Game Notes
Kentucky Wesleyan first-year head coach Happy Osborne admits scheduling former Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Quincy for the season opener may not have been the smartest decision he's ever made.
Nonetheless, that's the matchup that greets his No. 12 Panthers at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the All-American Club Classic at the Sportscenter.
The Hawks played exhibition games against Xavier and Illinois State, and Osborne was impressed with what he saw from them in both games. He knows it's not an easy way to start the season.
"I watched them live myself on Sunday vs. Illinois State," he said. "They were tied 59-59 with about seven minutes to go. (Assistant coaches) George (Hemmingsen) and Brett (Miller) watched them on Saturday against Xavier, and they were competitive for a very long time. They're a quality basketball team — a big, strong, Midwestern, corn-fed, knock-your-head-off basketball team.
"Our physicality to compete with them has got to pick up. They got 15 offensive rebounds against Xavier. In case you thought that was luck, they came back with 15 offensive rebounds against Illinois State."
Friday's game against Quincy will be the second of the day on the men's side. Great Midwest Athletic Conference foe Davis & Elkins will play Lake Erie at 3:30 p.m.
KWC will play Lake Erie at 7:30 p.m. Saturday while Davis & Elkins will play Quincy at 5 p.m.
KWC was doing a lot of defensive drills in practice Wednesday, one of which was working on blocking out and winning long rebounds.
Quincy likes to shoot a lot of 3s. The Hawks went 4-of-17 on 3-pointers against Xavier and were 11-of-32 from beyond the arc against Illinois State.
Perimeter shots lead to long rebounds, which could lead to transition baskets, which is exactly what Osborne wants to see from his offense.
The other thing Osborne has been doing with his team since last week's exhibition with Louisville is having his players practice playing defense by hold a towel behind their back.
KWC was whistled for 41 fouls against Louisville, due in large part to new rules put in place this offseason which limit hand-checking for defenders. The Panthers put Louisville in the bonus before the game was three minutes old.
The drill's purpose is obvious, as Osborne wants his team to learn how to defend the way he wants them to, just without fouling.
"It's different for me because referees are taking away the style of basketball I want to play," Osborne said. "I just can't believe that people want to turn on the TV or go to a ballgame and watch people play 2-3 zone. We're trying to hit that happy medium where there's not 56 free throws when we play somebody."
