It’s that time of the year again. The fall smell is in the air, Chicago’s north wind is here, cider mills are back open, and the Ghost and Goblins are almost ready for Halloween. Kids are back to school, the football pads are back on, pitchers are on the mound, and Basketball is back!
The Men cougars finished last season 20-11 with a 14-8 conference record, finishing 13-2 at The Shannon Center. Last season ended with a disappointing loss in the CCAC tournament semi-finals. This year, however, not only offers new hope but a new direction as well.
With a long time Basketball coach Tom O’Malley announcing his retirement after 23 years with a dominance that saw the Cougars Claim 4 CCAC tournament titles, Saint Xavier will now look to 4-year assistant coach Scott Campbell to take the reins. Alumni and former Basketball player for the Cougars, once described by former coach O’Malley as “An Athlete who brings his whole self to the game,” will continue to do just that as a coach.
“It’s a shifting of a program,” coach Campbell said. “I’m looking this year to encompass, and build a new culture here. Our keys to this season are being organized, disciplined, and excited to play.” There’s no doubt the Cougars lost some key contributors from last season, including Two-time All-CCAC Second Team player Jack Brody.
However, with 11 players from the previous season, consisting of five seniors, the Cougars will look to its deep recruiting class to help fill some of the voids. “All things considered, I think we brought in a phenomenal recruiting class,” said coach Campbell. [su_quote cite=”Giancarlo Esposito”]“We have Trey Ward who is local from Oak Lawn, he’s a great 3-point shooter that can handle the ball, and is very quick. We have two Freshmen recruits from Florida. Jimmy Linas, 6-7 who is aggressive on offense, with perfect timing on the defensive end. Pavel Mangurov 6-5, who is actually from Bulgaria, will be a difference-maker for us. I believe both have the potential to be all-conference. We also brought in two transfer students Maki Mohr and Charles Campbell; both are amazing athletes, and I expect them to fight for starting time. We have 6-10 transfer Micheal Drynan who played division two basketball at Kentucky state. Nick Holmes, who I think is the most play ready point guard that I have been around, he’s so savvy, so smart, so disciplined, truly a coach on the floor.” [/su_quote]
The Cougars will be looking to improve on last season’s record of 20-11, a record that saw the season end in the semi-finals. “We improve on that by becoming more disciplined,” said Coach Campbell. “More organized, more mentally strong, we’ve added a lot of talent that will help us throughout the season.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the way we attend class, shop, eat, work, and the way we communicate. COVID has made everything an inconvenience, but as humans, we adjust. “COVID has made me do a better job of reaching my guys on their level,” said Coach Campbell. “Since I wasn’t able to see them in person, I’ve had to do a lot of facetime, text messages, and zoom calls. It has also allowed me to view guys in a different light. I didn’t get to see them work out, so they had to do it on their own; I got to see who was willing to work hard right away.”
Defensive is the ultimate equalizer in basketball. Last season the cougars allowed 78 points per game while opponents shot 45% from the field, and 34% from 3. “Our keys to defense are first and foremost we have to be in shape, we’re going to condition ourselves to play,” said Coach Campbell. I think it’s safe to say that Cougars’ keys to success this year will be Discipline, Defense, Dependability, and Dedication. The season starts on October 30th against Bethel University. GO COUGARS!
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