The Salt Lake Community College men’s basketball team isn’t going to let anyone stop their run at a national championship.
The Bruins (20-5 overall, 7-3 Scenic West Athletic Conference), who sit just outside the top 25 rankings for Division I junior colleges, continue to work toward achieving their goal this Thursday against USU-Eastern.
“[We want] to win the league and do great at Nationals,” says Coach Todd Phillips. “It’s a battle every year.”
The athletes themselves also share the same ambitious approach.
“Win the regular season championship, win the conference tournament, go to Kansas, and play in the national championship game,” says point guard Austin Waddoups.
Sophomore forward Marcus White agrees.
“[Our] goals as a team [are to] win the SWAC conference and win the national championship,” he says.
The Bruins have many strengths to utilize on their road to Nationals.
“A lot of guys are really talented [and we have] great team chemistry,” Phillips says.
Waddoups understands that his job as point guard is pivotal to the team’s success. He believes that “getting his teammates shots, scoring, and creating plays for others” is a major strength to the team.
White adds that he and his teammates “shoot, rebound and play defense” well.
Salt Lake still needs to work on their weaknesses if they want to go far. Coach Phillips admits that the team needs more of a killer instinct.
“When we have a team on the ropes, we need to finish them off by 10 points,” Phillips says.
Coach Phillips adds that the team works very hard collectively to produce wins and stay motivated.
“[We try] to get better every day so [we] can be on point at the end of the season,” Phillips says.
If the Bruins play these coming weeks the way they do during practice, they’ll have a good chance to reach their goals this season.
“Keep playing hard, follow the game plan, play as a team, and [don’t] play selfish,” Waddoups says.
The Bruins need a large fan turnout for their last two home games. Students can attend the games for free when presenting a OneCard. General admission seats are $5, $3 for seniors.
Fans can visit slccbruins.com to view the remaining men’s basketball schedule.
