Injuries cause NSU to struggle on the court

The Nicholls men's basketball team has been hit with many injuries this season, making it difficult to get wins.

The injury toll has affected both the progress and morale of the team. "I think the guys are a little discouraged, and I think they have a right to be," said head coach J. P. Piper. "We have all worked hard in the off-season to get to a point where we could compete, and with all the injuries we are having it is difficult to compete at the level we thought we would."

Freshman forward Sam McBeath agrees that the injury toll has brought some discouragement to the team. "I think it is mentally draining to have so many injuries," Mcbeath said. "Our trainings are in-depth and intense. To constantly see more and more teammates doing rehabilitation on the sideline rather than being on the court helping us progress as a team is frustrating."

Redshirt junior guard Linden Smith-Hyde believes that although the adversity is not ideal, it brings the team together as one. "You have to rely on each other more and you become a closer group," Smith-Hyde said.

With so many injuries, Piper is struggling to find a consistent line-up. Such inconsistency makes it difficult when it comes to team preparation. "It makes it hard from a planning perspective. Just not knowing who is going to be in practice each day makes in difficult to plan," Piper said. "It has forced us to try and be creative and do more 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 than maybe we would like to be doing this time of the year."

According to Piper, having the more experienced players sidelined has been the toughest obstacle for the team to overcome. "There is a lack of leadership and the younger guys are trying to lead but it is difficult when you don't have the knowledge base and the experience base that you need to be a leader," Piper said. "We often look like a team without leadership, and that's because those experienced guys are on the side."

Smith-Hyde agrees that lack of experience has been a difficult obstacle to overcome. "It has been hard because everyone is being thrown into roles they are not used to being in," Smith-Hyde said.

Piper and his team continue to have a positive outlook on the remaining season. "I will never be one to say that we can't salvage the season. We will continue to work to find ways to win games," Piper said. "We talk about the process of getting better and we will continue to engage that process every day whether we are 16-0 or 0-16."

McBeath believes that they have the talent and coaching staff to lead them in finishing off the season on a good note. "We have a positive coaching staff that provides us with realistic goals and quality education of the game," McBeath said. "At the moment our goals haven't changed. We want to win games and get better."