Hood Today

The Hood College men's basketball team is enjoying a strong season thus far as they enter the final month of the season at 12-8 . A strong veteran presence as well as a nice mix of fresh faces has allowed the Blazers to establish themselves in the Capital Athletic Conference, already topping their win total from last season in both overall and conference records. Hood is currently in third place in the CAC standings.

The reason for the turnaround has been in large part due to the fact that head coach Tom Dickman has depth on his roster that he hasn't had in past years. Eight players on the Blazer roster currently are averaging ten minutes or more a game, with three players averaging 30 minutes plus minutes.

Sophomore Tory Wilson has been a great addition to the Blazers roster, as he has steeped in and become Hood's leading scorer. Wilson, who hails from Germantown, MD, is averaging 12.1 points and 30.8 minutes a game. Wilson, who has started the majority of the games, has also pulled down 8.1 rebounds a game.

J'Air Brady has provided excellent veteran leadership and guidance to this young team as he is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.5 points per game. Another player adding a veteran presence has been sophomore Brenden Straughn. Coming off an impressive freshman campaign in which he earned a starting spot, Straughn has returned to the Blazers not only as an offensive catalyst, but as another player who can help mentor the youngsters on the Hood roster.

Defense has been another reason for the turn around with the Blazers, as they have been smothering teams all season long. Tyler Snoots, Wilson, and Justin Stone lead the Blazers in having the top ranked scoring defense in the CAC Conference this season.

Hood's victories this season have come in every way possible, from blowouts of teams to last second buzzer-beaters. On January 6, the Blazers finally finished off the Wesley Wolverines after a back and forth battle that went into overtime. Freshman Justin Stone lead the heroics in that game, scoring 15 of his career high 17 points in the second half and overtime. The January 18 game against Marymount was one that left everyone in attendance breathless as Wilson showed he had ice in his veins, hitting the game winning shot with only one second remaining on the clock.

Hood has also shown that killer instinct in being able to stay on top of team and not let them get back into games this season. In their game against Stevenson on Jan. 23, the Blazers lead every minute of the game and did not allow the Mustangs to find a rhythm offensively, making them force shots and causing turnovers, winning the game 77-50 . Even in Hood's eight loses this season, they fight and show that no team is too tough. The Blazers have only been beaten by more than 10 points twice this year.

The Blazers are among a crowd at the top the CAC this season, as there are six teams that are within two games of the conference lead as of Jan. 28. Three of the Blazers five remaining games are against teams that are in contention for the CAC regular season championship. A February 13 date with St. Mary's will be highly anticipated and crucial if the Blazers have a shot to get back on top of the CAC. St. Mary's is currently ranked 16th in the country.

Several Hood sports teams this season have come out and preformed excellent throughout the season, generating school and community spirit for Hood sports, and the Blazers men basketball team looks to continue that trend by winning the CAC conference tournament.

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