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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men’s basketball team (3-3) will follow up a successful weekend with two games in the Cruzin Classic at the NSU Arena in the Don Taft University Center this week. The Sharks will take on the Morningside
Mustangs (6-8) on Tuesday and the Blue Mountain Toppers (0-1) on Wednesday.
NSU is coming off possibly the toughest road trip in school history. It started with a loss last Tuesday to Saint Leo, the Sunshine State Conference favorites, 72-55. The road only got worse from there, as the Sharks took on the No. 7 Southern Indiana Eagles Friday and the No. 5 Bellarmine Knights Saturday, both of which were undefeated heading into the weekend.
The tough schedule paid off, as the Sharks had their biggest win in program history against the Eagles, 77-76.
Iran Hollis (Sr., Hollywood, Fla.) hit the game-winner with 2.4 seconds left to secure the win. On Saturday, the Sharks played a close first half, down three at the break, but ran out of gas in the second half in a 75-48 loss.
“I was disappointed in our second-half effort at Saint Leo on Tuesday, but we bounced back with a renewed trust in one another and a renewed focus on doing things the right way both offensively and defensively,” said head coach
Gary Tuell. “Our execution at both ends of the floor Friday against seventh-ranked Southern Indiana was nearly flawless. The guys trusted the offense, trusted each other and did everything we asked of them. The crowd in Louisville was great and the people really got behind our team and appreciated not only their energy and effort, but also their execution of the game plan. I can’t tell you how many former coaches and players came up to me after we beat Southern Indiana and praised our kids for the way they performed. We won a lot of fans and a lot of respect from people who understand and appreciate the game.
“The first half against Bellarmine on Saturday was as good a basketball game as you could hope to see, two teams playing as hard as they could and battling each other for every inch of the court. At that point we had played 60 minutes of the best basketball we’ve played in my nine years here. It’s a shame the second half got away from us, but we were running on fumes at that point. The third road game of a three-game road trip is darn near impossible to win, especially when your opponent is arguably the best team in the country, and Bellarmine is that. We hung with them for as long as we could, but those last 20 minutes we just didn’t have the legs to do what we needed to do to keep close. Bellarmine was terrific, but I’m so proud of our guys and the way they approached both games over the weekend. If we can do that then we will be a very good team before the year is out.”
The Sharks have little time to pat each other on the back. They returned Sunday and regrouped on Monday. However, the Sharks did have a chance to see Morningside defeat Blue Mountain, 87-70, Monday in the first day of the Cruzin Classic.
“We don’t know much about Morningside or Blue Mountain State,” said Tuell. “We did play Morningside here a few years ago. We had a great game with them. They were a well-coached, tough group of guys who played the right way, and I’m sure this year’s team will be very similar. Blue Mountain is very athletic, quick and has some talented scorers. They are a team on the rise and their current group of players are doing a nice job helping to build a tradition there.
“Our concerns right now have nothing to do with the opponents in front of us. We expect both of them to be very good, very competitive and capable teams. If we don’t play our best then we’re going to be in for a long night with both those teams. We’re coming off as tough a week as any NCAA D-II team will ever have, having played three games on the road against three top-20 teams. We’re a tired basketball team right now, and we’ve got a few guys who are under the weather and may not be able to play. That’s often the case after spending a week traveling, sleeping in motels and not getting as much rest as you get when you’re at home.”
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