In the 2015-16 season the Pacific University men’s basketball team has finished fifth in the Northwest Conference for the fourth year in a row, just missing the playoffs by one spot. This season, they look to break this streak with the season starting up Nov. 19 against Texas-Tyler University at Pacific. After finishing 12-13 last
season and a 6-10 record in conference play, the team will look to make a few adjustments. Head coach Tim Cleary is excited about the upcoming season with a good group of returning players and a strong recruiting class as well. “Returning wise, we have senior K.C. Harrison back who was our leading scorer last year. We also have senior Michael Joseph back, who is the best defender in the conference,” Cleary said. “Junior Nate Olowo and senior Rafe King are back as well and they give us a real good presence in the post.” The team was one of the top rebounding teams in the nation last year, but they are looking to make a few improvements for them to be successful, especially around the perimeter.
“We need to shoot the ball better from the perimeter than we did last year,” Cleary said. “We were very good in a lot of areas, but we didn’t shoot the ball as well we needed to from the three point line.” This was a big emphasis on Cleary’s recruiting this past off-season.
He also has a few team goals in mind to help them be competitive and one of the top teams in the conference.
“The goal is always to play and compete at the maximum level that we are capable of,” Cleary said. “The results will fall in place based on those things. We are real process orientated, we don’t put our goals based on specific things other than just maximizing our potential.” The Boxers start off the season with back-to-back home games, then head to California for a tournament.
“The goal is always to play and compete at the maximum level that we are capable of,” Cleary said. “The results will fall in place based on those things. We are real process orientated, we don’t put our goals based on specific things other than just maximizing our potential.” The Boxers start off the season with back-to-back home games, then head to California for a tournament.
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