For a moment there, they were the hottest squad in Division II college basketball. The University of Tampa men’s basketball team began the ’12-’13 season with a dozen straight victories; some in overtime, some by more than 30 points.
Talk about a change of pace. Losers of six of their last seven, the Spartans now sit eighth in the Sunshine State Conference out of nine teams. Their defense has slipped and their offense, so reliant on the three-point shot, has disappeared entirely at times. All of it culminating in a 91-65 drubbing at the hands of SSC rival Florida Southern on January 23.
So what is the issue? The eight point decline in three-point field goal percentage? The Spartans’ lack of consistent low-post play behind junior Vincent Cornu? Defensive mental gaffes?
“Well if we knew the answer to that,” said UT Head Coach Richard Schmidt, “we’d be magicians I think.”
To analyze the Spartans’ (13-6, 1-6) struggles, it’s important to first put their opening hot streak in perspective. Although the 12 wins did lead to the team peaking at No. 20 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll, they were against much lesser competition than the SSC teams they face now. Many of the teams they beat now sport sub-par records, including Fort Valley State (6-11) and Clark (3-14).
That’s not to completely discredit the wins, as it was still the second best start for the program in school history. Shaw University, who UT beat 82-81 in December, is the best team the Spartans have played all year according to Coach Schmidt. Although their ranking may have been premature, the perfect start gives reason to believe that this 1-6 cold streak might not be an accurate reflection of the team’s potential either.
Lead by transfer junior leading scorer Da’Marko Foster and Anthony Griffis, who’s returned to the team after missing the ’11-’12 season, the Spartans can score the ball when they’re able to hit jump shots. On Jan. 5, in a game they eventually lost to Rollins, the Spartans jumped out to a 25-12 lead with just over 11 minutes to go in the first half. This was thanks to five straight three-pointers by Foster, Griffis, and senior Callum Townsend. The same three players proceeded to miss their next eight three-pointers, as Rollins took a 32-29 lead into halftime, and eventually won by six.
“When the three-ball is not falling, the defense can sink the floor on us a little bit, and cut off driving lanes,” said Foster, a transfer from Daytona State College. After explaining the technicalities of the scoring drought, he echoed a explanation that Coach Schmidt also mentioned which centers in on a more pressing matter: a lack of mental focus or drive.
“We just don’t have that sense of urgency that we should have as one of the last teams in the conference,” he added.
With games against last-place Florida Tech and non-conference foe Palm Beach Atlantic looming, the Spartans have a prime chance to get back on track. Whether they can do that, coming off of three straight losses, remains to be seen.
“We’ve kind of been in a downer,” said Coach Schmidt. “We go through stretched where we just can’t make any shots and we don’t really know why. We’ve just run into some problems and we’re just not playing very well.”
Miles Parks can be reached at minaret.sports@gmail.com