Grand Rapids, MI—With the season just days away, the GRCC Men's Basketball Team is already prepping for what could be one of their toughest matches of the season. The guys open their season with a trip to Flint, Michigan to square off with perennial powerhouse, Mott Community College.
Steve Schmidt and his Bears have found an enormous amount of success over the past few seasons. MCC finished fourth in the nation last season after 4 national titles in a decade. The team has lost only 6 times during the last 3 seasons while piling up 84 wins for a mind blowing winning percentage of 93%.
The Raiders, despite having lost to Mott each of the last 2 times they've met, have been able to give the Bears a run for their money.
In last season's contest, GRCC fell 76-79. The Raiders, however, went into the half up by 11 with a score of 40-29.
This season, the Raiders return 6 members from the 2012-2013 campaign, and appear to be poised for a great deal of success. Although the matchup against Mott CC has no bearing on how the Raiders will place in the MCCAA's Western Conference, it will provide the team with an opportunity to take to the court against a National Tournament caliber team.
Assistant Coach, Zach Ingles, is more than confident in his guys can do.
"Our squad can compete against anyone in the country" says Ingles.
After making back to back appearances at the NJCAA's DII National Tournament, Ingles, along with Head Coach TJ Carnegie, is confident that they've established themselves as one of the premier JUCO basketball programs in the country. They'll have a chance to prove that on November 1st when they take the court at the Ballenger Fieldhouse. The Raiders and Bears clash begins at 7:30 PM on Sunday.
