Late last week, we caught up with head men’s basketball coach Kenny Eddy to talk about the team’s season. The first thing that he said was how impressed he was with the closeness that this group has been able to achieve. He highlighted their toughness and their desire to do things the right way. He did admit that his team will not always be the most athletic on the court, but he believes that if they stay disciplined, shoot the ball well, and keep the defensive intensity high, they can have a successful season.  

The No. one thing that Coach Eddy and his staff went looking for during their offseason recruiting was great shooters. The first two players he highlighted were his two main options at point guard, Jarrett Dingle, and Hunter Vaughn. Both players are expected to do a great job taking care of the ball and shooting at a high clip. Other shooters that he brought up early on during his interview include new additions Ajiet Akot, Justin Robinson, and Galvin Luketa. One of the other great “recruits” that Coach Eddy brought in is his new assistant coach Hayden McBride who is coming over from Sam Houston State. Coach McBride was complimented on his handling of workouts, his energy at practices, and the way he helps hold the players accountable. Both coaches work to instill a desire in their players to do things the right way; an attitude that should benefit the Beavers in a major way. 

Coach Eddy highlighted many other players throughout his interview. Joseph Oparaeke, who is expected to be a starter, is a very strong 6’8 forward who puts in tremendous work on and off the court. As a 4.0 student who was a first-team academic all-American last year, there are a lot of expectations surrounding him. One of his fellow frontcourt players, Raza Majid is a 7’1 giant who is adapting to the American game and will be a great asset defensively protecting the rim. The size of players like Ajiet Akot, Galvin Luketa, and Izeyah Harris, who is coming from a state championship program here in Kansas, will be huge for this team. All three stand at about 6’5 and will be very versatile for the Beavers. Last, but definitely not least, Jakobe Clark and Parker Wisenhunt (both transfers from Paris Junior College) are smart players who bring a lot of energy and are expected to defend very well this season. Coach went on to say that he could sit and brag on his players all day. 

Having this many exciting players should be a huge benefit for Coach Eddy’s team. The last couple of seasons, the Beavers strength of schedule has been ranked in the nation's top ten, and he plans to continue this year. He loves the challenge of competing against the best team's night in and night out. He said that if his guys take any nights off, they will not be able to walk out of the gym with a win, which he likes. He wants his players to be battle tested so that they can perform at their best late in the season. Coach Eddy also showed how much he cares for his team when discussing the schedule.  His desire for his players is for them to have stats and film against the best possible competition. As a collegiate athlete, it is important to win games, but as junior college athletes, players have the added stress of finding a new home after their sophomore campaign. Consistent high-level competition does a tremendous job of aiding players in this search. 

And The Beaver’s will play their first two home games this week against Kansas Wesleyan (Nov. 4) and Sterling (Nov. 6) before traveling to faced Indian Hills and Sauk Valley, two highly regarded programs this weekend (Nov. 8 & 9, respectively).