Saturday, March 12, 2011

A Season Full of Growing Pains

Its was very tough season for the Delaware State men's and women's basketball team during the 2010-2011 season as both teams finished 9-21 overall and 5-11 in the conference. For head coaches Ed Davis and Greg Jackson it was a tough season for both of them, coaching a young squad with inexperience and little or no senior leadership.

On the women's side, the lady hornets only had two seniors to try and helped a young DSU squad that are trying to learn the tricks of the trade of winning games. Instead cold shooting and turnovers was the lady hornets Achilles heal all season long as DSU shot only 33% from the field, averaging over 20 turnovers a game, and scoring 53 points a game.

DSU were no match versus West Virginia, Syracuse, Maryland, Seton Hall, Hampton, Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M and other teams. Something tells me that the lady hornets have a lot of work to do on their shot selection and handling the basketball. Not to mention attitude because their body language were saying we are not ready to battle these tough teams and win games.

As for the Hornet men this was a season where games that would've been won, instead it turnout to be painful loses. DSU would've beat LaSalle, Delaware, Bethune-Cookman (twice), Coppin State (twice), Hampton (twice), Howard, North Carolina A&T (twice), UMES (on the road), Florida A&M (on the road), Tennessee State, and South Carolina State (MEAC Tournament).

With those wins DSU could have at least 14, 15, or 16 wins, instead only nine wins during the regular season and finished the season losing eight in a row and 12 of their last 13.

All season long the Hornet men were undersized having a very small lineup and only one big man. That spells bad news because  getting out rebounded by opponents 35-23 a game and letting teams to shoot almost 50% from the field.

The Hornets will have most of their players back but DSU needs more big men to help these guards so they can rebound and get block shots on defense. Also the Hornets need stop falling behind and tried to rally to get back in the game. Also the Hornets needs to maintain a big lead at all times.

Can both the men and lady hornets get back on track next season and try to compete for the MEAC title? Only time will tell.