Karsceal Turner – I Got NEXT!
For a hot minute, late in the second half it was a dunk fest in Richard V. Moore Gymnasium. I appreciated the atmosphere in the “Cage” during the noon game. The gym was half-full, not standing room only full but, semi-full. The B-CU student population was in full effect as their CageCats opened up the 2014 campaign.
Mikel Trapp led four B-CU double-digit scorers with a solid 26 points as B-CU blasted Trinity College 91-69 in the Wildcats home-opener.
B-CU won last year’s meeting, 98-55 against the Tigers.
Head Coach Gravelle Craig and his staff hope the addition of new faces that include three junior college transfers and two transfers that did not play last year will serve as some motivation for the Wildcats, who were picked to finish 10th in a conference of 13 teams. Hell, at least they are ranked ahead of Florida A&M who happens to be ranked dead last.
Seven players from last year return, including senior Mikel Trapp and sophomore Clemmye Owens. Newcomers include Delino Dear, a transfer from Toledo and Ugo Okam, a 7-0 transfer from Harvard.
Bethune-Cookman Basketball…it’s the Cat’s meow
I felt right at home in the gym where I once ran suicides. The sororities and fraternities were in the house stepping and antagonizing the opposing team. The Brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha, Beta Delta Chapter were exceptionally good at harassing Trinity players, who regularly were taken out of their games. Saturday’s action was a great statement in putting last year’s 7-25 campaign behind them.
Four Wildcats scored in double figures led by Trapp, who was four of eight from beyond the arc.
Don’t sleep on the Tigers, they matched B-CU basket for basket, and dunk for dunk for much of the first half. The Wildcats chipped away at the scoreboard and a final 3-pointer hit by Trapp with 10 seconds left forced a 42-42 tie at intermission.
Trapp was followed in scoring by Clemmye Owens, who was good for 16, while Ricky Johnson dropped 12. Jeffon Powell added 10 including two thundering dunks to incite the crowd. I was in good company for the game, B-CU women’s Head Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis snuck in and tapped me on the shoulder. Maybe it was her touch but I jumped a little. More on the Lady Wildcats in another column, I just wanted to give coach a shout-out. Have you seen that woman? But back to the game.
The Wildcats (1-0) dominated on defense by out-rebounding the Tigers, 43-20. In his B-CU debut, junior transfer Quentin Brewer led B-CU in boards with 12, and added two blocks and two steals.
For Trinity (a NCAA Div II program), Kevin Brown scored 24 points, while Rajiv Prabhakar and Jerome Harris scored 14 and 12, respectively. John Coleman grabbed four rebounds for the visiting Tigers.
The Tigers managed a basket to open the second half, but B-CU went off with a 14-0 run that included a pair of dunks from Powell to seize a 56-44 advantage. Only once did the Tigers mount a minor comeback, but the Wildcats coasted comfortably to victory.
Bethune-Cookman never relinquished control after that point. Trinity managed a basket to open the second half, but B-CU went off with a 14-0 run to seize a 56-44 advantage. Only once did the Tigers mount a minor comeback, but the Wildcats coasted comfortably to victory. And so it was during my first B-CU basketball coverage for the 2014 season.
Immediately after the game, the team board a bus to Orlando to catch a flight to Arizona for Monday’s game at Arizona State. Two days after returning from Arizona, it’s off to New Jersey for three games. Man, let me tell you, those away games in hostile environments are not a joke. It’s a true adrenaline rush. The men’s team plays at home on December 3. Meanwhile, the Lady Wildcats will be in action Nov. 16 against Florida Atlantic at 3:00p.m. You know I gotta be in the house to give the sisters some shine cause I Got NEXT!
