FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University men's basketball team (5-7, 1-3 SSC) will begin a three game road trip Wednesday when they travel to Winter Park, Fla. to take on the Rollins Tars (7-7, 0-3 SSC) at 7:30 p.m. on Radio X 88.5 FM. NSUSharks.com spoke to Gary Tuell prior to the matchup.
Q: NSU nearly pulled off an upset of No. 7 Florida Southern Saturday and were once again a 3-pointer away from sending the game into overtime. FSC has blown out great teams this year, what did the Sharks do to give them so much trouble Saturday? A: Linc Darner (Florida Southern's head coach) didn't think his team played well, and he knows his team better than I do, so he's probably right. That probably helped us. From an X and O standpoint, it was one of the most enjoyable games I've been in because the game was played like a chess match. As the game wore on, both coaching staffs had opportunities to be innovative and make adjustments that impacted the game, and I enjoy that aspect of coaching. It's always fun when two good teams play hard, compete at a high level and give their coaches a chance to make changes that may or may not work. We just competed. We didn't do anything special because I don't think playing hard should be special. Unfortunately, not many teams or players do that (play hard) for 40 minutes, night in and night out. I think our guys are learning that when they play hard they can compete with good teams, and Florida Southern is certainly a very, very good team.
Q: You mentioned postgame that Justin Jeangerard (Sr., Weaverville, Calif.) was playing in the center position at times. He finished with 10 points and a pair of rebounds, but what was his impact on the game beyond the box score? A: Just competes. He's one of the great warriors I've coached at NSU. He had a tough night by his standards. He missed a rhythm 3 late in the game on a fast break that might have turned the game in our favor for good. A lot of coaches would question that shot selection, and we were especially careful not to get in a run and gun game with Southern. I thought our guys did a good job of running when they had the opportunity but being patient for the most part. On the rhythm 3 Justin missed he was going for the nail in the coffin and it's a shot he makes more than half the time. It was a great look for him, just didn't go in. With
Brian Cahill's (Sr., Arlington, Va.) injury we've turned to Justin to fill in at center some and he does a great job. He knows the offense. Even if he isn't sure about a play call, he's smart enough to figure something out. On the defense end he gives up a lot in size but I'd take his heart over anybody's size. He gives his all on every possession. We had a few guys who showed big hearts in the Southern game.
Maurice Fuller (Sr., Westfield, Ind.),
Stian Berg (Sr., Baerum, Norway),
Chris Page (Jr., Plainfield, Ind.),
Troy Spears (Fr., Martinsville, Ind.),
Harrison Goodrick (So., Sydney, Australia)… I thought all our guys played hard and with heart.
Q: The team' s SSC record is 1-3 in their toughest stretch of games, but are essentially a couple shots away from being 3-1. How have your student-athletes dealt with this adversity? A: We don't consider being 1-3 adversity.
Nick Rosa losing his father to a heart attack is adversity. Chris Page's six-game suspension is adversity. Chris dealing with his father's cancer is adversity. Losing your assistant coach (Brandon Crone) on October 12 is adversity.
Casey Carroll (Jr., Youngstown, Ohio) and Brian Cahill being sidelined is adversity. We've taken a lot of hits this year, a lot more than those mentioned. But we're still here plugging and grinding away. If this team knows anything, it knows the difference between real adversity and losing a few basketball games. We are learning and improving and staying loose. There's no "panic button" in our locker room. The greatest lesson our guys can learn from this season is that nothing is guaranteed to you. All you have is the moment, and doing your best, giving your all, playing your hardest in the moment is the ONLY way to live your life or play this game. Embrace the moment. Appreciate the moment. But don't cheat the moment.
Q: Are the guys looking forward getting a second crack at Eckerd and Southern, or do you have them focused on the here and now? A: Haha. In this league, if you sit around circling calendar dates of teams that beat you, all you're going to have is a calendar with a lot of circles. I would love to be the team everyone circles on their calendars. We had that kind of program when I was coaching at Augusta State. And we're striving to be that kind of program here. All we want to do is play better in our next game than we did in our last game. We want to improve every day. Grow closer every day. Tighten the circle a little more every day. This league is great and you can't look beyond any game or allow yourself to look ahead. The game in front of you is the most important game of the season because it's the next one.
Q: We know you have a deep respect for Rollins head coach Tom Klusman. What has it been like coaching against him for so many years? A: Coaching against Tom Klusman is confounding, frustrating and challenging. It's also a pleasure to share a gymnasium with him. He and his staff are great competitors, bright basketball coaches and terrific friends. His teams are always disciplined and smart and well-coached. We have a lot of classy, high character coaches ad teams in our league, but I think Rollins – under Tom's direction – has been the pacesetter in that area. We certainly respect them and have enjoyed some terrific games against them. If you are fortunate enough to beat a Rollins team, as a coach you know your guys played very well and very hard and did a lot of good things because Tom and his Rollins teams don't lose a lot of games, especially at their place.
Q: The Tars are 7-7 and looking for their first conference win. However, they took Saint Leo to overtime this past weekend. Are they as dangerous as any team in our league? A: Rollins lost two tough games to two very good teams – Barry, who might be the best team in the nation, and Saint Leo, who is always tough. They were up and down before the Christmas break, but they came back from the holidays and completely destroyed a very good Palm Beach Atlantic team, and they've been playing very well since then. They may be off to a slow start but that won't last. They have a system, they stick to it, they find solutions and they make adjustments. In the end, they'll be one of the better teams in our league. They have a very large, very talented team that shoots the ball great. They have experience and good guards. At some point they will get on a roll, I just hope we can compete with them Wednesday up there and give ourselves a chance to stay close. Their size, their zone defenses and their ability to shoot are unlike anything we've seen yet.
Q: With pizza, foot-long sandwiches and pasta, the road can be a dangerous place for basketball coaches. Are you sticking to your diet in January? A: My players will tell you that I hate to lose, but I'm enjoying losing weight. I'm down about 28 pounds. I turn 65 on Friday and my ultimate goal is to lose my age, so that's a long-term commitment for a fat guy like me. Hopefully I'm setting an example for my guys about commitment, not quitting, finishing what you start, staying hungry, etc., etc. But I'll tell you… a win would taste pretty good right now.
