Kamara White, Staff Writer
Following back-to-back conference titles last year, the Men’s Basketball team is back with a successful start to the 2024 season, setting personal records, leading the conference in statistics, and proving they have their sights on that third consecutive conference win. They won their most recent home game against Alaska Anchorage University on their Senior night, setting their record to 21 wins and only five losses on the season.
Jaden Nielsen-Skinner, a redshirt Junior and point guard plays a key pivotal role in running the team’s offense. Skinner leads the GNAC in assists, but also feels that this statistic is as much the team’s, as it is his.
“I got a lot of pieces around me that can score the ball. So I think by me… playing… super unselfish, … I like seeing my teammates, thrive and score. So… making an effort that gets everyone the ball which gives everyone an opportunity to score is the main thing I’m looking for.”
Jaden Nielsen-Skinner
Staying on the statistical leaderboard is not an easy feat to keep up with throughout a collegiate season. But, the Saints continue to stick onto the conference leaderboards with being first in rebounds, assists, and scoring margin, and currently are placed as second in conference, overall. These stats not only reflect the team’s physical talent but also show the strength behind their mental mindset.
“It’s just the work being put in. We’re in there every day working out, getting shots up,” junior guard, Myles Samuels, said. “So I think that’s the reflection of the stats that people see. We put the work in and that’s the result we get from it.”
Samuels, along with fellow freshman forward, Jayshawn Moore, both displayed a great example of what putting in the work can do in one of their recent wins against Western Washington University. With only 13 seconds left in the game and being down by one point, Moore shot the tying free throw to bump the score 75-75. Samuels then had a steal-score-steal play to end the game with the win over WWU with a final score of 76-75. This specific play led by Moore and Samuels brought a lot of media attention to the team.
“ Anytime you can get a win, it’s always a good feeling and we were just fortunate enough to come out with the win that game. It was good energy from everybody,” Moore said.
With the drive to bring the winning instinct into every game and continue the successful trajectory from last season, the championship mentality and team culture are what differentiates SMU Men’s Basketball from other programs.
“ Everything we do… we’re looking to be the best. [Whether that’s] bringing in new guys and getting them involved into the culture that we… built,” Sinner said. “Whether it’s defense or offense… I think we strive for a higher standard and to stay consistent at that championship level that we’ve been at before.”
An important aspect of the team’s success and culture that adds to their championship frame of mind is the chemistry built off of the court together. When they are not practicing in the gym or traveling for games, the team spends a lot of their free time together.
“We watch a lot of sports and the big sporting events. We usually gather up at somebody’s place or go bowling,” Samuel said. “Having chemistry off the court makes the chemistry better on the court”.
“Getting along with everyone and being friends off the court makes it easier to play with each other,” Skinner added.
The team chemistry seems to be stronger than ever with their most recent win during their senior night and last home game against Alaska Anchorage. All the seniors got their moment on the court, and all contributed to the blowout, with the final score of 86-67. With being ranked second in the GNAC, they are still working to win their third consecutive conference championship and secure a spot for playoffs.
“We just need to keep grinding, keep practicing hard, and working on making our team better. We dropped a couple of games and we reflect on those losses… and the history that we had last the past two years to improve our team every single day,” Skinner said.
The men’s basketball team wants to acknowledge the SMU community for the support shown. SMU school spirit is a big part of what fuels them to compete at their highest level.
“We appreciate all the support for sure. I think that doesn’t go unnoticed. We’ve seen the crowds get bigger and bigger and the more success we have,” Skinner said. “They’ve done a lot for us in a lot of different times and were very appreciative of it.”
Samuels feels that the SMU community is unlike any other college campus when it comes to athletics support and is not something he has experienced before.
This is the first time I’ve been at a school like this with this much support. Even off campus… people around will bring it up and mention the success that we’ve had. Hopefully, it’s continued, and we can make a run as the season starts to get into the important parts in March.
Myles Samuels
The SMU Men’s Basketball team has two more away games in the season before playoffs begin. Their next game is on the road against Central Washington University on February 29th, and will be livestreamed on the SMU Athletics YouTube channel.
Best of luck to them as they conclude their season and try to secure a spot to continue into playoffs!
The Belltower 