It's a simple formula, yet sometimes the basics prove to be the most effective.
The keys to success for the Erie Community College men's basketball team this season have been hard work and discipline.
After that, everything else has taken care of itself.
Hard work and attention to attitude, both on and off the court, have helped the Kats Chanel Replica Handbags rise to the No. 1 ranking in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II poll. ECC is 25-1 overall, its only loss to Lakeland (Ohio) Community College on Dec. 12, and is 13-0 in the Western New York Conference after Tuesday's 65-50 win at Alfred State.
The Kats will close the regular season Thursday when they host Mercyhurst North East at 8 p.m. in the Flickinger Center. Then, it's on to the Region III Tournament and the progressive march to the national tournament, March 16-20 in Danville, Ill.
While ECC has been in the national rankings before, this is the first time in head coach Alex Nwora's nine seasons that the Kats have been No. 1.
The Kats' defense, always an area of contention for coaches, has improved as the season has progressed, while their offense has plenty of options with four players averaging double figures.
"The kind of team we have, we don't depend on one person," said freshman God's Gift Achiuwa of Nigeria, who is averaging 13.2 rebounds and 13.4 points a game. "That's where our success comes from. I see it as a privilege to be with this team."
Nwora credits his assistant coaching staff, Lazare Adigono and Edmund Rainey, with helping his team develop skills. Those skills include paying attention to structure and discipline, and the focus has paid off.
"I work hard. I work harder than I did before and it's good," said first-year player Kenyon Edwards, a former standout at Grover Cleveland. "He's teaching me how to be a man. He talks a lot about discipline and then he gets mad when your ego gets in the way. He tells us to play as a team. And when we do, it all comes together."
Nwora doesn't just talk about hard work, he models it. Always eager to learn more about the game, to take new opportunities to grow as a coach, he spent the past summer as the head coach for the Cape Verde national team that participated in a pair of international tournaments.
"We talk about discipline and that alone has made a big impact on our success," Nwora said. "From Day One, we wanted them taking care of everything, going to class and taking care of their school work. It all comes together. We might not have the best talent but I bet you anything that there aren't many teams which are outworking us on the court or in practice."
Swimming and diving
While the winter weather in Baltimore delayed the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships until this week, the Atlantic 10 Championships are scheduled to go off as planned today through Saturday at the Flickinger Aquatic Center at ECC downtown.
Replica prada wholesale St. Bonaventure will try to make a move on Massachusetts and win its first team title since the 2005-06 season. The championships will mark a somber note in men's swimming -- the last meet for Duquesne.
Duquesne announced that it would cut its program in large part because of a lack of championship opportunities in the sport.
The NCAA swimming championships work on a qua
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