Check it Out!
February 26, 2007Yvonne Cuneo
March 1, 2007
Some how, some way, a shorthanded Nicholls State basketball team has given itself an opportunity to reach the Southland Conference Tournament as it enters the final week of the regular season.
Early in the year, the Colonels struggled to win conference games with nine active players on the roster. However, late in the season, with a roster of just seven active players, the Colonels have defeated the top two teams in the Southland Conference’s East Division, and have set themselves up for a chance at the school’s first SLC Tournament berth since 2001.
Even head coach J.P. Piper is unsure of how the team is playing its best ball with just two bench players. “I wish I had an answer,” said Piper. “I think it’s just guts. We’ve got some quality kids that have a lot of character. They refuse to give up, and they’re doing things no one expects them to do.”
The Colonels have won four of their last six games, including back-to-back wins over Southeastern Louisiana (8-6 SLC) and Northwestern State (9-5 SLC), improving their conference record to 6-8.
Over the course of the season the team has lost players to academics, injuries, homesickness and personal reasons. But the ones that remain have stepped their game up, according to Piper. “Gil Verner and Justin Payne have been outstanding,” said Piper. “They’re making plays. They’re getting assists. I think those two guys have been the most pleasant surprise.”
Piper pointed to Verner, in particular, saying that the sophomore was somewhat disappointing early in the season. “Gil wasn’t playing this well,” explained Piper. “He was hurt and a little out of shape.”
But Verner’s contributions have been key to the late-season run. Against Northwestern State, he contributed a team-high 18 points. He added 12 in the win over Southeastern Louisiana.
Another key to the run has been the Colonels ability to win games in the closing minutes. They defeated Texas-San Antonio in overtime, beat Southeastern 74-72 and Northwestern 93-92.
Piper said a reason for the close wins is his team’s conditioning. “For me, conditioning is a function of, one, is your body tuned up, and two, your ability to be mentally tough when fatigue sets in. You find ways to get things done despite the fact that your mind is telling you your legs can’t go; you can’t jump; you can’t run. I think our kids have done an outstanding job of being mentally tough late in games.”
According to Piper, a lot of the team’s conditioning comes from the early season practices that typically lasted over two hours.
The length of last Friday’s practice? Forty-five minutes. And 20 of those minutes were spent stretching. “Not only do we shorten practice (with just seven players),” said Piper, “but we do a lot less live stuff and more walk through and drill work. Anytime you’re live, you can turn an ankle or bust a knee. We’re not taking a lot of chances there.”
So far, the decreased practice time has not appeared to negatively affect the Colonels. “We’re at the point in the season where we can do that,” explained Piper. “With only two games left, they know what to do. We just walk through and review things and then get shots up.”
The Colonels were riding a three-game winning streak until Saturday’s 70-66 loss to Central Arkansas. “My greatest fear at this point is that we don’t understand how to handle success and we let our guard down and relax and let this slip away,” Piper said last Friday. “They keep telling me to relax and don’t worry. That’s my job, to worry about that.”
With two games left in the regular season, it remains to be season if the Colonels underdog squad can do what no Colonels’ team has done in six years—reach the SLC Tournament.
