While the general population of Cabrini students was spending Christmas break with their friends and families, the men’s basketball team was at school, practicing daily, anxiously awaiting their next game.
Over the one-month span that most would call “break,” the men’s basketball team played four games, three of the games home and the last away. “There is no break,” head coach John Dzik said.
In the Cavs’ first game of winter break on Jan. 3, they defeated Kean University by a score of 67-62 in a tournament hosted by Cabrini. The team then went on to lose the championship game of the tournament on Jan. 4, to Pitt-Bradford, 69-71.
The Cavs’ final home game of the break came as a 67-62 victory over the College of Misercordia on Jan. 8.
Followed by the win of the College of Misercordia, the Cavaliers traveled to Gwynedd-Mercy College on Jan. 11, where they defeated the Griffins by a score of 70-60.
The downfall of playing games over break is the lack of fan support. Dzik said, “Over the break we saw what I call the ‘funeral crowd’ in the stands, only friends and family.” Sophomore guard Dan Clemens said, ” As a team, we play our best when the bleachers are filled and the fans are into the game, we play off of their energy.”
Although the Cavs went three and one over the one-month break from classes, Dzik feels the team needs to improve. “Traditionally our teams have always gotten better over break, I’m not so sure that this team did,” Dzik said.
According to Clemens and Dzik, the Cavs need to start playing more as a team and put their talent to use as a whole to be successful for the duration of the season.
