MONTGOMERY—At this point of the season there are usually other things on the minds of the Alabama State University men's basketball team and it is not all basketball. This week is finals week for the ASU students.
While the Hornets are taking their exams they are also hitting the court for 6 a.m. practices preparing for a pair of upcoming road games; one at Chicago State on Dec. 8 and at Detroit on Dec. 10.
“We have been trying to get into the Chicago area for a while and Coach Dildy at Chicago State has worked with us on a home-and-home series with them coming here next year,” Head Coach
Lewis Jackson said. “It is good to get into an area like that where our alumni can come out and watch the game and hopefully some high school kids will come in and see what is going on down here at Alabama State. They may have the opportunity to come here sometime in the future.”
“With the Detroit trip last year we had a lot of people out at the game and it was a good game and a lot of alumni came,” Jackson said. “It is good to play in those areas both recruiting wise and the alumni get to come out and see the game.”
During the two-week break, ASU has had a lot of time to work on some problem areas that have been exposed during the team's first five games, and a part of that has centered on the offense.
“I am feeling pretty good because we have had a lot of time to work on our offense,” Jackson said. “We can never do what the opponents are going to do, but we have been taking a look at some things and hopefully the guys are picking up on the things we are working on and feel good about going into the weekend.”
“We have been off almost two weeks and it is hard to get a real, live, full scale scrimmage in because it is hard to just get in game mode. We are trying to get as close to it as we possibly can.
Following exams, the Hornets will hit the road Thursday evening for Chicago with the game at CSU beginning at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8. ASU will then make the five hour trip over to Detroit to face the Titans at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 10.
The rest of the pre-Christmas schedule has ASU hosting Troy on Thursday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m., and hitting the road immediately after the game for a Dec. 15 game at Evansville (1:05 p.m.) and a Dec. 17 game at Georgia Tech (6 p.m.).
Rounding out the schedule will be two games at the Tulane Classic. ASU will face Pepperdine at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 19 and end the road trip facing Texas Pan American on Thursday, Dec. 20, also at 4 p.m.
