March 9, 2016The season didn’t finish exactly how we wanted it too, but it was definitely a year to build off of. The growth our team experienced throughout the season was fun to watch, and was evident in our play on the court. If you watched a game at the beginning of the year compared to the end of the year you would think we had a whole new team, and this had a lot to do with the development of our freshmen players. A lot of our freshmen didn’t play or get treated like freshmen because of how young we were. They had to jump the learning curve and learn on the fly; which is tough to do with anything in life especially if you’re playing teams that have seven seniors. At times you could tell how young we were, but as the year went on there were a few times when you would see a "freshman mistake". A lot of our players came in as underclassmen on the court but with their play, and continued growth finished as upperclassmen. This was especially evident with Robert Okoro and Kwenton Scott who were G-MAC All-Freshman Team selections. We also had some returners who stepped up and showed some significant growth this year.
Two of the main examples of returners showing growth were Patrick Bain (P Bizzle) and J.C. Faubion (My Woldy). These two players showed much improved play on the court, and really displayed all the hard work they put in during the off-season. Patrick had many great moments this year and this was shown in his improved stats from last year. J.C. also had some great moments which led him to be named a member of the All-G-MAC Team. It’s always nice to see players improve because you can only expect more next year. This is also in large part to the coaching staff showing confidence in players. Our coaching staff really showed perseverance in coaching such a young team this year. It can be hard to try and re-teach certain aspects of basketball that you haven’t had to teach in a while, or move a lot slower than your accustomed too. Coach Brown (Breezy), Coach Sok (B Sizzle), and Coach Estepp (Eazy) did a great job doing that this year and it wasn’t unnoticed.
Lastly, I just want to let everybody that supported us this year know we greatly appreciated it. All the prayers and cheers really meant a lot, and went a long way. Most importantly thank you to all the parents who came to the games whether they were in Cedarville or West Virginia (State of the Waffle Maker Debacle Part I and II). Even if you were watching online it all means the same and we couldn’t be more thankful.
Until next year,
SeanB
March 2, 2016This past week for the basketball team was filled with some high and lows. We had another trip to West Virginia for our last two games of the year against Alderson Broaddus and Davis & Elkins. Our game against Alderson Broaddus is always a big game for us because we have never beat them in conference. We always play them good, but we can never pull out a win. We went into the game focused, but it didn’t help that we stayed at the same hotel that didn’t have a waffle maker (Waffle maker debacle Part II). Coach Estepp took care of us for pre-game meal like he always does, so the lack of a waffle maker didn’t have much effect on us. When we arrived at Alderson Broaddus for our game everybody was excited, and their home crowd was pretty good since it was there Senior Night. It’s always a little more exciting to play when you have a good crowd because the energy in the building is so much higher. We played well the whole game and had another big contribution from Colton Linkous. He walked into the gym hot (shooting well) and played great in a big game. He went 7/8 from the tracie (three point line) and finished with 21 points. He really played a huge part in our victory which concluded with a defensive stop to win the game.
Our next game was against Davis & Elkins and it didn’t go as planned. One of the hardest things to do in sports is play a game after you get a huge emotional win. It was honestly just a tough game for us, and there isn’t any other way to put it. We weren’t happy about losing, but we were happy that we play them again in the first round of the G-MAC Tournament. Conference tournament means so much this year because whoever wins gets an automatic bid to the NCAA II Tournament. Everybody is very excited to play and the opportunity to make the National Tournament.
We would appreciate prayers for safe travels to Kentucky. We play Davis & Elkins Thursday (Start time 2:30 p.m. EST) in Owensboro.
SeanB
Feb. 23, 2016This past week for the basketball team was long, exciting, interesting, and fun. We had three games last week, and our first two were in West Virginia against Salem International and Bluefield State. Nobody on the team exactly looks forward to a West Virginia trip because they seem so long. The phone service is always terrible, you’re not looking at anything but mountains, and it just feels like a 10-hour drive. I have nothing against West Virginia; I’m sure it’s great, but the trips there are the worst to me. When we left on Tuesday we had a 3 1/2 hour trip ahead of us until we got to Salem for our game. It’s very hard to be on the bus that long and play a game the same day especially when your trip takes an extra hour than planned. Salem is a hard place to play at because of the trip and it’s a smaller gym, so we were very focused on the game. The game was back and forth at the beginning until my dawg Evan Kraatz got in the game. He walked in the gym hot (hitting shots) and was just getting buckets. He affected the game on both ends of the court, and was undoubtedly the MVP of the game. Evan finished with 21 points, went 5-for-7 from the tracie (three pointers), had five assists, and two steals. He played a great game, and everybody was happy to see him have a game like that. Having a great individual performance by a teammate and getting a win is always a great way to start a trip. Our next game was against Bluefield State which was another three hours away from Salem, so we were back on the road in the morning.
