WASHINGTON – Holy Cross is putting all its hopes on the Patriot League. That might not seem surprising even if you knew nothing about their record, considering Patriot League teams rarely have a non-conference resume with the kind of wins that put them in the discussion for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. But that has taken on new meaning as league play approaches.
In the Crusaders’ 58-57 loss at George Washington, they were more short-handed than they have been at other times this season. R.J. Evans missed his fourth straight game with a sports hernia, and may be out a while longer since he can’t do anything physical, including conditioning. Phil Beans has been out for the same amount of time with a foot injury. Now, Andrew Keister has joined the walking wounded with an Achilles injury that they have to be careful with.
Head coach Milan Brown said Keister has had the injury for a while but has continued to compete. Not surprisingly, holding him out until Patriot League play isn’t what the senior forward wants, but it’s a practical matter. Brown said the word he got is that there is a risk of rupturing it if he keeps playing without some rest, so the hope is that resting him until Patriot League play begins in another week will help heal it and lessen the risk of it rupturing. From there, Brown summed up what it all means.
“It killed him to do it, but sometimes you have to make that decision,” said the first-year Crusader head coach. “Basically, I’m putting all my chips in for the Patriot League.”
At this point, the remaining two non-league games can help Holy Cross from the standpoint of the current players on the floor getting better. Wins and losses might matter to the psyche, but aside from that it’s about the Patriot League. That’s not to say there is nothing to be gained on the court; if the 58-57 loss at George Washington is any indication, there is plenty.
As Brown noted, the injuries give other players a chance to contribute. That certainly happened against the Colonials, as Jordan Stevens and Josh Jones picked up the slack for players who struggled. Both players had a career-high 13 points, with Stevens going 3-7 from long range two games after he went 3-6. Stevens was slowed by injury earlier in the season, but appears to be finding his stroke and at a good time. With Devin Brown struggling of late and Mike Cavataio being up and down, they could use more wing production.
“He’s been doing that the last couple of games, so it’s been great to see us get that from the wing position,” said Brown.
Jones played a grand total of 88 minutes in his first three seasons in Worcester, but has already shattered that with 130 this season. The senior forward is taking advantage of the extra chances, and more will be coming at least in the foreseeable future with Keister out.
Brown said he was encouraged by how the team battled in the nation’s capital, especially given the adversity they have faced. He said they “had every excuse in the book to come out and lay an egg,” but they didn’t. Not only were guys down, Brown, the team’s leading scorer, scored in single digits for the second straight game largely from a lack of shots. That’s one more troubling trend for the Crusaders.
At this point, Patriot League play will be all that matters. That is usually the case from the bottom line standpoint, but this time around more so than usual for Holy Cross.
