FORT MYERS, Fla. — The previous week of games showed Bowling Green’s men’s basketball team where it needs to improve.
The time to apply that knowledge is approaching during Thanksgiving week.
The Falcons (1-3) have taken the wolfpack mentality into the Sunshine State for this week’s Fort Myers Tip-Off tournament, and they are utilizing the two-game road trip to continue to develop through new pieces, many of which are seeing added playing time due to injuries on the roster.
“I like the direction we’re headed,” Falcons coach Michael Huger said. “With six new guys, everybody’s coming from a different system, different style of play, different attitude, different philosophy. Now we got to get them on our philosophy, Bowling Green’s philosophy.”
The Falcons dropped both contests last week, which included an 89-58 defeat to No. 19 Ohio State on Monday and a 90-84 defeat to preseason Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference favorite Norfolk State on Friday.
Bowling Green faces Milwaukee (1-2) in its opening Palms Division contest in the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., and will oppose either Southern Utah (1-3) or Yale (3-2) in their next game Wednesday at a time to be determined at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena.
The Falcons have been led by preseason All-Mid-American Conference first-teamer Daeqwon Plowden, who has posted at least 14 points in three of BGSU’s four games and is averaging 6.5 rebounds per game. He is one of four Falcons to average double figures in scoring, along with Myron Gordon (11.0 points per game), Trey Diggs (10.8), and Joe Reece (10.5).
“Different group of guys, different energies for sure, but one thing I can say is everyone is trying to connect,” Reece said after the Ohio State game. “Once we connect even more, we’ll be an even more exciting team, and it will impact us on the offensive and defensive end.”
Reece, a junior transfer from Old Dominion, is BGSU’s leading rebounder at 7.5 per game, and has started each of the Falcons’ four games.
Huger said the 6-foot-9 forward is coming along well early in his Falcons career.
“The biggest thing is just being consistent,” Huger said. “That’s what we’re working on with him — being consistent and being able to do that every night. He’s capable of doing it every night. Now he just has to go out and do it. I like what he does. I like what he brings to the table with energy and effort and having that ability as a big guy who can put it on the floor and shoot the 3, as well.”
Gordon, a 6-3 graduate transfer from Samford, has started three games in place of guard Kaden Metheny.
Metheny has been out since the second game of the season with an unspecified injury, although he was wearing a walking boot on his right foot and did not dress against Ohio State and did not play against Norfolk State.
Huger said Metheny and forward Matiss Kulackovskis are almost back, and Metheny could see time as early as this week.
“Matiss is really close to being back and being on the floor,” Huger said. “He looks really good in practice. He’s fully cleared now, so we just got to get his game rhythm under him and get opportunities to get in some game shape.
“Kaden, same thing, he’s looked good in the recovery stuff that we’ve been doing. He may be a little bit closer than Matiss. He may be coming back next week. Matiss may be coming back the following week.”
The Falcons’ ancillary pieces around team veterans Plowden and Diggs have moved up the depth chart, but the returns of Metheny and Kulackovskis will provide much-needed depth to the team.
“I feel like we’re just trying to improve on our chemistry every day,” Plowden said after the Norfolk State game. “Just trying to get closer as a unit, that way everybody’s on one page.”
The trip to Florida provides a chance for the Falcons to do that, and especially against fellow mid-major opponents.
“Whenever we can get on the road and get [the team] away from their environment and their comfort zone, and they’re a little bit uncomfortable, they get a little bit closer with one another,” Huger said. “That’s the thing that we like, and this trip will do for us, give us a chance to get a little bit closer and do things together.”
First Published November 21, 2021, 2:59 p.m.
