Men’s Basketball Picks Up Two Conference Wins

The Seattle University Men’s Basketball team was on a roll last week. Thursday night, the team took on Chicago State at the Connolly Complex, winning with a close score of 67-64. Thursday was also Miracle Day, and students representing Dance Marathon were present. Donations by fans were used to support Seattle Children’s Hospital in their cancer research. Not only did the Redhawks play well on Thursday, they played for a cause.

On Saturday, the team took on Kansas City at Key Arena. The game was intense—the score fluctuated and was close, up until the last second.

SU guard Jordan Hill (#2) brings the ball down court.

“It was a fun game to watch, but not a fun game to coach,” Head Coach Jim Hayford said. The panic could be seen on Hayford and the team members faces as a UMKC player tossed up a buzzer beater shot that would have given the opponents a win. With wide eyes, the crowd watched the basketball’s path through the air. The ball hit the rim and bounced off, and a collective sigh of relief could be felt throughout the arena. The final score was 77-75. The Redhawks won by a small margin, but Hayford appreciates any win.

“As we are building this program, any win is a thing of beauty,” Hayford said after the game. The player who made the most points made was Matej Kavas. Hayford speaks highly of Kavas and his presence on the court.

“Matej gets us points even when he isn’t making shots because of how people are aware of him,” Hayford stated. “I’m extremely proud of Matej and the season he has been having; he’s a much improved player and he’s just an outstanding person.”

Kavas feels confident as the team surges ahead to take on New Mexico State on Thursday Jan. 18. “We will just prepare as well as we can for them, and learn from our mistakes,” Kavas said.

Even during close and stressful games, the players support each other. “We have a great team, we’re all brothers,” Kavas said. “Today we had some moments where we were struggling, but we are mentally there and we just pushed each other and helped each other up, and that was the way to win the game.”