Men’s Basketball narrowly misses playoffs

In spite of a close victory against Arcadia University on Feb. 18, Hood College’s Men’s Basketball Team will not be moving on to playoffs this season.
According to Chad Dickman, the head coach of the men’s basketball team at Hood, the team missed making the playoffs by one game. Several close road games in January may have cost them the chance to compete further in the season.
Although not obtaining the playoff spot, Dickman said the year was successful for the team. He noted improvements in the team’s offense this year compared to recent years, in addition to a larger overall roster.
“I think our team was pretty even from top to bottom,” Dickman said. “We were very deep and had the luxury of being able to play up to 15 guys if needed.”
He also said that there were several standout performances by members of the team. Scott Bolen, a senior at Hood and player on the Men’s Basketball Team, scored an average of 15 points per game.
Bolen was voted by competing coaches to the All-Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Second Team, and helped win the Senior Day game against Arcadia by scoring 39 points personally.
In preparation for the next season, the coaching staff is working to recruit players whose talents could help the team next year.
Currently, no students have committed to Hood’s team for the 2017-2018 school year, but the staff is in a “good spot” with the players they are trying to recruit.
Though the team will lose three seniors in the transition to the next season, Dickman said he is confident that the returning players and recruits will continue to be successful.
“We set high goals in the preseason,” he said “and when we played well, we were well on our way to accomplishing those goals. I hope this season has left a bad taste in their mouths and they are ready to do everything they can to accomplish our 2017-2018 goals.”