Intensity and Focus are Keys to Panthers Success
The Chaffey College men's basketball team is currently on a five-game win streak, having recently defeated Barstow College 101-84 and Copper Mountain College 100-79. The Panthers' record now stands at an impressive 15-4 overall and a perfect 7-0 in conference play.
The Chaffey College men's basketball team is currently on a five-game win streak, having recently defeated Barstow College 101-84 and Copper Mountain College 100-79. The Panthers' record now stands at an impressive 15-4 overall and a perfect 7-0 in conference play.
The team's only loss in January came against Santa Barbara City College, a close 105-102 overtime defeat. Despite their recent success, Head Coach Jeff Klein shares concerns about the team's focus and intensity during parts of their recent games. In order to get the teams attention, the coaching staff scheduled a conditioning day to stress the need for focus and intensity throughout the entire game. "We don't normally front-load the guys with running this far into the season, let alone a couple of days before a game," Klein stated. "But I absolutely will not tolerate complacency on the court. We cannot be patting ourselves on the back at this stage of the season.
One factor that frustrates the staff is the lack of putting away an opponent early and or increasing the lead going late into the game, "our effort level has to be at its highest for the entire forty minutes," stresses Klein. "We get in trouble, or fail to increase our lead, not always because of our play, but because our intensity drops."
"There are certain things in basketball that you can't control, such as length or physical size," adds Klein. "But you can control effort. Because of our limitations, we have to out-hustle our opponent." The winning formula for this team is rather simple: Work hard, out-hustle and out-desire the opponent. Additionally, the team can't afford to have a bad shooting night paired with a poor defensive effort. They also need to attack the basket and get to the free-throw line. "We need to be intense the entire game because we are not that big," Klein states. "But I do believe that if we play with that desire, we can compete with anyone in the state. We also need to defend at a higher level; if we do that, it will be a fun year."
One consistent factor in the team's winning streak is the play of sophomore Uriyah Rojas, who has been on fire over the last five games, including a 54-point outing against Victor Valley College. "He has grown so much since he was a freshman," explains Klein. "He is such a versatile player who can score at all levels on the floor. We've been moving him around from off guard to point guard, and he feels at home. With him bringing the ball down, it complements our three-point shooters on the wing and, of course, his uncanny ability to create shots for himself."
The team is back in action with two important conference games on Saturday, January 25 against College of the Desert at home (3:00 p.m.). They will then travel to Mt. San Jacinto College on Monday, January 27 to take on the Eagles at 7:00 p.m. The Panthers faced the Eagles in December with Chaffey winning 104-99.