Saturday, March 8 brought an end to a rollercoaster season for the Brandeis men’s basketball team. The Judges ended with an overall record of 7-18 and 3-11 in the University Athletic Association. The team record declined from the 2016-17 season, during which the Judges concluded their season 8-16, overall.

Looking back at the season, it is clear that the team grew together. However, there is always room for improvement and this season proved that the team was able to overcome many obstacles. The most notable struggle of the season lasted between Saturday, Jan. 6 and Friday, Jan. 28 when the Judges suffered from a seven-game losing streak. With hard work and determination, the Judges were able to come out of this slump to win three more games during the rest of the season.

The season began with the Judges suffering two defeats, one away at Suffolk College and one home against Becker College. The first win of the season came against Lasell College, in which Guard Lawrence Sabir ’21 would prove to be a force to be reckoned with, even as a rookie. In the coming weeks, the Judges would lose three games, again, before finally having another victory against Newbury College. Guard Nate Meehan ’18 led the game, scoring 16 points.

Victories against Bates College and Fitchburg State University led the Judges to their seven-game losing streak both home and away, including against New York University, the University of Chicago and Emory University. It would take a long-awaited victory against Carnegie Mellon for the Judges to have a win under their belts and new motivation to turn the season around. During this game, forward Chandler Jones ’21 led the way. He scored his first career double as he scored 18 points and had ten rebounds.

Over the course of the rest of the season, the Judges would win and lose both home and away games, but could never pull through to win any consecutive victories.

Despite the rocky season, the Judges were able to defeat New York University in their final game of the season with a 97-59 lead. As the Judges said goodbye to seniors Nate Meehan ’18 and Latye Workman ‘18, the team was able to end their season on a high note while at home.

Although not the strongest regarding winning numbers this season, many individuals gave stellar performances throughout the 2017-18 season. Sabir proved to be an invaluable member of the team. Starting in 25 games this season, he averaged playing 27.6 minutes per game. Sabir scored 264 points this season, an average of 10.6 points per game. He was a key player in many Judges victories including the Nov. 20 win over Lasell College, where he scored 26 points, his current record within any single game.

Another forceful player for the Judges this season was guard and forward Latye Workman ‘18. Averaging 29.8 minutes of play per game, Workman started in 25 games this season. He scored 244 points this season, an average of 9.8 points per game. Workman was a crucial part of the Jan. 28 game over Carnegie Mellon, the game that broke the Judges losing streak that took place in January.

Looking forward, the Judges have a considerable amount of work to do as they look ahead to the 2018-19 basketball season. Losing only two seniors to graduation gives this group of players a large, yet essential, opportunity to rise to the challenge and improve. Unifying over the next several months before the season begins. 

The squad has a plethora of young talented players which could mean growth for the program in the upcomign years. If next year’s rookie class can fill the holes left by seniors such as Workman, the team will be a contender. As the other schools in the conference lose influential seniors, it could be time for Brandeis to shine.