Letrell West’s Double-Double Helps Push Cougars Past Purchase Panthers in Home Opener

By Dorian Alerte | Published by November 21, 2021

UNION- Head Coach David Turco and the Kean Men’s Basketball team were able to capture the first win of their season in an 87-46 victory against Purchase College.

Kean students filled the bleachers as they witnessed the Kean Men’s basketball team for the first time since the 2019-2020 season in their home opener. Turco, now in his second season with the team and first full season, saw many positives in the dominating victory, but also some room for improvement.

“We’re implementing a lot of new guys,” Turco said. “We started off a little rusty, but then some of the leadership that I was counting on from some of the guys like Letrell [West] got us going in the right way. There are things to fix, but we’ll take it for the first one and try to build from there.”

Letrell West, a junior guard/forward transfer from Claflin University, was a major contributor in his Kean Cougar Debut. West was able to have a double-double, scoring 24 points and gathering 10 rebounds in only 21 minutes of action. In addition to his double-double, West also added two steals to his stat line.

“I just wanted to get out there and win,” West said. “I definitely wanted to see us in an actual game together. I felt like we looked good for our first game together and we’re only going to build and grow.”

The Cougars dominated both halves of the game, outscoring the Purchase Panthers 46-21 in the first half and 41-25 in the second one. Patrick Strzala was a big contributor on the offensive end, making 3-6 three-pointers that blew the game open for the Cougars.

Strzala, also a transfer guard/forward that played at Manhattan College, and West garnered praise from Turco for their performances.

“They’re both guys that played at a higher level,” Turco said. “We’re very fortunate. They know they have to get better but right now, I think they’re two very good pieces to get this program going the way we want.”

The bench also contributed big minutes for the Cougars. Senior forward Nate Lyles contributed on the offensive end with 12 points, including a dunk late in the second half that came off of a steal by sophomore guard Jared Meyer. Also, a contributor on the defensive end was senior guard Terrance Durham who played all over the court in the 3 quarter press defense.

The 1-0 Cougars will be on the road for their next four games, the first game being against Medgar Evars College on Nov. 11.

“We just want to build off of today,” Turco said. “Despite what the score was, there are actually things that we can fix. We have the next four games before the NJAC starts to try and fix those things.”

When the Cougars return to Harwood Arena on Nov. 23, they’ll be playing their first New Jersey Athletic Conference opponent, Montclair State. West is confident that the team will continue to grow together when they return.

“We’re all new,” West said. “Some of the guys were here last year, so we want to get that chemistry. We gel well on the court. I think these next games will help us continue to play and continue to grow and get better every day.”

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