The Cabrini men’s basketball team has had a powerhouse of a season so far, but what’s more surprising is that they are doing it with only six returning members. Although there is a sizable amount of new players, the team is not deterred at all.
Primarily consisting of freshmen, but also some transfers, it seems there have been no problems with the transition from last year’s team. There are nine new faces to a team of 15 total, but the Cavaliers are yet to be stopped this season. Currently, they are showing off an overall record of 14-0 with a 8-0 record in the CSAC.
Senior Fran Rafferty said, “I think we’ve done a good job as far as chemistry goes. The younger guys are hungry and they’re always willing to listen.” He added, “It [referring to the key to success] also comes down to the culture that we want to present here at Cabrini. We have 15 guys that will literally go out and put whatever they have on the floor for as long as they are out there. Because we’re such a close group and love competing, I think that’s what puts us over the top.” Rafferty concluded, “As far as the other seniors and myself, it’s National Championship or bust.”
The rest of the season for the Cavaliers is primarily conference play with the exception of No. 14 Wesley College on Monday, Feb. 3. The game against Wesley will be a final test for the Cavs when it comes to out of conference play, but with key players such as junior Aaron Walton-Moss who is averaging 25.6 points per game, they seem confident. Other big impacts on the court are seniors Fran Rafferty and Jon Miller as well as freshman Brennan McCann.
Another huge accomplishment for the team this year has been the D3Hoops rankings. Since the start of the season Cabrini has made a massive jump from being ranked No. 19 overall to currently being ranked 3rd in the nation.
The Cavaliers are also still proving to be a second half team as they have in past seasons. In an intense, action-packed game against Randolph-Macon College in December, nobody could seem to find the upper hand going into the locker rooms tied 44-44. Through perseverance and determination the blue and white managed to pull through for a 98-91 win. Although it didn’t come easily with Randolph-Macon tallying 40 bench points compared to Cabrini’s mere 18. It’s games like these that the Cavs need to go back and focus on fixing things that went wrong.
From the looks of things now, Cabrini is highly likely to take the CSAC Championship while going undefeated in the conference. I think I can speak for everybody on campus saying we would like to relive the 2011-12 season where the Cavs went 31-2. The only difference this year is that the team is focusing on making that record 33-0.
