Since Christmas, Charleston has just a 2-5 record
It has been a tale of two seasons for the College of Charleston men's basketball team.
Before Christmas, there was speculation of a possible NCAA tournament spot. The Cougars were 10-2 with wins over Clemson and Tennessee and a narrow loss at then-No. 4 Louisville. Since the holiday, Charleston has struggled to a 2-5 mark.
The team's shooting percentages have dropped significantly.
There have been costly injuries to a pair of freshman starters.
Anthony Stitt went down with a broken hand in the Jan. 12 loss to UNC Greensboro and probably won't be available until mid-February at the earliest.
Adjehi Baru suffered a severe ankle injury against Davidson last Thursday and missed the Georgia Southern game. His status for tonight's game against Furman at TD Arena is questionable.
The Cougars are in fourth place in the Southern Conference South Division with a 4-4 record.
They have lost on the road to all three teams ahead of them -- Davidson (8-0), Georgia Southern (6-3) and Wofford (5-3).
Clearly, the road to one of the SoCon tournament byes that go to the top two teams in each division is a difficult one, and Cougars coach Bobby Cremins said he isn't thinking about byes at the moment. He's thinking about getting the team back on track.
"Obviously we're not the same team. Injuries have been a factor, but injuries are part of the game. You just have to keep adjusting," Cremins said.
Forward Trent Wiedeman said there is no easy answer.
"We've gone through a rough phase, but we can't be discouraged," Wiedeman said. "We have to go out and play as hard as we can. We've got to pick it up. What we have been doing, we have to do better."
Cremins noted that the injuries have forced other players into the lineup and that is leading to some inexperienced players getting more and more court time. Sophomore Nori Johnson moved into the starting rotation when Stitt went down. Junior Matt Sundberg became a starter when Baru's injury kept him out.
Cremins said the team is looking at different schemes both offensively and defensively that will help.
"Hopefully, those other people will step up and do well," Cremins said. "I'm sure people get discouraged, but that's not the right thing to do. You have to go out and play the game and get better.
"As far as struggling right now, we've had the good and sometimes you have to go through things like this. We're a little out of sync right now, but we have great kids. We still have some hope."
It has been a tale of two seasons for the College of Charleston men's basketball team.
Before Christmas, there was speculation of a possible NCAA tournament spot. The Cougars were 10-2 with wins over Clemson and Tennessee and a narrow loss at then-No. 4 Louisville. Since the holiday, Charleston has struggled to a 2-5 mark.
The team's shooting percentages have dropped significantly.
There have been costly injuries to a pair of freshman starters.
Anthony Stitt went down with a broken hand in the Jan. 12 loss to UNC Greensboro and probably won't be available until mid-February at the earliest.
Adjehi Baru suffered a severe ankle injury against Davidson last Thursday and missed the Georgia Southern game. His status for tonight's game against Furman at TD Arena is questionable.
The Cougars are in fourth place in the Southern Conference South Division with a 4-4 record.
They have lost on the road to all three teams ahead of them -- Davidson (8-0), Georgia Southern (6-3) and Wofford (5-3).
Clearly, the road to one of the SoCon tournament byes that go to the top two teams in each division is a difficult one, and Cougars coach Bobby Cremins said he isn't thinking about byes at the moment. He's thinking about getting the team back on track.
"Obviously we're not the same team. Injuries have been a factor, but injuries are part of the game. You just have to keep adjusting," Cremins said.
Forward Trent Wiedeman said there is no easy answer.
"We've gone through a rough phase, but we can't be discouraged," Wiedeman said. "We have to go out and play as hard as we can. We've got to pick it up. What we have been doing, we have to do better."
Cremins noted that the injuries have forced other players into the lineup and that is leading to some inexperienced players getting more and more court time. Sophomore Nori Johnson moved into the starting rotation when Stitt went down. Junior Matt Sundberg became a starter when Baru's injury kept him out.
Cremins said the team is looking at different schemes both offensively and defensively that will help.
"Hopefully, those other people will step up and do well," Cremins said. "I'm sure people get discouraged, but that's not the right thing to do. You have to go out and play the game and get better.
"As far as struggling right now, we've had the good and sometimes you have to go through things like this. We're a little out of sync right now, but we have great kids. We still have some hope."