The next day didn’t get off to a good start at all. That morning some of the players decided to get up for breakfast, and when we got down there we noticed the hotel didn’t have a waffle maker. Personally that’s one of the things I look the most forward to on trips because I love hotel waffles. I was at a loss for words and a little distraught when I realized the hotel didn’t have a waffle maker. Coach Estepp really saved the day when lunch rolled around. He decided to get us sandwiches from Primanti Brothers which is one of the best sandwich restaurants in the country. They are rooted in Pittsburgh (Shout-out to Easton AKA E) so we were lucky to find one in West Virginia. The sandwiches were good and really saved us from the waffle maker debacle. We had practice later that day at Bluefield State which went well and then one of the crazier situations of the year happened. If you have read my previous blogs you might recall me saying, "If our team ever got stuck on a bus we would make it the funniest experience ever"……well that actually happened. Our bus got stuck in a parking lot for over an hour, and everybody enjoyed it. There were a lot of jokes and great conversations, but we eventually had to get off the bus and help push it over a curb so it could get out. We eventually got out and made it back to our hotel. We finished off our trip with an exciting double overtime win at Bluefield State. Everybody played great and really showed perseverance (core value) in the win. We finished off the week with one more game Saturday night against Wilberforce which was Senior Night.
We had the wonderful opportunity of honoring our two seniors Jason Reep and Jonny Foote that night. Jonny and Jason have been great for the program and have really embodied the core values of our program. They have been great examples to everybody on the team on how to be leaders, and most importantly they have showed us how to be Godly role models to everybody around us. It was a pleasure watching them enjoy their Senior Night.
This week we are going back to West Virginia for two more big games. We play Alderson Broaddus Thursday (start time is 7:45 p.m.) and then we play our regular season finale Saturday against Davis & Elkins (start time is 4:15 p.m.). We would appreciate prayers for safe travels and an injury free weekend. Lastly, I would like to thank you for all your prayers for Justice (ice) because he’s back and ready to play this week!
SeanB
Feb. 16, 2016This past week was one of the better weeks for the basketball team after coming off a rough week of games. We had two important games, and still didn’t have Justice (ice) due to an ankle injury. It’s extremely difficult to play games without one of your starters; especially if that starter is your point guard. A point guard is the player that leads the team on the court. He is basically the coach on the floor, and in most cases a team doesn’t go too far if their point guard isn’t up to par. Everybody was a little nervous that he wasn’t playing, but we had two players really step up this week and play well. Patrick Bain (P bizzle) and Evan Kratz (still working on his nickname) had two very solid games. Evan hit some very key shots, played great defense like he always does, and also made some clutch free throws to help us win one of our games. Patrick also played well, and it was very impressive to watch him because he’s not a point guard by nature. Point guard isn’t something you just decide to do - it’s the hardest position in basketball to play and can take a lot of time to learn. I think Patrick only had about three days to try and get comfortable with it, but if you came to the game you wouldn’t have been able to tell. He played great when he was out there and ran the team with confidence. He was a key part in our win over Salem International last Thursday. It’s always great to see somebody step up, but it’s even better when somebody you don’t expect has a breakout game especially after all the hard work you see them display on a daily basis.
We got off to a rough start to say the least against Ohio Valley last Saturday. Ohio Valley came out ready to play and to nobody’s fault but ours we didn’t. We started the game down 24-6, but showed one of our best traits that most young teams don’t have. Many young teams aren’t good at starting off bad, and bouncing back because it is just tough mentally to do that. Strangely, with as young as we are that has always been one of the things we are best at. I’m not saying it’s good to put yourself in that position, but sometimes it will happen and it’s good knowing we always respond well. A player that responded very well was Gabriel Portillo. Gabe had a great first half and gave great energy off the bench. He hit some big shots, had great energy, and most importantly was prepared to play so he could make an impact as soon as he got in the game. As the game went on we started cutting the lead down and were tied at half. When we came back out we had complete control of the game from the beginning of the second half to the end. In large part to the performance of Colton Linkous. Colton had 16 points off the bench and played his best game of the year so far. It was special to watch because Colton is always in the gym working hard and shooting extra shots. It was definitely a breakout game for him, and I’m sure he will continue to have games just like that.
