The Eureka Men’s Basketball team is looking to get things going this year. Many of these players have high expectations to prove something this year and are looking to move on from the past.
The Eureka Red Devils fell to a 7-18 record overall last year, with only 5 wins and 13 losses in the SLIAC Conference, and not making the SLIAC Conference tournament at the end of the year.
Last year, the Red Devils lost nine games in the conference; with those nine games being a less than ten-point differential.
Chip Wilde, head coach of the Men’s basketball team, is ready to get back on track.
“We were really competitive, our record just didn’t show it so we’re just looking to get back on track,” Wilde said.
The Red Devils at one point were in top of the country at defensive rebounding,meaning the other team shoots and they can get the ball back, a skill which Coach Widle emphasizes.
“It’s never a point thing with us, we need to make sure the opponents shooting percentage, three-point percentage goes down, we need to score the ball to push to score in 80s, 90s, and 100s.”
The Red Devils are looking to move on from the past, and have a lot of players that have varsity experience. Adding to that, are eight transfers looking to make a difference for this year’s basketball team.
With not having Cody Baer back on the team this year, averaging 21.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game, there are going to be other teammates that are going to fill in his shoes as a group.
There is going to be some “committee”, meaning that there is going to be a group of people that are going to play some important roles to replace those shoes.
Max Richardson, a 6’4 forward from Macomb, IL is looking to get into the mix. After coming back from injury, the young junior is ready for his opportunity to shine.
“I feel like I have worked hard to get most of my strength back, while improving my quickness, agility, and jumping.”
With the help of their strength and conditioning program, Max is slowly improving each day so he can stay healthy.
Max’s goal throughout this basketball season is to stay healthy and be able to make an impact on the team.
“Our team goal is winning a ring this year,” Richardson said. He is looking to be in the mix with senior Sam Dejesus, and junior Colin DeLaere.
Dejesus, a 6’3 center, and the pride of Delavan, Illinois, hopes to make a final impact for his senior season. Sam was an important player coming off the bench last year. He played in twenty-four games averaging 2.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and an assist per game.He hopes to make more of an impact this year, and is excited about the bondship of his team.
“Everyone is buying in together and we have been close, we may not be the biggest team in conference, but we all have heart,” he said.
With it being Sam’s final year, he doesn’t care about the negatives; he looks for the positives.
“My biggest goal is to win games, it doesn’t matter who has the most points because we are a team we all make a difference.”
Sam Dejesus plans to make an impact for his team and has an expectation to win a ring this year. He will also be in mix with the junior Max Richardson and others.
With Coach Wilde pushing the competitive edge, the Red Devils are looking to prove some teams wrong in the conference. Team chemistry and playing to the best of their ability will help lead the team to success, along with playing hard and doing the little things correctly.
