NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Southern Connecticut Men's Basketball season is underway as the team played their first two games this past weekend, beating both the University of Washington D.C. and the University of Bridgeport.
Guard Sean James, SCSU '25, said that it was good to start of the season 2-0.
"Friday was a good game. You know, we didn't win the way we wanted to. We still, at the end of the day, got the win, and Sunday was a good, hard-fought battle, it shows that we have a lot of fight as a team," said James.
James also said that the team sticking together and battling through adversity together will be something that helps carry this team deep into the season.
Teammate Marty Silvera, SCSU '25, had a breakout weekend which earned him the NE-10 Men's Basketball Player of the Week award. Silvera said that the wait through the long preseason was worth it for the past weekend.
"It was a long preseason. Last year there were a couple of shots that I wasn't hitting, so to see them go down early, I just was excited and I'm ready for the season," said Silvera.
Silvera wasn't the only Owl who earned recognition this weekend. A dunk from Kazell Stewart, SCSU '26, landed him a viral Instagram Reel on SLAM Magazine's Instagram page.
"It creates a lot of excitement with the crowd and with the guys on the floor and bench," said Stewart. "Dunking is probably one of the best things I'm good at right now.
Stewart also highlighted how it isn't just about the flashy dunks or the viral moments, but that the team is more family-oriented.
"I would say this team is a lot about family, you know, playing hard every day, pushing yourself every day to get better. At the end of the day, you just want to practice hard, be a good person, and help the team get better every single day."
Head Coach Scott Burrell echoed Stewart's message about how practicing hard and being a good teammate can continue the team's winning ways.
"It's great to get two wins early. It's it builds momentum. Last couple of years, we struggled in the first two games and then you got to find yourself," said Burrell. "But when you have two wins early, you've tried to build on it. You want to be you want to say you want to obviously keep winning, number one, but you want to keep improving."
One thing Coach Burrell wanted to see his team do better? Communicate.
"We have a chance to be really good, but we have to improve each and every day. Defensively, offensively, communicating with each other. The teams that communicate are the real good teams and if we get better at doing that, we'll do our job," said Burrell.
