Sports
Basketball Team Eyes Successful Season
Junior point guard Leonard Patterson talks to the media during the men’s press conference. (Joe Bucci / The Clarion Call)
Clarion University’s men’s basketball team lost three key starters last season due to graduation, but brings back quite a few key veterans.
Seniors Paul McQueen and Bud Teer are the only two returning starters.
Coach Ron Righter, who is in his 24th season here at Clarion, says the team returns a strong inside game.
“It will be a little different from some of our past teams in that we will return a really strong inside game, but that said, our goal is to achieve a true
balanced attack and work that from inside out,” Righter said.
Last season close losses hurt the Golden Eagles (15-11 overall, 5-9 PSAC West) down the stretch, with several of the losses coming down to the last possession
of the game.
That is a key point Coach Righter expressed for this upcoming season.
“The most important teaching thing is late game situations. The notoriety of your team is how you execute down the stretch,” Righter said.
McQueen and Teer aren’t the only returning veterans returning to the team.
They get some frontcourt help from senior Mike Nealis, sophomore Mike Kromka and junior Dave Colbert.
The backcourt is inexperienced, but is led by junior Leonard Patterson.
He will replace standout guard, Lloyd Harrison, but the team is confident in his abilities to lead the team at the point guard position.
“Lenny is the ultimate team player. If every team had a Lenny, they’d be a lot better. He is a solid point guard in this league,” assistant coach Al
Modrejewski said of Patterson.
Clarion suffered last season when McQueen went down with an ankle injury, something Righter said they just didn’t overcome.
“It was real frustrating. It hurts to sit on the sideline, knowing you can’t help the team. I’ve done more injury prevention this offseason to avoid any
injuries this season,” McQueen said.
Coach Righter said the number one point of focus this season will be on the defensive end of the floor.
“Defense has to be number one. We have to increase ball pressure, rotating on defense and rebounding. We can create some transition opportunities. Rebounding is
the final piece of our defensive puzzle,” Righter said.
Nealis, McQueen and Patterson have embraced the leadership roles on the team“I have to be a leader because I’m more experienced. I want to lead by example,
especially on the defensive end of the floor,” Patterson said.
McQueen was on the same page as Patterson.
“I have a lot of experience here. Everything I know, I relate to the team,” McQueen said.
Coach Righter is encouraged by the team this season, and says everyone is getting on the same page.
He also said he has seen a lot of positive things thus far.
Clarion will open its 2011-2012 campaign next weekend (Nov. 11 and 12) when they travel to CalU for games against Virginia Union and Lincoln Universities in the
PSAC/CIAA crossover.
Respond on Facebook
The Call uses Facebook for comments, linking you and your friends' responses with your Facebook Wall. Comments made here will show up on Facebook, and comments made on Facebook will appear here! Posting to your Wall can be disabled by unchecking the box below the text field. If you don't have a Facebook account, you can sign up for one or send your thoughts via e-mail to chief@clarioncallnews.com. You can also respond directly to the author on Eddie McDonald's page.
