Seeming to have a young incoming team to play Cavaliers men’s basketball Coach Tim McDonald focuses on the aspects of fundamentals in order to prepare the team for the season.
After a 26–2 overall record in the 2013-14 season, losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament and losing Marcus Kahn as the head coach the Cabrini Cavaliers are almost starting from scratch. Saturday, Oct. 18 was the start of the new preseason and as the four returning players learn Coach McDonald’s style of coaching new incoming players learn how to play the Cavs way.
“As far as season goals go, we have talked about making sure that we are competing every day in everything that we do, getting better both individually and as a team on a daily basis and coming together as a team and forming a family like relationship with each other,” McDonald said.
Returning players this year include, National Player of the Year, Aaron Walton-Moss, Vinny Walls, Howard Blake and sophomore Deryl Bagwell. “We have a lot of young guys this year so our goal, everyday, is to get better day by day, one step at a time and I’m just going to have to lead by example and give them words of encouragement,” Walls said. Walls averaged 18.8 points last season playing in 18 games and starting in 12.
Walls did not participate in opening practice due to groin injuries.
One aspect that the team lacks, right now, is size “since I’ve been here it’s always been that. We don’t have a big team but we average out to be a nice size 6’4–6’5,” Walton-Moss said.
Walton-Moss averaged 24.8 points last season playing 24 games and starting in 19.
The goal is to make it to the national championship but the players know that they have to take it one game at a time and that it starts with preseason.
After sweeping the competition in the CSAC tournament beating Rosemont College 109-97 in the semi-finals and Neumann University 96-79 in the championship Cabrini travelled to the NCAA tournament.
As Cabrini College hosted the NCAA tournament the Cavaliers played against Bridgewater State University winning 100-69. In the second round of the tournament the Cavaliers go on to lose the game against ranked No. 22 Richard Stockton 76-85.
At the end of the season Cabrini was ranked No. 9 on D3hoops.com. The Cavs go on to lose seniors Fran Rafferty, Jon Miller, A.J. Picard and head coach Marcus Kahn to Mary Washington.
The men’s first game is Nov. 15 against The College of Wooster in Ohio and the first home game is against Eastern University in the Battle of Eagle Road in the Nerney Field House on Nov. 11.
“Of men’s NCAA teams with new coaches, who will have most trouble continuing the program’s success?” A reader poll on d3hoops.com asked.
McDonald describes the new head coach position as “a much different job but a transition that I am very comfortable with and confident that we can continue with our success on the court.”
LOQation’s preview on men’s and women’s basketball 2014-2015 season
