The Bellevue College men’s basketball team is ready for the new college season that starts on Oct. 20. Last year, the team went 11-3 in league play (tied for first), 18-12 overall, and went to the NWAC tournament.
Head coach Jeremy Eggers is excited about the quality of players he has at his disposal. “We are excited for this upcoming season that starts Oct. 20,” said Eggers. “We have five sophomores back from last year and have added strong freshmen that will really help our depth.”
The team’s first sporting activity of the season will be on Nov. 1 down in the Clackamas Jamboree. Their first home game will be on Nov. 8 when they host a jamboree with eight other NWAC schools from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The team has recruited 10 new players this year to help the sophomores in the team.
Anthony McLaughlin, a sophomore, thinks his team has a chance of winning titles this season. “Last season was fun but ended in disappointment,” said McLaughlin. “I think if we continue to work hard and buy into the team principles, we will have a very good chance to succeed.”
A perennial playoff contender, the BC basketball team finished the 2006-02007 season just short of the NWAACC title, failing 67-56 in the NWAACC Tournament Championship Game to Clackamas Community College.
Coach Eggers’ squad has placed at the NWAACC Championships every year since he took the helm as coach, over 11 years ago. Bellevue took the second best record in the men’s basketball program at 28-4 and won their third consecutive regional championship. The team competes in the north region of the Northwestern Athletics Association of Community Colleges.
Coach Eggers’ strategy for success is to have competition at all positions on the team. He says that the players are always practicing to get even better. He makes his players compete at a very high level in practice, because he believes that will make them tough in games.
Eggers says he wants his team to succeed through hard work. ”Our expectations for this year are that we are going to play harder than our opponents…throughout the season,” he said. “We feel that if we do these two things all year long, on both offense and defense, that we will put ourselves in position to be successful.”
The team is looking for strong players who are not only good basketball players but have the right attitude to fit into the team.
They had a summer camp this year where aspiring basketball players learned from the veteran coaches and players. The goal of the camp was to help improve young players’ skills all around.Campers were taught techniques like shooting, ball handling, rebounding, passing, screening, perimeter play, post play and game situation.
The season begins in mid-October and finishes at the 16-team NWAACC Championships in early March.