The chemistry these four shares on the court is no coincidence; all four players live in the same dorm suite and have developed strong bonds over their time at SAU.
“They’re my best friends,” said Carden. “These guys are like my brothers; there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for them. It’s really nice to have best friends you can rely on.”
His teammates share in that sentiment and strongly believe it translates to both the team and players becoming better.
“The chemistry is definitely strong between us four, just because we’ve been playing with each other a little bit longer than everybody else. We aren’t afraid to be honest with each other,” Bellamy said.
However, make no mistake in thinking this is a four man team. The four juniors recognize the importance of their roles to the team and have worked hard to create and maintain a sense of unity among the players. When asked what was most important to them, the four responded in unison their coach’s favorite words: “the team, the team, the team!”
“We have a family atmosphere on this team,” Howe said. “We don’t have any guys that are out to get their [own]; everyone is a team player…on a college team I feel like that is pretty rare.”
So far, that atmosphere has translated into wins for the Cougars, something these four are confident will keep happening. After losing two of the team’s leading scorers last year, Van Pelt wants to prove that this team has brought their game to a whole new level and even has the potential to win in bigger settings.
“Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) and Grace College are really good, but I feel like we can be right up there with them at the top of the MCC; our goal is to make it to Branson, [Mo.], and anything can happen once we get there,” said Van Pelt.
Branson, Mo., is the location of the national championship tournament, a place these four want to lead their team. SAU has only made it to this tournament twice, most recently when this group of juniors was freshmen. To take this team back as upperclassmen would mean a lot to each of them, especially Howe.
“We are definitely proud to play for this school, but even more so in playing for each other, with everything we’ve been through together; it means a lot knowing how much team each of us has invested for the team,” said Howe.
“We’re excited about this year,” said Bellamy, “there is definitely a sense of togetherness.”
If that sense of togetherness these four juniors share is reflected in the rest of the team, it may be an exciting year to watch Cougar basketball.
