Jonathan Smith has witnessed many games in his days as a basketball player, coach and avid spectator.
As a respected coach with the George Brown College Huskies, he also knows that every game should be a learning experience – for his players and the coaching staff.
The touring Howard University Bison, from Washington, D.C., showed George Brown what a team, with scholarship athletes, a significant height advantage and playing in mid-season form, is able to do when things go right.
Smith, entering his third year as head coach of the Huskies, didn't know what to expect in their pre-season exhibition tilt with the National Collegiate Athletic Association team – one that struggled last year with an 8-25 overall record. George Brown was 15-5 in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association.
It didn't take long to find out as Howard crushed George Brown, 82-36, in front of an appreciative crowd at the St. James Campus. It was the first of three games for the Huskies against NCAA schools.
"It was a chance for the guys to compete and we got to see how hard we need to play, get things right and get better," said Smith, who only had four returning players in the lineup from last year's squad while the rest were rookies trying to secure a spot on the roster.
George Brown started strong, only trailed by six at one point in the first half, until the visitors took control with their height, hustle and rebounding while the Huskies struggled turnovers.
"In an exhibition game, not everything is the final score," said Smith. "It was a great learning experience for my guys. We may not have been as ready as we could have been, but there are positive things to take away from a game like this. We can pinpoint our mistakes and need to improve."
With Howard leading 22-12 after the opening quarter, 43-24 at halftime, George Brown was held to seven points in the third quarter and five in the final.
Of those dozen points in the final half, six – a pair of three-point buckets – came from Akai Netty who was impressive and the top scorer in the game with 20 points. Dennis Johnson and Ted Johnson were next in points with five each.
Washington had 12 of 13 players score points with Toronto's Tyler Stone, a graduate of Eastern Commerce, finishing with six.
George Brown will also host Fairmont State University on August 30 at 6:00pm. The Fighting Falcons, from Fairmont, W.V., had a 20-10 record last season and lost in the Mountain East Conference NCAA Division Two playoffs.
On Oct. 20, at 6:00pm, George Brown will take on Manchester University from North Manchester, Ind. The Spartans compete in the NCAA Division Three Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. - DG
For the complete 2014/15 George Brown men's basketball schedule, go to http://www.georgebrown.ca/athletics/sports/basketball/
