Men’s Basketball Wins Season Opener

For the Viterbo men’s basketball team, Tuesday, October 30, was their first scheduled game for the 2018-19 season.

It was a home game versus Judson University, and the team had come together to clinch a nail-biting win of 59 to 57 to start the season on a positive note.

“It was great to have the support from our friends and family on a night that we didn’t perform our best. Their energy kept us going in the game and it felt great to deliver a win,” junior Alex Clement said about the preseason opener.

Preseason included most of the team getting the new players acclimated to performing at a higher level and speed during games. Being able to have everyone on the same page allows the team to have sharp practices, which will eventually help turnover into gameplay.

During the game, they were able to play aggressively and get in the right mindset for whatever tricks Judson had up their sleeves.

Now, the season is upon us, and there are many different things to be excited about.

“I am most excited to lead new faces into battle,” says senior Cade Anderson ecstatically. “We have a lot of new guys, and a couple of transfers, so it’s nice to be able to use my voice to teach my teammates. We are a family, a big group of brothers. We pick each other up when one is down, we encourage each other, and we congratulate each other when necessary. This is a process, and everyone is bought in for the same goal, a national championship.”

The fans love game day, but the people who like game day more than the fans are the players. There are aspects of the day that standout to some players compared to others.

For senior Cade Anderson, it’s the environment. “I love the atmosphere within R.W. Beggs Gymnasium,” says Anderson. “As players, the fans and students are the fuel to our fire. When we come out for warmups and see a red-hot student section itching for the game to start, it fuels us.”

Other players had some favorites as well.

Jezzriah Burton explains, “Everyone loves game day. The feeling of game day while warming up is exciting and being on the court during the game is a feeling that can't be explained. It's great. To come out with a win, no matter the score, is always a great feeling, too. I'm excited to see how much we continue to grow as a team. If things continue to go like they are, we'll have a successful season and knowing that is exciting.”

This team contains brotherhood and unity and is looking forward to the 2018-19 season to come. There was a lot of work put into the off-season. With the men hitting the weights, becoming bigger, faster, and stronger, they are hoping to be more able to reach their goals.

Though the team has new faces and new roles established, they are still gaining proper team chemistry and clicking as a team more each day.

A lot of them are excited to continue to build the chemistry with this team and continue to grow.

But once they all come together fully, other teams better watch out, because this team started the season opener showing us nothing less than that.