There’s a better chance of local temperatures rising to 90 degrees next week than getting a Northern Kentucky University basketball coach or player to boast about home winning streaks — or anything else.
They could if they were compelled to do so, given NKU has notched 16 consecutive victories at BB&T Arena following an 87-65 triumph over Green Bay on Thursday night. But bragging isn’t in the Norse culture. That’s why NKU is 17-4 overall and threatening to run away with the Horizon League regular-season title with its 7-1 mark.
The star player and one of the all-time NKU greats, Drew McDonald, consistently praises his teammates for getting him into position to be successful. During press conferences, he credits his parents for the influence they’ve had on him as both a person and athlete.
This coming from a guy who has 44 career double-doubles and a million individual honors. McDonald has scored more than 1,800 career points and is NKU’s all-time leading rebounder. He even won a gold medal last summer representing the United States at the FISU America Games in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
But in the two years I’ve covered NKU, McDonald has never taken credit for anything he’s accomplished on the court. It’s always about his teammates and the preparation of the coaching staff with their great scouting reports on the opposition. McDonald epitomizes the unselfishness of this NKU squad — even when he’s not in the lineup.
McDonald injured his left ankle in the first half Thursday, returned briefly and finished with 11 points. He spent most of the second half sitting on the bench in a walking boot, and his status for Saturday is questionable.
In McDonald’s place stepped sophomore center Chris Vogt, who collected his first career double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds. The 7-footer also blocked three shots and dished out three assists as the Norse extended their current winning streak to five.
Prior to Thursday night, Vogt’s career-high point total was eight, something he had accomplished twice. At halftime, the Mayfield native had 11 points and 10 rebounds. He was clearly the difference in that opening 20 minutes as Green Bay appeared helpless — and stunned — by his presence inside.
Vogt’s reaction to being in the spotlight?
“We do a good job of moving the ball, and the guys are really unselfish,” Vogt said. “We don’t have anyone on the team that’s just a pure scorer and all about getting their points. Everyone is willing to make the right play, and make that one extra pass to get a great shot instead of just a good shot.
Tyler Sharpe added 14 points and four rebounds for NKU, which blistered the nets for 52.2 percent shooting from the field. He agreed with Vogt’s assessment of how the balanced Norse continue to succeed, even with their leading scorer sidelined.
“We’re extremely unselfish, and the main thing we pride ourselves on is trust,” Sharpe said. “We don’t feel like ‘I have to score on this possession,’ or ‘I have to score in this game or we’re not going to win.’ It’s kind of like I have to come out and do my job, let the game come to me and I know my teammates have my back.”
Looking for more examples of unselfishness and sharing the glory? NKU averages 16.4 assists per game, which is 31st nationally. The Norse also rank 11th in the country in total assists with 327. In addition, NKU has dished out at least 20 assists in seven games this season. They finished with 19 assists on Thursday night.
That’s the epitome of unselfishness.
Dantez Walton netted 17 points and dished out six assists for NKU, while Jalen Tate finished with 12 points and five rebounds. The Norse held Green Bay (10-11 overall, 4-4 Horizon League) to 38.5 percent shooting from the field and dominated the glass with a 44-28 advantage in rebounds.
All this after losing the best all-around player in the Horizon League to injury.
“It says we have young men of character, and young men who are about each other, and stepping up when someone goes down,” NKU head coach John Brannen said of how his team responded after losing McDonald. “It says we have a program. It’s not individuals, it’s not just a team, it’s a program. It starts in recruiting. You have to recruit the type of kids who are about your core values and the way you want to play.
“Was it an emotional thing tonight with Drew going down and we stepped up? I don’t know what his availability is for Saturday. It doesn’t look good. But we’ll find out what we’re made of going forward.”
Sandy Cohen III led Green Bay with 19 points and nine rebounds. NKU is now 4-3 all-time against the Phoenix and have won four straight in the series.
“Green Bay is a very good basketball team, and they are a really hard team to prepare for,” Brannen said. “They are going to give a lot of teams problems. It’s going to be a very tough game for us when we go up there later this season.”
NKU has a chance to extend the home winning streak — and its lead in the Horizon League standings — Saturday night when Milwaukee visits BB&T Arena at 7 p.m. Oakland and Detroit Mercy both lost on Thursday, giving NKU a two-game cushion in the league standings over those two teams and Wright State.
The Norse hit the road next week, beginning with a 7 p.m. Friday game at IUPUI.
