Men's Basketball Team Playing Tough Defense

After an up and down start in conference play the Cougars of Kalamazoo Valley seem to be heading in the right direction. Winners of their last four games the Cougars have found themselves sitting in second place, with a 7-3 record, behind the Redhawks of Lake Michigan College, who post a record of 8-2.

“After finding ourselves 3-3 in conference play I didn’t know which way the team was going to go. I have been very pleased with the player’s focus, effort, and unselfishness as we are getting back to the type of basketball that helped us capture a conference championship last year,” said head coach Matt Dennis.

The type of play Coach Dennis is referring to is a balanced and unselfish scoring attack. Last season the Cougars had five players who were capable of being the high scorer. This year it seemed as though the back court duo of Brian Harris and Devonte Harris needed to score for the Cougars to play well. That has all changed recently with three of the last four games a new high scorer emerging. Overall, the Cougars top six scorer’s average between 9 and 14 points per game. This is something Coach Dennis has stressed all year.

“I have never had a team where one person carries us every night. Teaching the players to make the extra pass, set screens for each other, and find the open man has is the message from day one and this has allowed us to be unpredictable. I think we’re a little harder to guard this way, rather than a team that only has one or two players who shoot all the time.” It hasn’t been all about scoring though. The Cougars defense has stepped up and helped propel the Cougars to top half of the league. In league play the Cougars are only allowing opponents to score an average of 71 points a game. In a league that often sees scores in the eighties and nineties, and on one occasion recently saw Muskegon Community College and Lansing Community College both score over 100 points in the same game, the Cougars have taken pride in stifling opponents offenses.

According to Coach Dennis, “We have some guys who can really get down and play defense. Terry Davis and Jacob Watts-Jenkins can put a tremendous amount of pressure on people, and Tevis Robinson is a do it all player who has guarded all five positions at times. We aren’t perfect, but when we decide to get down and play defense it can be fun to watch.” With six games left in conference play the Cougars can’t get ahead of themselves. With four of the last six games on the road the team must continue to share the ball and play tough defense if they would like to have a chance at the top spot in the MCCAA Western Conference.