With this small, gritty group however, “style” may not be the best word. Perhaps it would be better to say the Little Giant seniors worked hard for a big win Saturday.
“Their work ethic and their desire to improve have been exemplary,” said Head Coach Mac Petty of his seniors. “It’s been a lot of fun.” The three seniors- point guard Earl Rooks, forward Gary Simkus, and center Andrew Zimmer- all have contributed immensely to Wabash’s impressive 15-8 record. All three are starters this year, and average a combined 34.8 points, 5.2 assists, and 15.1 rebounds per game.
But their contributions to Wabash’s successful year started well before the first game against Kentucky Christian. “Early in the off-season, when the coaches can’t be with the team, the leadership, especially from Earl and Andrew, were crucial in getting this team ready and motivated,” Petty said. “And with Gary being in soccer, he couldn’t be there at the start, but he picked right up when he came over. His passions picked right up.”
Zimmer said the seniors’ work ethic came from the example set before them, “(The Wabash basketball program) has a lot of tradition,” Zimmer said. “Every class above us helped show the way and we wanted to work hard, continue playing great defense and bring out the best in this team.”
The seniors have certainly done that on their way to a much improved record, but they aren’t quite done yet. The Little Giants have one last regular season game at Denison before starting the NCAC Tournament, which the team hopes to be very competitive in.
“These (seniors) understand that this is their last goaround,” Petty said. “I’m sure they’re not satisfied right now. I told them I want to play five more games this year, which would bring us to the Conference championship. I think they’re thinking the same way.”
The Little Giants have shown their ability to compete with the NCAC’s best this year, and don’t feel they need to drastically change anything for the post-season.
“I looked over our stats from the last two weeks, and we’ve improved nearly every stat,” Petty said. “That’s exactly what we need improvement. We need to improve finishing our shots and passes.”
Zimmer also thinks the Little Giants are talented enough to win the NCAC, but it’s a matter of execution.
“The biggest thing is playing with confidence,” Zimmer said. “The ability’s there, but sometimes we’re not confident in our game.”
Their career’s not quite over, but they will miss the home court advantage as they enter the final stretch.
“One of the things I will always remember is how great the crowd generally was,” Zimmer said. “You guys have always been real rowdy.”
No matter how the season ends, this class has certainly helped build on the tradition of Wabash basketball and instilled good habits in the underclassmen.
“Hopefully these younger players have learned that building a program relies on tradition,” Petty said. “These guys have done well at that.”