Bruins hold heads high despite winless record

Though the Bethany University men’s basketball team is winless, there’s a feeling of positive energy going into the last eight games of the regular season.
First-year head coach Mark Laird has an uplifting outlook as the 0-17 Bruins begin pulling together as a unit.
“We are just a few missteps from being 3-1 in conference play,” Laird said. “We are sticking to our guns and doing what we do and trying to improve. This is a talented team that just needs to put a few things together.”
The Bruins fell 65-59 to California Maritime Academy to open the California Pacific Athletic Conference season on Jan. 6 and have since fallen by four points each to Cal-PAC foes Menlo College and Pacific Union College.
Their only blowout loss in conference was against Holy Names University, a 83-60 loss Jan. 8.
Marqus Crawford, a junior transfer from West Valley College, has been the Bruins’ top player this season, averaging 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3 assists per game.
“Marqus is very athletic,” Laird said of his star guard. “He is strong and does a lot of things very well.”
Junior forward Travis Derochowski has averaged nearly 10 points and eight rebounds a game, while teammate Evan Fletscher, a Scotts Valley High graduate, has averaged 19 points in the past two games.
“Our spirits are definitely still high,” Crawford said, adding that despite the slow start to league, “we certainly feel we can win our conference.”