Women’s National Basketball Association star Chamique Holdsclaw was named the “female Michael Jordan.”

Contributed Photo

Holdsclaw, like many athletes, struggled with mental illness. In her documentary “Mind/Game: The journey of Chamique Holdsclaw,” she proves that even with a mental illness, she can trump any opponent she would ever face on the court.

In the documentary, she explains how basketball was once her “coping mechanism,” and she has replaced it with a strict routine of eating healthy, exercising, quiet time and meditation. Now, she travels the country to advocate for mental health awareness. Friday, Feb. 10 at 7:00 p.m., Holdsclaw will be speaking in the Mabel Brown Room.

Shelby Iava can be contacted at Siava@kscequinox.com

Middlebury College

The men’s basketball team suffered their first loss in four games Tuesday, Jan. 31 away at Middlebury College.

Ty Nichols led KSC with 22 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the year. Jaquel Edwards also tallied up double-digits with 16 points, while Matthew Ozzella had 12 and Lucas Hammel with 11.

Edwards and Nichols both sank early three-pointers for a 6-3 lead in the beginning of the half.

The Panthers went on a 12-4 run and capped it with a layup for a 15-10 advantage.

Jacob Paquin/ Equinox Staff

Demonte Turner sank a pair of free throws, while Jeffrey Lunn added a layup which got the Owls within two (18-20). With 8:33 left in the first half, the Panthers scored 17 of the next 19 points, going up 37-22. The Panthers also scored the next seven points, giving them a 44-27 lead over the Owls at the half.

The Owls started the second half strong, maintaining a 12-2 run over the first five minutes of the half. Hammel made a layup, which brought the Owls within seven. The Panthers scored a double-digit lead on a three-point play, but the Owls didn’t give up. Nichols found Lunn for a layup at just less than 10 minutes left in the game, bringing the score to 65-52, Middlebury. Ozzella scored six points in just 26 seconds, finishing a three-point play. Then, Lunn stole the ball from Middlebury and passed it off to Ozzella. Ozzella hit a three to bring the score up 65-58, Middlebury, with 7:38 left on the clock.

Nichols hit his third three-pointer of the game with 2:26 left, as the Owls stayed behind the Panthers. The Owls could not get in reach of them.

University of Southern Maine

The Keene State Owls fell short to an LEC matchup against Southern Maine.

Ozzella was one of the leading scorers for the afternoon with 24 points and 10 rebounds, fellow senior Lunn also added 16 points and nine rebounds while Nichols had 14 points and three assists.

The Owls went to the position of the jump ball, and ran it to the basket. Lunn was able to get the Owls on the board first with a layup for two points. That was the only lead the Owls had over the Huskies for the entire game. The Huskies answered back with a three. They were leading by a bucket, 12-10. After the first five minutes of the game, University of Southern Maine (USM) went on a 10-2 run to have an early 10-point lead, 22-12 USM.

The Huskies held a steady lead for most of the first half and led by 12. With just 4:20 remaining in the first half, USM added a layup while the Owls only hit two baskets.

Ozzella and Lunn went back-to-back and brought the score 39-34, USM. The Huskies quickly regained possession and sank a jumper, bringing it to 14-37 at the half.

The Owls were unable to get on top of the Huskies trailing behind the entire time. A three from Jaquel Edwards brought the Owls within five. With 9:16 left on the clock, the Huskies outscored the Owls 11-4 over the next few minutes, giving the Huskies a greater lead, 73-6. USM outscored the Owls 17-10 in the last remaining minutes of the half. The Owls fell short 90-71.

The Owls will host a another LEC matchup against Plymouth State University, Wednesday Feb. 8, at 7:30 p.m.

Shelby Iava can be contacted at Siava@kscequinox.com

Middlebury College

The Keene State women’s basketball team matched up against non-conference Middlebury College on Jan. 3. Emily McPadden scored her second consecutive game with double-digits. McPadden scored 18 points, while her fellow teammate Stephanie D’Annolfo scored 12 with seven rebounds. Amanda Petrow also received double-digits, scoring 11.

