Men's basketball wins tougher scrimmage

by Colin Whited on September 3, 2009

Two days after dismantling National Chung Cheng University, 127-22, the U.S. Men’s Basketball Team faced a much more formidable opponent. They squared off against Mingdao University on the NCCU campus in Chia-Yi, Taiwan, and, despite the tougher competition, the Americans ran away with a 96-64 victory. “We were hoping for better competition, and we got it,” said Robert Haney, who led the U.S. with a near triple-double with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 10 rebounds and seven steals. “The more competitive the team we compete against, the better we understand where we are as a unit.” Throughout the game, Mingdao threw Team USA various looks, a factor that pleased U.S. head coach Keith Westhoelter. “We benefitted a lot from today’s game,” he said. “They threw us a lot of different defensive schemes: man-to-man, as well as an array of zones and presses. It allowed us to see aspects of the game in which we need improvement.” The U.S. was able to capitalize with runs of 24 to 8 and 23 to 11 to end the first and second quarters, respectively. Haney scored 16 points, and Bradley Miller added 11 to help propel the USA to a 57-28 advantage at halftime. Sekoe White, for the second time in as many games, led the U.S. in scoring with 22 points, 13 of them coming in the third quarter. Anton Jackson posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Miller had one as well, finishing with 13 points to go along with 11 boards. However, Mingdao didn’t always look overpowered by Team USA. They outscored the U.S., 23-19, in the third period and played aggressive defense, forcing the Americans to commit 22 turnovers. “They exposed some areas that we need to get better at,” Brian Cronin said afterwards. “I think we handled their pressure pretty well, but the main thing I believe we need work on is stopping the ball defensively and helping out on dribble-drive penetration.” The team mentality of the Americans once again proved make all the difference. Despite competing against a team with similar size, the U.S. pulled down 57 rebounds, 24 of them offensive, and forced 27 turnovers, many of which led to transition points. “We played well as a team,” Westhoelter said. “We still need to do the ‘little things’ more efficiently, but right now, we’re where we need to be.” Mingdao is a school that, according to team head coach Jeff Fan, is the equivalent of a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I program. Mingdao previously had squared off against the Chinese Taipei National Team, a game that Mingdao won by more than 50 points. “The Americans are an outstanding team,” Fan said. “They are super-talented, powerful, excellent scorers, and play very good team defense. There is no doubt in my mind that they are the front-runners to end up Deaflympic champions in Taipei.” However, the U.S. men are not resting easy. “We do not take any opponent lightly,” veteran leader Mike Kent said. “We will not be satisfied until we don that gold medal.” On Friday morning, the U.S. will depart Chia-Yi for Taipei. The men begin competition on Sept. 7, against China.

Men's basketball wins tougher scrimmage

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