But head coach Jeremy Dixon has a message for his Hillclimbers.
“We’ve been here before,” he said. “Where are we going to end up?”
Dixon is referring to the 9-13 finish two years ago and 12-9 record last season. He thinks the team, with improved depth, can improve again this season.
Nine Hillclimbers averaged double-digit minutes in the first two games. That might not be the trend for the remainder of the season, but it does give Dixon options.
“We’ve never played nine before, and there’s a good chance that’s not going to last the whole year,” he said. “But in practice they compete to get better, and they compete for playing time.”
The defense, as usual, is strong. Urbana forced 41 turnovers in those two games playing mostly a man-to-man defense. If the Hillclimbers can maintain their 43.5 points-allowed average, they’re going to win plenty of games.
And, Urbana has one senior among its top nine. Four returned from last season, so that means five new varsity players are contributing. The excitement level is high, and so is the athleticism.
“We’re more well-rounded,” Dixon said. “At the end of the game against Northeastern we were subbing like crazy, because we can have a defensive lineup and an offensive lineup. The challenge is now for the guys who are good at one or two things to become more well-rounded players.”
Anthony Marino has scored a team-high 26 points so far, followed by Brad Massie’s 21. All nine players have scored, and the Hillclimbers are shooting 40 percent on 3-point attempts, a nice improvement from last season’s 29 percent.
Urbana plays at Kenton at 7:30 p.m. today.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0366 or bplasters@coxohio.com.
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