Colonels prepare for conference play

Regardless of what the Nicholls State Colonels’ basketball record was until this point, it’s now 0-0.

After stuttering through the 13-game non-conference schedule, the Colonels start their new season-conference play-Saturday at Northwestern State.

Unlike previous seasons, the attitude surrounding this year’s team is much different, according to head coach J.P. Piper.

Competitive games against Tulane (two-point loss), LSU (12-point loss) and Mississippi State (six-point loss) have given the Colonels a renewed confidence entering Southland Conference play.

It’s something that even the coach himself could not have predicted.

“I’m excited about where the team is,” Piper boasted. “We’re winning games early on. We even have a couple of coaches from outside of our conference telling us we have a good team and that we should be competitive. This is by far the best team I’ve brought into conference play.”

Even with the compliments from opposing coaches, the Colonels aren’t relaxing until they make the tournament.

“I don’t want to have that conversation,” Piper said. “Let’s just get in the tournament and we’re just going to take it one game at a time.”

However, while most teams are playing to finish with the top seed overall in the conference, the Colonels’ headman would gladly take a middle seed if it meant making a run at the conference title and possibly the NCAA tournament.

“If I could sit down and script it, I would rather finish fourth or fifth in the league and make a run in the tournament and have a chance to play on that last day for the championship,” he said. “Rather than win the league and go into the conference tournament and maybe get upset in the first round.”

The Colonels’ 6-5 start is the best 11-game start since 2000. That was also the last year the Colonels appeared in the conference tournament.

Those numbers have kept the Colonels high-spirited in the locker room, something Piper says is important, especially in league play.

“I think now our team believes that we’re good and have a chance to win every game we play,” he said. “That’s what we’re telling them every time we take the floor: ‘You’re as capable of winning as the team you’re playing against.’ It hasn’t always been that way here.”

The main difference between previous Colonel squads and this year’s squad is playing experience.

Before the season, Piper had eight players with game experience on the roster. However, the sudden emergence of freshmen Fred Hunter and Chris Iles has allowed to the Colonels to be even deeper than Piper originally anticipated.

Senior Ryan Bathie and sophomore Anatoly Bose have continued to be the Colonels’ primary weapons this season. Bathie leads the team with 14.5 points per game while Bose is directly behind with 13.

But, Piper said it may be the play of his freshmen that could make the difference. Hunter is averaging 12.8 points in his starting role while Iles has notched 3.8 points per game off the bench.

The play of everyone has brought an added intensity to practice.

Piper admitted that in years past even he would dread attending practice. This season, things are vaguely different.

“These guys are excited to see us and excited to be around one another, and they love coming in and working hard. That feeds on itself. It’s been hard to get it here but it’s fun now that it is here.”

Senior Justin Payne has experienced the bad times of Colonels’ basketball in his four years in Thibodaux. He also sees a difference in this year’s team. He cannot see a more perfect ending to his career than a trip to the conference tournament.

“We’ve come a long way,” the senior told SportsNet following a game earlier in the season. “We’ve had some tough games already this year. I’m so happy, I’m enjoying the game. I’m glad to see this right now.”

Northwestern enters Saturday’s game led by Devin White. White’s 12.5 points per game has helped the Demons secure an 8-6 record through 14 games. Last season, the Colonels were 1-1 against the Demons. They lost in Natchitoches 70-67, but rebounded with an 82-60 win in Thibodaux.

For the Colonels to get the conference slate started off right, Piper said his team needs to continue to play their style of basketball, and continue to play smart.

“If we can go up there and be a little better than we’ve been the last couple of years, maybe we’ll have a chance to win one on the road,” he explained. “It’ll be a great way to start conference play.”

He closed by saying, “I’ve learned that there are going to be some nights when we struggle and don’t play well because we have some young guys. Every team experiences that. But, we want to slowly build to the point where we will be playing our best ball in March. That’s what counts.”

After starting non-conference play 6-6 through their first 12 games, the Colonels now prep themselves for Southland Conference play which begins Saturday at Northwestern State. Head coach J.P. Piper has hopes of taking his team to their first conference tournament under his tenure. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER