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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men's basketball team (5-10, 2-2 SSC) will look to move up the Sunshine State Conference standings Saturday when they take on the Rollins Tars (7-7, 2-3 SSC) at home at 4 p.m. The game will broadcast live on 640 Sports.
"Rollins has one of the biggest teams we'll face this season, and like always they are well-coached and talented," said head coach Gary Tuell. "If anyone thinks this Rollins team is any different from the ones who dominated our league the past 10 years, then they need to have their heads examined. Just because they are 7-7 and aren't 12-2 or 11-3 and unbeaten in conference play doesn't mean a thing. Only non-basketball people judge teams by their won-loss records. They've had some tough losses to some very, very good teams and they've beaten some outstanding teams. Like a lot of good teams, they are a work in progress but they certainly have the pieces to be as good as anyone."
Rollins enters the night looking to rebound from two straight SSC losses to Eckerd and Lynn. Despite the rough patch, Rollins' reputation precedes them. Head coach Tom Klusman has guided the Tars since 1980, two years before NSU's program existed, and has helped lead Rollins to a .641 winning percentage over that span. They have a rich history of big, athletic players, leading to SSC Player of the Year awards in four of the last 10 seasons.
"Defending them is a huge challenge," confessed Tuell. "And huge is the operative word. Chris Uhle is at center and he's 6-11. Adam Allen and Jeff Dirkin are 6-8 forwards. Lukas Winegarner comes off the bench and he's 6-9. We start five guards who range in height from 6-1 to 6-5, so we obviously have a problem trying to keep them from pounding it inside and pounding us on the glass. On top of that, Allen, Dirkin and Uhle are excellent three-point shooters and their top three guards – Mitch Woods, Alex Blessig and Scott Schuette – are excellent shooters who also have good size and can beat you in a variety of ways. The teams that have given them the most problems are very athletic and very good playing a pressure, man-to-man defense. We're not particularly athletic and we're certainly not a team that can pressure Rollins in the same ways that Tampa, Lynn or Eckerd did. We have our hands full Saturday."
NSU also had their hands full against a big Barry squad Wednesday that once ranked 25th in the nation this season. Despite their size, NSU won, 72-70, and erased a 12 point deficit in doing so.
Stian Berg (Jr., Baerum, Norway) had a stellar outing, scoring a team-high 21 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the floor and 5-for-6 shooting from 3-point range. He also collected a team-best six rebounds.
Chris Page (So., Plainfield, Ind.) scored 15 points on 7-for-12 shooting. He also tallied four rebounds and tied for the team-lead with four assists.
NSU's win Wednesday was impressive, but the Sharks have struggled building momentum after wins this season. The Sharks have only one two-game winning streak this season and followed up wins over Amherst and Lynn with double-digit losses.
"We're not going to get bigger, faster or more athletic in the next eight weeks, so we have to get better at doing the things we can do and ignore the things we can't do," stated Tuell. "Going into the season we thought this team could be a very good 3-point shooting team. But I don't think our guys have come in the gym on their own – at least not enough – to work on that part of their game. As individuals, we have to commit to improving, and if we're unwilling to do that then we'll remain a very inconsistent shooting team.
Despite the record, the Sharks has proven it can beat any team in the country when at their best, turning teams over and shooting a high percentage from 3-point range. This has been proven with a win over DI FIU, 77-59, and their six-point loss to No. 4 Florida Southern, the undefeated Mocs' closest conference game this season.
"I will always believe this team can be special," said Tuell. "There's something endearing about them. When they're playing well they are fun to watch. When they move and share the ball and cut hard… when they read and rotate and attack in their presses… when they scrap and dig down deep to keep other teams off balance defensively… they can be great fun to watch and very tough to play against. But we haven't found the consistency we need to be a special team. We show flashes, but we are still working to find the consistent effort it takes to win at this level. And when you start five guards, believe me, it takes enormous effort from everybody just to stay in games with most of these teams. I don't think all of our guys have figured that out yet, but we're getting closer."
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