Ryan Chell
Staff Reporter
This year’s McDaniel men’s basketball team has had the marks of a great season on the hardwood, as evidenced by several milestones in the program’s history, and it could become even more special as the season comes to a close. After last Wednesday’s 69-55 win against Dickinson, the Terror have positioned themselves in second place in the Centennial Conference with a 12-3 conference record, and are 17-5 overall. That 17th win is very special because it marks a plateau in wins in a single season for the Terror, and look to build on that mark with three more road games to go.
McDaniel forward Josh McKay recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds while T.J. Odunlami added 15 points. They especially did a great job defending guys like Dickinson’s Kizhmar Grell, who almost single-handedly ousted the Terror from the playoffs last year.
The win also guarantees a spot in the upcoming Centennial Conference Tournament, and in those same playoffs, they made sure they will be able to rest as they earned one of the top three seeds and a first-round bye.
“The ideal situation for us is to win that conference tournament and make it to the NCAA Tournament. But the key thing is that we continue to play well.”
And playing well is what the Terror have been doing all season long. The Terror opened up their 2008 campaign with eight straight wins, and tied a record set by their Western Maryland predecessors 44 years ago for consecutive wins. In that stretch, the Terror went 6-0 against their Centennial Conference opponents, including road wins against Muhlenberg, then #21 Ursinus, and the top team in the conference at this point, the Franklin and Marshall Diplomats.
The midseason success really was a big confidence boost to the squad and led to a lot of good things happening for the team.
“It’s always great to have that kind of success, instead of going the other way,” Curley laughed.
A lot of the credit should be passed around to all parts of this squad. Curley avoided the sophomore slump and went above and beyond the expectations he set in last year’s campaign. He took a team that lost two of its top scorers in Chris Prior and Brett Foelber, and filled those holes with guys who have been a presence on this team for years. From day one that Curley arrived, it was his way of doing things and so far, they have produced results. Prior even remained with Curley after this playing days were over, as he spent this year helping his former coach on the sidelines.
“Chris brings a lot of positive experience,” Curley said. “He can relate to the players, and he really gives me a sense of where the team is and how they’re doing.”
And that’s where the players should deserve the credit. And those seven seniors really received it from the McDaniel faithful on Wednesday night as they played in their final home game. The Green Terror have seven players who average more than seven points per game, and Curley really likes the fact that there is a lot of diversity when it comes to their offensive attack. And on the defensive end of the court, Chad Arrington and Josh McKay combine for about 14 rebounds per game.
All the players on this squad, especially the seniors, have really set the trend for basketball to be played here in Westminster for years to come, and Curley knows that they will be ready to finish the building process when playoff time comes around, and it began with the win Thursday night against Dickinson. As evidenced by their reactions last night, and even some reactions from guys like Curley after he walked off the court gesturing to the crowd with a huge grin on his face after the January 28th victory over Gettysburg, their coach knows that he and his team are ready to go.
“They’re real excited and have put a lot of time and effort into where we are. I know they are looking forward to it.”