We have a busy week this week this so we would really appreciate your support. We play Tuesday at Salem International (start time 7:30 p.m.) then we play Thursday at Bluefield State (start time is 6 p.m.) and we finish our week Saturday night at home for Senior Night against Wilberforce (start time is 7:45 p.m. and its Li’l Sibs Weekend). We would appreciate prayers for safe travels and an injury-free week.
SeanB
Feb. 9, 2016This past week was a very good bonding experience for the team. We were basically gone the whole week because we had two away games in Kentucky and Tennessee. One of the best qualities about our team is our youth. We can truly make any situation fun, and a lot of that has to do with our freshman class. Our freshman class has been a large part of our team morale; they are always joking, smiling, and having fun. I truly believe if our bus ever got stuck anywhere for an extended amount of time they would turn it into the funniest experience of their life. It’s a lot of fun to be around, and it was in full effect on the trip.
The main culprits are usually Colton Linkous and Kyle Laffin. There is never a dull moment with them and they turn everything into a fun time. It’s always good to have players like that on a team because they keep the mood light, and help everybody to come together. This is the only team I have been a part of that everybody truly gets along and genuinely…like genuinely (insider) cares about each other. It’s a lot of fun to be around, and it really changes the atmosphere of the team.
We had a lot of fun on our trip, and had the wonderful opportunity to hear Justice (ice) sing. It’s not to often we get to hear him sing, but it’s always a treat when we do. Another good thing about taking trips is the food we eat. Chuck’s is always nice and we appreciate the food we get, but there’s nothing like a good BBQ buffet. We ate at a BBQ buffet called "Moonlight" and it was very good. They had as much BBQ, sides, and dessert you could eat, and the rolls were some of the best I ever had. We always eat well on trips and all the players appreciate that a lot.
On a more important note if you can please keep Justice in your prayers he suffered an ankle injury, so we would greatly appreciate any prayers.
We have two home games this week and would appreciate some support. We play home Thursday against Salem International University (start time 7:45 p.m.). Then we play home Saturday against Ohio Valley University (start time 4:15 p.m.).
Lastly I want to thank Kristianna Joy Tucker for her constant support of my blog - it’s greatly appreciated.
Until next week,
SeanB
Feb. 3, 2016This past week was a little rough. We had two games and didn’t play to the best of our abilities. We lost two games to two teams that we should’ve beat. When you lose to teams you think you should beat it is one of the toughest things to swallow in sports. Winning in sports is already hard enough, so when you lose a game you think you should win it can hit you pretty hard. It can either take your team one of two ways. Your team can decide to just pack it in for the year, or fight back and make the changes necessary so you don’t deal with a situation like that again. The decision to decide which way to go comes very quick in a season.
We have a huge opportunity this week to bounce back, and show how we really play. We have two huge road games against two of the best teams in our conference. We could completely turn the league around with two wins this week. I love situations like the one we face because you see the true identity of a person or team when they are backed into a corner. I believe as a team we actualyl perform our best when we are faced with adversity. That is one of my favorite characteristics about our team. We always fight no matter the situations, and that is going to be big for us down the line.
We play Thursday against Kentucky Wesleyan (start time 8:30 pm / EST ) and then Saturday against Trevecca (start time 4:00 pm / EST). We would greatly appreciate prayers for safe travels.
Until next week,
SeanB
Jan. 26, 2016This past week for the Yellow Jacket basketball team was almost comparative to a parent watching their child grow up a little bit. When you are a parent, or even just a guardian of a child you realize every little thing that starts to happen to them as they get older. This can be anything from how they walk to the way they talk, but you enjoy every moment of it because you can appreciate the growth that is taking place right in front of your eyes. I’m obviously not trying to compare a child growing up to our basketball team, but the growth we witnessed at Central State is comparative to the growth of a child. We played at Central State which is a very tough place to play at, it is a rivalry game, and we faced adversity throughout the whole game. It was fun to watch us play and play to our strengths as a team. There's no way earlier in the year we would have won that game, so that's why this game was so exciting.
