UMKC basketball: Roos warm up against Sterling College with Shockers looming

The UMKC men’s basketball team played its only exhibition of the season on Friday night.

Although the level of competition on Friday night at Municipal Auditorium may lack in comparison to whom the UMKC men’s basketball team will face in their regular season opener, the Roos’ game plan for victory this season was on display in a 110-58 exhibition win over Sterling College.

UMKC head coach Kareem Richardson spoke to the media after the game.

"“I thought the guys started the night playing defense well. The things that we are trying to get accomplished here, setting the tone with our defense, I was really proud of that. Offensively, the guys really shared the basketball, which is another really good staple of ours from the offensive standpoint so I was really pleased with that.”"

The Roos forced 24 Sterling turnovers, consistently turning that defensive execution into aggressive offensive possessions throughout the game.

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The penetration into Sterling’s interior defense was by design however, and well-executed by the players.

Richardson added,

"“I was very pleased [with our penetration], coming in we knew that they were going to play a very tight, packed defense so we knew that we had to go into transition. Then we talked about making the second and third passes, getting into the paint, making the next drive. I thought the guys did a great job of penetration and we got some great shots.”"

Overall, the contest was exactly what fans would expect out of an exhibition. 11 Roos got into the game, and every player saw at least 14 minutes on the court. The starting five for the game, however, may be pretty close to what fans will see on Friday, Nov. 10, when the Roos open the 2017-18 regular season at No. 7 Wichita State.

"“It’s [the distribution of minutes] going to be based on performance in practice leading up to games. Our backcourt is pretty deep. We are young and we got a lot of bodies that we are going to put out there. With our pace, we have to have a lot of guys. There’s nothing set by any stretch of the imagination.”"

There couldn’t be much more of a contrast between opponents in consecutive weeks, and the Roos will need more of what they put on display against NAIA school Sterling to go on the road and upset the Shockers on Friday.

Among the UMKC players who had solid nights were sophomore guard Xavier Bishop. He finished tied for the team lead with 16 points, going 7/10 from the field and 2/3 from behind the arc.

Bishop also commented after the game.

"“Leading up to game, you know, you work on your game in practice, outside of practice, stay with it, never lose your concentration and always stay in the moment. My teammates really helped put me in position to be successful, to hit shots. A lot of guys were hitting shots, we had several players in double digits. My team did a great job and we had the momentum.”"

Freshman guard Marco Smith also had 16 points to be one of six Roos in double figures.

Freshman guard Brandon McKissic finished with 15, freshman guard Steve Dulley with 13, freshman Tony Jackson with 11 and redshirt senior guard Robert Knar with 10. Senior guard Broderick Robinson led the team in assists with four, while freshman guard Marvin Nesbitt Jr. pulled down eight rebounds to pace the squad. Smith led the Roos in steals with four, and junior center Mo Ahmed blocked two shots.

As a team, the Roos shot over 48 percent from the field for the game, and nearly 36 percent from 3-point range. They out-rebounded Sterling 35-30 and had a positive assist to turnover ratio at 19 to 10.

As far as the standings go, this contest didn’t count. For a young UMKC team, however, the chance to see live competition was vital to their development.

In order to gain a similar result at Wichita State, the Roos will need to pull on everything gained from this exhibition.

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Bishop Xavier-

"“As the competition grows, it’s [executing the game plan] going to be harder. If we stick to our stuff, penetrate, kick and play unselfish, those passing lanes should be there. It really starts on the defensive end, if we turn people over, that makes it easier on the offensive end.”"