By John Niswander
Elm Staff Writer
In Head Coach Aaron Goodman’s second season as coach, the Shoremen finished the 2017 season with an overall record of 7-18, and 3-15 in Centennial Conference play. In Coach Goodman’s first season, the Shoremen won just three games overall and one game in conference play. The Shoremen’s seven wins on the season, and three wins from conference play were accomplishments that the team can build upon moving forward.
“I believe our pre-season and our practices were more competitive this year, and our overall attitude was more positive and driven to be successful. Our freshmen brought a renewed sense of how hard you need to work to win, and I think it rubbed off on our returners. Our returner’s experience, emerging leadership, and our seniors push to have an improved senior year all played an integral part in our team’s growth this season,” Coach Goodman said.
One of the freshmen the Shoremen brought in this year was 6’5 forward Dallas Marshall, from Germantown, Md. Marshall started all 25 games for the Shoremen as a freshman, and averaged about eight points per game on the season.
“The thing I enjoyed the most about my first season of collegiate basketball was the relationships I made with my teammates. It made the transition to college easier for me,” he said.
One of the most memorable moments for the Shoremen was the season sweep of Gettysburg College.
“Our season sweep of Gettysburg was historic and both games were hard fought,” Coach Goodman said.
The first conference home game for the Shoremen was a thrilling double overtime, one point victory over Gettysburg in front of the Goose Nation faithful in Cain Gymnasium.
Junior guard Tas Dixon finished with 22 points, eight assists, nine rebounds, and five steals combined in the two victories in WC’s season sweep against Gettysburg.
“The best moment of the season for me was clinching two wins against Gettysburg, one at home and one on the road. Also, I played really well in both games for our team,” he said.
Dixon hopes to improve this off-season, and come back stronger next year to help lead the team as a senior.
“I really would like to become a more consistent shooter, and be able to hit the mid-range shot and the three when needed. Also, I would like to improve my free throw percentage and be in the high eighty percent range, as well as keep working on my ball handling and strength,” he said.
Coach Goodman would like his team to focus on making themselves better student athletes this off-season by focusing on athletics and strength training just as much as their academics.
“Our strength training will be very important. We are fortunate to have Coach Jonnie Jenkins leading this charge, with terrific support from Coach Jake Alvarez. I know our guys are anxious to get back in there to make gains. We also need to improve our perimeter shooting, and finishing around the rim. We shot better from the field than we did last year which is a tribute to our players dedication to their craft, but there is room for improvement if we are to progress upwards in our conference. I would also like to see us continue to focus in the classroom and maintain our strong team GPA,” he said.