We definitely validated our defensive identity in the game, and had some key defensive performances from Robert Okoro and Justice Montgomery (AKA Iceeeee). Robert played great in the post and was a monster on the offensive boards. Justice played great individual defense on Central State’s best player, and honestly just put on a clinic on how to play man to man defense. We also played great team defense; everybody was moving as one unit, and we got key stops when we needed them. Our offense wasn't exactly poetry in motion, but when we needed a bucket somebody stepped up. The game came down to the final minute, and two key plays were made by two of our leaders. The game was close and J.C. Faubion (AKA my Woldy AKA Ice man) hit a clutch pull up jumper to put us ahead. After that happened we had to get one final stop, and Easton Bazzoli made one of the biggest defensive plays of the year. He tipped the inbounds pass, and didn't even let Central State run the play they drew up. In other words - as we say he "x’ed" them out, and just locked them up.
We definitely took some big steps forward as a team. Thinking back to the beginning of the year to where we are now it's almost funny how far we have come as a team. As long as we keep improving we will be a scary team to play in February, and when the G-MAC Tournament rolls around. Also, with the way things are setting up we are going to get hot right at conference tournament, and we know if we win conference tournament we are going dancing.
This week is another big week with two home games. We play Thursday against Davis & Elkins (start time 7:45 pm) and we play Alderson Broaddus Saturday (start time 4:15pm). We would greatly appreciate if you could come and support.
Until next week,
SeanB
Jan. 19, 2016This past week will definitely be a week to look back at when we get to the conference tournament. We grew as a team, regained our team identity, and lastly got to witness a breakout game from Patrick Bain (AKA P Bizzle). We started off the week trying to regain our focus after a tough loss to Kentucky Wesleyan, which can be hard for a young team. When you play one of the best teams in your conference, and come close to beating them it can sometimes make you become complacent. As a team collectively we displayed characteristics of a mature team because we came back to practice ready to work and focused on our next game against Bluefield State. Our game against Bluefield State was a little bit frustrating, but also was a good teaching point. We came out very strong and took a 17-2 lead right at the start. We held a pretty solid lead through most of the first half; Bluefield made a decent run but we still went into halftime up by double digits. Considering this was the first time all year we had a double digit lead going into half a little bit of a let up was expected, but it lasted a lot longer than it should’ve. We came out flat, and Bluefield State got back into the game and almost won. We were in trouble until my dawg P Bizzle went off in the second half. He had a career night with 33 points and was 5-6 from the tracy (three point line). He played great and was a big part of our win. We were happy about our win, but knew we also had a chance to get our first league win Saturday against a good Ohio Valley team.
We traveled to Ohio Valley Saturday focused on the game. Ohio Valley is a tough place to play, so we knew it wouldn’t be an easy game. The game was close the entire time, but we rediscovered our defensive identity towards the end of the game. We played outstanding defense the entire game, and it was capped off by a great defensive stop at the end to win the game. One of our freshmen, Robert Okoro, played outstanding individual defense at the end of the game, and also played an outstanding overall game as he recorded his first career double-double. This past week was great, and we are looking forward to build on it the rest of the season.
We play at Central State this Thursday (start time 7 pm). Central State isn’t that far away so we would really appreciate if you could find the time to come support.
Until next time,
SeanB
Jan. 12, 2016If we learned anything from this past week, it’s that we are definitely in great shape. We had two of the toughest practices of the year this past week. There’s no other way to describe practice Monday but as a straight grind. It was a very intense, and there were definitely some come to Jesus moments. Then we came back Tuesday, and due to some self-inflicted wounds had one of the best calf/conditioning workouts ever. It was a rough couple of days, but sometimes that can be good for a team. Coach Estepp wasn’t a fan favorite for those couple days, but he knows that as a head coach you can’t always be buddy-buddy with your players. Sometimes you have to send a message that losing isn’t acceptable especially when you don’t play to your full potential. Sometimes it is good for a team to have a couple practices like the ones we had. It can really help you refocus on what you need to do individually and collectively as a team in order to win. This was important to recapture especially with a very talented Kentucky Wesleyan team coming to play us.
