Home winning streak emblematic of Wolves program
Remember this date: Dec. 20, 2012.
For those who don’t know, that was the last time the Wolves lost a game at home. On that day, South Suburban College came in and gave them the business, 78-52. Forward Pierre Jolly and guard Ben Daniel led the Wolves with 11 points apiece as the team shot 18-46 (39.1%) from the field.
That was a long time ago.
In fact, it’s a stretch of 1,085 days and 28 games.
Not one of Wolves coach Joe Kuhn’s players from this season, or last season’s team, knows what it’s like to lose a game at AA “Fizz” Willis Gym.
“It just shows what an advantage (playing in) this gym is,” Kuhn said after Thursday’s win. “(The team) is talking about it now, so they’re really motivated to keep that thing going.”
When Kuhn found out that the team’s streak winning streak at home against N4C opponents stretched back to the 2011-12 season – a span of over 30 games, all he could offer up was a smile and a “that’s pretty damn good.”
It is pretty damn good, and it’s becoming a widespread phenomenon with each passing victory.
Through statement wins over Olive-Harvey College (Nov. 18) and Morton College (Dec. 4), the Wolves have proven that no amount of adversity will knock their confidence off kilter. Through double-digit deficits, blown leads and stretches of poor play, the Wolves have manned up when it counted most and gotten the job done each game this season.
CROWD RESPONSE VITAL
Perhaps no outside factor is more intertwined with the team’s home success than the fans themselves.
As a two-year junior college, it’s not expected for fans to show up en masse to sporting events, or for there to even be many fans. But for the Wolves, the fans show up in droves – the bigger the game, the bigger the audience.
While the crowd was a little sparser than usual for Thursday night’s game against Morton, the Lady Wolves – free to depart after their scheduled game vs. Kishwaukee CC was cancelled – spent the entire night at frontcourt, watching their counterparts do battle, screaming for their favorites, and going ballistic with every high-flying slam and defensive effort.
As conference games approach, the crowd will be instrumental as their streak(s) take on bulkier-than-usual tests
“Our conference is really tough this season,” said Kuhn when asked about his confidence in putting the streak up against programs from Triton, Madison, Harper, CoD, Wilbur Wright, and of course, Rock Valley, the top-ranked team in the country.
As of now, the streak will have to endure four more non-conference contestants before hitting that first N4C match-up at home against Wilbur Wright College on Jan. 10.
After battling Illinois Valley CC on Saturday, Dec. 6, the Wolves will take on South Suburban College on Dec. 13 – seven days short of exactly two years to the day since they handed the Wolves their last home loss.
STILL HAVE YOUR HEALTH
The Wolves are shockingly healthy nine games into the season, with a rotation that puts them three-deep at point guard, with multiple forwards with size and a nose for the ball. At this rate, it’s tough envisioning a home loss anywhere in the near future.
Still, things can happen and while teams threaten the Wolves at every turn, their goal for now is to keep the streak.
Joel served seven years in the U.S. Coast Guard (2005-2012) and wrote sports columns for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times in Texas from April 2009 to October 2014.
