this year in a preseason coaches poll, the Maroons were ranked as the 10th-best team in all of NCAA Division III men’s basketball. Last season, I paid a lot of attention toward the Maroons because I knew there was potential for the team to do well. Turns out I was correct. The team made the NCAA tournament and made it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen where they faced an unfortunate loss in overtime.
That was all last season though. This year, the Maroons hope to make it even further. ‘Noke has been working hard in practice trying to focus on collaborating better as a team. Zach Rosenthal, who decided to use his extra year of eligibility to come back and play for the Maroons, said, “I think if we continue to focus on getting better each day in practice, we will be able to win some important games this season and have a lot of success.” Working hard will be absolutely vital for winning those crucial games.
One of those important games will be against the preseason ranked No. 2 Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets. The Maroons will travel to Ashland, Virginia to compete against this formidable foe on Dec. 6. Rosenthal commented that “it will be a good challenge early in the season” for the Maroons. He also stated that the Jackets would always be an entertaining team to play against no matter how early in the season or where either team stands in the rankings. The early tournaments should help the Maroons get prepped for conference play as this year’s non-conference schedule is quite “challenging,” Rosenthal added, and should provide some “good tests.”
I also asked Zach: What should ‘Noke Nation know about this year’s season? He replied, “We have a team that loves to play in front of our fans at the Cregger Center.” I know the Spirit Band plans to attend games during the second half of the year to help with the gameday atmosphere. So ‘Noke Nation, let’s get out there and show our friends lots of support this season! Captain Zach Rosenthal said so!
Lauren Price
Staff Reporter
