After a forgettable February, March came in like a lion for head coach Dan Dakich and the Falcons.
Jump started by the unlikeliest of heroes, in the form of wide receiver turned point guard Cole Magner, BG earned a 51-48 upset victory over Miami on Saturday, snapping a seven game losing skid.
As an added bonus, Dakich finally notched his 100th career win, making him the second fastest to reach that mark in BG history.
When asked what the 100 plateau meant to him, however, Dakich had a swift and direct response.
“Absolutely nothing,” he said. “As of now, it means I still have a job. And if I don’t, at least I still got 100 wins.”
All joking aside, Dakich had plenty to smile about after the Falcons’ gutsy performance against a relentless RedHawk team. Along with a strong 22 points and eight rebounds from center Kevin Netter, BG got a huge contribution from Magner, the freshman from Palmer, Alaska.
Setting career highs in nearly every statistical category, Magner was a sparkplug on both sides of the ball, finishing with eight points, four assists, six steals and an impressive eight rebounds from the point guard position.
“We’ve had enough losing,” Magner said afterwards. “We had to work our butts off to get a win, and I wanted it as much as anybody.”
A standout receiver for the BG football team, Magner was a mid-season addition to the basketball squad in an effort to help an injury depleted backcourt. Until Saturday, he had seen very limited playing time and had yet to make much of an impression.
“I told Cole, ‘you hang in there with me. You’re good enough to play,'” Dakich said. “He’s a competitive kid that has enough strength and sense to make plays.”
“It’s a tough transition from football to basketball,” Magner said. “But I’m feeling more comfortable now.”
Magner looked more like a linebacker than a wide receiver during much of the game, as he charged after loose balls and put his body on the line at high speeds.
Primarily distributing the ball, he shot only two of seven from the field, but those two shots were three-pointers that keyed BG’s second half charge and electrified the Anderson Arena crowd. Appropriately, Magner also came away with a loose ball in the final seconds of play and buried two foul shots to seal the win.
“He brought a lot of energy and real good defense,” Netter said of his new teammate. “Every man, giving what they do off the bench, helps a lot.”
Expectations are sure to be higher than ever for BG’s own Alaskan Assassin from here on in.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do for us the next three years,” Dakich said.
If Magner continues to improve, it is fair to assume that he will play a considerable role in some of Dakich’s next 100 wins.