McMaster gaining valuable experience in losing skid

With a 1-4 record, hitting the panic button is becoming increasingly tempting for McMaster’s men’s basketball team.

The Marauders are in the midst of a four-game losing streak, with some of those losses coming in very winnable games.

But the head coach of the Maroon program is not worried – yet.

“It’s all part of the process,” said Amos Connolly.

This process Connolly speaks about is the journey back to the CIS national championship.

Expectations are high for the program after a 17-5 season last year, especially since the wins came with many young players.

There have been bright spots in the cross-conference competition.

First-year Rohan Boney filled the void at the point guard spot when Aaron Redpath and Adam Presutti were nursing injuries.

His defense, most notably his on-ball pressure, has given hell to some of the league’s best players.

Carleton’s Phil Scrubb and Ottawa’s Warren Ward both struggled when Boney was their defensive counter-part.

Taylor Black’s standout performance in the last two games is a welcome sight, but only if he can put it together for more than a few tilts at a time.

Redpath taking over the offensive end of the court against Queen’s was a first for the team this year.

Until now, no player has tried to put the team on his back in a fourth quarter like the second-year guard has.

Injuries have been an issue nagging the team for the whole season so far.

Presutti is battling back from an ankle injury over the summer, a hip pointer suffered in opening weekend, and shoulder injury from practice.

But the Maroon and Grey are not looking for excuses. They are looking for victories.

With their attempts falling short, Coach Connolly says the men’s squad is low on morale after a four-game losing streak.

The coaching staff is preaching patience to the fragile group, with frustration mounting in the players as the team continues to lose close games.

Regardless of the early struggles, the goal remains the same and the head coach does not see himself lowering the bar he has set for this team.

“Where you set your expectations dictates so much about your belief in your team,” said Connolly.

Perhaps the most positive sign for the team is learning how to lose earlier in the season than later.

Through the 2012-13 campaign, the OUA East is looking like the stronger conference.

Five of the seven East teams have better records than the West-leading Windsor Lancers. Mac has the smallest point differential outside of Windsor with two games remaining before the winter break.

With the cross-conference play finishing this weekend, the Marauders will be taking on the best and worst in the conference.

On Nov. 30, Mac will take on the Toronto Varsity Blues. The Blues sit at 2-4 with a tough road ahead of them.

This game could break the Marauders’ losing streak, but with the ups and downs this team has experienced, no victory is guaranteed.

The Ryerson Rams will be hoping to maintain their undefeated record this year.

The 2012 Final Four team holds the only perfect record in the OUA and made their first appearance in the CIS top-ten this week.

Despite the adventure his team has gone through, Connolly still expects a 2-0 result from this weekend’s matches. McMaster will also go play in a tournament at Ryerson University over the holiday break.