Beeville, Tx- October is here, so that means Cougar Basketball is on the horizon! The Coastal Bend College men's basketball program has been training this fall semester in preparation for the 2019-2020 basketball season. As of late, the CBC hoopers have preseason scrimmages in Dallas, and Waco, Tx with exhibitions against Texas A&M University- Kingsville and Our Lady of the Lake University before their first official game.
To get some indepth anaylsis of the upcoming basketball season, we asked Head Coach, Marcus Thompson a few questions about his team and excpectations heading into his first year as head coach.
How do you feel being the head coach of the CBC Men's Basketball team? " It Feels good. Excited about the opportunity. I love the fact that we play in a tough region against great coaches and great competition. This school has great staff and support system and this program continues to improve and get better each year. I'm looking forward to the continued growth of this program and taking it in a positive direction." Coach Thompson responded.
What is your number one goal for this season? " Making it to Regional Tournament would be huge for us and the program. It would mark the third consecutive year to advance into postseason play if were to achieve that feat."
How many returners do you have? " We have three returners. Center, Elijah Moleon returns to CBCfor his sophmore year while Lance-Amir Paul and Eric Conner were apart of the program last year."
Of those returners, how many are starters? "One, Elijah Moleon is the lone starter. He started 23 games for us last year while averaging 11.5 points per game along with 7.5 rebounds and 1.15 blocks per game."
What do you expect of your incoming freshman? " We have a lot of new faces here representing CBC Men's Basketball Program. We were an older team last year and lost a lot of good players that contributed. I like the talent that we have this year and expect a lot of different people to contribute to us having a successful season. I believe our strength in numbers is one of the key pieces that will help us win games."
How do you feel about your transfer players? " Our transfer players will be some of the key pieces we count on. We need their leadership, their maturity, and experience to help us compete on a nightly basis."
Are there any standouts from last season we should be on the lookout for? "Elijah Moleon was All-Conference as a freshman and I expect for him to be one of the best Big Man in our Conference this season."
What expectations do you have for your newcomers? " I expect for our newcomers to come in and get their feet wet immediately. I think I have some newcomers that can be real contributers to our team and I will count on them to be ready sooner rather than later."
How tough will this season's non-conference schedule look like? Coach Thompson's response; "Our non-Conference is full of tough competition that will prepare us for Conference Play. We play Ranger College twice, South Plains, and New Mexico Military Institute. Some of Region 5's best teams that constantly compete in that tough region so hopefully that prepares us for our own Region play.
What are your personal coaching goals and team goals for the program this season? "Personal coaching goals I have are to develop these young men on and off the court. To help them understand the importance of accountability, responsibility, and being mentally tough. Team goals are to compete in our Region; be one of the best teams in the South Zone and potentially compete for a South Zone Conference Championship."
When asked on who Coastal Bend's biggest rival is on the court, Coach Thompson had this to say: "I am unsure who our biggest rival is. All of the teams in the South zone are tough opponents and we battle it out with them night in and night out. All of the games are tough and all are good competition. We will see if a rivalry is developed as my tenure here at CBC grows. I would say they all are big rivals and tough games."
To begin their season, Coastal Bend will be hosting back to back home games at the Peter S. Marecek Physical Fitness Center. On Friday, November 1st, CBC will open their season against Southwest Texas Junior College at 7:30 PM. The insuing day, Saturday, November 2nd, the Cougars will be back in action as they will host Fort Sam Houston Club Team at 4:00 PM.