Men's basketball takes home opener over Wheaton
Anum Hussain
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: Sports
Only 14 minutes into the opening game of the season, Lions star Jeremy Shannon tweaked his ankle on an off-balance jumpshot. The team held its collective breath as one of their senior leaders was helped off the court.
"Without him playing point guard, the game would have been a completely different story," said senior co-captain Bryan Rouse.
Five short minutes later, Shannon was back in the game.
"For him to play was tough, but he knew he had to do it," Rouse said. "He's just that type of player."
Soon enough sneakers were squeaking, fans were cheering and the Lions were winning.
After Shannon's initial injury, the Emerson men's basketball team came out strong and took home its season opener against Wheaton College, 59-56.
A little over three minutes into the game, senior Drew Venter scored a 3-pointer that roused a rowdy response from fans and showed Wheaton that the Lions wanted the win.
Venter spent most of last season injured, and scored 17 points off the bench in his first game back.
"Drew was the person to step up last night," said Bryan Rouse, a political communications major. "It proves that we have all kinds of ways to win games. It gives a lot of hope to other players on the team, who just like him, will get a chance to play. If they step up and give performances like that, it's going to be a great season."
Shannon said as a point guard, Venter will learn the pace of the game. Associate Director of Athletics Stanford Nance said Venter played well, but that the game was not a one-man show.
Senior Nathan Firn got a lot of credit from his teammates for contributing on defense. Rouse said Firn was key in the win, as Firn is tasked with guarding the opponent's second best player, and that he's one of the best defenders on the team.
"My role was supporting," said Firn, a VMA post production major. "I'm looking more or less to get other guys open, run the offense and play solid defense. There's no expectation for me to score, I don't need to score. I basically keep the offense going and give our stars good shots, and when the opportunity presents itself, it's good to score."
"Without him playing point guard, the game would have been a completely different story," said senior co-captain Bryan Rouse.
Five short minutes later, Shannon was back in the game.
"For him to play was tough, but he knew he had to do it," Rouse said. "He's just that type of player."
Soon enough sneakers were squeaking, fans were cheering and the Lions were winning.
After Shannon's initial injury, the Emerson men's basketball team came out strong and took home its season opener against Wheaton College, 59-56.
A little over three minutes into the game, senior Drew Venter scored a 3-pointer that roused a rowdy response from fans and showed Wheaton that the Lions wanted the win.
Venter spent most of last season injured, and scored 17 points off the bench in his first game back.
"Drew was the person to step up last night," said Bryan Rouse, a political communications major. "It proves that we have all kinds of ways to win games. It gives a lot of hope to other players on the team, who just like him, will get a chance to play. If they step up and give performances like that, it's going to be a great season."
Shannon said as a point guard, Venter will learn the pace of the game. Associate Director of Athletics Stanford Nance said Venter played well, but that the game was not a one-man show.
Senior Nathan Firn got a lot of credit from his teammates for contributing on defense. Rouse said Firn was key in the win, as Firn is tasked with guarding the opponent's second best player, and that he's one of the best defenders on the team.
"My role was supporting," said Firn, a VMA post production major. "I'm looking more or less to get other guys open, run the offense and play solid defense. There's no expectation for me to score, I don't need to score. I basically keep the offense going and give our stars good shots, and when the opportunity presents itself, it's good to score."
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