Scots win twice in Mose Hole, ready to make move in North Coast
brian questel
January 4, 2012
292
010912 ScotsopenNCAC
Promo: Scots post pair of wins in Mose Hole Classic, NCAC play up next
Scots win twice in Mose Hole, ready to make move in North Coast
By Brian Questel
They are getting better and that is what College of Wooster mens basketball coach Steve Moore is interested in.
Wooster won its fourth game in a row, rebounding from a rare two-game losing streak in early December. The Scots swept through two games in Puerto Rico and then won twice in its own E.M. Mose Hole/Kiwanis Classic Dec. 29-30. They had one more non-league game before entering into conference play for the remainder of its schedule.
The Scots did get a scare in the Mose Hole when freshman guard Xavier Brown, who was averaging a team-high 14.4 points per game, went down with a knee injury against Thiel and missed the second half of Woosters 78-68 win. He sat out Woosters 73-61 win over Heidelberg Dec. 30.
It turned out OK, said Moore. It was a little scary. Anytime someone goes down with a knee injury you get concerned. He was in a lot of pain, but as it turned out it was just a bone bruise. There was no ligament or meniscus damage. We had two days off practice as a team for the holiday and when we came back last night (Jan. 2), Xavier was fine. Hell be playing tomorrow.
Tomorrow was Woosters Jan. 4 home game against Geneva, Woosters final non-league contest before North Coast Athletic Conference play resumes Jan. 7 when Oberlin comes to Wooster.
One good thing for Wooster was when Brown went down, other players stepped in. Indeed, while the Scots starting lineup hadnt changed prior to the Heidelberg game and Browns injury, a full dozen players have seen time in Woosters rotation.
We have had some guys step up and theyve played well, said Moore. Jalen Goodwin is a freshman guard who hadnt been playing much, but in our previous games in Puerto Rico he got some minutes and gained some confidence. We were looking for him to get more time. He was ready and when he had the opportunity, he played well. Hes a good ball handler and that was real encouraging. Doug Thorpe played well in Puerto Rico against St. Marys. Doug came through and played well also (in the Hole/Kiwanis Classic).
With Goodwin and Thorpe picking up their game, it was an example of the value the Scots bench has delivered this season.
As it goes along, I dont think that we will play more than 10 guys in close games, but its good to have that depth in case someone gets hurt, said Moore. We have guys we can go to.
That will be critical for the 7-time defending NCAC champions. Despite being 9-2 overall, they find themselves in the rare of position of being sub-500 at 1-2 and two games behind unbeaten Wittenberg (3-0) in the conference.
I think were headed in the right direction. It seems like when we have taken two steps forward, weve taken one back in terms of execution, said Moore. I think over the course of the season so far, we have made progress. The young guys are learning as a team. Certainly, our offensive execution has not been real efficient and that is still the case. On other hand, in the Heidelberg game we did play the second half with only three turnovers. Im hoping that we can really establish that this week with a non-conference game against Geneva and then Saturday against Oberlin.
We still need to have good offensive execution and get more efficient, added Moore. There is still room for improvement. I dont think were near where were hoping to be by the end of the season.
Moore also saw an improvement against the Berg in the second half defensively. While acknowledging Heidelberg doesnt have a great record (3-8), they have some great athletes and guys difficult to guard, said Moore.
I think overall that was a good half for us, said Moore. We knew going into the season (Josh) Claytor and (Jake) Mays would be key guys for us (in the post). Josh especially has really improved offensively (10.0 ppg, 60.8 shooting percentage). Hes getting more confident and the other players have gained confidence in him. Thats a good sign that theyre looking to get the ball into him in the post.
The second half is what were looking for on a more consistent basis and what Im hoping were going to continue to show.
Wooster, which is still on winter break, is opening its doors Saturday when it hosts Oberlin Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Were making that Youth Night, said Moore. All students will be admitted free, high school on down. With the college students not on campus, were trying to promote the game and make it available for the community.
