Ashton Graham leads the Spartans with 13.1 points per game. He also leads the team in steals (19), rebounds (79) and minutes played (462). | Samantha Cossum/ The Minaret
While most students went home to enjoy a month long vacation, the University of Tampa men’s basketball team was hard at work on the court. Unfortunately, the Spartans’ determination did not transfer into wins as the team’s record fell to 4-10 (0-5 SSC).
Throughout the past month, the Spartans lost to Malone University, Chowan University, Saint Leo University, Barry University, and Eckerd College.
Even with these losses came some bright spots for the UT team. In the 77-60 loss to the Malone Pioneers, both sophomore Eric Moraes and redshirt freshman Fred Lewis had career-highs with 13 points and 12 points, respectively.
Ted Amendola, a junior, scored a career-high 18 points against Chowan while shooting perfectly from the line. “All I did was make four shots,” he said. “Any college player should be able to make four free throws in a row.”
Although the Spartans were able to contain the Hawks for most of the matchup, UT was unable to connect on all five field goal attempts during the last three minutes of the game. The Hawks won 53-49.
The Spartans came back from the NCAA-mandated holiday break to win two consecutive games in the Tampa Classic hosted by UT. First the Spartans beat the Brock University Badgers 72-56. Ashton Graham and sophomore Stefon Barfield were the leading scorers with eight points apiece.
This win led to a date with Winston Salem State University in what turned out to be a close matchup. The two teams were tied five times throughout the game. The Spartans finally pulled ahead with 53 seconds left on the clock with a 3-pointer made by junior Callum Townsend. The final score was 64-61. The forward led the team with 19 points, and senior Osby Kelly had 14 points. The final score was 64-61.
In a Sunshine State Conference loss to Saint Leo, sophomore Ryan Kidd scored a career-high 12 points while only playing for 16 minutes. In spite of Kidd’s impressive performance, the Lions won 63-45. Guard Eric Coblentz had 22 points for Saint Leo.
While Barfield and the rest of the Spartans put up a fight, Barry came out with an 80-73 victory. Barfield had 20 points, a career-high, with Graham adding another 19 points against the Buccaneers. There were some close moments; however, Barry pulled ahead in the final minutes and handed the Spartans another SSC loss. Forward Jermaine Edwards led the Buccaneers with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Though Tampa lost to SSC opponent Eckerd with a score of 80-64, Graham scored a career-high 27 points including three 3-pointers. Townsend added an additional 13 points. This could not top Eckerd, as the Tritons’ forward, Lance Kearse, had a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
At the beginning of the season, Coach Richard Schmidt called Graham the player to watch out for, and the guard has not made him regret those words. Graham is leading the team in points and rebounds, averaging 12.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. In addition, he has the most steals with 18 in total. Schmidt expects Graham to be a leader for the team, and that is not a role the senior takes lightly. “I go out every game trying to lead by example.”
Amendola, listed as 6-foot-8 and 235 pounds, is the biggest player on the Spartan roster. Though Schmidt had recruited two transfers, one at 6-foot-8 and the other being 7-foot-2, they never made it to the final roster due to issues of NCAA ineligibility.
Even though Amendola has a lot of responsibility being the biggest guy on the court for the Spartans, he enjoys it. “I think of myself as the bruiser,” the forward stated. “I have everyone’s back.”
As for the rest of the regular season, all but one of the final 12 games are conference play.
Currently, the Spartans are 0-5 for the SSC. Graham does not see this as a setback, but rather as motivation. “Right now, we’re the underdogs. We have nothing else to lose.”
Schmidt said at the beginning of the season, “Our goal is to make it to the conference tournament.” According to Amendola, this goal has not changed.
The next game is set for Jan. 21 in the Bob Martinez Athletics Center. The Spartans will play host to the Palm Beach Atlantic University Sailfish at 4 p.m.
Analisa Trstensky can be reached at atrstensky@spartans.ut.edu.
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