Chris Yingling | Echo
Head coach Josh Andrews and the Taylor men's basketball team jump into action tonight as the team participates in the Trinity International Tournament.
Taylor looks to improve upon its 11-19 record in 2013-14, Andrews' first year as a Trojans coach. The team brings back four out of five starters from the end of last season and possesses plenty of ability to jump up in the rankings with more experience on the court.
"We really want to establish a defensive identity early in the season," Andrews said. "We want to play actively on defense and play together as a team."
The five current starters are all familiar faces from last season. Junior point guard Jordan Richardson will replace Ben Raichel ('14) in the starting lineup.
Senior Jesse Coffey complements Richardson at guard, along with junior Kyle Stidom. The team will combine Coffey's sharp-shooting mentality with Stidom's style of driving the basket to create several scoring opportunities in Taylor's triangle offense.
Seniors Darayl Jordan and Ian Dutcher return to the starting lineup to bolster the Trojans' post game. With Jordan and Dutcher's improved play, Taylor will strive to establish an identity in the paint that didn't quite show with last year's squad.
An improved bench squad should help the Trojans find relief for its starters. Senior forward Tyler Waite brings his skill in nailing shots behind the arc and strong rebounding. Freshmen Tim Fleming and Keaton Hendricks will have time in the rotation along with transfer junior Shakir Dunning.
"We need to provide five guys that provide a balance on the floor," Andrews said. "We want to play an unselfish style of offense along with strong man defense. We're constantly scouting and looking for that rotation of guys to work the floor."
While Taylor does have a talented roster, the Trojans missed several opportunities last season. The team made 3.5 free throws fewer per game than its opponents last season while also turning the ball over too much with 13.2 per game.. Taylor's 1-14 record in road games certainly didn't help the Trojans' cause.
Taylor looks to improve its late-game play after dropping four games in overtime last year while also giving away some close matchups in the final minutes.
"We need to finish," Andrew said. "In the final two minutes, it becomes a possession game and we need to get better at making those our two minutes and stepping up in close ball games."
Taylor plays in one of the toughest conferences in NAIA men's basketball with three teams in the NAIA's Top-25 preseason rankings and two teams that received votes. Andrews knows it's a tough road ahead but thinks his team has what it takes to grab some wins in the Crossroads League.
"We just have to do a better job at taking care of the ball in those matchups," Andrews said. "Take care of the ball, get to the line and play strong down the stretch."
Taylor will kick off the 2014-15 season today against NAIA Division I Missouri Valley (2-0) in the first game of the Trinity International Tournament in Deerfield, Ill. The Trojans will take the court in Odle Arena for the first time on Wednesday against Madonna (1-1) at 7 p.m.Photography provided by Tim Riethmiller
