Morgan State University men’s basketball through 23 games has a 10-13 record, but as conference play started the Bears find themselves in a three way tie for third place in the MEAC.
Morgan State’s men’s basketball team has a 10-13 record and is in a three-way tie for third place in MEAC.
The Bears had a tough start in conference play and have played only eight men due to multiple injuries. Despite these setbacks, they’ve still taken on the top teams in the MEAC and most notably, beat the current top team in conference: Norfolk State.They were just five points short of beating Howard on Jan. 11.
“I bet nobody in this room thought we would beat Norfolk, let’s just be real about it…we persevered, these guys believed,” said head coach Kevin Broadus.
The Bears are the highest scoring team in the MEAC, averaging 81.8 points per game but allow the most points in the conference with 81.6 on average.
Senior guard Kameron Hobbs leads the charge in scoring and has lit up the stat sheet with eight 20-point games in a row — including a 40-point outing against North Carolina Central.
“Really I’ve just been in my flow, feeling like everything has been coming together for me right now. I just feel like right now is the best position I can ask to be in right now,” Hobbs said.
Redshirt senior Will Thomas has also thrived this season and averages 19.4 points per game in MEAC play and surpassed 1000 career points against Norfolk State on Jan. 13.
Graduate guard Wynston Tabbs, junior forward Marland Harris, redshirt sophomore guard Tytan Newton, and sophomore forward Logan Schayes have all gone down for various injuries for extended periods of time. This left the team to depend on players who weren’t necessarily their first choice to make an impact.
“I feel like the next man mentality is something that Morgan State basketball has had to go through for the past three years because a couple of years ago, that’s how I got my start,” Hobbs said. “This isn’t what we wanted but everybody wants their chance. Everybody wants their opportunity so this is their time and I feel like everybody is stepping up when they need to.”
In the wake of these injuries, players like sophomore forward Trent Edwards, junior forward Jaden Martin, and redshirt junior guard Demajion Topps have stepped up.
“The other day we had a practice where the first team won 35-2. Then there are some days where the orange team beat them pretty good so it’s competitive,” Broadus said.
The Bears are still within reach of MEAC’s top spot and they return to action Saturday Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. against South Carolina State University at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.