The Owls came out fired up in the first quarter, shooting 10-for-16. The Owls earned an early 12-9 lead with a layup from Petrow and back-to-back threes from Rachel Bonnanzio and Lydia Vital, bringing the lead up 18-9.

D’Annolfo added in another layup to widen the lead even more, but the Panthers shot a three and sank it in with 1:16 left on the clock. McPadden sank the final basket with a jump shot from the top of the key to make the score 22-12, Keene State.

Jacob Paquin/ Equinox Staff

The Owls opened the second quarter with a 12-2 run and maintained a 20 point lead with just 5:32 left on the clock. Keene State kept the offensive drive as Petrow scored another two baskets before time ran out. The Panthers achieved the final points of the quarter as they hit a three with just 24 seconds left, sending both teams into the half, 38-17, Keene State.

Late in the third quarter, Sandi Purcell gave the Owls their greatest lead. A three-point shot put the Owls up by 25 points with 4:47 to go. The Panthers shot a free throw and a three, achieving the next four points and pulling them within 21 points.

With 1:11 left on the clock, McPadden received the next five points, keeping Keene State on top 49-25 at the end of the third.

In the fourth, the Panthers would only come as close as 18 points. The Owls sealed the deal 59-37.

University of Southern Maine

The Owls soared past the University of Southern Maine (USM) 62-43, Saturday Feb. 4 at Firfield Court.

Four of the Owls scored double-digits to keep their lead over USM. Sandi Purcell led with 13 points, Stephanie D’Annolfo was one assist shy of a triple double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Both Lydia Vital and Amanda Petrow scored 10 points each. Josie Amerson also pulled down a career and game-high of 12 rebounds with six points.

The Owls came out strong offensively in the first minutes, maintaining a 15-0 lead that was capped by the three from Purcell with 6:19 left in the first quarter.  Southern Maine finally got on the board with two converted free throws.

Jacob Paquin/ Equinox Staff

Keene quickly reacted with five points from Vital and Purcell in the final minute of the quarter. The Owls extended the lead to 17 points, 22-5 at the end of the first.

The Owls came out of the second quarter with a 9-0 run to stay in front of the Huskies. The Owls then brought the score to 31-5 in just the beginning of the quarter. The Huskies found some momentum with back-to-back layups.

The Huskies have now added nine points with 4:57 to go. Keene State followed right back with seven unanswered points for a 38-9 margin in favor of the Owls. The Huskies didn’t throw in the towel just yet, they grabbed three more points, but a final basket from Amerson put Keene State up 40-12 at the half.

D’Annolfo with a layup and a three from Kenzie Bennett opened up the third quarter. The Owls stayed strong, shooting in the first half and maintaining the double-digit lead. The Huskies would only come as close as 19 points in the last remaining minutes.

Keene State didn’t give up the double-digit lead and finished on top at the buzzer, 62-43.

The Keene State lady Owls will play home on Wednesday against Plymouth State University. Tip-off will be at 5:30 p.m.

Shelby Iava can be contacted at Siava@kscequinox.com

The lady Owls fell short 65-56 in a Little East Conference matchup Saturday, Jan. 21 against UMass Dartmouth.

Sophomore guard Lydia Vital racked up double digits scoring 17 points, while her teammate and fellow guard Stephanie D’Annolfo scored 11.

UMass Dartmouth’s sophomore forward Nakira Examond scored 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Rybecca Gonzalez and Leah Douty both added 10 points.

Keene State had an early lead with the help from junior guard Sandi Purcell. Purcell made a three-point play with back-to-back baskets from D’Annolfo. Vital got possession of the ball and went for a layup, which brought the Owls up 17-10. Gonzalez made a layup at the end of the first quarter and brought the score to 20-14.

Luke Stergiou/ Senior photographer

UMass Dartmouth came out strong in the beginning of the second quarter, scoring six of the first eight baskets.

The Owls didn’t give in; they went on a five straight point kick. Sophomore guard Emily McPadden landed a three-pointer with 2:49 to go on the clock. The Owls lead 27-20.

