Jaguar men travel to USC Aiken for Peach Belt game

By Justin Brosemer | Sports writer

The Augusta University men’s basketball team has been faring well despite battling against difficult circumstances during this COVID-riddled season with a 5-2 record overall (3-2 in the Peach Belt Conference) thus far. 

After their 2019-20 basketball season was cut short due to the novel coronavirus last March, preventing the team from performing in the NCAA Division II national tournament, the team was determined to do whatever necessary to compete safely in the current 2020-21 season.

“We are currently playing with a shorter roster than we’re accustomed to, so accountability is a big part of the team’s mentality at the moment,” said forward Jack Johnson.

AU Athletics has implemented guidelines to protect the players from the possibilities of contracting COVID-19. These rules vary from avoiding contact with the general public, required screenings via phone applications each morning, wearing mandatory masks everywhere off the court, social distancing while on the bench in-game, among many other things.

If a player is suspected of contracting COVID-19 and requires a test, he must remain quarantined until the test returns. If the result comes back as positive, the player will remain quarantined for 10 days then test again.

These precautions put in place by the NCAA and Peach Belt Conference spell for the most unique basketball season for the players and coaches. Further testing is done after a the quarantine to see if any other damage has been done to the body, particularly the heart.

“I would say the fans and the media has been the most notable change this season,” junior guard Darren Lucas-White said of the now quiet atmosphere at Christenberry Fieldhouse during home games. “The fans and media was a huge part of our team in seasons before the pandemic because they get us hype during the games. It’s just different overall off the court, but on the court, it’s on us to get each other hype now because it’s the same basketball at the end of the day.”

These aforementioned rule implementations only speak to the challenges endured off the court. Another hurdle the team has had to adjust to is the new changes found in-game. This can be found in playing with a significantly smaller roster due to COVID-19 quarantine guidelines, which means game plans have to be formed around the possibility of losing players, among other things.

“It’s just a different kind of pressure this season,” said Lucas-White, who is averaging 18.6 points per game, best on the team of the still active players. “It’s all about Coach Dip (Metress) and my teammates putting me in the right positions to affect the game offensively and defensively. My teammates know I can perform. it just became a confidence thing for me.” 

To add upon this, crowd noise has been a factor at home and away games, for a myriad of reasons. Without crowd presence, the team loses a major advantage during home games. Their performance becomes more reliant on their talent and hard work, rather than pressure from crowd noise. 

An eerily silent gym where you can hear every dribble, every foot squeak and also every word has become the battleground for these players during the pandemic.

“It’s definitely different,” John said. “The refs can now hear everything we say which has gotten some players in trouble so far. It’s also more pressure in a weird way. The silence is almost louder than the crowds used to be.”

With the recent news of the loss of five players (two of whom are starters, and one of whom is the team’s leading scorer) for the rest of the 2020-21 season, endurance and perseverance becomes an even higher importance for the team.

The Jaguars’ next matchup will have them on the road as they play USC-Aiken on Wednesday, Jan. 27. The game will be livestreamed on pbcsportsnetwork.com, and the time for tipoff is 7:30 p.m.

 Contact Justin Brosemer at JBROSEMER@augusta.edu.

Tyshaun Crawford (0) dunks against Lander for the Jaguars, who are 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the Peach Belt Conference. Augusta plays at rival USC Aiken on Wednesday, Jan. 27. (photo by Justin Brosemer)