Men's basketball win opener
By: Nathan Hague
Issue date: 11/17/08 Section: Sports
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The Jacks were lead by seniors Matt Kingsley, Houston, and Josh Alexander, Shreveport, and Eddie Williams, Lawton, Okla., sophomore, all of whom had 16 points on the night.
"It was the first game, and we were a little bit jittery," Alexander said. "We've just got to knock some of the rust off. I'm pretty healthy. When you get that first win, you're doing pretty good."
"I thought Eddie Williams did a great job," head coach Danny Kaspar said. "If you look at our subs, Girod Adams did a great job. Matt's playing sick, I need you to know that. Let's give him some credit, he was not at full strength."
Despite being sick, Kingsley said he's just about over it and relieved to get the first game over. "Oh it's a big relief man," he said. "All the hype surrounding this team is astronomical compared to what I've been through. We're really holding a lot of weight on our backs. I think getting this over with is like shaking the rust off."
Next on the Lumberjacks' schedule is Texas A&M in College Station. The team knows it won't be easy but believes they can win.
"I think A&M is a team we're capable of beating but we're going to have to play very well," Kaspar said. "They're big, they're strong and they have a great shooter in Josh Carter. I think battle of the boards and turnovers are the keys to winning the game. We've got to keep our turnovers at 14 or below, and I think their strength is at rebounding."
"We've got to play great defense and rebound the ball." Alexander said. "This is a big opportunity for me in my last year and for us to show what we're made of."
"Josh and I are both seniors, and we have to perform in big games." Kingsley said. "It's big for me on a personal level, and the biggest thing is we know we have a chance to beat these guys. I don't think coach would schedule anyone he didn't think we could beat. If we're firing on all cylanders, we're going to be right there with them."
Coming off last year when they beat Oklahoma in Norman and ended up winning the Southland Conference in the regular season, the Jacks have high expectations. Kingsley says having high expectations can make or break a team. "Having high expectations could be a good thing as well as a bad thing because you're expecting to do good things and if you don't perform according to your capabilities people are going to write you off quicker than they would if you didn't have those expectations," he said.
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