The Corsairs had a 9-2 run, bringing both teams to a tie.

With 7:10 on the clock, UMass Dartmouth hit a three, taking them into the lead 36-32. The Owls came back with a pair of foul shots from D’Annolfo.

The Owls outscored UMass in the beginning of the third quarter. The Owls were within two, 52-50.

The Corsairs had the next possession with an 8-3 run, putting the Owls out of reach. Forward and first-year Kenzie Bennett made it 61-56 with just 1:40 on the clock.

The Corsairs closed out the game, while the Owls missed their final shots.

Shelby Iava can be contacted at siava@kscequinox.com

Women’s Basketball

The Keene State College women’s basketball team took a conference win on Wednesday, Jan. 18.  The Owls took a double-digit lead and ended the game 63-47 on the Panther’s stomping ground.

Junior Sandi Purcell and senior Stephanie D’Annolfo lead the Owls to victory. Purcell had a game-high of 15 points, whereas D’Annolfo shot 13. Sophomore Emily McPadden also scored double digits- she had 11 points and five rebounds. Senior Amanda Petrow was the final Owl that received double digits and racked up 10 points for the Owls.

The Owls came out strong and kept with it the entire length of the game. D’Annolfo and Purcell had back-to-back lay ups. The Panthers quickly reacted and tied it up. Purcell hit a basket from beyond the arc and junior guard Lydia Vital added another lay up. The Owls were up 12-4 with 6:17 left to go in the first. Even though the Owls had the lead, the Panthers did not give up. Jumper Cassidy Emerson brought the Panthers within four points at the end of the first, leaving the score 17-13 Keene State.

Beginning in the second quarter, the Owls opened with back-to-back layups. The Panthers were only able to stack four points before the Owls went on a 17-0 run. Purcell started the fire with a basket with 5:49 remaining on the clock. Just as the Owls were ending their half, first-year forward Rachel Bonnanzio sank a three-pointer to end it at half time.

Keene State kept strong and extended their lead to 30 points in the third quarter. D’Annolfo and first-year forward Kenzie Bennett were a big part of that 30-point lead. The Owls finished the third with a double-digit lead 58-31.

In the final quarter, the Panthers got close but not close enough. The Panthers managed to limit the Owls to just five points, but they fell short at the sound of the buzzer. Taking the win, Keene State will remain as the top seed in the Little East Conference.

Men’s Basketball

The Keene State men’s basketball team will remain in the top three of the Little East Conference (LEC), as they took home the win on Jan. 19. The Owls took an 82-70 win at the Foley Gymnasium.

Free throws seemed to carry this game for the Keene State Owls. The Owls shot 31 for 41 free throw attempts, which was 75.6 percent of the shots. Senior guard Matthew Ozzella and junior guard Dizel Wright both racked up a high of 16 points each. Ozzella added another 15 rebound and made 12 of 14 free throw shots. Sophomore forward Ty Nichols and senior guard Lucas Hammel both received 12 points a piece, while senior guard Jaquel Edwards added 10 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

The Owls came out in the first with an 8-6 lead. Nichols sank a pair of free throws, but the Panthers reacted quickly. With a 9-2 run, the Panthers took the lead 15-10 with 15:27 on the clock. First-year Jake Collagan gave five straight shots for the Owls, which gave them a 19-18 advantage. The game stayed close as both LEC teams fought to stay in the lead. With 8:20 left on the clock, the scoreboard was tied 24-24.

The Owls ignited and scored the next eight points closing out the half. The Owls now had a 46-34 lead at the half.

Coming into the second half, the Owls never let the Panthers in reach of them. Junior and forward Jimmy Layman found his way to the court and converted a three-point play, setting the score 55-38.

Wright’s jump shots gave the Owls their biggest lead of 73-53, and the Owls coasted their way to the win.

Shelby Iava can be contacted at siava@kscequinox.com

Two MLB players died in two separate crashes on Sunday, Jan. 22 in the Dominican Republic. Kansas City Royals pitcher, Yordano Ventura and former major leaguer Andy Marte died in traffic accidents.

