Malcolm Shields/ Staff Writer
With a month to go until their season opener against George Mason at the NIT Season Tip Off, the Golden Panthers took to the courts on Oct. 15 for their first official practice.
For most of the players, the beginning of practice was welcomed.
“I’m excited. Basically the new season is a month away,” said freshman Gilles Dierickx.
The value of the offseason conditioning should play into the tempo of basketball that the Golden Panthers expect to play this season.
“The preseason was good,” said senior guard DeJuan Wright. “We did a lot of extra conditioning to get prepared for the season so we can hit the wings hard and play a lot of good solid defense. Preseason conditioning was great.”
The Golden Panthers entered their first practice in relatively good health.
“I am very excited to start,” head coach Isiah Thomas said of practice. “Everyone will be healthy.”
Although Wright sustained a knee injury back in August, he feels that he is good to practice.
“I feel great. I did a lot of rehabbing and I am a 100 percent ready to go.”
Added Size
The Golden Panthers were able to add size to their frontcourt with the addition of Dierickx. He spoke about how he has adjusted to the jump from the high school level to Division-I basketball and the work he has put in with the Golden Panthers and the strength and conditioning of coach Roderick Moore.
“It’s been going pretty well. The first couple of weeks they were hard,” Dierickx said. “Coach Moore really pushes us.”
Dierickx is only one of three players on the roster listed over 6’9”. He, along with Dominique Ferguson and Brandon Moore, will most likely fill out the big man rotation.
Dierickx’s main focus was to continue to prepare himself for any amount of playing time. “I just need to keep working, try to put on weight and work hard in practice.”
More Chances
Underclassmen like sophomores Ferguson and Phil Taylor will have expanded opportunities to contribute for the Golden Panthers. Ferguson was a contributor last season, especially in the frontcourt for the Golden Panthers as he averaged 7.1 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game in the 20 games he played in.
“I just try to keep it simple,” Ferguson said. “My role is to help us win as much as I can with anything I can do on the court.”
Last season, Taylor averaged 21 minutes per game and 7.3 points per game. In conference play, his scoring average jumped up to 8.4 points per game.
This season, Taylor is expected to have more playing time at point guard next to Wright in the backcourt.
“We definitely expect leadership out of him,” Thomas said of Taylor. “We want him to set the defense and set the tone on offense.”
The starting lineup for the Golden Panthers will have some open slots to be filled. At this early stage of the season, coach Thomas wants his players to compete for any open spots that are available.
“Every position is open,” Thomas said. “We have no set rotation.”