Ro Murphy
romurphy@ursinus.edu
The Ursinus College Men’s Basketball Team has made their presence felt in the Centennial Conference, and they do not plan on taking their foot off the gas. With the end of their season approaching, the Bears have their eyes set on the playoffs and have put themselves in a good position to compete for the CC title.
Setting themselves up to earn a playoff spot was not easy for the Bears. The team had to make sure that they understood not only what they had to do as team, but also what mistakes they had made in the past, in order to learn from them and readjust. Sophomore captain Ryan Hughes explained what the team had to do in order to be in the position that they are now: “It took a lot of hard work and preparation. We had to focus on ourselves before looking into our opponents,” states Hughes. He also went on to talk about the importance of the connection that the team has, and how being able to overcome difficulties together can make the team stronger: “Just staying connected through hardships make us the team we are.” Making sure that the team stays together to solidify the playoff game is one of Hughes’ main goals.
As the playoffs approach, the nerves of a team can grow. But Hughes wants to make sure that the team keeps looking at the bigger picture. Hughes explained the policy that keeps everyone in line: “No matter what we are staying connected and positive. We have a saying, ‘90 percent solutions.’ When problems occur throughout the season we always try and fix them right away, instead of mourning.” With that policy in mind, the dynamic of the team continues to be the best that it has been.
With the possibility of the playoffs, the team also wants to “just keep everybody focused on the next game. We never look ahead of any opponent; we try and play every team like it is the best team in the country.” Not looking too far ahead is going to be a key factor for this team, and taking their chances day by day is going to make or break their chances at a playoff position.
We wish the UC men’s basketball team the best of luck as they continue to work hard to secure themselves a spot in playoffs. Go Bears!