By Nick Pantages
@nick_pantages22
Year three is often a defining year for coaches. After two years of adjustments and recruiting, it usually marks the time that a coach has fully integrated their system and coaching philosophy, and Springfield men’s basketball head coach Michael McClendon knows that.
Coming off back-to-back 7-18 seasons in his first two seasons at the helm, McClendon knows that it is a big season for him and his team.
“It’s tough because I try not to look ahead, but it is,” McClendon said. “I tell people all around me ‘This is really important for me,’ because I think as a person and as a coach you want to not only prove to yourself that you can do the job, but also you want others to see that you have a good group of kids.”
“They play hard, they practice hard, they prepare hard, and the results aren’t coming, so it’s kind of hard for people to see that. So for me, this year is all about proving to people how good these young men are, and to myself, that I know I can do a job at this level.”
The Pride have a very good balance of veterans and young players on the team, with an even split of upper and underclassmen on their 20 man roster.
Senior Curtiss Blische and juniors Josiah Evely and John Paulino will likely be the returning players that make up a large part of the Pride’s core. They have the three most starts since McClendon took over, and have been integral pieces in his rotation for the last two years.
Blische is a versatile and athletic center who can score with his back to the basket and by putting the ball on the floor. He was the team’s second leading scorer and top rebounder in an effort to add more spacing to the team, he has tried to add another key piece to his game.
“I have a trainer at home, and we worked on shooting more, getting out around the arc,” Blische said. “Last year I didn’t get that many 3’s up, and it really allows the defense to really shrink the paint.”
Evely plays on the wing, and is an explosive athlete who can get to the rim. On the defensive end, he averaged 2.7 stocks (steals and blocks) per game.
Paulino will serve as the facilitator at point guard for the third year in a row. He has led the Pride in assists in each of the past two seasons, and like Blische, shooting has been a key for Paulino over the summer.
“A lot of [my summer] was putting up shots and getting rest, but obviously I still work on the little things, working on ball screens because we play a lot of ball screens,” Paulino said. “Just working on being able to make those reads, knowing when to go to score, when to look for other teammates.”
Having already proved themselves as good basketball players in the NEWMAC, which is one of the toughest basketball conferences in the country, McClendon believes that core group of players can help propel Springfield to wins.
“I think the league doesn’t realize how good Curt, John and Josiah are because we haven’t been able to win,” McClendon said. “I hear from certain coaches in the NEWMAC, but they don’t get any accolades because of that. If those three can really take their game to the next level, being two juniors and a senior, I think we’re going to be pretty good.”
They also make up the key leadership group, along with Blische’s classmate Josh Hartley. McClendon says the team is very connected, and the players have felt that so far.
“We’re just one big family,” Paulino said. “We all trust each other.”
Jarron Flynn is another player that will make up the Pride’s core. He is a graduate transfer from Connecticut College, and he averaged 9.2 points per game across his career.
Other returners include guards Zander Robinson and Xoren Livingston, sharpshooting forward Jeremy Brown and Hartley, a defensive anchor at center. McClendon also brought in a class of four first-years, who he believes can all help the team in both the present and future.
McClendon’s goal for the team is to try to guide them back to the NEWMAC tournament for the first time since the 2019-20 season. But to do that, he knows him, his staff and the players have to give it their all in every game.
“You can’t put a number on it,” McClendon said. “I want everyone to show up everyday as if it’s the last game of the year, because that’s going to bring all the competitive spirit out of you, and then maybe we can get the wins.”
The competitive mindset that McClendon and his staff bring to practice will have a chance to show its head as the Pride take on crosstown rival Western New England. They beat the Pride by 40 in 2022, McClendon’s first game as head coach, but last year the margin was just seven points, and the Pride held a lead late in the second half. To get a result similar to that, the hard work and competition the Pride preach daily at practice will be a key factor.
“One of the big things we tell the guys is that success isn’t guaranteed,” McClendon said. “Just because you work hard doesn’t mean you are going to get wins, but it gives you a better chance. If we stay competitive, do the things that we practice and prepare with a purpose, then we have a chance to be pretty good.”
Photo courtesy of Springfield Athletics