Men’s Basketball hosted the McDaniel Green Terror in an exhibition game where they finished with a 58-40 win on Sunday, Oct. 29. In the first half, a couple of shots from guard Tyson Commander ‘26 and forward Alonso Faure ‘24 kept the Hounds toe to toe with the Green Terror. The game turned around after halftime, with more shots from Faure, Commander, and first-year guard Jordan Stiemke ‘27 which gave the team an edge over McDaniel. The Hounds pulled an 18-point lead with 2:53 left in the game and finished with the victory.
A slower start finished in a win for the Hounds. Guard Deon Perry ‘26 commented on the difference between the first and second halves.
He said, “We started off pretty slow this game – we had more turnovers than assists. I think in the second half we worked to get stopped defensively and worked to find the open man.”
This change in defensive strategy produced results. The Hounds went from a 23-24 stalemate with the Green Terror in the first half to pulling out a 10-point lead early in the second. Forward Golden Dike, graduate student, echoed Perry’s idea, saying that they did not play with much pace in the beginning but that they knew they were capable of more.
Looking forward to the rest of the season and their next game, the team is focused and looking for things they can work on. Guard D’Angelo Stines ‘25 talked about how they can use this game to get better.
He said, “We got some new film, we’re gonna take it and we’re gonna learn from it and keep getting better from it.”
Coach Hardy shared some insights into the players’ games as well. He commented that in the first half, he was looking to get things almost too right, but in the second, he really trusted his guys to just play. The Hounds were also missing some of their starters for this game and he commented on the timeline of their return.
He said, “Those guys are all rehabbing and working back. Hopefully we get that added depth in the coming season. Definitely there’s potential for them all to come back, but we don’t rush people.”
Additionally, Coach Hardy reflected on his coaching mindset and said, “I don’t enjoy yelling and screaming. I prefer to teach, but sometimes when the teaching isn’t working, you’ve gotta get a little animated. But we’ve got a good group of guys.”
Regarding Coach Hardy, Perry said, “He keeps it real.” The players show a lot of respect for their coach and vice versa. When looking at strengths, Coach Hardy identified the team’s versatility and all that they bring to the table as a group.
He said, “We’re versatile – we got a nice balance of shooting, size, inside play, outside play, guys who can attack the basket…so being able to use that versatility is going to be big for us throughout the year. We’re not one-dimensional.”
The Hounds had a series of preseason games in Spain and now the exhibition win over McDaniel under their belts. Next, they will be taking on the Florida Gators this Monday in Gainesville, Florida at 8:00 p.m.. The players sent a message to the fans, telling them to show up and enjoy the games and in the words of Stines, “Packed house is gonna get the job done.”
