Men struggle in conference play
By Greg Armstrong
Assistant Sports Editor, Jan. 30, 2003
The men’s basketball team has started the season’s second half, started conference play, and started to struggle.
With four straight conference losses, the men’s record has once again slipped to below the .500 mark at 8-10, and 8 of those losses coming away from their home floor.
Since the beginning of December, the team has posted a 5-5 record including victories over McHenry, MSTC, and Harper, although four of the five losses in that time have come to conference opponents.
Coach Mike Riley said that the team has struggled since the semester break. He attributes the struggles to the lack of success in the inside game.
“We have been playing poorly on the inside, our big men are not hitting their shots,” said Riley.
While the record may not be as good as Riley had hoped, he still has a possitive outlook for his team.
“I think that we have been very competitive in the conference. We feel we could easily be 2-2 right now, or even 3-1,” said the coach.
Another bright spot to the start of the second half is a full roster. For the first time in several years, the entire team remained academically eligible at the conclusion of the fall semester.
“It’s nice to be able to coach the same group of guys for an entire season. This is the first time I have been able to do that since I came here,” said Riley.
Within that roster comes the consistent play of both Lee Moran and Aubrey Conerly.
Moran a 6’8” sophomore has provided the Eagles with some much needed offensive support averaging just under 15 points per contest to compliment over 8 rebounds a night.
Conerly, the team’s point guard, has chipped in 13 points and 8 assists per game and has been the only Eagle to start all 18 contests.
With eight games remaining on the conference schedule, the Eagles will have plenty of opportunities to turn their conference record around. A pair of games against both Carl Sandburg and Black Hawk, as well as home rematches against Highland and Black Hawk East will provide the Eagles key chances to get back on track.