Men's Basketball Season Preview
DETROIT, Mich. (cCcLions.com) -- The Community Christian College men's basketball team competed in 4 preseason jamborees in October to get themselves ready for the 2024-25 season. They traveled all over the Midwest, including Indiana and Ohio to feature themselves as a team to look out for in Kendall English's first season as head coach. Throughout my conversations with Coach Ken, I'd ask how the team was doing throughout the weeks, and his response was simple:
"Not satisfied."
While that's a great mindset to have as a coach, I would argue there's a lot to appreciate with this team. Their style of play, both offensively and defensively, isn't anything you haven't seen before. The high level of execution though, speaks a lot to their work ethic and how seamless the coaching transition has been, given that English was an assistant with last year's team. While it would be impossible to highlight every impact player for this squad, we'll take a look at three names that'll be mentioned quite a bit on the home broadcasts.
Rasheed Spratling returns for his Sophomore season, and he's looking to step up in a big way after averaging 6.3 Points per Game last season. He's shown an ability to be surgical with the ball in his hands, specifically in dribble-drive penetration. In addition to that, he's electric from outside, which shouldn't be surprising considering he shot 47% from beyond the arc last season. He figures to have the ball in his hands coming up the court, but he's just as effective off-the-ball in creating space. Fans should be excited about him quietly averaging double-digit PPG this season.
Terrence Partridge will also have the ball in his hands often, as he returns from a 12 PPG Freshman campaign. He's a high-volume shooter that doesn't need a lot of space to make his shots, but will make defenders pay on the dribble if they guard him too close. Partridge was recently offered by Dean College, a D3 school in Massachusetts, and he figures to turn even more heads as the season goes on. He's developed a strong chemistry with the rest of the team, so expect him to expand on his scoring ability and average north of 5 Assists per Game.
DaiQuan Coach is one of many players who's come into their own throughout the past year, becoming an all-around force at the wing. He's one of the best scorers this team has, finding a way to get past defenders at every turn. He's also shown an uncanny awareness of where he is on the court, being able to get the ball to teammates with passes that are out of this world. His shoes will have to be checked by the refs, as he's been outjumping the competition in every game to this point, and will certainly have some highlight reel slams this season. The sky's the limit for where Coach will end up one year from today.
Those are just three of the 12 sophomores that will be looking for homes after DC3. You'll read about all of them throughout the season on cCcLions.com, and you'll hear about the plethora of freshman talent as well on our livestreams at Youtube.com/@cCcLions. This team is set up to be participating in a District tournament after the regular season, which will determine automatic qualifiers for the Division II Championship Tournament in March.
As Coach Ken's team prepares to open the season this Saturday, he had this to say about his team's performance in the preseason and expectations for the regular season:
"Our success in the jamborees wasn't just about talent; it was about a commitment to our goals and playing as one cohesive unit. With each game, we strengthened our bond and our confidence, proving we're ready to take on whatever the season has in store. The DC3 Lions are more than just a team; we're a family united by a relentless drive to win, and we're ready to bring that energy every time we hit the court."
Their season opens November 2nd at Kirtland Community College in Northern Michigan, and will open the season at home vs Washtenaw CC on November 6th at 7pm, with that game taking place at Center Line High School. We look forward to seeing you there.