It’s been a tough start to the season for both basketball teams at Wilbur Wright. Currently both the men and women’s teams sit at the bottom of the conference. But, hope and positivity is still alive for the squads as they look to end the rest of the season on a high note.
The men’s team currently sits at a conference record of 1-3 and an overall record of 1-13, but Coach Carlos Thomas is staying positive about his team despite the statistics not favoring them. Thomas is especially proud of the three Rams players that have been most productive:
“The players who have shown a lot of growth this season in the face of a lot of adversity have been Joshua Brown, Nahum Pasteurin and JaKwon Derry. They have been committed and worked hard this year both in the classroom and on the court.”
The trio have all averaged double digits in points and been a big part of the scoring for the Rams. More importantly to Coach Thomas is their success in the classroom as this student success is a priority for him during the tough times of recruiting during a pandemic.
“With COVID-19 looming over us and the uncertainty that is inherently provided, recruiting was really tough to navigate. So, this year was all about providing opportunities to students at Wright to represent the school. We were fortunate to find a lot of good basketball players right here at Wright and we built our team from these student-athletes at Wright,” says Thomas.
Recruitment during a pandemic has made it tough for both the men’s and women’s team to put together a squad that can really learn to gel together. This has also shown with the women team’s current struggles of the 10 game losing streak they currently face.
Both teams, however, have the opportunity to end the season on a high note. After a month break due to cancellations of games, both teams will be back in action next week with the Men’s team taking on Kennedy-King on January 20th and the Women’s team taking on Morton on January 18th.
To turn things around, Coach Thomas said, “We have to do the things that it takes to be successful and this has been done every single day, with a no-days off mentality and approach.”
Coach Thomas is also looking forward to what lies ahead in the offseason with training, recruiting, and helping build the Wright community.
“I am most looking forward to the off-season, doing some very intentional recruiting of players who I feel will wear the Wright Rams jersey with pride and a sense of duty for the opportunity to play here. There are a ton of talented basketball players, but I am really excited about bringing good students into Wright next year who will want to excel in the classroom just as much as on the court and be a visible part of the Wright community.”
Despite the rough seasons for both teams, there is hope to be had within this season and beyond. If life ever slowly can start to get back to normal, we can only hope to see more success for the Rams. Going through these struggles together will only help both these teams grow.
Comentarios