Men’s And Women’s Basketball Teams Fail To Qualify For State Tournament

Despite having high expectations at the start of the season, the Miami Dade College men’s and women’s basketball teams are sputtering to the end.

Both teams find themselves with a losing record—they are a combined 7-20 on the season— and out of contention for postseason play at the State Tournament.

The teams have struggled in areas such as execution, shooting and defense. And although their faith in their own abilities has never wavered, it hasn’t been enough to produce the results they were hoping for.

Women’s Basketball

After going 20-12 and advancing to the state semifinals last season, the Lady Sharks had reason for optimism this season. 

But with four games left in the season, the Lady Sharks are 5-8 and an abysmal 1-5 in the Southern Conference. 

A noticeable drop in offensive efficiency has been one of the main reasons for the struggles. That isn’t surprising considering combo guard Daliyah Brown, who led the nation in scoring last year with 26.6 points per game, transferred to Liberty University last summer. 

The Lady Sharks have been unable to fill Brown’s void, going from averaging 79.7 points and 14.2 assists per game last season to 70.1 points and 11.6 assists this season. Their shooting percentages have also taken a hit, dropping from 36.1% to 31.9 % on three-point attempts and going from a nation-best 74% down to 66.8% on free throws.

Even though rebounding has remained almost the same with 46.2 rebounds per game—compared to last year’s 49.1—team defense is another area that has been lacking. The Lady Sharks’ in-conference opponents are outscoring them by an average of 75.5 points to 67.8.

The Lady Sharks have also lost three conference games by 15 points or more.

“It has been a tough year due to the pandemic,” said Head Coach Susan Summons. “But I’m proud of the team for their commitment to the game and each other.” 

Men’s Basketball

Forgettable might be a good word to describe the men’s basketball team’s season. The Sharks are in the midst of an eight-game losing streak, bringing their overall record to 2-12—a major step back from last season’s 18-11 record and their worst mark since Head Coach Kevin Ledoux took over the program in 2016.

The Sharks were hopeful they could turn their season around, but inconsistent play has seen them slip out of tournament contention.

“We’ve played a lot of close games,” said freshman wing Ciaran Sandy, who leads the team in scoring with 13.5 points per contest. “We could’ve come away with some of those wins but couldn’t properly close them out.”

Examples include two losses against State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (83-81 on Feb. 6 and 89-87 on Feb. 24) and an 85-80 defeat at home against Game Changers Academy on Feb. 27.

The Sharks’ struggles have been even more noticeable on the road. The team hasn’t won a game when playing away from MDC. They are 0-6 on the road.

“We have certainly faced some adversity this season, but the team is staying together as one unit,” Ledoux said.

The team also saw a drop in their high-octane offense, putting up only 77.6 points per game this season—nearly 11 points less than their 88.2 average from a season ago. They also dropped from 15.2 assists last year to 12.1 this season and have averaged less rebounds per game going from 41.2 to 33.7 this season .

“We have to stay together and treat every game the same,” said sophomore wing Denari Garrett. “It has been an up-and-down season but we’re going to continue working.”