After finishing last season with an 18-14 overall record, there were high hopes for this year’s men’s basketball team. But after a six-game losing streak, the Hilltoppers are now a disappointing 7-10, with an even more disappointing 3-6 conference mark as they enter the final third of the season.

Head Coach Andre Cook attributes the recent struggles to playing away from home and untimely injuries.

“We have lost some close games recently, because we have played a lot of away games in tough environments, and because we have had some injuries,” Cook said.

Two of these losses came against two of the best teams in the Heartland Conference, St. Mary’s and Texas A&M International. Even though the Hilltoppers lost these games, Cook is using these games as a learning experience for his young players as well as a motivational tool for his seniors.

The question is not if the men’s basketball will be able to come back from these losses, but whether they will be able to come back from the injuries that have recently plagued the team. In the Jan. 16 game against Lubbock Christian, team captain Frankie Mgbolu went down with what appeared to be a hand injury. He has not played since and his  long term prognosis is unknown.

With a relatively young and now somewhat depleted bench, Cook and his team plan to work through these issues and continue to come together and form a stronger unit.

“We are who we are and that we need to work on some issues,” said Cook. “We need to stop the bleeding by practicing more, watching more film and realizing that it is still possible to meet our goals”.

By working hard and by seeing the improvement of young players like Ramir Burton, Ethan Gilbert and John Gramlich, the men’s basketball team is attempting to make a transition. The transition for the young players on the team is not easy and players are trying to digest everything at once.

“Everyone wants to win,” Cook said. “We have terrific students who study hard.”

With the willingness to work, this team hopes to be able to make a push into the playoffs. Even the freshmen are starting to feel comfortable: Freshman guard Ramir Burton has already stepped up his game, having a 29-point performance in a Jan. 18 game against Texas-Permian Basin.

With the team working towards one goal and learning how to play together, the men should have a reasonable shot to make it into the top four for conference.