Richmond, VA---The wounded but undaunted Howard University men's basketball team prepares to go against another tough opponent on the road when it takes on the Rams of Virginia Commonwealth University (9-3) in a 7 pm tilt at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. The game will be broadcast on MASN with Jay Burnham and legendary John Feinstein calling all the action.
The Bison (3-9), who have been racked with injuries throughout the season, suffered yet another big blow when starting point guard Damon Collins suffered an ankle injury in the pre-game warmups against ODU and did not play. He will not suit up against the Rams and his status is game to game.
Collins now joins the Bison walking wounded that includes starting guards James "J-Byrd" Daniel, III (high ankle sprain) and James "JT" Miller (broken hand), leaving only senior forward Solomon "Solo" Mangham and red-shirt senior center Marcel Boyd as the only original starters. It must be noted that Boyd missed three games with a foot injury and is still getting back to form.
Because of the injuries, head coach Kevin Nickelberry has had to turn to reserves and they have all played well under the circumstances. On the other hand, it has created a problem with lack of depth.
Freshman guard Charles "CJ" Williams has taken up some of the scoring void by leading the team in scoring the past four games, including a career-high 29 against Jacksonville State. He is second on the team in scoring at almost 13 points per game.
Senior guards Kofi Andoh and junior guard Dalique Mingo, both reserves at the beginning of the season, have been thrust into starting roles, along with Williams and they are both having their best seasons. In addition to the void in depth, there is also the problem of those players playing out of position and logging more minutes than they are accustomed to.
"We can't cry about the situation," said Nickelberry, who has held strong despite the unusual circumstances. "We have to stand together as one and fight through the adversity."
There has been a pattern with Howard in games. They fall behind early, rally to make it a tough game until the lack of depth and scoring becomes a problem.
"VCU is another tough opponent," noted Nickelberry. "It is a tough place to place because their crowd gets into it and it makes their pressure even more effective. We have to be able to handle their pressure. We have one point guard so we have to limit the turnovers and survive the first 5 minutes of each half.
The Rams have won three in a row and rely on their pressure to force 16 turnovers per game. That has resulted in seven players averaging between seven and 15 points in a balanced attack.
"I expect it to be a big challenge for us, but we always fight back no matter what the circumstances. We have learned to stand together and lean on each other."
NEXT UP: Howard next plays Harvard in Boston on Friday at 7 pm in the last game of 2016.
GAME NOTES: /documents/2016/12/27//MBBALL_13.pdf?id=491
