By Evangelos Malakates
After splitting the season series with Old Dominion, the Pride men’s basketball team will square off against the Monarchs on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Va.
The No. 5 seeded Pride (16-11, 10-8 CAA) enters the CAA tournament with a load of confidence and a hot streak that saw it win six of its final eight games. However, the No. 4 seeded Monarchs (14-14, 10-8 CAA) know exactly what they are up against.
Or do they?
This is a Pride team that has overcome tremendous adversity and has benefited from some unexpected leaders.
Through the first 20 games of the season, sophomore forward Aurimas Kieza was averaging 3 points and 2 rebounds, but it appears as though he has turned it on at the best possible time.
In the final eight games of the season, Kieza’s numbers exploded as he averaged nearly 16 points and 7 rebounds each contest. Teams that focused on shutting down junior forward Kenny Adeleke inside now have Kieza to deal with since he has proven time and time again that he could be a factor both inside and out.
Pride head coach Tom Pecora is high on Kieza and even referred to him as “the best shooter we’ve ever had here.” Those are encouraging words for a player that was relegated to garbage time in the past.
“The fact that Aurimas has stepped up has been huge for us,” Pecora said. “His offensive ability has allowed us to play a more fast paced game and as a result, we finished third in the CAA in scoring.”
Kieza’s emergence as a viable threat is the perfect compliment to another Pride player that has gained some credibility.
Rookie of the Year candidate Loren Stokes has become the Pride’s main scoring option and a headache to any opposing coach. Stokes’ ability to penetrate, score, rebound and pass has made him one of the most dangerous players in the CAA tournament.
Despite his freshman status, Pecora explained to Stokes that he isn’t a freshman anymore.
“Everyone in the conference is aware of what Loren can do,” Pecora said. “He cannot think of himself as a freshman and he knows we expect a lot out of him.”
Stokes has made a habit in his 20 games starting for the Pride this season of putting forth an all around effort. As a result, only he and CAA Player of the Year candidate Adam Hess of William & Mary rank in the top 15 in points, rebounds and assists in conference play.
The Pride has overcome multiple setbacks due to injury this season. Senior center Wendell Gibson, who was leading the team in scoring with 14 points per game, was lost for the season on Jan. 28 with a knee injury. Just one week later, freshman guard Carlos Rivera was also cut down by a similar knee injury.
With two starters out for the season by the first week in Feb., things looked bleak for the Pride. However, the team has rallied and it now enters the conference tournament with its highest seed in three years of CAA play.
“When Carlos and Wendell went down, I told the team that one player could not make up for the loss,” Pecora said. “We lost 28 points and 12 rebounds each game, and every single player has had to step up.
Only four points separated the two teams on the scoreboard in the two match-ups. The Pride dropped the first meeting, 69-66, as three failed attempts from three-point territory left the Pride players shaking their heads.
However, in the second meeting, the Pride won a shootout, 80-79, and upset the Monarchs, who were ranked No. 1 at the time. The Pride trailed for most of that contest but rallied behind the sharp shooting of junior guard Mike Radziejewski to come out on top.
Despite its recent success, the Pride has not shot the ball well over the last eight games but it has still managed to win, which is a sign of a good team. However fatigue could be setting in, and that makes having a first round bye in the tournament important. With a young team that is already depleted, the extra day off could provide the Pride with an edge over teams like No. 8 seeded William & Mary or No. 9 seeded Towson who play each other Friday.
The Pride won as many games as it lost this year, but the losses humbled the team and taught it never to get ahead of itself. Rarely does such a young team grow and mature like the Pride has this year, making it very dangerous heading into the tournament.
When asked what the team has focused on over the past week in preparation for the tournament, Pecora was quick with his response.
“We’re just trying to get healthy,” Pecora said. “Omar [Alston] has conjunctivitis so he’s been down and Danny [Walker] practiced for the first time in a week [Wednesday].”
Pecora stressed the importance of being mentally and physically rested because if all things break right for the Pride, it will be playing three games in three nights.
The winner of the quarterfinal game between the Pride and ODU will likely go on to face No. 1 seeded Virginia Commonwealth, who should be favored over the winner of the William & Mary-Towson game.
That road could prove to be hazardous for the Pride given Virginia Commonwealth’s strong play throughout the entire season, but what would March Madness be without a top-seeded team to send home crying and an underdog to serve them the onions.