AU men’s basketball set to take on Lander in season opener
Tyshaun Crawford, the 7-foot-1 center, goes in for a dunk last season, when he averaged 13.6 points and 9.2 rebounds a game for the 21-8 Jaguars. (photo by Carlos Rodriguez)
By Carlos Rodriguez |
Sports editor
The Augusta University men’s basketball team will start off the 2020-21 season on Wednesday, Dec. 2, against Lander University at Christenberry Fieldhouse with the tipoff at 6 p.m.
The Jaguars will finally get the chance to battle the defending Peach Belt Conference Tournament champions, after having their NCAA Division II Tournament first-round matchup with the Bearcats cancelled back in March due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Also, because of COVID-19, there will be no fans allowed at Christenberry Fieldhouse until further notice.
“It will be unique to play with no fans, but that is the hand that we are dealt with the first semester and we are just excited about playing,” said AU Coach Dip Metress.
NCAA Division I hoops tipped off Nov. 25, and one thing teams have been doing is having their bench chairs spread out so players are socially distanced. Augusta will follow the same protocol.
“A big challenge is to keep your team engaged with the chairs spread out six feet apart on the bench, but it is a great problem to have if we are getting a chance to compete,” said Metress.
Although they’re playing a Peach Belt team, this game is not included in the 16-game conference schedule that the PBC released in November. Division II teams are allowed to play up to 22 regular season games, so it allows AU and other conference teams to play six games in addition to the conference schedule. Thus, Wednesday’s game will count as a non-conference contest. The two teams will play again at Lander on Dec. 20 before meeting twice in PBC play in January and February.
Last season, the Jags finished 21-8 overall and 16-4 in the PBC, good for second place in the regular season. The team has returned every key contributor from last season except Rafael Monteiro, who graduated and now plays professionally in Brazil. The Jaguars will match the experienced group with a couple of newcomers looking to make an impact and provide depth for Augusta.
“The first game is important, but there will still be nerves from players,” said Metress. “We will just need to settle down and play the right way. Early in the year most teams are not as good as they will eventually be, so sometimes your goal is to not play as bad as the other team.”
Lander is coming off a 99-63 loss to Division I University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in an exhibition on Nov. 25.
There will be a live broadcast of the season-opening game for fans to watch at home. You can find the broadcast at AugustaJags.com or at PBC Sports Network.
Contact Carlos Rodriguez at carlosjr521@gmail.com.
