Beginning today the Stan State men’s basketball team will be taking part in the Division II March Madness.
The March Madness on TV that instantly comes to mind is not the same exact March Madness that Stan State is participating in. Despite not being on the Division I level, this tournament is just as important and challenging to our men’s team.
“In Division II we have our own version of the tournament, and it is our own march ‘madness,’ but at a smaller scale. We play in the CCAA Tournament, first round on Feb. 27 with four winning teams advancing to Pomona Mar. 2-3 for the CCAA Championships. From there, if you win that tournament or [are] ranked in the Top eight in the West Region, then you play in the NCAA Tournament starting with the West Regionals,” Hung Tsai, Assistant Athletics Director, said.
Tsai added that this tournament is not to be taken lightly. It will require a lot of hard work and dedication from the men’s basketball team.
“We have actually had to crack down,” Kaelen Mitchell (senior, Communication Studies) said. “It’s more games obviously, so coach really emphasizes taking care of our bodies, getting our rest, eating right, you know what I mean, and the focus for us as the late as been more defensive. He wants to crack down on that and paying attention to detail. That’s a big key thing a lot teams tend to lose detail this far into the season.”
Joseph Alvarez (junior, Psychology) added that “lately, practice has been more intense. Definitely, our intensity has kicked up so that we can remain prepared for the trials or the playoffs.”
According to former player, Timbo “Rhymes Thymes” Thymes (senior, Economics/Computer Science), two of the most important things he has learned from participating with this team is determination and unity. He said that there would be times when the team was down, but were able to overcome. He said that time will always tell, so he saw that it is important to remain determined and staying united played a big part in all of it.
“They [his team] taught me so many things on and off the court. To be a better player, a better person,” Thymes said. “Made a lot of good friends.”
Stan State’s men’s basketball team is encouraging students to show their support during tonight’s game against UC San Diego at the Warrior Grill’s watch party at 7:30 p.m.