Turnovers plagued the Bakersfield College men’s basketball team against College of the Sequoias on Nov. 9 and Allan Hancock on Nov. 10 in the Cuesta Tournament.
BC lost to COS 74-58 and lost to Hancock 96-78.
“We played hard, but we didn’t play smart,” said BC coach Rich Hughes. “The thing is, we’ve just got to be smarter with how hard we play and not get fouls.
“Secondly, not be in a hurry and turn the ball over. We turned the ball over 40 times in the two games.”
He also added that shot selection and rebounding are areas they need to improve on.
“I think we have potential and we can be a competitive team, but we need to shore up our turnovers and our shot selection,” said Hughes on what he took from the team’s first tournament. “Our intensity was a bright spot. I think we played with some passion because both games we got down early and we kept competing.”
Against Hancock, BC fell behind early due to turnovers and a tough assignment defensively.
“Minus the turnovers and some questionable shots we played OK,” said Hughes.
Even though BC turned the ball over 23 times and faced a 16-point deficit in the second half, the Renegades were able to get within four points, but a 40-point game from forward Demetrius Thomas was too much to overcome.
Center Taevanwe Morrison, who had four points and led the team with eight rebounds in his second game back since suffering a season ending injury last year, explained how he thought he played.
“I don’t think I played to my best potential,” said Morrison. “I played my hardest and I gave it my all. There were things I was scared of coming out in my first game, but I just need to work harder in practice.
“We played hard and we hustled, but we took a lot of bad shots,” he said on the team’s performance.
On Nov. 9, turnovers and rebounding issues cost BC as they fell to COS. The Renegades turned the ball over 17 times, were outrebounded 35-30 and were outscored 44-29 in the first half by the Giants to give the Renegades their first loss of the season.
Hughes explained that the team did not play anywhere to its best.
“It’s going to take them some time, so by no means did they play to their best,” said Hughes. “I think once we get into the season and start to get a little comfort zone and start to get a little confidence, then we’ll start to play much better.”
BC’s next scheduled game will be at home against San Diego Mesa in the Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 23. Also, former Renegade and former NBA player Andre Spencer will be honored and in attendance during that game.