Kentucky Wesleyan is probably the most talented team in our conference, and with seven seniors they are also one of the most experienced. We started off the game pretty much neck and neck with them, but they started to pull away at the end of the half. They pulled away even farther from us in the second half and took a pretty big lead. At that point we had to make a decision as a team to either just quit or fight back. We decided to fight back, and we cut the lead all the way down to single digits. We played extremely hard, but learned that it’s important not to dig yourself into such a deep hole early because it can be hard to fight your way out of it. We weren’t happy we lost at all, but we were happy that we showed some fight and didn’t just lay down. Honestly a team with seven seniors playing a team with mostly underclassmen should do what they did, but it was exciting to see that we weren’t scared and made it a good game.
We have two games this week and would appreciate if everybody would come out and support. We definitely missed the student body over break so a big crowd for our game Thursday against Bluefield State (start time 7:45 pm) would be greatly appreciated. We also play Saturday at Ohio Valley (start time 4:00 pm). I’m glad to see everybody back and I hope everybody has a great first week back.
Until next time,
SeanB
Jan. 5, 2016It has definitely been a long time since I have posted a blog, so let me give you a little update on how the team has been doing. We have still been taking strides as a team, but are still trying to put it all together. Last time I posted I told you we had three games coming up against good teams. Our first game was against Lake Erie College, and this game was definitely a game to remember because we finally figured out our true identity as a team. Any great team knows what makes them great so that’s the identity they take on. As a team we kind of knew what we were, but in our game against Lake Erie we showed everybody including ourselves the great defensive team we can be.
Lake Erie is a very good offensive team, and we played great defense the whole game but we locked them up in the second half. Our team defense was textbook; it was almost so good I think Coach Estepp wanted to make it a teaching video (Ok, it might not have been that great but it was pretty good). We ended up winning the game with some key late-game stops. We were happy about the win, but had to bounce right back the next day and play Walsh. Walsh is a very good team who only lost to Ohio State by ten earlier in the year, so we knew it would be a tough game. We started out slow but as the game went on we started really playing our game. This game also came down to the wire but unfortunately there was a different outcome. This game was definitely a good lesson in how much the little things matter in the long run. There were many free throws, lay-ups, and a couple defensive assignments we missed that cost us at the end. Honestly, our next game against Grand Valley State went the same way. We were the better team, but the little stuff cost us at the end. This was the last game before break and we weren’t happy that we lost but we knew as a team we were getting closer to where we needed to be.
After the game we got the next week off for Christmas Break, and everybody was very excited to be able to go home and see their family. This is the only time during the season when we get a whole week off with our family so everybody was happy, but at the same time we knew we had to come back prepared to start Great Midwest Athletic Conference play. This year our conference tournament means much more than in years past because the winner of the conference gets an automatic bid to the national tournament. When we got back from break we started preparing for our first conference game against Trevecca. We played great in the first half, but about halfway through the second half we lost our identity. When you are a defense team your offense feeds off of you getting stops, so sometimes when there are no stops there aren’t too many points. That’s basically what happened in our game and we lost. Even though we lost we have huge opportunity Saturday to bounce back against one of the best teams in our conference.
We play Saturday against Kentucky Wesleyan (start time is 2 p.m.). If anybody is in town, it would be much appreciated if you come to the game and support.
Until next week,
SeanB
Dec. 15, 2015This past week was probably the most relaxed week practice-wise we have had all year. We also received a day off, but it was definitely one of the most stressful weeks of the year. As you all know last week was finals week, and also when you realize why you are a student-athlete and not just an athlete. Coach Estepp didn’t take it too hard on us in practice because he knew it would be a pretty tough week mentally for us but we still had productive practices. When we first began training for the season Coach Estepp always told us that if you want to be a championship player you have to be able to walk through the gym doors and focus on practice no matter what is happening outside of the gym doors. As a team we learned what he meant by that statement last week in practice. Many people might not think that as student-athletes we do our work, or we get some kind of pass on our studies because we are athletes but that’s far from the truth.
