Photo courtesy: Quinnipiac Athletics
The date was Feb. 1 and the final score was 105-100. The Quinnipiac men’s basketball team had just lost to Niagara and dropped to 5-7 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Quinnipiac men’s basketball head coach Tom Moore isn’t used to losing in the month of February.
In the last five seasons, Tom Moore has a record of 34-6 in the month of February, with 6-2 being the worst record in that span. Moore describes the month of February as the “dog days” of college basketball. February is college basketball purgatory. The regular season is beginning to come to an end, injuries pile up, and teams either are hitting their stride or losing the season game by game.
This season, the Bobcats have struggled to stay consistent. Injuries have plagued the team but Moore has never used that as an excuse. He knows that it is part of the game of basketball. With the team sitting at an overall record of 12-10 after Thursday night’s 72-52 win over Monmouth, Moore wasn’t in a panic.
“We have done well in the month of February every year since I have been here,” Moore said in an interview earlier this week. “Our talented teams and less talented teams have always had kids that carried us through the month of February.”
This isn’t one of Moore’s less talented teams, but it is one of his least experienced. During games, Moore typically goes about 10 players deep. Of those 10 players, five are upper classmen (four seniors and one junior) while the rest are four freshman and one sophomore. Moore has been known to not often trust freshmen, but with lack of experience he is going to have to rely on them going into the February stretch.
If the Bobcats want to make noise in the conference during February and gain momentum going into March in hopes of making their first ever NCAA tournament berth, then there are many factors that will determine so.
In order to go on a consistent run, Moore is going to have to rely on his four seniors Justin Harris, Evan Conti, Ousmane Drame and Zaid Hearst.
“Zaid and Justin have been the most consistent people we have had this season,” Moore said. “The seniors are driving the locker room, so it’s going to be on those guys.”
Evan Conti is the wild card of the seniors. Throughout his four years here, he has been a streaky player at best. When Conti is off he can be a non-factor, but once he gets hot from the field and gains confidence, he could be one of the best offensive threats on the floor. Inconsistent play has cost Conti his starting spot but he still plays major minutes.
“I had a short leash with him five or six games ago,” Moore said. “More so mentally rather than how his minutes turned out.”
Conti erupted for 26 points in the loss against Niagara on Sunday and 13 points in the win against Monmouth on Thursday.
The next senior that will have to carry the team will have to be Ousmane Drame. Drame is currently averaging 14.5 points per game and 10.7 rebounds per game. Drame also has 16 double-doubles on the season, which has him in the upper tier of the country.
“His talent and impact he has had here at Quinnipiac is undisputable,” Moore said. “He is going to go down as one of the best big guys to ever play in the NEC and in the MAAC.”
With Drame controlling the paint on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, the team can make a run.
The last senior that Moore will and has relied on has been captain, Zaid Hearst. Hearst is averaging a career high 19.8 points per game for the Bobcats. Not only has he been their offensive star, but Hearst has also been the primary ball stopper on defense. In big games, Hearst shows up. When Oregon State came to town, Hearst held their star Gary Payton II (son of NBA hall of famer Gary Payton) scoreless while dropping 24 points in the win. I have a feeling Hearst will lead the Bobcats to some crucial February wins.
But what happens when Hearst and Drame are off from the field? Who steps up then? Moore has said before that he has been looking for a fourth scorer on the team and preferably from the perimeter. He may have found that scorer in James Ford Jr.
“He is an energy guy,” Moore said in the press conference following the win on Thursday. “He is the emotional focal point of our team. He has great leadership qualities, he hustles and he is always working.”
On a night where Hearst was ice cold from the field against Monmouth, Ford stepped up. He scored a career-high 18 points in the victory and knocked down four 3-pointers. If the Bobcats are going to be prosperous, Ford is going to have to continue to be the marksman that Moore believes he can be.
But every team needs strong point guard play. When Umar Shannon went down last season before the conference tournament, the Bobcats season was essentially over. This season, Moore has depth with Dimitri Floras, Kasim Chandler and Ayron Hutton. Of the trio, Hutton starts and plays the most minutes. He barely saw action throughout the first half of the season, but once MAAC play rolled around his number was called and he has shined ever since.
“He can shoot the ball as well or if not better than any guy we have on the perimeter. We needed it,” Moore said. “We weren’t getting that from anyone this year. We have a higher IQ on offense with him on the floor.”
The Bobcats currently have a 6-7 MAAC record, which is good for seventh place in the conference. With seven regular season games remaining and six in February, Quinnipiac can climb the standings with some much needed wins. It will be a tall task, but it is achievable.
With enough momentum heading into the MAAC tournament, the Bobcats could be very dangerous. All it takes is a three or four-game winning streak to possibly earn an NCAA berth.
But it all begins in February. And history shows that February is the month of the Bobcats.
