Roccaforte goes with the 'what doesn't kill you will make you stronger' plan

[Guest abovetherim]

By PERRYN KEYS, The Enterprise

11/24/2007

BEAUMONT - Two games ago, they played a team that won the Southeastern Conference West Division and went to the NIT. One game ago, they played a team that finished 95 spots ahead of them in last year's PRI ratings.

Today, the Lamar Cardinals (1-2) will play an Oral Roberts team that ran them out of the gym last December.

Is coach Steve Roccaforte trying to kill his team before it even gets to Southland Conference play?

Well, no, not exactly.

Since taking over as head coach of the men's basketball program last season, Roccaforte has often stated his belief that playing tough opponents forges a tough team. With that in mind, please welcome Oral Roberts (2-2), which visits the Montagne Center at 7 p.m. today.

"These are the type of games that make you better," Roccaforte said earlier this season. "These kinds of games are what college basketball is all about."

OK, so Roccaforte has put a few more barking dogs on this season's schedule (anyone fired up for LeTourneau, Lyon College and St. Gregory's?). And OK, schools like Lamar (1-2) have other reasons for playing hard games, especially on the road.

Trips to Memphis and Ole Miss over the last two years were meant as rewards for the many LU players who hail from northern Mississippi - and the guaranteed paychecks from those games don't hurt, either.

This one is the back end of a home-and-home series. Still, Roccaforte's philosophy remains: The best way to improve is to play programs that are reputedly higher on college basketball's totem pole.

If Roccaforte's philosophy is right, Lamar could be dangerous by the time conference play arrives in January.

The Cardinals have certainly paid a few dues.

They were torn apart in a 108-70 loss at Oxford, Miss., on Nov. 16, in a game that, by all accounts, could have been a lot worse. But Monday's game was the true heartbreaker. Back at home, Lamar built a 12-point second-half lead against Wyoming, then watched it dissolve into a 75-71 loss.

"After we lost to Ole Miss, we knew a lot of things we had to work on," point guard Kenny Dawkins said. "We came back, worked harder and harder. (Against Wyoming), we let it slip away, and that's difficult to deal with. But good teams come out and win after that. That's what we have to do."

The Cardinals plan to do that by improving in a few areas. First, they intend to shoot fewer times from long distance and establish a presence in the post. Against the Cowboys, Lamar took 29 shots from 3-point range and got just nine points from its frontcourt starters, Jay Brown and Lamar Sanders.

"Way too many," Roccaforte said of the 3-pointers. "We're going to have to revisit what we're doing and try to get the ball inside. (We) have to get higher-percentage shots and have our guys finish their shots around the basket."

Lamar's next objective could be even tougher. The Cards would like to give Dawkins more rest - a tall order, considering he leads the team in scoring (12.7 points per game), assists (4.0 per game) and minutes (33.3 per game). He played 39 minutes against the Cowboys, scoring 22 points in the loss.

But as rough as the last two games have been for Lamar, and as roughly as Oral Roberts treated Lamar last December, today's game could be quite interesting, as the Golden Eagles have struggled in the early going.

They lost to LU's Southland Conference rival, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, in overtime last Wednesday. They also struggled in a 62-53 home win Tuesday against Louisiana-Lafayette - a team that finished 56 spots behind Lamar in last year's RPI ratings.

"There are a lot of things we have to get better on," Dawkins said. "We have to just come out strong in this next game."

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[KFDM COOP]

Good article!