With November right around the corner, Bellevue College awaits not only a seasonal change in nature, but in sports as well. The ending of fall means that football season will come to an end as basketball season is here. The Bellevue College Men’s basketball team has quite a bit riding on this season after an underwhelming 2017-2018 year. The team hopes to redeem themselves this year after losing to Portland in the first round of the NWAC Tournament.
The team figures to add some new weapons to their arsenal this season with an exciting upcoming freshman class. When asked about the upcoming year’s recruitment, head coach Donald Brady expressed excitement in the group. He specifically singled out Kai Warren from South Kitsap mentioning that, “He’s showing college level performances week in and week out this fall. He has a lot of promise and figures to earn significant minutes this year if he keeps it up. Coach Brady also commented on the early success and development of freshmen Reshaun Memory and Tommy McCallen.
To go along with the high ceiling for this freshman class, the sophomores have played well themselves. Parker Manollow has been nothing short of dominant this year despite a modest first season at BC. Throughout the majority of the 2017-2018 season, Parker found difficulty breaking into the starting rotation. Coach Brady has taken exception to the young guard’s development. He even said that, “At the level he’s playing I could probably see him as a top five player on our team this season.” The team easily figures to produce an abundance of success at the individual level, but posing any significant threat on a region title would require much more from the entire team in all aspects of their game.
Taking into account program histories and incoming recruiting classes, many schools project to have solid teams this year. The Northern Region of the NWAC historically tends to play the best all-around basketball compared to other regions in the junior college level. Rival programs such as Everett seem poised to record yet another impressive season. The Trojans will undoubtedly give Bellevue a run for their money in conference but there are bigger threats at hand. Northern Idaho currently has one of the most stacked rosters in the country. With over five Division I talents on their current roster, it will take nothing short of the Bulldog’s A game to survive in the NWAC Tournament. That, or an upset from a competing team in the tournament. The Bellevue College Men’s Basketball team will soon release their season opener and regular season schedule.