Visiting South Carolina over Christmas break would indicate a vacation for most people, but for the men’s varsity basketball team, the journey was for the 17th Annual Roundball Classic.
Last year, JC finished third in the “more difficult national bracket,” coach Tony Martin said. This year, in the same bracket, the Patriots lost all three of their games.
“As a team we played hard, but we need to make better decisions,” junior point guard Malcolm McMillan said.
In the first game, West Ashley High School from Charleston, SC, this year’s tournament champion, beat JC 70-39. The Patriots were outrebounded 31 to 14.
In both the second and third games, JC led by two points at halftime. However, opponents Ridge View High School of Columbia, SC and Bishop England High School of Charleston, SC both defeated the Patriots.
The Patriots lost to Ridge View 60-54 and to Bishop England 55-44. “The opponents’ talent, depth, and experience won out in those games,” Martin said.
McMillan led the team with 23 points in the second game, and junior shooting guard Ronald Scott led the team with 21 points in the third game.
“Ronald Scott and I tried our best to carry the team on our backs,” McMillan said. “As the leaders of the team, we try our best to keep everyone together through good and bad times.”
However, McMillan said the team’s chemistry was “a little off” due to injuries and a few JV players moving up to varsity for the tournament.
McMillan acknowledged that the team is “missing key parts” because of the injuries. Junior Jarred Jones tore his ACL over the summer and freshman Mike Owana hurt his knee in mid-December.
Martin added, “It has been Murphy’s law this year. We have had nine different lineups in 16 games so far. It has been a juggling act to find six to seven healthy players on game days.”
However, according to Martin, the tournament was a success. “The folks in South Carolina commended the student-athletes of John Carroll on the positive way they carried themselves on and off the court,” Martin said. “Overall, the trip was a good bonding experience and we enjoyed the southern hospitality.”
Martin is optimistic about the rest of the season and said the team is aiming to make the playoffs again this year. “This year is a bump in the road,” Martin said, “but the future looks bright, as we will return everyone from the varsity and JV levels next year.”
McMillan also said he feels “very confident” about the rest of the season. “Even though we lost all three games [in the tournament], we never pointed fingers,” McMillan said. “We just came together and tried our best, and that’s all you can ask from a young team with only two seniors.”
Mollyann Pais can be reached for comment at [email protected].