Tatiana Fernandez/ AP Photo

According to the New York Times, it was unclear whether Ventura had been driving when he died on the highway.Ventura was a hard-throwing right-hander who reached the major league in 2013. Ventura made three World Series starts, two in 2014 against the San Francisco Giants and then in a loss in 2015 against the Mets at Citi Field.

Marte, a former infielder, spent seven seasons with Atlanta, Cleveland, and Arizona. Marte died when his Mercedes-Benz hit a house.

Shelby Iava can be contacted at siava@kscequinox.com

College basketball is the next level. The athletes run faster, jump higher and they are bigger and stronger. Overall, they have more experience.

However, for first-year student Jake Collagan, the lack of experience has not stopped him. Collagan has already racked up playing time on the courts.

Head Coach Ryan Cain has had his eye on Collagan since last year. Assistant Coach Tyler Hundley watched Collagan play over the summer before he [Hundley] came to Keene State.

Hundley kept up with his watch on Collagan and mentioned his name to Cain. “We made the call out to him, to say Coach Hundley made the switch over here [Keene State]. As soon as Coach Hundley talked to him, he was very excited about the opportunity here at Keene State,” Cain said.

Jacob Paquin/ Equinox Staff

Hundley remembers the first time he watched Collagan. “It was at an AAU tournament in Springfield, two summers ago. It’s just the talent that he had; he was a kid who wasn’t the biggest kid in the world, but he was able to make shots, he was pretty athletic, he was able to do a bunch of different things, offensively at least, [and] that was what sparked my interest in him and I called him right away,” Hundley said.

He continued, “As soon as I saw him play that night, and I remember our first conversation, we definitely hit it off and it was the most comfortable to that point that I’ve ever felt with a recruit right away; it was kind of a match made right away.”

As they went through the process of recruitment, the coaching staff had gotten to know Collagan very well as a person and a player.

“He’s a real hard-working young man, you know, he’s a bit undersized at this point,” Cain laughs, “but his skills make up for some of his size. He really wants to be good, so he’s already developed quite a bit since we started playing.”

Collagan also mentioned his size. “I’m a string bean, that’s how everyone looks at me. I’m very skinny, that’s probably my main weakness,” Collagan laughed, “I got to get some weight on me.”

Despite his size, “He’s definitely a good shooter and he’s really good with a basketball,” Cain said.  “He’s a tough guy to stay in front of, he’s worked hard on his game to really have the ability to break guys down off the dribble so he could get the spot. He gets to the 12 -18 foot spot for a pull-up jumper about as good as anyone on our team, so I think that is probably his biggest strength and now we get to build his game around that strength.”

Cain said that Collagan is like many other first-years. “They get the defensive side of the court, which is a big adjustment for some freshman and that was the case for Jake,” Cain said.

He continued, “well, especially with his size, but I think he’s really figured it out in terms of the level he needs to compete at. He has to find his niche on the defensive end of the floor because of his size and I think he’s done a nice job.”

Senior guard and forward Matthew Ozzella said that Collagan is a young and talented player. “He can shoot the ball as well as anyone. As a young first-year it’s tough to merge your talents with the maturity needed to consistently play well and grow as a leader,” Ozzella said.

Roles change day-to-day and game-to-game for the Owls.

As for Collagan, “His role can be coming in and giving us a spark, that could be with the energy that he plays with, that could be by scoring points and then hopefully he’s developing his game to be more of a playmaker and a facilitator for other guys too, not just when he gets the ball. He’s looking for himself, it’s he can get in the way and make a play for some other guys and get them good shots as well,” Cain said.

Collagan shared that the team has goals to get back to the NCAA tournament and to take on the Little East Conference.

Even though Collagan is just a first-year, he recognizes how much it means to everyone else to take home the Little East Conference  title for the third year in a row.

Cain said that Collagan is one of the guys they’re really excited about.

