10

SPORTS

The Norwich Guidon
Feb. 12, 2004

Men's Basketball strives to make team known in GNAC

By Nate Long
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

The number-one team in the GNAC conference is off to a 12-4 start with expectations of a conference championship starting to grow. The Norwich men's basketball team has the best conference record at 8-1, one game ahead of Johnson and Wales, which has a 7-2 conference record. They play one another on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2004.

"Right now, we are in first place in our conference, which is pretty good, seeing we've held this spot consistently, and that's something we haven't done for a while," said Adrian Ackles, a junior communications major from Woodbridge, Va.

The cadets are on a winning streak, posting an 8-0 record since their last loss to Southern Vermont.

Chemistry has been a big part of the formula of success for the Cadets, with every player in the rotation giving quality minutes, according to Ackles.

Norwich has physically found a way to outlast some of the top teams in the conference, and much of the credit for that goes to the new strength and conditioning coach, Justin Goulet.

"I'm pretty sure many teams are going to say this, but his program helped a lot. Now, where some players might hit the wall and start getting fatigued, we're now able to run through it," Ackles said.

The Cadets have the Ed Hockenbury championship under their belt, with hopes of adding more hardware to the trophy room. With the season winding down, the cadets need a strong finish to secure the number one seed in the GNAC playoffs.

"If we continue winning, the conference championship game could end up back here at Norwich," said junior forward Tim Shedd, electrical engineering major.

The Norwich Guidon is a twice-monthly student newspaper distributed at Norwich University. It provides laboratory experience for students in the Communications program. Claims asserted by letter writers, editorials and other articles do not represent the positions of Norwich University. The Norwich Guidon welcomes signed letters to the editor. They should be no longer than 300 words. Unsigned letters will not be printed, but names may be withheld upon worthy request. All letters are subject to editing for length and good taste. Mailing address: The Norwich Guidon, Communications Center, Norwich University, Northfield, VT 056632. www.norwich.edu/guidon. If you have any questions or comments about the paper, please contact Professor Ken Bush at kbush@norwich.edu.