Despite only having one returning senior this year, the Harding men\u2019s basketball team has embraced its new phase as several players step up and take leadership roles.
\nSenior guard Colin Hale said that being the oldest player has given him insight on how to be a leader on the team.
\n\u201cDue to being a senior, I\u2019ve definitely been around the block, so to speak,\u201d Hale said. \u201cI feel like I have knowledge and things I can share in a leadership role.\u201d
\nAlthough he is the only senior, Hale said he does not take all the credit, believing several juniors and sophomores have stepped up and led the team in ways he can\u2019t.
\n\u201cI think our real team leader would be [sophomore guard] Romen Martin,\u201d Hale said. \u201cI\u2019m more of a \u2018I am just going to do it\u2019 kind of guy, and Romen is more of the guy who verbalizes it, but I think there needs to be a balance.\u201d
\nSophomore forward Tyler Moore also said Hale is the type of guy who will step up and make sure everyone knows what they\u2019re supposed to do, but he agrees leadership is a team effort.
\n\u201cWe have sophomores and juniors stepping up, and you would think that they\u2019re seniors,\u201d Moore said \u201cI think everybody leads, and it\u2019s better than previous years.\u201d Head Men\u2019s Basketball Coach Jeff Morgan said he is not worried about the lack of older men on the team and that one person should not be responsible for leading the entire team.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s been fun to watch how a lot of the guys have really stepped up,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cFor one person to bear that load is an awful lot to ask, and so it\u2019s been fun to see some of the younger guys really take ownership.\u201d
\nMorgan was also impressed by the fact that many players have shown their dedication to the team since before school started.
\n\u201cWe had guys showing up earlier this year,\u201d Morgan said, \u201cThey were doing things together earlier, and it wasn\u2019t things that Coach Woods and I were planning. So that has been really good.\u201d
\nOther players on the team also said they admire the leadership in the basketball program. Freshman guard Tyler Hutchieson said Hale played a big role in leading the team to where they are now.
\n\u201cThe leadership took a whole new level this year with Colin being the only senior,\u201d Hutchieson said. \u201cHe got a hold of everybody, and I think we need that to be better on the court.\u201d
\nHutchieson also said that Hale\u2019s experience has helped him, as well as many other players on the team, as they seek advice on how to be better on the court.
\n \u201cI definitely go to him to ask what I need to look for in my game,\u201d Hutchieson said.
\nAlthough last season\u2019s record turned out differently than hoped, Morgan said the team has shown their success by leading off the court.
\n \u201cI think the spiritual aspect and leadership that takes place on our team is what makes us different from other schools,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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