It’s not easy studying all day, then going to practice, then studying all night after practice until two o’ clock in the morning. After doing that a couple days in a row it isn’t easy to be focused during practice but as an athlete you don’t have a choice. If you’re not focused in practice you might as well not show up because it will be a waste of time, and for a team that’s trying to win championships you can’t waste time. Yes, we fully understand what we are signing up for when we decide to be student-athletes and yes, we cherish it because not many people can say that they were a college athlete. Don’t confuse me telling you this as me complaining because I’m absolutely not. It should be understood that we aren’t just coasting, and as the championship quarterback for The Ohio State Buckeyes said "playing school". Many people don’t understand the grind of a college athlete, but if you spent one day with our starting shooting guard Patrick Bain (Allied Health major, AKA P Bizzle) or our back up forward Jason Reep (Engineering major) you would see what it’s really like to walk in our shoes. These are just two of the many examples, but it’s different when you actually see the work that these two put in each and every day to truly define student-athlete.
We only played one game last week, and after a hard week of finals we definitely wanted to end it on a high note. We played Mount Vernon Nazarene on Saturday which was a team we lost to last year so we owed them. We played very well as a team, and ended up winning behind another great second half performance by J.C. Faubion (My Woldy). A special shout-out to Justice Montgomery who also played a very good game and really helped lead us to a win with many key plays. We play three games this week against very good opponents. Tuesday we play at Lake Erie College (start time is 7 p.m.), Wednesday at Walsh University (start time is 7 p.m.), and lastly we host Grand Valley State on Saturday (start time is 4 p.m.). We would greatly appreciate it if anybody who is still in town would come support and for everybody who is back home to keep us in your prayers.
Until next week,
SeanB
Dec. 8, 2015If you ask any athlete or coach what is the hardest thing about sports, most will tell you winning. Most people that aren’t involved with a sports team think that the game is the hard part but that is far from the truth. There is so much time and preparation that goes into every single game that the actual game is the easy part. With all the preparation that goes into every game it isn’t fun to lose especially if you lose consecutive games. It’s equivalent to studying hours for a test then failing that same test over and over and over.
Considering our team hadn’t won a game yet, and with having so many freshmen that didn’t know what winning felt on the college level yet - everybody on the team was starting to get a little upset that our first win still eluded us. But Coach Estepp had a talk with us that I believe helped a lot. He told us that we are playing too tight and need to start playing loose because we have nothing to lose. Even though that sounds very simple and obvious, it’s exactly what our team needed to hear going into our next game.
We played a good and underrated Ohio Christian team Tuesday, which we knew would not be an easy game. We went into the game confident, but prepared for a battle. The game started off rough for us but we persevered and got back into the game. We pulled away towards the end of the game after one of our team leaders, Jason Reep, hit a big time three in the second half to help us get our first win of the year. Everybody was very excited that we finally won, but we knew we had another game in two days so we had to start preparing as soon as possible.
On Thursday we played Miami-Middletown, and it wasn’t exactly the best example of Cedarville basketball but we won. Then we had our third game of the week Saturday against Cincinnati Christian. It was a very exciting game that went into overtime. In this game we definitely had our best performance of the year courtesy of J.C. Faubion (AKA My Woldy AKA Ice man). He had a very clutch performance and finished with 35 points and 10 rebounds to give him a double- double. He played a marvelous game and was a vital part to our win.
I believe the biggest take away from this past week was very simple but important to know. We learned that it’s not only fun to win a game, but its also extra fun to win multiple games.
We only have one game this week, and we would love to see you there if you haven’t already left for break. We play Saturday at home against Mount Vernon Nazarene (start time is 7:45 p.m.).
Until next week,
SeanB
Nov. 30, 2015Being that this past week was Thanksgiving it was in a way our first checkpoint of the season. We played Tuesday against undefeated Ferris State. We were really hoping to go home to our families for break with a win and Ferris State would have been ideal. When we arrived in Michigan practice went especially well considering the fact that we had been on a bus for seven hours. Coach Estepp did some different things to shake up practice a little bit and everybody responded well. I believe everybody on the team was ready to get our first win and who better to beat then an undefeated team?
Our effort was good and we took some of the necessary steps needed to keep progressing as a team. In the end though, we didn’t go home with the win like we wanted. Even though it’s taking longer than we planned and as annoying as it is, we know we are getting so close to where we want to be. As a team, we are addressing what we know we can fix in order to keep moving forward. I know all of us had time to think about these things over our break. Everybody enjoyed their families and the great Thanksgiving food they had while at home.
