With only a few games left, Saint Augustine University’s women’s and men’s basketball teams are having two different seasons. The Lady Falcons are having a very disappointing and unusual season. With an overall record of 3-21, the team has done better on the road than at home. The Lady Falcons are winless in Emery Gymnasium, with an 0-7 record, but have one win in an away game and two wins at neutral sites.
The Lady Falcons only wins came against Columbia International University in Central, S.C., on Nov. 12; Newport News Apprentice School in Newport News, Va., on Nov. 22; and Voorhees College, in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Dec. 3. The Lady Falcons did come close with two losses in overtime – against University of North Carolina at Pembroke on Nov. 30 and against Elizabeth City State University. Those games were both played on their opponents’ home courts.
On the other hand, the men’s basketball team has had a copacetic season with an overall record of 10-13. The Falcons have an even record of 4-4 at home, and a decent record of 4-6 on opponents’ turf and 2-2 at neutral sites. The men’s team also has had a couple of milestones to celebrate – their star players Anthony Gaskins and Quincy January both reached 1,000 career points during this season. Gaskins, a senior and sports management major, said he is glad for the accomplishment but isn’t done.
“I thank God everyday for this opportunity,” he said. “I am extremely blessed and humbled for the big milestone in my life and hope to be even better than before.” January, a junior business major, said he has learned something along the way. “I couldn’t have asked for a better team,” he said. “The experience thus far has been nothing more than amazing. Reaching 1,000 points has taught me that patience is the key.”
Shakeisha Washington, a 6’1” center for the Lady Falcons, is disappointed with the season but happy overall with her basketball experience. “It’s a bittersweet feeling,” the senior biology major said. “I’ve been a part of this team since I got here and I am proud of all my teams and my own accomplishments. I will miss each and every last one of my teammates and coaches and wish them the best after my time is up.”
But Washington has not given up yet. “Now it’s time for CIAA,” she said. The CIAA Tournament will begin Feb. 20 in Charlotte, N.C.
— By Jarrod Sibert