BALTIMORE, Md. (November 30, 2018) -- There's always strength in numbers. Within the athletic world, that belief is somewhat limited. There are restrictions and methods set in place in order to keep things fair.
In basketball, there are five players on the court at once and relief players can come into the game if needed. But no matter who comes in and out, there's always five for each side.
But as we've seen within college basketball, a few players out of that five can just shine a little more and truly take over. Morgan State fans can clearly remember Tiwian Kendley and Phillip Carr's reign on East Cold Spring Lane. The duo accounted for almost 45 percent of the team's scoring last season. But it's a new season and both stars are now in the NBA Development League making noise on their respective teams.
Coach Todd Bozeman has a team to coach and of course, people had to fill those shoes. MSU fans were familiar with David Syfax, Martez Cameron, Stanley Davis, Tyler Streeter, and Lapri McCray-Pace after their efforts last season. But new to campus and already making some moves are Victor Curry, Jordan Little, Isaiah Burke, Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr. and Malik Miller.
"We rely on our depth this year."
Coach Bozeman's quote is quite true so far. Out of the six games played so far, there have been 5 different leading scorers. Isaiah Burke started off with 17 points against Villanova to start the season. Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr had 14 against Saint Francis. Martez Cameron had 11 points against DePaul. Against Navy, Tyler Streeter had a cool 11 points in a blowout victory. Martez followed up and led with 15 against Mt Saint Mary's. And against George Mason, Kyson Rawls put on a show with 18 points.
"We are a team that has got to get it done as a committee," added Bozeman. "Everything is by committee. That's why you see a different scorer in every game. That's the kind of team that we have and we have to get used to it and play like that."
Having main scorers and then role players to add the finishing touches is common, but for this squad, everyone is able to make plays and push the team to victory. Currently, seven Bears are averaging six points or more. Devonish-Prince Jr, Streeter and Davis are all tied for the team lead in scoring at 8.7 points per game.
The team effort is working as the Bears are ranked No. 4 in field goal defense (.441) and No. 3 in 3-point defense (.309) within the MEAC. They also rank No. 1 in free throw percentage (.734), No. 6 in steals (8 spg) and No. 6 in assists (13.2 apg) as well. Their efficiency and team effort is a good reason why the squad is No. 2 in the conference in assist to turnover ratio (1.00).
It's early in the season but Bozeman's Bears are showing what the identity is going to be for the Bears. It might not be everyone's night each game but someone will produce and the team will benefit as a whole.
ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's
Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit
www.morgan.edu.