Saturday was our first day back at practice but it didn’t exactly go as smooth as it could have. Everybody on the team was still a little sluggish from break and Coach Estepp wasn’t too happy about that especially since our first win still eludes us. When you're trying to reach goals and accomplishments there's no room for sluggishness or back stepping. We definitely learned that lesson in practice this week. Sometimes practices like the one we had are necessary so we can get our minds refocused on our next game.
With that being said, we have a packed schedule of games this week and would appreciate if you came out to support. We play Ohio Christian Tuesday (7:45) then Thursday vs Miami- Middletown (7:30) and in our final game of the week on Saturday vs Cincinnati Christian (6:15)
Until next week,
SeanB
Nov. 24, 2015Last week was a little bit of a roller coaster ride for the team. We started off on a good note but definitely didn’t end the week the way we wanted to. We had a tough game against the University of Findlay, a fundamentally solid team. Findlay is usually one of the Top 25 teams in the country, so we knew going into the game that we were going to have to work hard in order to win. We didn’t end up with the win but we continued to take steps forward as we have been doing all year. As I mentioned last week it’s not just necessarily about "winning games" but making sure we are getting better as a unit, striving toward the level of play required in order to be the team we want to be. When we accomplish that, the wins will soon follow soon after.
We weren’t happy about the loss but we know we are getting closer to where we want to be. It’s like we were making our way up the first big hill of a roller coaster and we were about to make it over the hump. After the loss to Findlay I would say everybody was still pretty excited for our game Saturday against Northwood. We were ready to get our first win but that’s when we made our way back down the roller coaster.
Saturday wasn’t a total loss, but we didn’t play with the passion it takes to win. We played hard but something just wasn’t right and Coach Estepp could tell. I would say this game was the first time all year we took a step back, and when you take a step back it makes it that much harder to get back on track. We all knew after the game and after talking with Coach Estepp that we still had a lot more work to do. We had all of Saturday and Sunday to think about what we needed to do and what we ultimately wanted out of this season. We could either roll over and keep taking losses, or fix the problems that need to be fixed in order to position ourselves to win.
Our next game is Tuesday night against Ferris State, another solid team. It’s also our first away game so this is a whole other challenge in itself. From an outside point of view it might not look like these are the best circumstances, and that the odds might be against us but in all actuality the timing is perfect. A good performance against Ferris State could be very uplifting for our team and a great way to go into our Thanksgiving break. We are very excited for our game, but with knowing what time of year it is we are also very thankful for the sport we get to play. As a team I would say we are all very thankful for our coaches, the facilities Cedarville has blessed us with, and the abilities God has given us. Even through all the so called rough times as well as the good times we always have to remember to give thanks to God no matter what the circumstances are.
Everybody have a blessed break!
Until next week,
SeanB
Nov. 17, 2015This past week was game week and with having seven freshmen you can only imagine the excitement that our team had for the first game. We weren’t only excited because it was our first game, but this was our opportunity to show everybody all the hard work that we had put in over the summer and during pre-season. All the sprints, workouts, practices, and film sessions are for this one moment and we didn’t want to disappoint.
We opened up the season at home in the Don Callan Classic against Lewis University who is usually a Top 25 team in the country, so we knew it would be a very tough test for our first game. As we were preparing for the game everybody was pretty loose and ready to play a real game against a different group of guys. Our team is very close but just imagine competing against the same people in high intensity drills every day for months. You would probably be tired of them too, huh? The game was intense and we gave max effort as we always do, but we didn’t get the result we wanted. Saturday’s game against Malone kind of went the same way. From the outside looking in the weekend might have looked like a terrible way to start the season and no it wasn’t the result we wanted, but it was a lot more than just an 0-2 start.
We did many things well in the games that at this time last year we were terrible at. As a team we took very big strides, and right now with the youth we have it’s about more than just "winning games." Yes, we could’ve scheduled a whoever team and eased our way into the season since we are so young, but that wouldn’t have showed us anything or made our team any better. This weekend was definitely a learning experience for us, but also something we can look back at down the road when we’re beating teams like Lewis and say, "wow, we came a long way." Nobody is disappointed in themselves and there is still an upbeat vibe within the team. Every championship team had to start somewhere right? This is just a starting point and we are very excited to see the finished product down the road.
We play two more home games this week against very good teams. Wednesday vs the University of Findlay (start time is 7:30 PM) and Saturday vs Northwood University (start time is 4:15 PM). Everybody make sure you come out and support.
