The Wildcats boys basketball team head into regional play carrying more pressure than planned.
On February 15, the Wildcats lost assistant coach, D’mitri Dunson-Riggs.
Dunson-Riggs was seen as a father figure to the players.
“The coach-player relationship is a strong one, and with Coach Riggs being with us for the last three years. Our guys have worked with him a lot, both on the court and off the court as well,” head coach Ed Hafermann.
The players said they keep his memory close, using it as motivation to push harder each day.
“As I would say, just keep it in the back of our minds, using it as a motive to play for him and not just play for ourselves, and because he wanted to see us succeed. Every day we come in thinking we’re doing better for him and for ourselves,” Hafermann added.
As the Wildcats honor their late coach, they also prepare for tonight’s regional matchup against Champaign Centennial.
Hafermann said that one of their biggest goals for tonight is taking care of the ball, which means fewer fast-break points for the opponent and more chances to run their offense.
“We can’t have empty possession; teams can score off our turnovers,” Coach Hafermann mentioned.
The team knows they give too many second chances to score.
“We tend to give up too many offensive rebounds,” senior Maliq Givens added.
Still, the Wildcats are having their eyes on the regional championship, and with the memory of Coach Riggs guiding them, they believe they can make a run.
“I would just say, we don’t give up and just put our energy like when we got it rocking these days up,” Givens added.
The Normal West Boys Basketball regular season ended with an overall record of 7-21, with two outstanding players.
Givens ended with 11.9 points per game and 1.8 steals per game; sophomore Chase Sennett with 5 rebounds per game and 9.8 points per game.
The team’s mindset heading into the postseason is focusing on one game at a time.
Knowing they need to stick together to not only win for the school but for Coach Riggs.
“Playing hard and staying together as a team is important for us,” Junior Antonio Alvarez stated.
Support the Wildcats in their postseason run tonight at 6 p.m. at home when they take on Champaign Centennial.
