Kaleb Torrence,Josh Dames, Davin Zeigler,RJ Ogom, and Devin Haid from NDC Men's Basketball.
Head coach Mark Richmond and Assistant coach Duncan Williams have been on the sidelines for NDC for five years now. Their players have a lot of positive comments about playing for them.
"Playing for Coach Rich and Coach Dunc is great because they allow for each of us to speak up whenever there is an issue on the court. They also do a great job of giving constructive criticsm to everyone on the team which allows each person to get better," NDC junior guard Kaleb Torrence explained.
"It's been a great experience playing for Coach Rich and Coach Dunc, they are both competitve coaches who hold you accountable and push you to be the best version of yourself," NDC senior guard Davin Zeigler mentioned.
"It's great playing for Coach Rich and Coach Dunc, and the rest of the coaching staff. They allow me to play my game and we trust each other," NDC redshirt junior forward RJ Ogom said.
"Playing for Coach Rich and Coach Dunc is an experience and an adjustment but overall going well," NDC junior Guard Josh Dames stated.
"Playing for Coach Rich and the rest of the staff is not easy to do but fun. You have to be a hard worker on both ends of the floor and if you are not working hard, they will let you know it. Playing under them is great," NDC redshirt sophomore guard Devin Haid opined.
Then Zeigler talked about the rest of the coaching staff:
"Coach (Damon) Jones and Coach (Thomas) Coleman are both coaches who I've had a realtionship with before coming to NDC and they both push you."
Dames talked experience:
"Both coaches bring a lot of experience to the program and a lot of passion which I am grateful for."
Then Torrence gave this thought:
"Coach Damon is a very relatable guy since he is closer to our age which allows for all of us to build a great relationship with him. Coach Coleman expects and wants the best out of each and every one of us on the court and in the classroom which allows for the entire team to stay disciplined and do the right thing."
Torrence then spoke about his hometown area and the players that came before him:
"Seeing guys like Jaedon (Willis) and Tyland (Crawford) here was a huge reason why I committed here. I already knew Tyland because we are from the same part of Virginia and had already worked out together so that was one of the reasons I committed and felt pretty comfortbale here with seeing other DMV guys here. There are other guys here from the DMV such as Geo Moore and since we are from the same area we created a connection this past summer that continued into the season."
Torrence then talked about his transfer to NDC:
"I enjoyed my time at Millersville because of the connections and friendships I made with my teammates and other students at the University. Transferring to NDC from Millersville was an adjustment because of the size of the University, the distance from home, and how much colder it is here. I have enjoyed my time here and the relationships I have made with everyone."
Haid then tod me about adjustments:
"A big adjustment I had to make on the court is just learning my role and my defensive skills. Off the court, there haven't been any big adjustments, you have to carry yourself the right way and be a student-athlete."
Ogom then spoke about his collegiate career:
"It wasn't a big adjustment for me becuase before I went to Indian Hills Community College I had just been at two different D1 schools (College of Charleston my freshman year,) and Purdue Fort Wayne (my sophomore year.) I felt confident right away."
Then Dames said this about his journey:
"For me I was in junior college so the transition to the University hasn't been totally bad. My coaches Brandon Burgette and Brandon Gossette both helped prepare me."
Zeigler spoke about his experience:
"Each school that I went to had a different feel to them. Bowling Green being in the MAC was a great learning experience for me as a freshman and sophomore. Indian Hills, at JUCO, is where I grew the most as a person knowing everyone had the same goal going JUCO. Wisconsin Green Bay was a learning experience as I was playing in the Horizon League playing a different slower style of basketball than I was used to."
Torrence talked meeting his teammates:
"The first time I met both DZ and Josh they both had good first impressions and I am glad they are my teammates."
Zeigler talked meeting them both:
"The first time I met both Kaleb and Josh was our first workout together. At that point I knew both of them were good teammates and good people who are about the team."
Then the biggest lesson were talked about:
"The biggest lessons are to stay consistent and discilpined in everything I do and find better ways to handle adversity such as staying positive or working through whatever happens with a good attitude," Torrence explained.
Dames kept it simple:
"Never be satisfied and try to always stay ahead."
Ogom then explained to me that he learned that you need to be able to respond to any situation.
Zeigler told me that for him it just meant to work hard and stay persistent.
Haid then talked about getting to know his teammates:
"Getting to know all my teammates has been great. I feel like I have known them for years like they have been my brothers. It is good to have that on and off the court connection. I learn a lot from my teammates."
"The biggest jump as far as basketball since I have come to NDC has been my leadership and patience on the court. I believe I have become a more vocal player since I have come to NDC and my patience has grown by me allowing the game to come to me rather than forcing shots," Torrence added.
Then the home court advantage at NDC was talked about:
"The home court advantage here at NDC is great, the fans are always loud, and the opponents can certainly hear them. It is good for us, the crowd cheers us on, makes us play harder and makes it tougher for the other team," Haid stated.
