Bad Broncos Get Spanked by JCSU

Going into Saturday, February 13th's game against Johnson C. Smith, it was expected that the aura the Bronco basketball team was going to give off would be somewhat like the Travis Porter hit: all the way "Turnt Up". After all, there was a huge student turnout, the Capel Arena was deafening, and it was a nationally televised game, with ESPN Plus and TV One broadcasting it.Well looks can be quite deceiving.

After spending the past few days reflecting on the 84-50 pounding by the Golden Bulls, I still cannot believe we lost so badly. Granted, it has been a rebuilding year as first-year coach Alphonza Kee has been working to implement his style of basketball, along with not having as much time to recruit prior to the season. Regardless, with a full house, a national audience, and sponsor signs plastered all over the arena (Ford, Nationwide, and Food Lion amongst others), there was no excuse to get blasted at home. As my friend said during halftime "Only one team is playing like they want to be on TV, and it's not us".

I have to agree, because if we did, Johnson C. Smith wouldn't be shooting 71 percent from the field. They wouldn't have gone 7 for 10 on three-pointers, most of them uncontested. They wouldn't have turned the Capel Arena into All-Star Weekend with their dunking exhibition. All in the first half, we shot 30 percent and trailed 48-20. Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that a cheerleader gave me one of those towels and I found a plug to charge my dying phone with, it would have been a complete disaster for me.

Now, I can't say that this spanking was because of a lack of effort.

As a spectator, the only positive thing I could say was the fact the Broncos didn't quit in the second half and the fans stayed there until the final buzzer sounded (although it may have been more for the possibility of being on television or like another friend said later "to watch Johnson C. Smith's dunk contest". After the game, I tracked down one of the assistants, Mike Moses, to get his take on the disaster. Our interview went something like this:

Junious Smith: I just have to know, what happened?

Coach Mike: We had a couple of breakdowns. We didn't execute well but we played hard. We always play hard, which is the main thing but we just didn't get it done.

JS: Do you think the fact that it was a nationally televised game had an effect on the players?

Coach Mike: I believe it did have an effect. We have many new players, who hadn't had the national exposure. Usually you rely on your veterans for times like these, but we don't really have any veterans, so it didn't play into (our loss).

JS: So, where does the team go from here?

Coach Mike: We'll get back in the gym and work hard. We've been working hard just putting together this program, so tomorrow we'll watch film, get in a good practice, and just work on putting this behind us.

After finishing third on the 13th, I'm pretty sure practices have been "Turnt Up" drastically. Hopefully, this team can turn it around and make noise in the CIAA Tournament this weekend. If not, Bronco fans can just get focused with purchasing first-round tickets and enjoying all of the parties, and celebrities, afterward.