Men's Basketball Roundup

While the men's basketball may have gotten off to a slow start, the Rams have pulled it together to get within three wins of .500.

After starting out the season at 3-6, the men have rebounded to go on a 4-4 run.  Of the losses, two of them came by a combined 15 points  and the team has looked impressive in wins over Glenville and heavily favored Fairmont State.

One of the biggest areas that Head Coach Justin Namolik feels the team needs improvement in is its consistency.

"Sometimes we play at a high level and sometimes lower which can be frustrating," Namolik said.

He went on to say that consistency will play a big part in the overall success of the team, especially from the younger players, which Shepherd has plenty of.  The team features only two seniors, with freshman and sophomores making up the majority of the roster.

Two young players that Namolik pointed out in particular were sophomore forward Chad Moore and redshirt freshman guard Brantley Osborne.  Averaging almost 17 and nine while grabbing two steals a game, Moore has stood out not only as the Ram's leading scorer but also there top rebounder and a heads up defender.  Osborne meanwhile has been solid balancing a starting role with coming off the bench, shooting almost .500 from three point range and averaging 13 points a game.

One area that impressed Namolik was the team's improvement on the defensive end.

"We're playing strong defensively," Namolik said. "We have improved over last year mentally on the defensive end."

What it comes down to for the men's  team is the need to be consistent through entire games.  The Rams might not be there this season, but if young players such as Moore and Osborne continue to develop not only as players but leaders as well, the future of the men's program could be very bright.