"I am excited for the home court advantage and playing in front of the home crowd. I hope the fans come out and get hyped," Dames mentioned.
Ogom gave his thoughts about the same thing:
"Playing at home is great, we have great fans who are passionate about us winning and it is fun to play in an environment like that."
Torrence talked about the same thing:
"The home court advantage is created at Murphy Gym because all of our fellow teams in the MEC are in West Virginia or Maryland and they have to travel to Ohio which plays a big factor in having home court advantage. Also, our gym is very small so many teams in the conference aren't used to playing in a small venue."
Haid then gave his thoughts about his expectations for the team and talked about his teammates:
"I have to do my job on and off the court whether that is scoring, passing, defense, and being a good teammate. Whatever it takes for us to win. It is great playing with a guy like RJ, he is a hard worker and wants to win. Josh is a hard worker and he is always being a good teammate cheering on his team. Kaleb is a good teammate and keeps the energy up, while Davin is someone who is going to push you everyday in practice, he doesn't give you any days off. He is a great teammate. I think we will win 20+games and make a tournament run."
Torrence then gave this thought:
"The expectations for the team this season are first to continue to grow every day once percent better. Other goals we have are winning 20+ games and reaching our conference championship in order to have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament in March. We also strive to win every home game as it is important to protect home court. Individually, my goals are to continue to grow as a basketball player which includes being a leader and staying positive through tough times. I expect to have a bigger role this season which includes doing anything I can on the court to help the team win as many games as possible."
Ogom told me his expectations were to win a lot of games as well.
Then the expectations question was answered by Dames:
"My expectations are to do whatever it takes to help the team win an MEC Championship. Knowing how talented our team is there are so many guys who can go off on any given night. The focus for me is affecting the game is areas that we need other than scoring because that will come with great ball movement and teammates being unselfish."
Torrence talked about the team:
"As a team we have a lot of new guys that bring a lot of positive energy to the table that will help us win games. We are meshing pretty well as a group. We have a lot of good chemsitry off the court which allows us to have great chemistry on the court. With having new guys, I think it may take a little bit of time to mesh on the court because we haven't played together. If we keep on the same path we are on right now, I believe we will do great things."
Ogom told me that it was not that big an adjustment to get to know his new teammates. "We all got cool right away and the chemsitry is great."
Dames talked a little more about the team:
"It's all about energy and how you can affect someone in a positive way. For instance, I'm new so I'm getting adjusted to the new system, new teammates, and the coaching but regardless of all of that the effort must be there and we must do the little things."
Torrence talked about building off of last year and talked about some of his teammates:
"Getting a win in the MEC Tournament was a big step for us as a program and in order to keep up that momentum we have to stay consistent in everything we do no matter if that is working hard in practice, in the weight room, or continuing to share the ball in order to get the best shots possible. It is important to have guys like Davin and Robbie (Cass) because they are good at getting in the paint to create plays for themselves and others. This allows for them to pull the defense in and create shots for shooters like me, GB (Adio) and Josh."
Then the importance of scouting was talked about:
"Scouting is important because it gives you a feel of how the other team plays and helps prepare the team in many ways," Dames said.
Torrence elaborated on that:
"Scouting a team allows for each player and coach to be the most prepared in order to win the upcoming game. For scout, we either start out with going through their players in practice or we will watch highlights on each player on the team we play the the day before the game or two days before the game. This allows us to understand each players tendencies and favorite shots they take in the game."
Dames told me rebounding is all about who wants it the most, size isn't everything . (You can have a seven footer who won't rebound.) It's all about hustle and attention to detail."
Ogom agreed:
"I think what separates great rebounders from good rebounders is mentality. I try to go out every game with the mentality that I must get every rebound that comes anywhere near me. I think size has a part to do with rebounding, but with the right mentality it can shrink that gap. Same goes for defense, we know that we are not a big team, and we know we must play a certain way to negate any advatage a team thinks they have on us. It's fun playing with these guys. We all know how to play the right way and that makes it easy."
Torrence talked MEC:
"The competition in the MEC is very strong with each team being tough and bringing their own style of play. Since we play teams that play many different styles this allows us to be prepared for whatever comes down the line especially in the tournament and in March Madness."
Then Torrence talked about a few teammates:
"Dre (Andre Harris) adds a lot to the table including athleticism, defense, and rebounding which allows for him to drive to the basket whenever he wants. With Josh, he adds shooting, rebounding, and toughness to the team. For GB, he brings a lot with his leadership,defense, shooting, athleticism and being able to create plays for both him and others. Lastly for Davin, he adds a lot as well. He adds shooting, athleticism, and being able to create plays for himself and others when he is driving to the basket."
Ogom gave the final thought:
"I think the most underrated part of this team is we have some real dogs. We have a lot of guys who play with a chip on their shoulder. When you've got a lot of guys like that, you can do something special."
#FlyAbove
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