Now in his seventh season at Morgan State, head coach Kevin Broadus believes he finally has what every college basketball coach chases — a roster that is healthy, committed and bought in.
The Bears have hovered in the middle of the MEAC standings the past few seasons — competitive but unable to break through. Broadus thinks that will change this year.
“I’m not coaching effort, and I’m not coaching personalities,” Broadus said on Glenn Clark Radio Oct. 23. “I’m coaching basketball right now. I’m coaching guys that want to get better, want to do better, want to please and want to win, and that’s a world of difference.”
Morgan State opened its season at Georgetown on Nov. 3, a matchup that carried personal significance for Broadus, who previously worked on the Hoyas’ coaching staff. The Bears lost, 87-70.
“It’s like going back home. It’s a special occasion,” Broadus said. “But like I always tell our guys, that game is not going to make or break our season. It’s one game. It’s the first game. It’s just going to help us tell where we are.”
Senior guard Rob Lawson, now one of the most experienced players in the MEAC, headlines Broadus’ group. Lawson scored a team-high 20 points in the game against Georgetown. He also had five assists and two rebounds. Broadus said Lawson’s impact extends beyond scoring.
“He knows the road that we’re going down, who we’re playing, how we’re going to play them,” Broadus said. “He knows all the calls and he knows what we are planning to do. He helps these guys every day.”
Along with Lawson, veterans Trent Edwards and Christian Oliver remained in Baltimore despite opportunities elsewhere. Broadus said that kind of loyalty has shaped the team’s culture, especially with several players from last year’s team having moved on.
“It means a lot. You have some kids, when they came here, the parents said, ‘Well, this is what we want out of our kid. This is what we want him to do,’ and it was vice versa. I said, ‘This is what we need him to do and we want him to do,’ and it was a common togetherness,” Broadus said.
Morgan State led the MEAC in scoring last season at 80 points per game. Broadus expects the offense to remain potent, particularly with newcomers Elijah Davis (Bowie State) and Alfred Worrell (Southern Miss) having come to Baltimore.
Davis has impressed as the new floor general. He started in every game for the Bulldogs last season, averaging 10.0 points, 5.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals. Worrell played in 32 games for the Golden Eagles last season, averaging 6.5 points and 1.6 rebounds.
“[Davis] has been unbelievable. I mean, he is a point guard deluxe. He’s an elite point guard, elite lead guard,” Broadus said.
Broadus believes the biggest change will come defensively, an area where the Bears struggled last season. Edwards is embracing a defensive specialist role after blocking 27 shots a year ago.
“He’s more of a force on the defensive end. Trent has taken in the role of, ‘I’m going to stop the best guy on the other team. I’m going to defend. I’m going to rebound, stuff like that,'” Broadus said.
Frontcourt additions should help as well. Broadus highlighted 7-foot-1 Indiana transfer Dallas James, whom he called the “anchor of the defense.”
“Dallas is doing very well, hard worker. He is the anchor of a defense. I mean, he blocks shots, he rebounds, he’s unselfish. We love what he brings to the table,” Broadus said.
Broadus keeps hearing the same thing from his returning leaders: This season feels different.
“Right now, we’re a better team than we were last year,” Broadus said. “Everyone thinks they’re really good. I’m not saying we’re really good. I think we have a better concept and a better idea of what we’re trying to do this year. We have a lot of togetherness. Guys are working way harder than they worked last year.”
For more from Broadus, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of MSU Athletics