The Old Westbury men’s basketball team lost on February 1st to the United States Merchant Marine Academy Mariners, which follows a trend of recent losses for the team. The 2022-23 season has not been promising for the Panthers. With more losses than wins, the team appears to be in a rut. Throughout their bout with the Mariners the Panthers displayed great technical capability, but it did not help them clinch it at the end.
Tossing the ball up and down the court the Panthers would have the opposing team on the ropes, only to miss a bucket and get taken back to their hoop. Star player of the night was the Panthers’ own Carl Damour; the man can run and consistently made shots throughout the game.
The game had been close all throughout with the tensest action happening at the end; players on both sides displaying their stamina by running back and forth between each hoop, as if in a white hot fever.
However, the game was not all great basketball with the Mariners racking up ten fouls, which was enough to make this reporter believe it was some kind of Machiavellian strategy: take the foul, get in the opponent’s head. The match ended in a slew of timeouts in a vain attempt to stop the clock as much as possible. Such tactics could not help the Panthers as the game closed with 59 points to the Mariners, and 55 for our team.
The game was held at Farmingdale State College, the Panthers’ new home while the Old Westbury court is closed. Watching the game, one gets the impression that the team is without rhythm, missing the spark that has defined them in seasons past. Talking to Coach Bernard Tomlin, one thing has been made clear: the loss of a home court has wounded morale. “No home court is something very few teams have experienced in the history of basketball.” says Coach Tomlin. “Some have never even played a home game.”
The Panthers are left without a den, leaving them wandering in a pacified ennui. This could very well be some of the players last semesters here, and to leave on this is not ideal. While Coach Tomlin makes it clear that his team “are gladiators” he does note that they are “put at a disadvantage.” All in all, this reporter hopes to see the Panthers winning again, and hopefully in their home court.
