Shawn RiceThe 2004-05 Cabrini basketball season is about to start in a few weeks. I am sure many students plan on attending some varsity games. But did you know that there is a men’s junior varsity basketball team at Cabrini? If you didn’t, now you know. If you already knew this, you probably never attended a game.
I have been playing for the men’s JV basketball team for two years and many of the home games have been deserted. I am talking empty. If the ball goes out of bounds all you hear is the loud bang of it hitting the bleachers. This is because there is absolutely no one sitting in the stands to catch it!
Besides a few family members, there are approximately ten Cabrini students at every game. It is so quiet I can hear a player on the bench take a slug of Gatorade, gulp it down and burp all while I’m on the court.
The dance team forgets every week to pay JV games a visit at half time. However, I can understand this. Why would they perform if there isn’t anyone in the stands?
“I don’t go to the games because the excitement level is low. I think this is because no one goes,” Ian McDonald, a junior criminal justice major, said.
A decent crowd would motivate the players to execute at a higher level. A crowd of more than 20 people rarely shows up. I think this definitely needs to change.
It seems as if JV basketball gets a bad name just because it isn’t the varsity. Many narrow-minded people assume that we are not as good as varsity players. In some cases, this assumption is true. There still are few factors people need to understand about the JV team before they disregard it.
Head coach John Dzik and his staff are some of the best recruiters in Division III basketball. Every year there is sure to be a huge influx of new and talented players. The competition for a varsity spot is extremely demanding.
Every week during the season, Coach Dzik brings players up and sends them down from varsity to JV. If a player hasn’t been performing to his potential, he is sent to the JV team until his spot is rightfully earned. Also, varsity players that are just coming off an injury start at the JV level and work their way back up to varsity.
Justin Walsh, a junior history major, has played on the JV basketball team for two years. “The level of competition the JV team goes against is very tough,” Walsh said. The JV basketball team’s schedule is cluttered with games against community and junior colleges. The natural talent at some of these schools is unbelievable.
“Many players we compete against are potentially Division I players that just need to work on their grades,” Walsh said. Penn’s JV, St. Joe’s JV, and Cecil County Junior College are just a few of the great teams Cabrini competes against.
Sophomore point guard Victor O’Connor played on the JV team last year. “I would definitely appreciate it if more female fans showed up. This would definitely make me play better,” O’Connor said.
Every team has its ups and downs. Cabrini’s JV team may get blown out by other teams from time to time, but they still deserve support from the students.
Basketball season starts up in October. I urge all the students to pay attention to when men’s JV games are scheduled. After all, today’s JV players are tomorrow’s varsity stars.
Posted to the web by Convergence Boy
