Bison Continue Tough Road Trip

Brookings, SD---It began on November 13 in Norfolk, VA against the Monarchs of OId Dominion. From there, the road continued to Boston, MA to play against the Crimson of Harvard on November 15. Two days later on Sunday, November 17, it was in Pittsburgh, PA against the Pitt Panthers in the first round of the Progressive Legends Classic. The next stop was on November 21 in Houston to take on the Cougars of the University of Houston in the next round of the Classic.

And today and tomorrow, it is in Brookings, SD to take on the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State (9 pm) and a possible matchup tomorrow against either Lehigh or Texas Southern as still a part of the Classic. That will make it six games in 13 days in five different states.

While the arduous road trip has not resulted in victories, it has proven to be an invaluable learning experience for the Howard University men's basketball team, which is sporting one of the youngest teams in recent history. There are 10 new players on the team, nine of whom are freshmen.

It is important to note that the four teams that have defeated Howard, have a combined 16-1 record on the season. By playing quality, experienced teams during the road swing, the Bison (2-4) have shown gradual improvement along the way.

The two constants through this learning curve have been freshman guard James Daniel and junior forward Prince Okoroh. Daniel is averaging almost 22 points per game while shooting 45 percent from three-point range. Okorok, the only starter returning from last year, has done it in more ways than just scoring. He has helped on the boards (5.0 rebounds per game) and on the defensive end (17 steals, 6 blocked shots).

Now other players are slowly beginning to mature and contribute. Oliver Ellison, a red-shirt sophomore center, has provided inside presence with his rebounding and shot blocking. Marcel Boyd (5.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg), a freshman back-up center to Ellison, has also been a force when he has not been in foul trouble.

Freshmen Solomon Mangham (6.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg), Tyler Stone (3.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg) , Keon Hill (4.0 ppg), Damon Collins (career-high 10 points vs Houston) and Ausar Madison (3.3 assists per game) are also beginning to come around. The Bison cause should be bolstered when freshman James "J.T." Miller and junior transfer James Carlton get into the mix.

In the remaining teams in the Classic, South Dakota State (1-4), Lehigh and Texas Southern, Howard will face similar challenges, but fourth year head coach Kevin Nickelberry is hopeful that they have improved.

"This will be a challenging series with two experienced NCAA teams in South Dakota State and Lehigh," said Nickelberry, who has put together this young and talented group. "South Dakota State returns the core of last year's team with four seniors and a junior. They have played a tough schedule and they are tough at home, so I know that both teams will be looking for success in this game. We need to build on what we were able to do in the last game (vs Houston) and stay out of foul trouble."
He continued. "Texas Southern brought in some talented transfers and Lehigh is has that NCAA experience."

Print Friendly Version