Gavin Vondercrone
Contributing Writer
ESU Men’s Basketball ranked in the top ten nationally in both major polls on Monday, Feb. 12. They ranked number ten on NABC and number seven on D2CSC.
Led by head coach Jeff Wilson, the Warriors have had a stellar season. They currently post a record of 21-3, good enough for first in the PSAC East. The Warriors have won eight of their last nine games, coming off a 85-73 victory on the road against Shippensburg.
“The guys have done a really good job with the style of play,” said Wilson. “Going after the ball, getting deflections, moving in tempo, all of that.”
Powered by an aggressive, fast-paced offense, ESU has been among the best at scoring the basketball in all of Division II according to NCAA statistics. Their 88.8 points per game is good enough for 10th in the nation. With a good portion of their scoring coming from transition opportunities, the Warriors average 17.63 fastbreak points per game (tied for sixth in the nation).
This downhill, attacking style of offense has also resulted in a lot of opportunities at the free-throw line. The Warriors average 26.5 free throw attempts per game (fourth in the nation), averaging 19.3 makes per game (sixth).
Defensively, the Warriors have been excellent in defending against the three-pointer this season. Opponents have shot an abysmal 29.1% from beyond the arc against ESU throughout the season. They have also thrived on forcing turnovers defensively, averaging the seventh most turnovers forced per game at 20.
This combination of an opportunistic defense and high-octane offense has translated into much success. According to DII, they boast an impressive scoring margin of 15 points on the season.
Dominant showings like their 108-59 victory against Pitt-Johnstown and 118-63 win over Shippensburg have cemented the Warriors as one of the best teams in all of Division II. They have consistently climbed the national rankings since the start of the season.
It’s not just the rankings where ESU has received national attention. Sophomore guard Tyshawn Trail recently went viral on social media for a heads-up defensive play against Kutztown.
While defending an inbound, Trail snatched the ball from the inbounder’s hands and took it down the court for an easy score. He was able to do so because the inbounder held the ball over the boundary plane, thus making it a live ball that Trail could take for himself.
The video has reeled in millions of views across multiple social media platforms. The play’s uniqueness has caused quite the buzz. Not even Coach Wilson knew exactly what had happened at first.
“My first reaction was, ‘that probably shouldn’t be legal’,” said Wilson. “It goes to show that not even us head coaches know every single rule.” According to Wilson, Trail had asked the officials if he was allowed to take the ball beforehand after noticing the inbounder waiving it over the line multiple times in the first half.
Wilson states that in order to maintain this level of play, they’ll need to continue to strive for improvement. “We have to see the need to get better. The further we go, the better standard of play we are going to face.”
Coach Wilson and the Warriors will look to continue their excellent season on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in a home game against Bloomsburg University.
