With the 2012-13 men's basketball season starting up tomorrow, our student body is about to witness some Pirate treasure. Following a 2011-12 campaign in which the Pirates logged a 21-13 record, with an 8-10 record in Big East play, the Pirates look to build off a strong season.
The Pirates enter this season with a new squad ready to make some noise in the Big East. After losing two of the most productive players in the programs history, Jordan Theodore and Herb Pope, a young Pirates team with five newcomers ready to hit the floor should have no problem surpassing their preseason Big East rank of 14 out of 15 teams.
Junior forward Fuquan Edwin returns this season as the team's top scorer from last year. Edwin's defensive prowess is also much needed for a young Pirates team. After leading the nation last season with 102 steals, Edwin will need to continue his lockdown defensive play.
Considering I'm a freshman and was not present last year during the Pirates most recent successful season, I'm a little hesitant to proclaim such success for the team this year. After talking to multiple players on multiple occasions, I'm confident in their confidence that they are going to ball out this season. This team may be young, they may have just lost two of their best players, and they may be in a conference that boasts four preseason top-25 ranked programs; but I can say whole heartedly that they will surprise everyone who has doubted them.
Having junior transfers Brian Oliver and Eugene Teague finally able to hit the hardwood helps ease the pain of the Theodore and Pope losses. Oliver's a natural scorer with a stroke from behind the arc, and Teague is a big body that can bang down low to provide solid post scoring and rebounding production.
The Pirate ballers are ready to go Friday night. They took this 14th Big East ranking, thought about it, and laughed in its face. The team has a chip on its shoulder now, and with the offensive weapons they can throw out on the court each night, that chip is deservedly placed.
So with all that said, let's rally behind our team, let them know that we took that ranking personally too. Let's begin, as a team and a student body, on our march to March Madness.