Cain expressed that Collagan has already made so much progress since when their season started on Oct. 15. Cain said he wants to see if Collagan will continue that development and have it be an upward trend throughout his four years. “I think he’s got a ton of potential, you know it’s always hard to figure out what that potential is, but no doubt were excited about him and the role he can have with his team,” Cain said.

“I think it’s going to be a great experience with Coach Cain. I know how much passion he has for the game and I’m just right there with him, I love basketball. Coach Stitchell, he loves basketball, Coach Hundley everybody. I think it’s going to be a great four years and I can’t wait,” Collagan said.

 Shelby Iava can be contacted at siava@kscequinox.com

The Keene State Owl’s women’s basketball team took on Worcester State University on Tuesday, Dec. 6 in the Spaulding Gymnasium. The Lady Owls walked onto the court with new uniforms for the 2016-2017 season.

Shelby Iava/ Sports Editor

The starting line up for the lady Owls is as followed; Stephanie D’Annolfo, Amanda Petrow, Sandi Purcell, Rachel Bonnanzio and Lydia Vital. In the first half the lady owls came out strong. D’Annolfo making a comeback since she was injured the first couple weeks of the season, starting of with nine points in just the first half. Emily McPadden scored six while her teammates Petrow and Purcell both scored four. The Owls maintain the lead at the half, 30-21.

The second half Worcester State starts with possession. The Owls steal it back after Worcester misses two baskets. The Owls keep a steady lead in front of Worcester state throughout the entire second half. Vital and Purcell both landed double digits in the second half. Vital with 12 points and Purcell with 11. The Lady Owls took the win over Worcester 56-49. The Owls will play home on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. in the Spaulding Gymnasium against UMass Boston.

Shelby Iava can be contacted at Siava@kscequinox.com

Keene Ice was “absolutely electric,” graduate student and assistant captain of the KSC club hockey team Andrew Pierce said.

Bruins alumni and the Rink Services Group (RSG) All-Stars clashed for a good cause at Keene Ice on Sunday, Dec. 4.

The Boston Bruins Alumni team is an organization which consists of  former, retired Bruins players such as Terry O’Reilly, Rick Middleton, Ray Bourque, RéJean “Reggie” Lemelin, Andrew Raycroft, Glen “Feather” Featherstone and many more. Their organization has raised more than $5 million for local charities and youth hockey programs.

Pierce and Kurt Mitchell, captain of the Owls ice hockey team, were the coaches for the RSG All-Star team. “I wasn’t expecting the big win because, you know, the Bruins are pretty good. Even though they’re old guys, they were still pretty good, so it was more of a social, fun atmosphere. I would say my goal for it was to meet some of the Bruins and have a fun time, try to make it enjoyable for everyone,” Mitchell said.

Andrew Pierce/ Contributing Photo

Peirce added that it was their first loss as coaches. “It was tough, but if we were going to lose to anybody, [it] might as well be the Bruins,” Pierce said.

There was a crowd of 800 to almost 1,000 spectators in the stands, people from the community to the little kids that the Keene State hockey team works with in their Learn to Play program. “I would say the community loved it; there was a huge turn out, “ Mitchell said.

Mitchell continued, “There was such a big turn out. Everyone seemed to love it. Who doesn’t want to go see a bunch of Bruins alumni? I think they would definitely do it again, even the RSG All-Stars. They all had a great time.”

For both Pierce and Mitchell, it was their chance to be on the other side of the ice. they were the two chosen to coach the RSG All-Star team. Assistant Coach for the Owls ice hockey team Bert Poirier was one of the players on the RSG All-Star team.

The RSG All-Star team is a group of former area high school and college players, many of whom were involved in fundraising for the rink. Poirer played alongside Leon Watkins, Mike Romeo, Chris McIntosh, Cam O’Brien, Jay Landry, Derek Klowak, Bob King, Chris Stroshine, John Parrelli, Nick Cote, Jonathan Poirier, Hutch Stone, Zach Southwell, Ian Galipeau, Isaac Jasinski, Raf Podniesinski, Jay Clarke and Gary McRae to make up the RSG All-Star team.

