The men's basketball team is about to kick off its season, and senior Reggie Stovell, for one, is looking forward to it.
The team will turn to Stovell, who has already proven to be a key player, to help make up for the loss of two juniors who are not returning, Blaine Lay and Scott Armstrong.
He says he's up to the challenge.
"This is basketball," Stovell said. "Things happen, and guys are expected to pick it up. From moment to moment anything can happen, and I'm always ready."
Stovell, a power forward who measures 6'5", missed the first semester last season due to an injury but still finished with an average of 11.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. According to his teammates, he's a good post player with a killer outside shot, and he's only going to get better this season.
"No one has seen how good he can really be," senior tri-captain Andrew Kaklamanos said. "He can be the focal point of our offense. If he's healthy, I don't see too many people in the league that could stop him, especially not one-on-one."
Stovell will be leading his team off the court as well. He was recently named a tri-captain, a decision fully supported by the original two captains for this season, seniors Kaklamanos and Jesse Belodoff.
"The coach asked the other captains and we said he deserved it," Kaklamanos said. "He's really been great, helping the young guys a lot. He's completely earned it."
Stovell is eagerly anticipating the prospect of leading his team to a winning season, and he also welcomes the chance to erase any negative reputations he might have earned in the past.
"This is definitely new for me because I have spent a lot of years in the doghouse," Stovell said of his role as captain. "I think I pissed a lot of guys off in the past with my attitude and so forth. This year, it's really a year for me to show the guys that I'm on the same page as they are as far as trying to win and as far as being a teammate, one of the guys, basically. That's what I'm striving for as a leader."
According to Stovell, the players on this year's team are already showing that they can work well together, something that was lacking last year.
"It was very obvious that some of the guys on the team were not as hard-working as others," Stovell said of last year's team. "That caused a divided team. This is a totally different team. We're really looking forward to this year as being a big year for us."
Stovell, for one, is ready. He spent his off-season training and preparing himself physically and mentally for a winning season, and he has high hopes for the team.
"My personal goals are my team goals," Stovell said. "I would like to have a winning team and I'd do anything to help my team. This is my last season, and I would like this to be my best season from a team perspective and from a personal perspective."
But for now, he's just focusing on winning the team's first game this Friday.
"We're not perfect at all," Stovell said. "But we're showing improvement day by day and that's what matters. We'll be ready for Friday when we play Washington University in St. Louis."<$>
