The Thunder men’s basketball team faces a tough test as it will have to find a way to continue its home-court success on the road.
The teams schedule from Nov. 13 to Jan. 30 will only consist of two home games with nine being played away from Algonquin.
The Thunder who are currently sitting in second place in the East Division with a record of 5-2, know that this stretch will be the most crucial part of their year.
“I think it’ll probably define our season,” said Thunder guard and leading scorer Owen Powers. “It’s easy to play well for seven games but, once you go on the road for a couple of days straight it can get pretty tough.”
First-year forward Emmanuel Kwofie believes that the victories in their first two road games prove that Algonquin can continue their early season success.
“We showed that were capable of playing on the road,” he said. “We got two wins against Seneca and Georgian. It was a different environment not being at home but, we’ve shown that we can play with our guys with more experience like Murphy, Muller as well as Owen leading the way.”
Algonquin’s team is looking to rebound after a difficult season last year in which they missed out on the post-season for the first time since the early 90’s. Powers believes that this year’s team is a lot different from last years.
“I think guys are more serious this year,” he said. “A lot of guys are dedicated to coming out to practice working hard and competing against each other.”
The Thunder had a major personnel turn-around from last season, with only five players returning. Despite all the new players, the team feels that they have jelled quickly.
“At the end of the day it’s basketball,” said Kwofie. “Coach Trevor makes it so easy. He gives everybody the green light to shoot or to play however they play. He doesn’t really discourage you so he makes it really easy just to play how you’re used to playing.”
Powers believes that the team’s early success can be chalked up to their play away from the ball.
“I think a lot of our success has to do with our defense,” said Powers. “It has to do with how hard our team works on a nightly basis.”