Welcome to “Bobcat Report,” the Chronicle’s weekly column that breaks down recent games, facts and lesser-known stories surrounding Quinnipiac athletics.
Savion Lewis, Healthy Once Again
It’s been almost two years since men’s basketball guard Savion Lewis tore his Achilles in a game against Manhattan. Now as a sixth-year, Lewis has embraced the long grind to recovery, all while being named a team captain.
“It’s a lot of responsibility,” Lewis said. “You can’t just worry about yourself, you have to put yourself out there and worry about the team and help everybody else.”
He played limited minutes last season, but some setbacks hampered his ability to get onto the court often. Now, he’s a full-go.
“He’s a physical specimen, he lives (in the weight room),” head coach Tom Pecora said. “I want it to be a special year for him.”
Pecora said that his point guard was — before his injury — playing like one of the best guards in the country. He could have transferred elsewhere, but decided to stick it out with his brothers.
“I see the relationships with the people here, their connections, and then wanting to win it here,” Lewis said. “Most importantly, I committed here and I had a goal and due to injuries and a few obstacles, it set me back a little bit. I just want to see it through.”
After the first two games of the new season, Lewis has gone back to his old self. He’s dished out 19 assists as the premier ball handler.
CJ Luster’s Recruitment
Despite the start of this basketball season, the future can never be ignored. It’s always a good idea to start giving offers out to high school athletes as early as possible. That’s what Pecora’s staff is doing. But not to high schoolers.
Salt Lake Community College sophomore guard CJ Luster recently announced that he got a Division I offer from the Bobcats on Oct. 25.
Luster, who transferred from Kilgore College (current senior forward Paul Otieno’s alma mater) after his freshman year, played in 20 games last season while he averaged 14.5 points per game.
The backcourt will look a lot different next year, as current graduate student starters Savion Lewis and Matt Balanc will leave the program. It’s worked with Otieno and senior guard Doug Young, so will Quinnipiac take a bite from the JUCO portal once again?
Fall Curtain Calls
A number of fall teams saw their seasons come to a close this weekend.
Head coach Becky Carlson and the rugby program was eliminated in the NIRA semifinals after a loss to Dartmouth, the second year in a row that result has rang true.
“The score of this match definitely didn’t reflect how hard we played,” Carlson said. “We had some small errors and they punished us for it. And they got an extra 15 points on the board because of it.”
Women’s soccer, after winning its second-straight MAAC title, was bounced from the NCAA Tournament following a 3-0 defeat to Brown Saturday afternoon.
“(Quinnipiac’s) got to be able to play in these games and not just compete, but now go learn how to win,” head coach Dave Clarke said postgame.
Both coaches have been at Quinnipiac for over a decade — Clarke over two — yet the losing never gets any easier.
“That’s going to sit with them for quite a bit,” Carlson said. “Losses stick with you longer than a win ever could.”
Game of the Week: Volleyball vs TBD (MAAC Semifinals – Saturday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.)
After a 14-win season in conference play, the Bobcats have clinched a top-two seed in this weekend’s tournament. While the opponent is yet to be determined (either No. 3 Marist or No. 6 Iona), the defending MAAC champions will be in Fairfield, Connecticut hoping for a repeat.
