By Jim Henry
jhenry@joplinglobe.com
With the season opener six days away, Missouri Southern men’s basketball coach Robert Corn will pay particular attention to the defense today when the Lions play Livin’ The Dream.
“We have to find out where we’re at,” Corn said. “So many times you don’t know where your defense is because guys have a tendency to play the play (during practices). Defensive positioning is something I’ll watch.”
Tipoff is at 3 p.m. in the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center for the Lions’ final game before the season begins Nov. 20 against Missouri S&T; in Pittsburg, Kan.
Rest assured, Corn will watch more than the Lions’ defense.
“Rebounding ... are we going to box out,” he said. “On offense, are we going to execute and take care of the ball.”
The Lions committed 24 turnovers in their 95-67 loss at Illinois two weeks ago.
“Playing somebody like that, when you make a mistake, they usually make you pay,” Corn said. “It seemed like every time we had a turnover or we had a breakdown defensively, it cost us.”
Guard Skyler Bowlin paced the Lions with 17 points, and guard Patrick Hester contributed 11 off the bench. Chris Scruggs had seven rebounds, one more than Rich Borries.
“Playing Illinois was a great experience, one that our guys really enjoyed,” Corn said. “After we got off to a slow start, we did some positive things. We had a couple of stretches where we played some pretty good basketball.
“Practice has been going pretty good,” Corn said. “We went through a couple of days when I felt we were stagnant, but guys were out with ankle sprains and we were down number-wise. These last couple of days, it seems like everyone is rejuvenated. Our numbers are back up, and we are able to keep fresh bodies on the floor to practice.”
Ankle problems, however, continue to hobble the Lions. Freshman guard Chris Baker probably will not play today because of an ankle sprain, Corn said, and senior forward DaRell Crittendon sprained an ankle in Thursday’s practice, and he might not be ready to play today.