For Poirier, it was his second time playing against the Bruins Alumni. “I played and it was interesting, it really was. It was a lot of fun because the Bruins, for one thing, are so seasoned so it’s all about passing; it’s not about showing each other off, and we had a great group of guys on our side, guys who get it. There’s a certain etiquette when you do these benefits games. Nobody goes in hard, there’s no fighting, no stupidity and that kind of thing. It’s more of a showcase of talent, more so on the Bruins side because they have talent,” Poirier said.

Mitchell said it was a great time coaching Poirier and that it was his chance to give it all back.

“All the things that he yells at me for, I would just yell right back at him, so that was one of the highlights, I would say,” Mitchell said.

Poirier even said that the Keene Ice Board was amazed by Pierce and Mitchell, as well as the Bruins Alumni. “They had questions about the guys. They asked, ‘hey how’s the team?’ and I tell them we’re blessed. We’re blessed with good people who play a pretty good brand of hockey. They did a great job and looked the part,” Poirier said.

The Keene Ice Arena itself is owned by a company called Rink Services Group. The owner of that company is well-connected with the Bruins Alumni, and that’s how the game managed to get set up said Poirier. All the money that was raised was donated to Keene Ice. “The money goes right to the rink for programming as part of the overall budget, but primarily is going to be used for programming,” Poirier said. Poirier is also on the board for Keene Ice, so he is exposed to where the money goes and how the decisions are made to a certain extent.

Poirier talked about an “incredible” moment he had when kneeling on the ice alongside Rick Middleton, who ranks third of all time for the Boston Bruins goalscorers.  “When we did a team picture along with the Bruins, we did it facing the crowd and I happened to be kneeling down next to Rick Middleton,” Poirier said.

He continued, “He said to me, ‘Hey, we do a lot of these just so you know, but this is one of the best crowds we’ve had in quite some time and kudos to whoever put this on and the facility itself,’  so he and I started talking, and it’s funny because our conversation continued after the game. We had a reception and I showed him our locker room and I told him about our college team and all that and he said, ‘You guys in Keene, New Hampshire, are first class” so that made me feel good and there were a lot of people there who wanted autographs. It was a proud community [and] civic moment for all of us who are a part of this. This really hit home.”

Shelby Iava can be contacted at Siava@kscequinox.com

The wooden floor of the Spaulding Gymnasium was glossy, while Matthew Ozzella stepped onto the court for his last season as an Owl. Ozzella set his all-time career-high for most scored points in a game on Tuesday Nov. 22 in their victory against Springfield College.

Ozzella grew up in the small town of Medway, Massachusetts, which has a population of 13,000. Although he continued to play basketball in college, it didn’t start off that way. Ozzella first began playing basketball when he was in third or fourth grade with the Medway Amateur Basketball Association (MABA). “I believe that’s the first time. I did quit for a while, and then I came back around sixth grade,” Ozzella said.

In the time he took off from basketball, Ozzella started to play hockey. Ozzella’s father played hockey for North Adams State College, which is now the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and he wanted his son to share that passion.

When sixth grade rolled around, Ozzella was back on the court and hasn’t looked back since. Ozzella’s mother Lisa Brady said that he has played many different sports. She mentioned that he would play a sport every season, and at some points he even played two sports at once time. “But he always played basketball. When he got to high school, he decided that basketball was going to be his one sport. He played basketball year-round at that point,” Brady said.

Shelby Iava/ Sports Editor

Head basketball coach Ryan Cain has had a watchful eye over Ozzella since he first arrived at Keene State in 2015. Cain said, “Matt is a tremendous senior; he’s a great leader.”

He continued, “He’s a lead-by-example kind of guy. He speaks up when he needs to situationally, and because he’s not always the most vocal person, when he speaks I think the guys really respond to him. On our team, he’s probably the most versatile guy and toughest to guard because he’s so strong and physical, but he complements that with some really good skills. He’s able to shoot the ball, he’s able to put the ball on the floor and go by guys, so he’s just a tremendous asset to have on the basketball court.”

