By Zachary Deppa
Sports Editor
Zachary.deppa0009@mb.rctc.edu
As of Jan. 18, the men’s basketball team is 8-7.
They have just finished playing their non-conference games. For these intense games RCTC went 7-5. Four of the non-conference losses were to scholarship schools (RCTC is a non-scholarship team). The men’s team still has 11 games remaining for the season. These games will help determine the team’s playoff status for the Minnesota Collegiate Athletic Association Region 13 Tournament on March 3.
Coach Brian Laplante is confident in the ability of the team to reach the playoffs and do well. In order for the team to reach their potential in the playoffs they will need to work on limiting turnovers and continue to value the importance of a good defense. A difficulty that the team has faced is rebounding. This is due to the lack of size that the team possesses. Laplante said the team will overcome these challenges over the next few games as they have been becoming more experienced and are learning how to play as a team.
Malik Jones, Gorg Alhag, and Akeem Smith have been excellent players and are the primary point scorers for the team. Other key players have been Nick Ogren, Michael Cornelius, and Tyree Caruthers who have been improving tremendously since the beginning of the season and hopefully will continue to at the same rate.