By Christina Easter
After a three-game winning streak, the Cuyahoga Community College Men’s Basketball team bounced back and are in second place in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) thanks in part to their three-point shooting.
The Tops began their season at the Metro Campus on November 1. Part of the reason for the slow start is the team’s make-up, which has two returning sophomores, four transfers, and the rest being freshmen.
“This year we started off slow and honestly it was a lot of me ball instead of we ball,” said Aaron Nixon, head coach of the Men’s Basketball Team.
“The difference in the last three games, the effort and energy was there, no matter what…When we went on runs and the other team went on runs, there weren’t too many heads down. During timeouts, I heard nothing but positive things.”
The early losses put Nixon in unfamiliar territory. Last season, he won coach of the year after leading the Tops to 12-4 in the OCCAC. In his first season as head coach, Nixon led the team to a 24-7 record overall which included 12-4 in conference play.
So, the losing start did not sit well with Nixon. “I told them, in my first four years we never started 0-2,” said Nixon who added, “but it’s a first time for everything.”
“But it’s all about responding and being resilient. So, I believe we have to keep coaching them up, get them to buy in, and we’ll be there at the end of the season.”
Nixon recruited some talented players to fill out the Tops’ roster. Tyson Garner is a transfer who didn’t play much at his previous school but fits well in Nixon’s system. Calvin Little is another transfer who the coaching staff is working with to reintegrate back to the point guard position.
Freshmen Dekota Johnson, Dylon Susan and Malachi Jackson will be looked to for scoring and improved defense.
“At the beginning of the season, I thought we had a talented group that just needed to learn how to play with each other,” said Nixon. “But overall, we have a great group of guys who just need to learn our system.”
Earlier this season, Nixon lost his father and took time to be with his family. In his absence, Arika Jones, assistant coach of Men’s Basketball, stepped up.
“Arika did a great job keeping the energy and having practice in my absence,” said Nixon.
“She has been with me from day one and knows how to run practice. She knows our program and our system and did everything we asked.”
The Men’s Basketball team plays five games in December before the holiday break and resumes the season at home on January 7.
