(John Schreiber)
The SMU men’s basketball team opens up the season on Saturday night at 7:30 at Moody Coliseum. This weekend, the Mustangs are hosting the inaugural Tip-Off Classic that features SMU, Southern, Paul Quinn and Alabama State.
The Mustangs have won their last 11 home-openers and have an overall record of 38-13 in home-openers at Moody Coliseum. They will look to continue their winning streak against the Southern University Jaguars.
The 2007-2008 team looks drastically different from last year. The Mustangs lost four key seniors from last year’s team to graduation and will look to current seniors Jon Killen and Derrick Roberts to provide leadership for this young team.
The Mustangs have seven true freshmen this year. Some of these players will see significant minutes considering Paulius Ritter, Bamba Fall and Cameron Spencer are the only other players remaining from last year’s squad.
Against Southern, SMU head coach Matt Doherty wants to concentrate on “making sure that [the Mustangs] play game situations properly.” Coach Doherty believes he has a great feel for the players on the team, but he wants to see how players react to game situations.
Southern plays a quick, fast-paced brand of basketball and creates turnovers by applying pressure. Given the Jaguars’ style of basketball, Doherty wants to make sure the entire team limits turnovers and does not get overwhelmed by the Jaguars pressing.
Killen, like Doherty, believes that the Jaguars will look to create turnovers by applying pressure. However, during the offseason Killen “worked hard on [his] ball handling and shooting.” Killen’s ability to bring the ball up court and direct the offense will be key in limiting the overall impact of a pressure-driven defense.
On paper, the Mustangs are significantly taller than the Jaguars. However, Doherty cautions “size can be misleading. Just because our players are tall doesn’t mean we will out-rebound every team. This game is about quickness.”
By the same token, SMU will try to exploit its size advantage on offense by pounding the ball down low to Fall and freshman post player Papa Dia. Ideally, the post game will set up all of the Mustangs shooters for some open looks if either player draws a double-team.
The post game will not be the only aspect of the Mustangs offense. Coach Doherty wants to push the ball up the court this year by utilizing some of the depth on the bench. While these players may not be experienced at the collegiate level, they are all fit and ready for their first game at SMU.
The main focus of Saturday night’s game for the Mustangs is to “play well together.” In the early part of the season, players and coaches alike are concerned about learning to play as a team.
The home opener is always an exciting game for the fans, coaches and players. When asked about the first game of the season, Roberts said, “It is exciting. The first month has just been practice without games. Now we finally get to go out and compete.”
Saturday night will be a great chance for the new-look Mustangs to showcase their talent. After the emotional first game, the Mustangs turn around and play Alabama State on Sunday at 4:35 p.m. at Moody Coliseum.
Senior and team co-captain Derrick Roberts will be a big part of SMU’s success this season. (John Schreiber)
