Eagles still hovering just below .500
By Clay Coss
IV Leader Sports Editor, Feb. 21, 2003
After a long and bumpy ride, the journey that has become known as the men’s basketball season is nearing its final destination.
With only two games remaining on the regular season schedule, the Eagles continue to hover just below the .500 mark at 11-14 (2-8).
However, according to Head Coach Mike Riley, the team is starting to “come out of its shell,” the same shell that has entrapped the Eagles for much of the second half of the season and ultimately doomed any chance of a high regional seed.
“We haven’t been able to establish consistency on either offense or defense. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs,” said Riley.
But after a huge overtime victory against conference foe Blackhawk East last week, things may be again heading north for the Eagles, just at the right time.
Riley feels his team can survive their first D-1 regional appearance, despite a season of controversy.
“We’ve beat half the teams in our regional. We just have to play consistently and stay healthy through then. If we can do that we’ll be competitive,” said the coach.
And while consistency has been hard to come by thus far for the Eagles, point-guard Aubrey Conerly hasn’t had any problems maintaining it. Despite catching a foreign elbow that would eventually send him dentist-bound, the gutsy play-maker turned in a triple-double in front a home crowd on Feb. 13, his third of the season according to Riley.
On the flip side, the Eagles are in need of the Lee Moran that posted monstrous numbers throughout the season’s first half, but has struggled of late.
“We need to get (Moran) going again. He’s slowed down as the season’s wore on. We need to get from him the same numbers he gave us in the first half (of the season).”
Filling the gap for Moran has been freshman Jeff Davis, who has been both getting more minutes and making larger contributions. Riley credits Davis’s recent outburst to finally getting into the flow of college basketball.
“Jeff has learned to play better defense and stay out of foul trouble. As a result he is seeing a lot more minutes,” said Riley.
And quality minutes are exactly what the Eagles are in search for with the post-season just around the corner.
“I’m guessing that we’ll be a 6 or 7 seed in the tournament. Five if we’re lucky, said the coach.
“I’m predicting a first round match up with either Sauk Valley or Kankakee.”
The men’s regional is scheduled to begin at the beginning of March.