Sacred Heart’s men’s basketball team has been practicing throughout the fall semester in order to prepare for their season that will begin on Nov. 25.
Despite the strain that COVID-19 has put on college athletics, the Northeast Conference (NEC) has allowed basketball to be played with a slightly delayed start. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has put guidelines in place to keep players, coaches and staff as safe as possible during practices and games.
“The weird thing about practice is that we have no locker room because of COVID-19,” said sophomore Tyler Thomas. “Also wearing a mask gets you a lot more tired faster.”
Head coach Anthony Latina said that the team has already had multiple situations with quarantine and contact tracing where players had to miss practice for 10-14 days.
“You need to have a mindset that things are going to be ever-changing,” said Latina. “There’s going to be some disruptions where you have to be as flexible and as accommodating as possible.”
Some of the players said that team practices have been going well and everyone has been very supportive of one another.
“I think the team dynamic this year is very cohesive and people like being around each other,” said Thomas.
Latina noted that practice has been going great and the coaches are very pleased with the group’s attitude, energy and work ethic.
“I’m very excited for the season to start. For me personally, it’s been a long year off and a long time away from the court,” said senior guard Zach Radz. “I’m just very excited to get back out there and play with my brothers.”
Radz missed his junior season due to injury but is ready for the upcoming season.
A typical season for the Pioneers is usually 29-31 games. However, they are scheduled to play 25-27 games this season. Their first game of the season will be Nov. 25 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.
There will be 18 conference games and either eight or nine non-conference games. This schedule could be interrupted at any time, but the team is cautiously optimistic about fitting these games into a tight window.
According to Sacred Heart Athletics, as of Oct. 28, there will be no spectators allowed at home games until further notice.
“Any athlete wants to play in an atmosphere with a lot of people and a crowd, especially when you’re at home,” said Radz. “But I think we’re all just excited we get to play this year and are grateful we got that opportunity.”
There were several key players that graduated or transferred from last season. Cam Parker, Koreem Ozier, and E.J. Anosike transferred to play at different universities, and Kinnon LaRose and Jare’l Spellman graduated last May.
However, Latina believes they have very capable veterans returning as well as nine freshmen that joined the roster.
“We have the same expectations as every season and cannot change because some of our personnel have changed a little,” said Latina.
The team hopes to finish top three in the league, which they have accomplished three out of the last five years. Generally, finishing top four in the league means that those teams are able to host a home game in the conference tournament.
“Obviously any team’s goal is to make it all the way to the top, so that’s our ultimate goal–to win an NEC championship,” said Radz.
The Pioneers lost the NEC semifinal game to Saint Francis University 84-72 last March and have not been able to scrimmage or compete against any other schools since then.
“I think we are all ready to get back and compete at a high level with other Division I schools instead of just by ourselves for most of the time,” said Thomas.
Latina wants to display this team as a program that the university, community and fans are proud to support.
“We hope to have the same excellence that the university has been able to achieve in recent years,” said Latina.
