With only five games remaining as of the beginning of February and currently standing at 11–9, let’s rewind to take a look at how the Hamline Men’s Basketball team has been doing so far this season.
The Pipers started their season back in October by taking on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in a matchup for the first time in over 90 years. Although the Pipers put up a strong fight against the Golden Gophers, they succumbed to them resulting in a loss for our Pipers. Despite a loss, Hamline proved that a small division three school can put up a fight against a big division one university. The loss against the Gophers did not stop the Pipers who went on to win their next two games of the season by at least 20 points.
In fact, one of the most remarkable things about this season that the Men’s Basketball team has been able to pull off is that with each of their wins, they have been able to win by a significant lead. In their game against Augsburg University on Jan. 11, the Pipers pulled off a 34-point
“We strive to have great communication even if it means a difficult conversation is needed. We stress and talk about adversity being a part of any season and how we handle it often determines the level of success we will achieve,” said Hayes.
Another highlight of this season is Senior Austin Holt who had some personal wins himself. Holt achieved what very few players are able to do and reached 1,000 career points. I asked Holt to walk me through how he felt about being able to achieve something like this at the Jan. 11 game against Augsburg, “1,000 points was incredible! Growing up I saw other people get this accomplishment and never really thought it was possible for me. But, when it finally happened it was just joy and happiness. Having my friends that I have made in the last couple years here supporting me and my teammates by my side was all I could have asked for in that situation.” said Holt.
With only five games remaining before playoffs, Holt has hopes of putting these final games together and heading into playoffs for the second straight season.
Not only have the Men’s Basketball team been bringing the energy this season but their fans have been going above and beyond to support their team as well. The self-proclaimed “Bleacher Boys” have been coming out to support all the home games at the Historic Hutton Arena.
“Recently it has felt louder and louder at each game and I am extremely grateful of all the support that the Hamline community has given us. Without you guys, this would not be as fun.” Holt said.
The Bleacher Boys have created a unique experience for fans by creating theme nights, games during halftime for the chance to win prizes, and getting the crowd riled up to cheer on the Pipers.
“Our fans should come out and see this team play, [the] Historic Hutton Arena is a great venue and our team plays an exciting brand of basketball. We are fighting for playoff position and every game is huge and having a strong home court advantage can make all the difference.” Hayes said.