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The Miners’ basketball team suited up for the first time this year for the Orange and White scrimmage on Saturday. The Miners put on a show for a good turnout at the Don Haskins Center. The orange team beat the white team, 63-51.
Junior forwards Julian Washburn, Cedrick Lang and freshman center Matt Willms were the orange team’s top-three scorers, combining for 50 of the 63 points scored. The white team was led by senior center John Bohannon and freshman forward Vince Hunter, who had 21 and 15 points respectively.
Willms was impressive in tonight’s scrimmage, tying for a game-high of 21, and after coming off a redshirt year, Willms was anxious to play.
“I tried to put it all out there today,” Willms said. “I’ve been sitting out for a year and that’s a long time. I don’t want to sit out again.”
Prior the 40-minute scrimmage, some of the players took part in a 3-point shootout and a dunk contest to give the fans some pre-scrimmage entertainment. Transfer guard Justin Crosgile defeated junior guard C.J. Cooper, as well as senior guard and El Paso native Tyler Tafoya in the 3-point shootout. In the dunk contest, freshman forward Jake Flaggert defeated junior forward Julian Washburn and freshman forward Vince Hunter.
Head coach Tim Floyd watched the game from a distance and was happy to see a good crowd and good game.
“I loved that we had quite a few people here, the players were genuinely excited to play tonight and we learned something tonight,” Floyd said.
Even though the game does not count, Floyd talked to his players before the game about keeping focused and competing.
“I told them that they’re always being watched and it’s always competitive. We have new players in here that would like to get some of their time and minutes,” Floyd said. “We expect them to go out there and try to stay organized and focus on the things that we emphasized, which I thought they did for the most part.”
Bohannon spoke like a true senior after the game, always looking to improve and get better.
“It’s always good to come out here and play in front of the fans,” Bohannon said. “We have a lot to work on and I know were capable of being a good team, so hopefully we get everyone on the same page and improve because we got a lot to improve on.”
The Miners play an exhibition game against Southeastern Oklahoma on Nov. 2, before they open their season against the Loyola Wolfpack on Nov. 9, both games will be played at the Don Haskins Center.
Javier Cortez may be reached at [email protected].
