The 2002-2003 Husky men’s basketball season has all the elements of a made-for-television drama, including changes in the cast of players, heartbreak, joy, disappointment, and the trials and tribulations of a young family going through its growing pains.
Despite the addition of six new faces to the Huskies’ roster, including sophomore Jason Levesque’s transfer from Little East rival Keene State, this team is starting to find its own identity. It hasn’t been easy for Head Coach Dan Costigan starting five sophomores. The Huskies also have other sophomores and freshmen that play significant minutes. Costigan said, “The good thing about having freshmen and sophomores is that at some point they become juniors and sophomores and then become juniors and seniors who will have played a lot of basketball games and this group of players is on track for that.”
Last year at this point in the season the Huskies had a team record of 6-7 in comparison to this season’s record of 1-9. When asked about the difference between the teams, Costigan said, “The thing that is very strange is that we are a much better team than we were a year ago.”
Costigan explained that a big factor was the difference in scheduling this season. Last year the Huskies opened the season with eight of their first 10 games at home, and this year they played just the opposite, playing eight of their first 10 games away from the friendly Hill Gymnasium.
According to Costigan, another difference comes from the strength of teams. With a few exceptions, this season the Huskies played teams with better records and national rankings, such as the fifth-ranked Williams to which the Huskies lost at the Purple and Gold Tournament. Despite that loss, Costigan said his young players played significantly better.
The team’s first victory of the season at Colby defends what Costigan and his players said all season long. “We are getting better every day and it’s starting to pay off.”
Sophomore guard Mike Francouer compared the Huskies now to the Huskies a month ago that lost a heartbreaker to the University of New England 90-79, though the Huskies led 12 points at half-time. Francouer said, “The team at this point of the season would have won that game.”
Other Husky players said the team has a completely different outlook. They have an added confidence and an extra bounce in their step after defeating Colby, a team they lost to by 23 points in the second game of the season. They refuse to let their heads hang low and are even more supportive of each other.
Senior captains Ryan Soucie and Jeff Tarbox, along with sophomore guards Francouer and Levesque, constantly shout words of support and encouragement to fellow teammates. They are always positive and never negative in their approach of taking one game at a time. From the head coach to the last man on the roster, there is a true sense of family in Husky Basketball Nation.
When asked about the biggest changes they have seen as players, sophomore guards Derek Lovely and Linc Bigelow both agreed, “It’s the way we have handled ourselves as a much smaller team going against teams with a bigger inside presence, staying composed and patient.”
Francouer said the team’s movement of the ball and quality of shots allowed the team to get more rebounds, increasing opportunities to score more points off second and third chances.
All of the players that spoke to The FREE PRESS agreed that this present Husky team is becoming more and more of a team that Little East opposition won’t want to face in the early rounds of the league’s post-season tournament.
It is evident from the atmosphere around the Costello Sports Complex that the USM men’s basketball team is well on its way to becoming a perennial powerhouse. Little East teams better not take the Huskies lightly, because these dogs are getting ready to go and take a big bite out of a championship pie!