“Even though we lost the game, I think the biggest thing we can learn from today is we got a lot of growing to do,” said head coach Tom Parks. “To lose by 10 to really good team on the road with 24 turnovers and going 0-12 at the 3-point line in the second half, it says that if we had a few more shots go down and cleaned up the unforced turnovers, then I think we could have put ourselves in a better position to beat teams on the road.”
“Obviously I’m disappointed with the loss, but we have a lot of areas we can improve on and the exciting is we’ll get a rematch with them on Sunday four days from now, so we got a learning to do once we look things over and clean up the unforced turnovers.”
The Manatees opened the scored on the opening drive with back-to-back back baskets by freshman James “Pops” Weathers and classmate Kwo Agwa and soon the Manatees took a 13-5 lead before the Indians called timeout.
With 12 minutes left in the first half, the Manatees started getting sloppy on their offensive possessions and began to turn the ball over constantly thanks to the Indians’ press and zone defense, which lead to 14 first half turnovers.
“Turnovers played a big role against us in both halves,” said Parks on the turnover count. “The one thing we can take from it is we haven’t played a game in 10 months. Chipola has been practicing their press and zone defense all fall and the beginning of the spring semester, which coach Tyndall is known for and is good at leading it. So when we take a look at the film, we can automatically clean up the turnovers we made for the rematch against them.”
Eventually the Indians took the lead and led by as much as eight points, but the Manatees were able to finish the first half after a final 3-pointer by Weathers kept the Manatees up 45-41 at the end of the first half.
At the start of the second half, the Manatees were able to hold on to the lead for the first seven minutes, but soon the cloud of turnovers and rushed 3-point attempts started to hurt their offense and the Indians would regain the lead and went up by as much as 16 points.
The Manatees tried to cut the deficit to single digits, but unfortunately it was not enough as the Indians kept the lead up by 10 and secured their victory.
Three Manatees scored in double figures and it was Weathers that lead the Manatees offensively as he finished with 22 points (8-for-17 FG, 2-for-5 3PT, 4-for-4 FT), five assists and two steals. Kelly followed with 15 points (5-for-16 FG, 3-for-11 3PT, 2-for-2 FT), three rebounds, five assists and two steals, while Agwa rounded out the lineup in double figures as he finished with 12 points (5-for-12 FG, 2-for-4 FT), four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Sophomore Marshall Kearing, who recently committed to South Alabama after this season, finished with nine points (4-for-8 FG, 1-for-3 FT), eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and six blocks, while classmate Jordan Clark finished with four points, eight rebounds and one steal.
Hatcher contributed with one assist, while freshman Javon bell finished with seven points, four rebounds, one assist and two steals and sophomore Sam Grayson added two points, two rebounds and a block.
For the Indians, three players also scored in double figures. It was freshman Achor Achor lead the way offense as he finished with 14 points and five rebounds off the bench. Sophomore transfer Carlos Lemus, who also played off the bench, followed with 11 points and four rebounds, while freshman Jaeden Zackery, who was in the starting lineup, rounded out the order with 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Notes:
This was the debuts of Weathers, Kelly, Agwa, Bell and Hatcher.
This was also the debut for Chipola head coach Donnie Tyndall, who was the former head coach for the Grand Rapids Drive, the NBA G-League affiliated team for the Detroit Pistons.
Other Southern Conference Games:
Palm Beach State (0-1) would fall to Eastern Florida State 60-58 in their season opener. The Panthers will return to action Saturday afternoon against Santa Fe College.
Indian River State was originally scheduled to face St. Pete College, but it was stopped due to a COVID-19 cancellation. The Pioneers will officially open their season tomorrow night against Pensacola State
#8 Florida Southwestern (FSW) (1-0) defeated Hillsborough (0-1) 76-71 at home. The Buccaneers will return to action Saturday afternoon on the road against Polk State.
Miami Dade (1-0) won their season opener at home to NAIA St. Thomas University JV by a score 97-76. The Sharks will return to action Saturday on the road against Florida State College at Jacksonville.
Up Next:
The Manatees prepare for their home opener as they welcome Eastern Florida State (1-0) to Hal Chasey Gymnasium Friday night at 8 pm before facing Chipola in a rematch Sunday afternoon at 2 pm as part of their four-game homestead.
“When it comes to Easten Florida, I think the biggest thing is they are going to be very disciplined and well-coached and make constant adjustments throughout the game,” said Parks on facing EFSC. “We’re going to have to be one step ahead in order to beat a team regardless if its at home or on the road. I’m definitely excited against the team I coached for back then.”
Parks was the associate head coach for EFSC prior to taking the head coach role for the Manatees. The last time Parks faced head coach Jeremy Shulman, who he coached with in the past, was in the first round of 2018-19 FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament where the Titans were victorious.
“Coach Shulman is a friend and a mentor to me and is someone I look up to from the business both on and off the court,” said Parks on Shulman.
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