A New Journey: SU Men’s Basketball Opens Up The Season

The first game of the season was an exhibition game, which was a new way to see a new roster. The last season differs from this upcoming season due to new players and the new coach, Kevin Johnson. The 2022-2023 season results were 15-17 under former coach Sean Woods, while the team was 11-7 in conference play. The result of the last season was the Jaguars losing to the quarterfinals round to the fifth seed Alabama A&M Bulldogs.  The Jaguars come into this season with almost a brand-new team but high expectations.
The first half of the game first came off as a slow start. The Jaguars played against Lousiana Christain University. The Lousiana Christian University belongs to the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC), which is a different division and conference from the SWAC. At the beginning of the half, the defense was slow and lacked energy. The field goal attempts for this half were 19-33, while the free throws were 5-7. The two players who helped the Jags change the flow of the game were junior guard Tai’Reon Joseph and freshman guard Jordan Johnson. 
In the second half of the game, the Jaguars came with more intense defense, and the team communicated more effectively as time went on. In the second quarter, the team had more movement with the ball and helped the game with the amount of points made by turnovers. Jordan and Joseph were the elite duo of the night. They dominated with a total of 42 points combined. The team took the second half by storm with intense defense and offense. All this led to the Jaguars winning 94-60 in the exhibition game. 
Jordan Johnson had an astounding game with Tai’Reon Joseph on his side. Jayla Strong interviewed Johnson about the potential of him and Tai’Reon Joseph being a tandem duo. “Nah, we’re just playing the game of basketball.” He provided his thoughts on the game, “I think we started off kind of slow, but once we got comfortable and started getting used to what we usually doing, I feel like we stuck together and finished the job.” The team took some time to adjust, but once they found their rhythm, they were dominant. 
Joseph Tai’Reon is a Baton Rouge native who went to Scotlandville High School. He commented on how it feels to be back home at his local HBCU, “Being back home is everything, family, friends, I’ve been gone so long it’s just like the energy at home. My family gets to watch me play; it’s a blessing.  His mentality for the season is to “Just be a dog, get a bucket, help my teammates out, share the ball, and have fun really. You have fun; everything falls in place.” His goal for the season is to “Win the SWAC championship and make it to March Madness, that’s basically it win, that’s it.” The team has high expectations for this season, and the coach shares similar goals. 
The new coach, Kevin Johnson, had some words to say about the upcoming season. You know we’re growing, and we’re getting better every day. I love what these guys say at the end of practice. They have a saying, brick by brick, that tells me to stay grounded and keep getting better. The coach said the way the team built chemistry on the court was by “They spend a lot of time together; we got a long way to go, but this was a good start.” To get better, the team has to recognize their weakness and take the time to strengthen them. The team has big goals for this season. The fanbase will support the team along their long journey to hopefully a SWAC Championship and a berth to March Madness.