Sharks Season Ends in Niceville
The Miami Dade College men’s basketball team’s season ended with a 64-50 loss in the semifinal round of the State Tournament in Niceville on March 14.
They finished the season with a 19-13 mark, their best record in ten years; the Sharks were 21-11 during the 2014-15 season.
Miami Dade College proved to be tough at home, finishing an impressive 12-3 at the Theodore R. Gibson Health Center and 9-7 in Citrus Conference play.
“I’m just thankful to be around a good group of guys who I can call my teammates,” said sophomore guard Faheim Saintleger Meran. “We did a lot that people thought we couldn’t and I’m so grateful for it.”
In the first round of the playoffs, the Sharks upset Chipola College, 73-67, in the quarterfinal round to get their first tournament win in 10 years. Chipola College was ranked No. 11 in the nation at the time. Forward Hassan Belkhaddar led the Sharks with 17 points and guards Randy Smith and Jamaal Morris added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
“The first round of our playoffs was probably the best basketball we played as a team,” said forward Amar Lane, who contributed eight points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in the contest.
The following day, the Sharks fell to Pensacola State College in a 14-point loss, but three Sharks scored in double-digits. Meran led the team with 13 points, Smith added 12 and Belkhaddar had 11 points.
“[The] second round didn’t go our way,” Lane said. “We didn’t execute and play well when we were down, but I think we proved a lot of people wrong and finished the season better than we started.”
Meran, who was selected to the Citrus Conference First-Team by the Florida College System Athletic Association, led the team in scoring with a 13.9 average. Belkhaddar was second on the squad with 11.6 points per game. Morris led the team in rebounding with six per contest while adding a 10.5 scoring average.
“We definitely grew through what we accomplished,” said Sharks head coach Jorge Fernandez. “I want to be a state champion, that’s our goal and that’s what we’re going to keep driving for as far as next year’s team.”
Two freshmen guards who could help next year’s squad are Randy Smith, who averaged 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game and Ernesto Rodriguez, who averaged 7.4 points.
“We’re out recruiting. We want to get a couple of wings, point guards and big guys. I want to get more physical,” Fernandez said. “Recruiting is a process. It’s not something that’s going to happen overnight. You want to make sure you bring in the right guys that fit with what we’re trying to do at Miami Dade.”
Click here to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Hammerhead. For news tips, contact us at mdc.thereporter@gmail.com.
