Wildcats talk about good conference start
MARQUETTE, Mich. – Bill Sall’s team was picked to finish dead last in the GLIAC North Division in the pre–season poll. On the opening weekend of conference play, the Wildcats came away with two road wins– at Walsh and at Malone.
NMU is one of five teams in the GLIAC currently without a loss in the conference standings. A year ago, the Wildcats were in the very early stages of rebuilding this team. Now, the rebuilding effort put forth by Sall and his coaching staff has started to show on the floor and in the basketball standings.
“The talent level has improved, that’s for sure,” said Bill Sall. “Along with that, it’s just the buying in. If you remember last year, we had hardly anyone who had played in a GLIAC game much less a Division II basketball game, so we have some veterans back even though it’s only their second year playing.”
“The crop of the freshmen that have come in and really given an added amount of enthusiasm and energy. We’ve lived off a lot of that,” Sall added.
“Every year it’s getting better and better,” said NMU guard Terry Nash. “People are starting to understand their roles and understand what coach wants from us every day night in and night out. We’re just working hard, playing as a team and we’re beginning to understand what it takes to complete in the GLIAC.”
“We don’t really have a ‘go to guy.’ We haven’t had a ‘go to guy’ since we started basketball in September,” said NMU forward Brett Branstrom. “It’s working well for us because they really can’t focus on one person because we’re all getting buckets and we’re all playing well.”
NMU welcomes Findlay to town Saturday at 3pm.