Before the start of the 2019-20 basketball season, I was skeptical of whether or not the John Brown University men's basketball team had the pieces to make another run to Kansas and the NAIA Men's National Tournament.
Mainly, it was because the Golden Eagles were losing two important pieces from last year's national tournament team in All-Conference standouts Jake Caudle and Josh Bowling, and I wasn't confident JBU could replace those guys.
Well, two-and-a-half months into the season, I think I can say with confidence that my skepticism was incorrect.
The Golden Eagles -- 16-2 overall and 7-1 in the ultra tough Sooner Athletic Conference -- have shown that they do indeed have what it takes, even without Caudle and Bowling.
Watching JBU play against a tough Oklahoma City team on Saturday, I got to witness junior Densier Carnes pour in 32 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Luke Harper, on an off night offensively, had 15 points and 10 rebounds with all his scoring coming in the second half of a 92-86 overtime win.
Those two guys -- Carnes and Harper -- could start for any team in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Carnes, at 6-foot-6, is athletic and is a nightmare to guard. Harper (6-3) meanwhile is a deadly shooter from all over the court and has mastered this floater shot that is nearly unguardable.
But that's not all there is with this JBU team. You've got a big man in Quintin Bailey (6-foot-7), who can use his strength to play inside along with a nice little hook shot that doesn't miss much. Point guard Rokas Grabliauskas is having a nice season as well and is showing himself as a scoring option.
I've heard coaches say before that in order to have a good basketball team you need three big pieces. You need a good point guard and JBU has that in Grabliauskas and backup Kiree Hutchings. You need a shooter, and Harper fills that role along with Carnes. Then you need a big man, and the Golden Eagles have that with Bailey, as well as freshman Nemanja Obradovic (6-9), who scored 10 points against City.
Oh and by the way, sophomore Ira Perrier is a terrific defender and reserves like James Beckom and Adam Asgeirsson have all contributed.
We've got a lot of basketball left to play, but the Golden Eagles have shown they've got the pieces in place for another run to Kansas City.
-- Graham Thomas is the managing editor for the Herald-Leader. He can be reached at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Sports on 01/22/2020