All I Want for Christmas is My Two Frontcourt Players Healthy

With a single slip, Anthony Newell sent the entire Ball State Men’s Basketball Team stumbling. The junior forward injured his left foot on November 20 during a team practice, and his teammates are already feeling the effects of losing their leading scorer. Newell averaged 22.5 points through the first two games, including a 29-point, 10-rebound effort against Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The 29 points were a career high. Now, however, Newell is looking at a new low – being sidelined for six to eight weeks.

Junior Anthony Newell is out 6-8 weeks

with a foot injury (BSU Photo Services).

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they’ve lost more than just Newell. They’ve lost their first five games, and as a result, they’ve lost a considerable amount of fan support. At the slightest mention of the team, students across campus are impelled to blurt out things like, “Man, they suck!” or “Are they ever going to win a game?” Sure, Ball State is undermanned, undersized, and inexperienced. Yeah, they’ve played a few NCAA tournament-caliber teams already in Butler and Georgetown. But Ball State is not the type to play the excuse game. They may have lost a lot of things this year, but one thing that this team hasn’t lost is hope.

Just look at the Cardinals’ three games without Newell in the lineup: a 57-48 loss to #5 Georgetown, a 51-50 loss to Evansville, and a 74-63 loss to Saint Joseph’s. Ball State battled hard and played close in each one of these losses. Against nationally-ranked Georgetown, the Cardinals were within single digits of the Hoyas throughout much of the second half and managed to cut the lead to six with two minutes remaining. They led Evansville 47-38 with seven minutes to go before allowing a game-winning rally. They also claimed a 23-22 lead against Saint Joseph’s late in the first half and were within 3 of tying the score in the second.

While nail-biters can sometimes be more disconcerting to a team than blowouts, the Cardinals must look at the positives. They’ve competed in every game, they’ve established second-half leads, and the youngsters have even started to mesh as a team. Although senior Peyton Stovall is leading the way with 13.4 points and 7.0 rebounds a game, he’s getting plenty of help from several newcomers. Freshman Malik Perry is shooting 50% from the field and is third in both scoring and rebounding behind Stovall and Newell. Sophomore Rashaun McLemore is leading the team with a 57.1 field goal percentage and poured in 15 points against Saint Joseph’s. Laron Frazier, a junior transfer, is tops on the team with 12 assists to just four turnovers.

If these guys are still optimistic, their fans should be, too. It’s only five games into the season, and the Cardinals still have over a month before beginning conference play. Ball State’s next chance to introduce itself to the win column comes on Saturday with a 7:30 PM game at Valparaiso. The Cardinals can use all the fan support they can get this holiday season. If you’re a diehard fan, your Thanksgiving turkey probably didn’t taste as good with Newell’s injury in the back of your mind. Just know that the team is appreciative of your support. And since it is the season of giving, it wouldn’t hurt the rest of you to give your men’s basketball team some respect.