Until next week
SeanB
Nov. 12, 2015With only being four days away from Moonlight Madness, and a couple weeks away from our first game, the preseason seems to be quickly coming to an end. The practices are tough; everybody is tired and ready for the actual season to start, but with the team having eight new players (seven freshmen and one transfer) the preseason has been far from usual.
When the six players we had left on the team met in a seemingly empty locker room before we left for our summer break we knew that the team was going to look completely different next year, and there was going to be a whole new attitude. Coach Estepp wanted to have a team that played and worked hard so he was only going to recruit players that did exactly that, and he wasn’t going to accept anything less from the returnees. Everybody on the team (recruits and returnees) was expected to be in shape because we had to pass the infamous "ladder" on the first day back. As you can imagine the returnees were a little nervous, but the freshmen were extremely terrified. I don’t think I have ever answered the same two questions so many times in my life, "Bro, is it really that bad?" "Do you think I’ll be able to get it?" To say the least all the new players were a little anxious. When we actually got to the morning of the test everybody met in the gym looking pretty nervous but ready to run. Everybody did well and eventually passed. The ladder in a way really set the tone for the preseason. It was going to be tough but the results would be well worth it.
After the ladder we started our 30 minute high intense preseason practices. This is where we realized how many new players we had, and the amount of teaching we were going to have to do on the fly so we could improve at a good pace. Even though we knew there was going to have to be a lot of teaching and patience we learned that Coach Estepp was not just talking when he said he was only recruiting players that played hard. All the new players have a very good work ethic and playing hard wasn’t going to be a concern for us. After a couple weeks of preseason practice we were approaching our annual team retreat to Scioto Hills. Scioto Hills is always a little escape from the world because we aren’t allowed to have our phones or any electronics. It’s always a special time because it’s just the team together in the woods for three days and two nights but this year was extra special because history was made. Our own freshman Student Assistant Ben Bowden found the first snipe (flightless bird) in Cedarville Men’s Basketball history. It was a very big moment for us as a team, and we were very proud of Ben’s accomplishment. We also had a lot of fun doing one of the most looked forward to events of the year "The Warrior Challenge". The Warrior Challenge is a big obstacle course/race that requires you to do many random events in order to win. I had the pleasure to be in Jason Reep’s group this year so of course, we won. We also got to chop and stack wood as a part of the service project we do for the camp every year. I also think I can go on account of everybody, and say we eat some of the best food we will all year thanks to Coach Estepp’s family and a little diner called Hickie’s.
After our trip to Scioto Hills everybody was very tired but excited because we knew we were getting close to the season. We had one scrimmage and an exhibition before we started playing actual games. In our exhibition we played Athletes In Action (AIA) which is a Christian ministry that uses basketball as their tool to reach people that haven’t heard the Gospel. During halftime of the exhibition everybody in the gym got the opportunity to hear Easton Bazzoli give his testimony about his experience visiting New Zealand with Athletes In Action. It was very cool to hear how he shared his faith for the first time to non-believers and also how his faith grew in his time in New Zealand.
After our exhibition everybody knew Moonlight Madness was right around the corner and everybody was excited as they usual are, but this year’s event was more exciting and special than any other year in Cedarville Men’s Basketball history on account of senior Jonny Foote. Jonny was supposed to be a player here but never got the opportunity mainly because of tearing both his ACL’s. Jonny has been a big encouragement to all of us because he has stayed very strong through all of the hard times he has had to endure. He has definitely been a true example of selflessness and perseverance to the team because he never complained, or stopped being the most passionate player on the team due to his injuries. Jonny was able to participate in the inter-squad scrimmage and dunk contest this year. It was very inspiring to see him play and perform some pretty good dunks. Jonny deserved to have that night for obvious reasons, but more so because of how he handled the adversity he was faced with. He has shown us all a real example of the ultimate teammate.
Everybody make sure you come out and support the basketball team this weekend as we kick our season off. We have two home games against some top competition in the nation. We play Lewis Friday night (start time is 7:45) which is a blackout so everybody wear black attire and Malone Saturday night (start time is 7:15).
SeanB
Sean Blackburn is a 5-foot-10 sophomore guard from Columbus, Ohio. He is in his second season with the Yellow Jackets and is majoring in broadcasting and digital film.
