Basketball season starts Nov. 5

Things have been busy for the basketball Blazers this summer. We have had more than 125 players try out for a spot on next season’s team. We played five games in a tournament at Cedar Valley on July 10 and 11. There were coaches there from 85 four-year universities who were looking for prospective players capable of playing beyond the junior college level. The high point was that two of our players, Bassey Ekong and Kenneth Cage, were selected to play in the all-star game.

In our final game, we played San Jose City College from California. Our guys played hard but lost 70-58. Here’s an interesting tidbit of trivia: Over the past seven years, NLC basketball Blazers have played against teams from 18 different states. In addition, last year we played Monterrey Tech, which was the defending university champion from Mexico.

We are optimistic that our squad this season will be just as exciting as last year’s team that tied Richland for the Metro Conference Championship. The seven players who return from last season will be joined by 16 new players who will focus on reaching and winning the NJCAA National Tournament March 17-19, 2005, in Delhi, New York.

Our season starts Nov. 5 when we play Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. Also in November, we will once again play the National Champion from Mexico. The actual date is pending based on the schedule of the Dallas Mavericks being set. Part of their agenda is to attend a Maverick game while playing several games against teams from the Metroplex.