Salt Lake Community College’s men’s basketball team won their third consecutive regional tournament on March 9 after a dominating win over Southern Idaho in the championship game.
The Bruins held a 6-point lead at halftime and kept their foot on the gas through the second half. The final score ended up at 87-65. Freshman Xavier Edmonds led the Bruins, scoring 18 points and shooting 57% from the field.
The Bruins earned the first seed in the tournament and hosted the final game thanks to their spectacular play in the regular season. The team finished 12-2 in regional regular season play. They were also crowned the Scenic West Athletic Conference regular-season champions.
A big part of the Bruins’ success this season has been Head Coach Kyle Taylor, who the tournament named Coach of the Year for Region 18. “The season has been a success for many reasons,” Taylor said. “Our guys share the ball well, play outstanding defense, and are making shots.”
Even after an impressive tournament win, Taylor and the Bruins need to stay focused for their next task: bringing home a national championship. Some of the toughest junior college teams in the country will be competing in the upcoming NJCAA tournament. “We need to stay locked in and continue working hard,” Taylor said. “We still need to improve over the last three weeks of the season.”
Resilience tested in the regular season
Since the start of the season in November, the Bruins have brought an energetic spark to each game and practice.
The team started off the season red hot, winning their first 13 games, and they held an impressive record of 15 wins before starting regional play. The Bruins only lost one game, against McLennan Community College. However, after losing their first regional game to Southern Idaho, the Bruins’ resilience was tested. Rather than folding under pressure, the team won their next two games with an average victory margin of 19 points.
Right after regaining their momentum, a frustrating home loss against Utah State University Eastern set the Bruins back, and they found themselves sitting in the middle of the pack in the standings following just two wins in regional games.
The Bruins quickly flipped on a switch and won the remaining 10 games. The players said they had to adjust their mindset, skills and techniques to finish the regular season on this 10-game win streak. Coen Collier, a freshman at SLCC, was one of the many players who saw improvement during the second half of the season.
“I’ve got great teammates and coaches that push me in practice every day,” Collier said. “They hold me accountable for my mistakes.”
One of the many difficult things players commonly talk about in college sports is having to find different ways to improve and succeed. Collier said he attributes his personal success to the environment those around him on the team created.
“Playing against my teammates every day helps me get game-like reps,” he said. “It helps translate my work during practice into finding success on the court during games.”
The Bruins ended up outscoring their opponents by an average of 25 points in total this year. They also nearly put up an average of 93 points per game.
Looking ahead to nationals
The Bruins’ victory in this year’s Region 18 tournament is their third in a row, but coach Taylor and company now find themselves looking forward to the next challenge: winning a NJCAA National Championship. Taylor has his eyes on a few characteristics that he believes will propel his team to the trophy.
“You want to make sure that players are going to play well together,” Taylor said. “You want [their] skill sets to complement each other, and [to make sure] you have enough talent.”
Taylor said he believes SLCC has done an excellent job putting together a championship roster and has also excelled in recruiting highly skilled, athletic players. “Patience and evaluating well are part of the process,” Taylor commented.
After defeating Eastern Arizona College to claim the NJCAA West District Championship on March 16, the Bruins will continue their chase for the national trophy on March 26 in Hutchinson, Kansas. Visit the SLCC Athletics website for additional season- and player-specific stats.
