By John Adams Jr.
Staff Writer
For the second season in a row, men’s basketball head coach Chris Wright has led the Langston Lions to being the No. 1 team in the Sooner Athletic Conference and No.3 in the country. Through 20 games the Langston Lions have managed to go 19-1 with multiple double-digit wins.
During the teams practice before their game against Oklahoma City University, I got a visual example of what makes the Lions such a difficult team for their opponents to defeat. All members of the team practiced with the same gameday intensity during each drill; each player held the next accountable during each drill. The Lions also make sure to communicate well with Coach Wright, his staff and each other throughout practice whenever they felt there was a problem within the scheme.
When asked about what the key to sustaining success throughout the season has been, Wright gave credit to his players mentality. “I have a lot of guys who bought in to the culture and the way they play unselfishly and do the tough little things.” Being an undefeated team often leads to players becoming too comfortable, but when asked Wright said that “It starts with the leadership of our team” as he would name returning players such as Seniors Toru Dean, Cortez Mosely, D’Monte Brown, and Junior Chereef Knox.
Players on the team talked about some of the differences between this team and last year’s squad. Dean, the lions starting point guard, believes “this team is a lot different” as he thinks each player brings a different identity to the team. Dean mentioned how this year’s team has a lot more “older guys” which brings a more veteran presence to the team. Being one of the few returning starters, Dean explained how the team remains humble. “Last year the team got comfortable,” Dean said, but this year he believes the team “adds adversity to themselves so nobody gets comfortable, and it keeps the standard high.”
Junior guard Anthony Roy has led the team all season on the offensive side, being the team’s leading scorer. During Jan. 15- Jan. 21, Roy averaged 25 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists per game. This led Roy to being named the SAC player of the week. When asked what Roy thinks the team’s greatest strength is he said the team has built a culture around the defensive side of the ball. “Our defense is our identity” Roy said. Being a transfer student could be difficult to adapt to a new system and teammates but Roy credits his coaches for most of his success on the court. “Coach Wright just gives me the freedom to play … and I think that is where most of my success comes from.”
On the Jan. 20 game against Wayland Baptist University, Roy scored 21 points with 3 rebounds and assists, while Dean pitched in 15 points and 8 assists. Langston would go on to win that game 86-63. Langston looks to continue their winning ways and eventually become back-to-back SAC champions. As a team the Lions are shooting 47.1% from the field, 35.2% from three and 74% from the line. They also lead the SAC as the No. 1 defense in the conference as of February 1.
John Adams Jr. is a sophomore broadcast Journalism major.
