Has played once in the past 19 days
The IPFW men?s basketball team has played one game in the last 19 days but has advanced to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament quarterfinals today in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The Mastodons (20-12) face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, winners against Weber State in the second round.
?We?re feeling really good. We?re feeling really energized with that bye week that we had,? senior Brent Calhoun said. ?We?re trying to do a program-first which is win something in the postseason. We?ve only won one game in postseason history so we want to win this tournament, finish up strong and leave everything out on the floor every time we step out there.?
It?s only the second time at the Division I level that IPFW has 10 days between games.
?We?re just focusing on the details, making sure we?re locked in on every single detail that we emphasize every single day,? sophomore Kason Harrell said. ?Just staying sharp and staying focused for whenever we were going to find out who we were going to play.
?At the end of the day, we?re here to play basketball so even if we don?t know who we?re playing, we?re going against each other, staying sharp and just being ready. I wouldn?t say there?s a challenge.?
The last time IPFW played the Islanders (22-11) was on Nov. 15, 2013. The Mastodons were beaten by a jumper with 4 seconds left for a 71-70 loss at the Holiday Inn Downtown Marina Islanders Basketball Tournament in Corpus Christi.
?They?ve had a really good year and this is a coaching staff that does a phenomenal job,? Mastodons coach Jon Coffman said. ?They?ve had a very successful program in the last three or four years.?
But both programs have changed in terms of who will be taking the court in the CIT quarterfinals. Calhoun and Mo Evans are the only players who return from the 2013 match-up and they combined for just five points in that game while the Islanders have Cole Martinez and Jake Kocher from that game.
This year, Evans and Calhoun are key leaders for the Mastodons, but Corpus Christi is led by 6-foot-8, 240-pound senior forward Rashawn Thomas (22.5 points, 8.6 rebounds per game), the primary focal point of IPFW?s scouting report.
?He?s a 3-4-5-man,? Coffman said of Thomas. ?He?s got great size, great athleticism, he?s a really difficult match-up so we?ll throw a lot of different things at him. We?ll try to put him crowds, in zone, we?ll throw different match-ups and when he puts the ball on the deck, we?re going to be flying bodies at him.
?They?re explosive on the offensive end, they like to play small lineups like we do so we don?t gain the advantages and I think we hold them from getting advantages with the other four guys on the floor. At the end of the day, it?s a big part of the game is putting Rashawn Thomas in crowds and keeping him corralled.?
The IPFW men?s basketball team has played one game in the last 19 days but has advanced to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament quarterfinals today in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The Mastodons (20-12) face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, winners against Weber State in the second round.
?We?re feeling really good. We?re feeling really energized with that bye week that we had,? senior Brent Calhoun said. ?We?re trying to do a program-first which is win something in the postseason. We?ve only won one game in postseason history so we want to win this tournament, finish up strong and leave everything out on the floor every time we step out there.?
It?s only the second time at the Division I level that IPFW has 10 days between games.
?We?re just focusing on the details, making sure we?re locked in on every single detail that we emphasize every single day,? sophomore Kason Harrell said. ?Just staying sharp and staying focused for whenever we were going to find out who we were going to play.
?At the end of the day, we?re here to play basketball so even if we don?t know who we?re playing, we?re going against each other, staying sharp and just being ready. I wouldn?t say there?s a challenge.?
The last time IPFW played the Islanders (22-11) was on Nov. 15, 2013. The Mastodons were beaten by a jumper with 4 seconds left for a 71-70 loss at the Holiday Inn Downtown Marina Islanders Basketball Tournament in Corpus Christi.
?They?ve had a really good year and this is a coaching staff that does a phenomenal job,? Mastodons coach Jon Coffman said. ?They?ve had a very successful program in the last three or four years.?
But both programs have changed in terms of who will be taking the court in the CIT quarterfinals. Calhoun and Mo Evans are the only players who return from the 2013 match-up and they combined for just five points in that game while the Islanders have Cole Martinez and Jake Kocher from that game.
This year, Evans and Calhoun are key leaders for the Mastodons, but Corpus Christi is led by 6-foot-8, 240-pound senior forward Rashawn Thomas (22.5 points, 8.6 rebounds per game), the primary focal point of IPFW?s scouting report.
?He?s a 3-4-5-man,? Coffman said of Thomas. ?He?s got great size, great athleticism, he?s a really difficult match-up so we?ll throw a lot of different things at him. We?ll try to put him crowds, in zone, we?ll throw different match-ups and when he puts the ball on the deck, we?re going to be flying bodies at him.
?They?re explosive on the offensive end, they like to play small lineups like we do so we don?t gain the advantages and I think we hold them from getting advantages with the other four guys on the floor. At the end of the day, it?s a big part of the game is putting Rashawn Thomas in crowds and keeping him corralled.?
