The BG men’s basketball team hosted “Hoops ‘n’ Halloween” Sunday evening from Anderson Arena. The event enabled Coach Dan Dakich to introduce his squad for the 2002-03 season, as fans were treated to shooting contests and an intrasquad scrimmage.
The Falcons are a new team this year, with all five of last season’s starters having moved on. So yesterday served as an opportunity for fans to familiarize themselves with the names and faces that will represent BG in the next few years.
Before the scrimmage began, players showed off their skills in a brief dunk contest and a three point shooting competition. In the finals of the long distance shoot-out, freshman Ron Lewis found unlikely competition in the form of a special guest, BG football standout Marcus Allen. The contests were just for fun, but things got more serious in the intrasquad game.
In the scrimmage, Coach Dakich was pacing back and forth between both team’s benches, as the six-man orange team took on the six-man white team. In the end, Orange bested White, 62-52, led by a 21-point effort from junior center Kevin Netter.
Orange also got 13 and 11 points respectively from sophomore forwards John Reimold and Germain Fitch. Junior point guard Jabari Mattox dished out nine assists and sophomore forward Cory Eyink pulled down 13 boards.
For the white team, Lewis established his shooting touch and led the way with 16 points. The Falcons’ lone senior, Cory Ryan, added 11, and hometown product Josh Almanson contributed 10 points.
Almanson, a 6’8″ junior, is feeling very optimistic about the way the team is progressing.
“We’ve been jelling really good so far,” he said after the game. “We’ve been working really hard, morning and afternoon, and we’re getting better everyday.”
Coach Dakich showed some fire during the scrimmage as he tried to get his young players on the right track. Dakich’s efforts to develop his inexperienced team have meant a great deal of pre-season preparation.
“We are going a long time in practice,” Dakich says, “probably harder than we have before. We are breaking down everything we do.”
The work has started to pay off in the mindsets of the players. “We’ll be alright,” Germain Fitch says with confidence. “We’re real young, and it’s gonna take us awhile. But we’ll be alright. I’m going to have to step up in a big way, and so will everybody else.”
Dakich refuses to look at this season as a rebuilding process.
“These are good, hard working kids. We are going to do the best we can, compete the best we can, and get as far as we can.” Talented center Kevin Netter was more direct with his aspirations for the team.
“We’re going to turn some heads this year,” he says. “Our goal is still to win the MAC and go to the NCAAs. Everybody’s working real hard, and we are definitely going to turn some heads.”