Brady said that no matter where they lived, they always had a basketball hoop. “Hanging off the doors, tabletop hoops, [and] in the driveway, you name it we had that hoop! He and his brother, Michael always competed with each other in all the sports. When Matthew got to high school, he and Michael played together on the basketball court for the first time. As their Mom, that was the best. They pushed each other to be better athletes,” Brady said.

Both Cain and fellow teammate Rodney Jean-Marie agreed he can play many different roles on the team, and that it’s not all about the points you rack up. “It’s funny because I think everyone’s role kind of changes consistently game to game. Matt’s the perfect example of that…” Coach Cain said, “We’ve had some games where he’s scored three points, but he had 15 rebounds and six assists, if I remember the stats correctly. Then, last game he had 31 with 22 points at the half, so his role is really doing whatever it takes for us to win, and the good thing about Matt is he doesn’t necessarily have to score to impact the game.”

Jean-Marie said Ozzella doesn’t really have a weakness, “He’s a strong kid and he’s very athletic. On the court, he can do anything. He’s very versatile, and being able to have different roles helps the team out a lot,” Jean-Marie said.

Cain couldn’t stress Ozzella’s versatility enough. “He can do everything,” Cain said. “He can rebound it, he can dribble it up the court, make plays for us, he [can] pass it, he can shoot it, he can post it, he can shoot off the bound. He literally, in terms of being a basketball player, he has all of the different skills that you need on offense and defense.” He continued, “He’s a versatile guy on the defensive side, he can guard the biggest guy on the court, but I also think he can guard the smallest quickest guy on the court. In terms of basketball skill stuff, he doesn’t really have a glaring weakness that some players do.”

Ozzella said that his first-year and sophomore year were his low points in his career. “I wasn’t playing very well, I kept turning the ball over, I wasn’t shooting well and basically all my confidence was taken away,” he said. “It’s common for a lot of first-years and sophomores,” Ozzella said. “When you’re not playing well, you become unconfident and that’s kind of a slippery slope,” he said. Ozzella turned it around the second semester of his sophomore year and said he started playing harder. “Honestly, it’s not like I gave up,  but I stopped thinking about how I wasn’t confident anymore and everything kind of fell into place.”

Tim Smith/ Photo Editor

Being a senior in his last year, Ozzella has taken on a different type of leadership that is something he is not used to. “I think that leadership piece of it has really developed in him. Some of the guys that were juniors, now seniors, have really taken on a different level of leadership, and he is one of those guys. He competes hard every day, and I think our guys really respect the way he goes about his business on the basketball [court],” Cain said.

Athletes and professional NBA stars influence some athletes, but for Ozzella he said that his mother influenced him the most. “She’s just taught me the ways of life in general, and she’s a strong person so I just take everything from her.”

Brady said she is very proud of Ozzella’s accomplishments on and off the court. “As his mother, I have always supported him and his decisions. Of course, I was also the one who was pushing him to work harder, reminding him to get his homework done and feeding his endless appetite. But ultimately, he is the one who has done the work to get himself to where he is today.  I love to watch him play basketball,” Brady said.

Being part of a collegiate athletic team can bring many life lessons. Brady said, “Most importantly, it’s a commitment.” She continued, “Being accountable to others, working together to achieve the same goal, as well as working on your own individual goals. It’s not always easy, but that’s life. You have learn to get along with many different personalities. How can that not help prepare you for the future? Matthew is very smart and extremely sensitive to those around him. I have no doubt that Matthew will be successful in anything his future brings and his basketball achievements will have definitely played a role in whatever that is.”

Cain’s closing statement about Ozzella was, “I just think Matt is a great young man. Obviously we talk a lot about the basketball stuff, but he is equally just as good of a person off the court. He’s a funny, goofy guy, he’s great to be around and he does great in the classroom too. He was academic, all conference last year and I think if he continues that this year, maybe he could even get national recognition for his academics. So it’s not just what he does on the basketball court, it’s everything else he does as well,” he said.

Shelby Iava can be contacted at Siava@kscequinox.com