By Kaimana Kaaikala

Finishing out the second month of grueling practices, Rochester College’s men and women’s basketball teams are tipping off their regular season games. Both teams have promising potential and high hopes for the upcoming season.

The basketball warriors have their first home game this year on Wednesday, Nov. 2. The women’s team is set to play at 5:30 p.m. against Spring Arbor University, and the men’s team will compete immediately following at 7:30 p.m. against Madonna University. Games will take place at Rochester High School.
“This year we have an excellent group of guys; we are a family,” junior Dramell Hogan said. The guys came home with three wins in a Fleming College Tournament this past weekend, making them 5-0 on the season so far. “We have the potential to go really far this year and have a good shot at winning the national championship,” Hogan added.

Both the men and women’s teams graduated key players last season, and players this year are stepping up to fill those positions. Head coach of the women’s team, Eric Sims, believes the teams must be fundamentally sound in all areas of the game to have winning records this season. Right now, the focus is on the next practice – the next game – that will prepare the teams for the National Tournament in the post-season.

“To think that I only have roughly 34 games left in my [collegiate] career is crazy, but I know that my girls will back me up, and we’ll work hard to make it to the national tournament at the end of the season,” senior Liz Stockwell said.

Come out and show support for your fellow warriors. Admission is free, so the only excuse we’ll take for skipping out on the games this night is homework. And even then, it wouldn’t hurt to take a break from studying to catch a few quarters of competitive entertainment.