“I think that when we were talking about Northwest Florida State, I felt like we were a similar team in terms of how we played,” said head coach Tom Parks. “We’ve been fortune to get a couple of wins against some good teams, but it hasn’t been at all pretty. We played a little too much one-on-one basketball, not necessarily selfish, but it’s like we take turns on who is going to take a shot with very little movement and very little passing. We’ve also been very undisciplined on the defensive end. When I watch Northwest Florida, I see a lot of those same weaknesses in them, but at the same time they are extremely talented with huge high level players and when they figure it out, they are a really good team.”
“I’m definitely pleased with the way we responded because last time when we took the court an played St. Pete Tuesday, I felt like we weren’t ready to play and they made us pay for it, so it was nice to show up and play a complete game.”
“It felt good wrapping up the homestead with the win,” said freshman James “Pop” Weathers. “We pride ourselves for winning at home with home court advantage and we put pride in our defense so we can get the win.”
“We played really good team ball today,” said freshman Michael Hatcher. “If we can play like that every night, even with the ups and downs, we just got to keep playing together.”
“We did a lot better today,” said sophomore Marshall Kearing. “We’ve been developing a lot more as a team and it was really good.”
“We played really good team ball today,” said freshman Michael Hatcher. “If we can play like that every night, even with the ups and downs, we just got to keep playing together.”
“We did a lot better today,” said sophomore Marshall Kearing. “We’ve been developing a lot more as a team and it was really good.”
The Raiders would open the scoring drive first thanks to baskets by freshmen Fallou Diagne and Marchelus Avery for a 5-0 lead until freshman James “Pop” Weathers would get the Manatees on the board with a 3-pointer of his own from the corner, which was followed by a shot by Kearing tied the game at 5-5.
Around the eight minute mark remaining, the Manatees would finally get their first lead of the game after an and-one possession by Weathers put the Manatees up 20-18. After that possession, it was strong blocking and rebounding from Kearing that kept the Manatees moving as he had six blocks in the first half.
With less than five minutes left in the first half, the Manatees managed to extend their lead to double figures as they finished the first half 38-27.
Heading into the second half, the Manatees started to buckle briefly in which their deficit was cut drastically where they almost blew the game, but Weathers, Kearing and freshman Michael Hatcher would not allow it. Hatcher would soon going on a spree from the 3-point line hitting four straight 3-point shots to extend the Manatees’ and for the win.
“We lead them back into the second half, but even with them leading the half 53-51, we finished with 44-22 run to help us get the win and close out the game,” said Parks on the second half.
“We preached about playing together the last two days of practice,” said Weathers on the overall performance. “If we play together, then we’ll be able to move the ball and score more than being selfish and playing one man ball.”
In the end, five Manatees ended up in double figures in scoring with two getting a double-double.
Weathers would be the offensive leader of the game as he finished with his first collegiate double-double of 31 points (9-for-17 FG, 1-for-3 3PT, 14-for-19 FT) and 10 rebounds to go along with seven assists and three steals.
“It feels good to get the double-double,” said Weathers on his first collegiate double-double. “But it’s even better with the team win.”
“Pop is the person we’ve predominantly leaned on over these first five games,” said Parks on Weathers. “I think he felt relieved to get some help and he was more trusting from an offensive standpoint, giving up the ball and allowing guys to make plays.”
Kearing also had a double-double as he finished with 12 points (4-for-7 FG, 4-for-5 FT), a career-high 11 blocks, eight rebounds and two steals. It was his eighth career double-double with the Manatees.
“I did what I needed to do,” said Kearing on his game. I got points, blocked shots and grabbed boards. I was just being a presence offensively where I need to be.”
“The blocks that Marshall gets are so impressive,” said Parks on Kearing. “He blocks everybody, even the bigs. He’s the second person to leave the floor and he gets it on the way up and for him to compete like that, he will be hard to beat on the defensive end and it was great to see him with energy while contesting shots and just being the guy we know we can be.”
Hatcher, who came off the bench, produce a season-high 19 points (7-for-9 FG, 5-for-6 3PT), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.
“With the games in the past, I know I can shoot the ball,” said Hatcher on his game. “I listen to the coaches and they put me in a position so I can shoot the ball and I got a lot of good guys like Pop and DK to help me out. I just got to continue shooting it like I did today.”
“Mike Hatcher is super talented,” said Parks on Hatcher. “He’s a very good shooter with great size and he has a really good feel, even though there’s a big learning curve with many of the freshman and we just find for him to get on the floor so we can let him learn through some mistakes and positive plays. I was definitely impressed with him today, he shot the ball very confidently and held his own on the defensive end, which was nice to see even if it’s one of his weaknesses.”
Freshman Decorrian “DK” Kelly had 14 points (5-for-13 FG, 2-for-5 3PT, 2-for-2 FT), two rebounds, four assists and two steals, while sophomore Jordan Clark would round out the order with 10 points (4-for-8 FG, 2-for-2 3PT), three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
DK did a good job being more efficient and doing some things to get to the rim,”said Parks on Kelly. “It was nice to see him getting to the paint and make some finishes over those guys.”
Freshmen Javon Bell (seven points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal) and Kwo Agwa (four rebounds and one block) and sophomore Sam Grayson (one block and one assist) also contributed in the game.
For the Raiders, four players scored in double figures. Diagne lead the way with 19 points and six rebounds, while sophomore Jourdan Smith followed with 16 points and five rebounds. Sophomore Marseilles Caston added 14 points while Avery rounded out the order with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Other Southern Conference Scores:
Indian River State (3-0) defeated Daytona State 92-75 in their last game. The Pioneers will face Daytona State again at home Saturday afternoon at 4 pm.
#1 Florida Southwestern (FSW) (3-0) defeated Eastern Florida State 74-53. The Buccaneers will travel to Niceville to take on Northwest Florida State Saturday afternoon at 4 pm.
Palm Beach State (0-3) fell to Chipola 80-62. The Panthers will be back in action Saturday afternoon against Hillsborough.
Miami Dade (1-1) will face Gulf Coast State College on the road Saturday afternoon at 1 pm.
Up Next:
The Manatees remain at home to open their first conference game in the Southern Conference as they welcome Miami Dade (1-1) to Hal Chasey Gymnasium, Saturday afternoon, February 6 at 4 pm. They initially scheduled to face Florida State College at Jacksonville, but cancelled due to a Covid-19 cancellation.
Side Note: this was the first interviews with Weathers and Hatcher.
No comments:
Post a Comment