Elissa Collopy
eac001@marietta.edu
On Sat., Jan. 31, the Marietta men’s basketball team, ranked the number three Division III team in the nation, clenched a win over visiting team Baldwin Wallace 84-81, making them 12-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference and 19-0 overall.
According to team head coach Jon VanderWal, the team’s overall strategy has been to take things one game at a time.
“We are not worried about being 19-0 or anything else, other than our next game,” VanderWal said. “As a staff we try to fully prepare our players for every individual game and we do our best to motivate and keep them focused on that game.”
The game leaders for Saturday were junior RaNeal Ewing with 19 points, junior Eddy Grenert with 15 points, sophomore Keith Richardson with 14 points, junior Luis Garcia with 12 points, and senior Garrett Stephenson with 10 points.
“The team’s main goal is to not finish second but to finish first,” Ewing said. “We were disappointed last year, but this is a whole new year.”
VanderWal provided insight on his beliefs for team success and coaching.
“If you start looking ahead or worrying about things you can’t control, then you lose focus on the things that win you games,” he said. “We are a process driven staff and team, and we just grind out the process every week.”
This is a deep team with “unbelievable chemistry,” according to VanderWal.
“We are very talented, but our depth and chemistry are definitely what separates us from most teams,” he said.
Ewing agrees.
“The team chemistry is great,” he said. “Everyone is invested in each other and everyone wants to win—the only way that will happen is us playing together.”
However, the addition of a packed Ban Johnson Arena also helps aide the team in their wins, according to VanderWal.
“The fans give us a huge advantage and I would like to think we have one of the best home court advantages in all of sports,” VanderWal said. “Our team fuels off the energy in Ban Johnson Arena.”
Senior Katy Biehl said the MC student section is two things—“hype and loyal.”
Ewing said the crowd helps with the team’s energy as well as his own.
“We wouldn’t be where we are without them,” he said. “We have the best fans and we love all of their support. I personally get in a zone at home games when our crowd gets wild—I love all our fans and couldn’t achieve everything I have without them.”
The game was sold out, as many games have been this season.
Marietta plays Capital University this evening at 7 p.m. at Capital and will attempt to achieve a 20-0 record, which will tie the 1953-54 team’s school record of 20 consecutive wins in a single season, according to Marietta’s website.
