Redemption Season

Mickeel Allen

Contributing Writer

Is redemption on your mind?

You will never achieve success unless you first experience failure. That is a lesson the men’s basketball team learned last year and has kept us motivated throughout the 2022-2023 season. Last year, the Golden Wolves were defeated by Widener in the first round of the playoffs at home, ending their season and playoff run.

“I love this team, and I love coming to pratice with this group of guys”--Head Coach Mike Miller

Adversity is when events or circumstances conspire against you. The men’s basketball team continues to face adversity this season by battling various illnesses, injuries, classes, work, and even long practice days. Their greatest adversary is human nature: The Golden Wolves are a strong contender, so same can be said with Rocket League, Valorant, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and League of Legends.

Alvernia’s e-sports program is also working with academic departments to build connections and improve collegiality, such as the communication department. The Digital Media Major is one discipline that has shown interest in working with e-sports to create an environment to gain experience for real-world applications. One application would be for students to cast commentary over the matches. The engineering department also reached out to create a collaborative expo for e-sports and the college of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Visitors would be able to see demonstrations of the 3D printing labs, while also having the opportunity to participate in an e-sports tournament.

At present, there are no commentator positions available to host games, but there is talk about space being allocated for broadcasting purposes. A commentator would need specialized equipment to see the matches, capture their audio and video, and be broadcasted in conjunction with the live streaming. The hope is that communication and engineering students could work together to create a broadcast that is on par with other sports commentators during live games.

Building a strong, connected community is one of Alvernia’s goals when fostering students who want to be a part of something greater. The gaming community is one of the most open and welcoming groups you can find. Students who grew up in different high schools come together to Alvernia to join the e-sports league.

“Most people think it’s going to be all super competitive people,” Devin Haas, a member of Alvernia’s Overwatch 2 team, said. “Yes, it is, but you also get more interaction with your teammates and start making connections with them. It is very fun, and with e-sports growing, it is one of the fastest growing communities in the world. It is fun to be doing this and to meet new people.” assistant coach Mike Miller there is always a temptation to ease up and relax. The teams on the schedule were worthy opponents, but the Golden Wolves continue to overcome.

Esports provides an opportunity for students whose hobbies involve playing video games to explore a career path in competitive team gaming. In any sport, the best qualities for a team are passion, dedication, and comradery. Alvernia’s e-sports league opens a new avenue for students to explore that was not previously available in the Reading community.

If you are looking to join Alvernia’s e-sports league, send a message to Joshua Buchanan at joshua. buchanan@alvernia.edu.

As a member of this year’s squad, I’ve witnessed the attitude, grit, and camaraderie that each of our players has. This year’s team is unique, and everyone is on the same accord. We not only have the chemistry on the court, but it is arguably even better off of the court. This team is a true family, and if we continue to work together, we will be able to bring a title back to the Wolves Den.

“This is my last year, I owe it to myself”--starting forward Malik Green.

So far, the team is ranked first in the MAC with a 9-2 record in conference play and 15-5 overall. The Golden

Wolves are on course to make another playoff run. Big wins against teams Eastern University, Widener University, and Stevenson University. Alvernia’s MAC rivals are in the playoff race and just as hungry for victory.

“As the weeks dwindle down, we have to continue to stay together and disregard outside distractions”--

I interviewed head coach Mike Miller and a couple of players Billy Fisher and Jake Kelly on their thoughts on this season and how it’s going so far and this is what they had to say. Coach Miller’s standpoint on adversity is, “it has to do with the day in and out grind”. He believes that as a player especially here at Alvernia your always going to be tested through the hard practices and the numerous things that can happen off the court. The main focus is grinding it out.

Billy Fisher grizzled veteran of the men’s team a player that’s been in the program for some time holds guys accountable and knows what it takes. He says, “the basketball season is the longest out of any of the sports. It’s hard to stay focused, but I feel like it’s my job to keep the guys going”.

The last game of the season this saturday will determine if the Golden Wolves will retain the first seed going into MAC playoffs. After that the first playoff game will be wednesday February 22nd. The coaching staff and players look forward to seeing our fans come out, pack the court, and root for us this year as we make a run for playoffs.