The Cougars got a quick start on their season, beginning the game with a 21-8 run and eventually defeating Concordia 108-55 on Tuesday. It was UH’s lone exhibition game.
Mikhail McLean rises to slam home a dunk against Concordia. I Courtesy of UH Athletics
“I thought our guys came out and did some good things the first half except the defensive boards,” said head basketball coach James Dickey.
Dickey said his team still has things to improve on.
“This was a dress rehearsal in order to get ready for Friday,” Dickey said. “I think it got us in our game situation (with) the band, the play, the lights, the pressure.”
The second half started with a weaker Cougar defense, Dickey said. Four minutes into the second half Dickey subbed in freshman center Valentine Izundu for senior forward Leon Gibson telling him to “block those shots” and “rebound everything” as he entered the court.
“We’re going to spend a lot of time in half-court defense and rebounding. Just get a lot of repetition. I think (last night) we weren’t as disciplined as we needed to be,” Dickey said. “We knew we were a lot bigger than that team, and we took that for granted.”
Gibson was the team’s leading scorer, finishing with 23 points and four rebounds. Sophomore forward TaShawn Thomas scored 12 points on 6-6 shooting and contributed on the glass with nine boards.
Months of hard work — since the end of Spring Break last year — will be put to the test on Friday when the Cougars face Florida A&M at noon at Hofheinz Pavilion.
“I sat out last year so I’m actually very ready. It’s a long time coming. I’m happy to be back out there,” said sophomore forward Mikhail McLean. “I think I’m more ready than anyone else aside from the freshman maybe.”
