Q & A with men’s basketball coach Marcus Kahn

By EMILY AINSWORTH

Men’s basketball coach Marcus Kahn, discussed with The Blue & Gray Press his plan for this coming season. In addition, he mentions last season, what makes a successful team, and the upcoming game on Saturday against Marymount.

Q: What are your goals for this season?

A: Goals for the season are to continue to get better every day, and compete as a cohesive unit every time we take the floor. Ultimately we are working to win a CAC Championship, but that won’t happen if we don’t reach our other goals along the way.

Q: How did you feel at the end of last season?

A: Well, at the end of last season, there was ultimately a feeling of disappointment. You never want to lose of course, but I felt we were good enough to win the semi-final game, as well as others throughout the season. Of course, that helps to keep everyone motivated during the offseason and hopefully more ready for the new year.

Q: With the loss of a number of players, what had to be different for this year? What had to be done to adjust?

A: Nothing special really. Communication is key with any successful organization so bringing in several new players just means that we have to be very clear in our communication with them to keep everyone on the same page. There is an adjustment period when a new team starts, so we are kind of going through that now.

Q: Your team has been successful so far, what has played into that?

A: I think the quality of person that we have brought into our program. Our successes that we have enjoyed are because we have found the right combination of players that will all buy into the program and work for each other. Team chemistry has been a key factor in our success and will continue to play a major role as we look to reach our ultimate goal this year.

Q: What needs to continue?

A: Every guy in our program needs to stay committed to working hard, smart and together throughout the season. If we can do that, I believe we have a chance to be pretty good.

Q: You have some talented freshman, what do you expect to see from them?

A: We need our freshman to be impact guys immediately. We expect them all to contribute this year and make a positive impact on our program. So far, I believe they are living up to that. Now, the challenge is continuing that progress throughout the course of the season.

Q: You also have some significant seniors, what do you want out of them?

A: They need to lead our younger players and show them what it takes daily to compete at the college level. They must also be our best teammates and regardless of their role, stay bought in throughout the process.

Q: Anything you’d like to add?

A: I love walking out of the locker room on game days and seeing a crowded and loud Eagle Nation. We need their continued support as we head into conference play and coming back after break. Our next game is Saturday at 1 p.m. vs. Marymount. We need Rosner Arena rocking.