When it comes to sports, obstacles, hurdles and challenges are just part of a packaged deal. If there is anyone in Toledo’s field of athletics who understands this, it’s men’s head basketball coach Gene Cross.
A season after going 7-25 (5-11 Mid-American Conference) in his head coaching debut, Cross knows there will be growing pains with a young and relatively inexperienced roster that includes no returning seniors, two juniors, four sophomores and nine freshmen, but he feels that last season’s woes have better prepared him as a coach.
“My head is swimming less,” Cross said. “I have a better feel for being able to reach this particular group of guys and teach this particular group of guys. I expect my guys to grow relative to leadership, and I expect myself to grow as well.
“This has been a great group to be around, and it makes it that much more fun to come to the office and to watch film, and to get on the court and interact with the guys. I’m really having a good time teaching these young men what basketball is supposed to be about.”
The teaching began in the summer when Cross welcomed in seven new faces onto the Toledo campus and immediately fostered chemistry and unity through various team-building activities. One was watching the film “Men of Honor” which was based on the real-life struggles of Carl Brashear. Brashear overcame numerous odds to become the first African-American Navy diver in the United States.
The movie’s resilient message resonated with Cross and his team, one the Rockets will carry with them throughout the entire season, literally.
“I have a small, antique Navy diving helmet upstairs that we’re going to take,” Cross said. “We’re going to have it on the bench, we’re going to have it on every road trip just to remind our guys that there are so many things that are going to be thrown your way, but what are you going to do in order to overcome?
“One of the lines in the movie is his father as he went to the Navy. He said, ‘When it gets hard, and it will, don’t quit on me, ever.’ You’re going to get knocked around. Your nose is going to get bloody. But whatever happens, don’t you quit.”
With a tough non-conference schedule that includes road trips to Big East member Cincinnati and a visit to the Breslin Center for a matchup with No. 2 Michigan State in consecutive contests next week, a “never quit” attitude is exactly what Toledo will need to compete at a high level against more experienced opponents, especially on the road.
“Our guys need to understand what a challenge is, and how hard you have to play and how you have to perform in a hostile environment,” Cross said. “We just want to go out there and play as hard as we can, and make sure we don’t bow down at all.”
The Rockets were winless in all 16 of their away games last season and are just 1-31 on the road dating back to 2007-08. Toledo’s last road victory was at Central Michigan on March 9, 2008 when the Rockets defeated the Chippewas 90-83 in overtime.
Not surprisingly, Toledo was picked to finish last in the MAC West Division in the conference’s preseason poll.
“We expected to be picked last,” Cross said. “As a competitor, absolutely it bothers you. We look at it, we see it, and we use it as motivation. You take those with a grain of salt.”
On the flipside, the Rockets will play seven non-conference home games, their most since the 1991-92 season. Toledo will have a total of 15 contests at Savage Arena, where it led the MAC in attendance last year with an average of 5,610 fans per game.
“Anytime you play at home, it gives you a better chance of winning,” Cross said. “We just want to make sure that our fans can see this team and see them grow.”
Growth will certainly be expected from junior forwards Mouhamed Lo and Justin Anyijong, as well as sophomore guard Larry Bastfield. Lo played better for the Rockets as last season progressed, averaging 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds to go with 58.1 percent shooting from the field in his last seven games, while Anyijong led Toledo in rebounds (6.4), blocked shots (0.9) and three-point percentage (35.2%). Bastfield started 16-of-32 games as a true freshman for the Rockets in 2008-09 and led the team with a 1.5 assist/turnover ratio. According to Cross, Bastfield has graded out as Toledo’s best player on the team’s efficiency rating so far.
“He just looks so much more polished than he did last year,” Cross said. “He can race the ball up the court and put pressure on the defense. We’re going to be fundamentally different because of the way that we can space the floor.”
Big things are also expected from freshman guard Jake Barnett, who was chosen as a co-captain together with Anyijong and Bastfield. Barnett played for Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass. last season, helping the Crusaders to a 29-6 record. In 2008, he was captain and team MVP as a senior for East High School in his hometown of Wauwatosa, Wis., guiding the Red Raiders to a Division I state championship that year.
The Rockets suffered a disappointing 56-49 exhibition loss at home to Central (OH) State on Tuesday.
Anyijong led the Rockets with a double-double, scoring 11 points while grabbing 20 of the team’s 40 rebounds along with three blocks in 34 minutes.
Lo was the only other UT player in double digits. He scored a team-high 15 points and was second on the team with six rebounds.
The Rockets shot just 22-of-64 from the field, 4-of-21 from behind the arc and 1-of-8 from the free-throw line.
UT will look to get back on track on Saturday when they host Eastern Illinois at Savage Arena for the regular season opener at 7 p.m.
Toledo Head Coach Gene Cross announced Wednesday that 6-5 forward Chris Anderson signed a national letter of intent to join the basketball program in 2010-11, likely completing the team’s freshman class for next season.
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