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Nov.11 - 24 2013 www.lcc.edu/lookout

Mens hoop eye fast start

Matthew Geller Freelance Writer Heading into his 24th season as LCC mens basketball head coach, Mike Ingram and his players have high expectations for the 2013-14 season. Ingram is looking to add his 18th conference championship with a team he said can be as talented as any he has had. LCC sophomore and 2012-13 MCCAA Western Conference third-team all-league performer Devlin Bell, coupled with sophomore Cameron Sanchez, will be leading the way. Sophomore Jeff Cain will be able to contribute his championship experience, winning two state championships at J.W. Sexton High School. With last season ending without a conference championship, the team is hungry and poised to leave their legacy at LCC. The Stars got off to a 2-1 start to the season. Henry Ford Community College will visit the Gannon Gym Wednesday Nov. 13, opening a three-game home stand ending with Mott CC on Nov 20. Sanchez and Bell said they are used to playing in front of raucous crowds at the Field House at Eastern and East Lansing High, respectively. Both said they are hoping the home faithful will come out and see for themselves all of the hard work they have put in. After all of the running and drills the team has been through, the goal in everyones mind is to end up in Hutchinson Kansas for the NJCAA National Championships Our goals are very reachable this year, Ingram said. The game is faster than when I played in high school, but in my mind it has slowed down, Sanchez said. He explained that with the leadership and talent on this team, he fully expects to play for a national championship at the end of this season.

Photo by Suzanna Powers

Nate Lafayette makes a lay-up during the LCC mens basketball game against Central Michigan University on Oct. 29.

Lady Stars follow leadership and experience

Richard Schenck Sports Editor A new season brings unique challenges for coaches and players alike. LCC Womens Basketball Coach Ervin Brunson will be counting on his veteran players to carry the team early in the 2013-14 season. Last year we were much bigger than we are now, said Brunson. I had a little more experience with some of the players I had last year. The jump from high school basketball to college basketball will be a whole new experience for the incoming freshmen. Brunson acknowledged that as the head coach he will need to be patient with his new players. The new group that I have, theyre exciting; they dont realize this is a different level than high school, said Brunson. My job this year is to kind of slow-walk them into experience. Brunsons new-look squad went up against the third-ranked womens team in the nation in Division II, St. Clair County CC, on Nov. 2 at LCC. The Stars lost 72-46. The Lady Stars lack of size was exploited and Brunson said it served as an early-season barometer. They gave us a good lesson, Brunson said. It was a wake-up call to let the girls know this is the kind of experience that you need to have to compete with the kind of teams well be facing down the road. Sophomores Robyn Robinson and La Tonya Shade will be the two returning players Brunson said he is going to depend on to pick up the slack until the team comes up to speed as a whole. Robinson, a 2012-13 MCCAA Western Conference honorable mention and part of the All-Academic Team, said she is answering the call from Brunson. (My job is) just to lead the team, Robinson said. He always tells me the girls dont have to like me, but theyre going to have to respect me. Despite the lack of proven players, Brunson expressed confidence the newcomers will improve consistently throughout the season. He will also have the help of a 2012-13 MCCAA Western Conference standout Shade. Im just trying to show them the fundamentals; also to work as a team, Shade said. To build chemistry, because that is the most important thing. The Stars were sscheduled to play at home against Wayne County Community College on Nov. 9. Brunson and his newlook team will travel to Rochester College Nov. 13.

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Photo by Suzanna Powers

LCC womens basketball player Katie Santi (left) assists teammate La Tonya Shade after a foul during action Nov. 2 in the Gannon Gym.

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