Kean basketball finishes 2017-18 season

By Greg Patuto | Published by March 16, 2018

The Kean men’s basketball team wrapped up their season on February 14 with a loss against William Paterson University. This brought their record to 7-18 overall and 5-13 in conference.

They finished strong with a 2-2 record in February and that made them wish the season lasted a little longer.

“I just wish I had more time with them,” Head Coach Robert Kurzinsky said. “We all felt as though we were playing our best ball at the end of the year, particularly the last four games.”

The Cougars were led in scoring by freshman Adrian Baucum with 10.9 points per game. Junior Micah Carr was second on the team with 10.7 points per game and junior Keenan Williams Jr. was right behind him with 10.0 points per game.

Kean will not be graduating any seniors from this team which is good for the upcoming seasons. The Cougars are very junior heavy with seven on the roster and they can provide guidance for the underclassmen.

For any collegiate team, recruiting is always a big factor. The addition of new players, whether high school students or transfer students, is a great way to quickly launch a team to the top.

“You get better one of two ways,” Kurzinsky said. “Your returning players put forth the effort and improve their individual skill set and you go recruit good players that fill specific needs. I am optimistic about the recruits we are involved with and hopeful we can get some commitments once the high school season winds down.”

Returning players with experience, recruiting talented new players, and putting work in to get better individually is what builds a successful team and that is what the Cougars are willing to do.

“We are permitted to practice this week, which we use to set the tone for our progress over the next 9 months,” Kurzinsky said. “I feel very good about our player development and the direction that we are heading,”

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