Men’s Basketball Week in Review: Final Home Stretch

  The Kansas City Roos men’s basketball team played their final games in the Swinney Recreation Center for the 2022-2023 basketball season. Unfortunately, they did not close it out on a high note.

  Last week, the Roos lost both games. They lost to the North Dakota State Bisons 58-69. Then, they played the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Kansas City lost this battle 73-81.

  The story of the week was, again, three-point shooting. Kansas City only shot 27.3% from behind the arc versus the Bison. Against the Fighting Hawks, they shot a devastating 20% from three. If the Roos can’t get their shooting going consistently, things may not turn out well once the Summit League tournament begins on March 3.

  Kansas City went into Thursday night geared up and ready for a fight. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get it done. Though the Roos never once held the lead – and the only tie of the game was 5-5 shortly after the first media timeout – they kept the game close until about eight minutes remaining. There was really no outside influence on this loss. They beat themselves. Shooting 30.3% total from the field is not a recipe for success.

  Head Coach Marvin Menzies noted the poor shooting in the post-game interview. “Thirty percent isn’t going to get it done, in any form or fashion,” Menzies said. “That was the story of the game.”

  Going into Saturday night, the game began in a rare fashion. The Roos took a five-point lead only 50 seconds into the game. But, the lead was not to last. Kansas City held the lead down to the six-minute mark of the first half. However, from then on, North Dakota took control. Kansas City cut North Dakota’s lead to only two points shortly after the final media timeout. It didn’t matter, though. In the last three minutes, the Fighting Hawks scored 13 points to the Roos’ seven. It was a devastating late-season loss.

  While some may argue that the officials became too involved in the game, the Roos weren’t the only team suffering from fouls. Both teams received over 20 fouls in the game. North Dakota had 23 called on them, and Kansas City had 28. The officials were overly involved. But that wasn’t the difference in the game. Simply put, the Roos were outplayed on Saturday. There’s really nothing more to that. 

  But, there were two other stories this week aside from the games. Saturday was senior night. There was only one senior being honored – Redshirt junior guard Sam Martin. He played out of his mind on Saturday, shooting 85% and scoring 15 points. His game on Saturday was his best of the season. But, it wasn’t the best of his career. Last season, against Calvary, Martin shot 9-13 for 22 points. His leadership and veteran presence on the team will be missed.

  Unfortunately, there is negative news coming out this week. Our Sports Editor, Cristian Martinez, noted during the North Dakota State game on Thursday that sophomore forward Allen David Mukeba Jr. had not seen playing time that game. During the postgame interview, Coach Menzies disclosed that Mukeba has a foot injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the season.

  But that is not the only injury news. Senior guard Shemarri Allen played only six short minutes during the North Dakota game on Saturday. The announced injury was to his left arm. During the post-game interview, Coach Menzies did not provide an update on his injury. Allen may be able to play Thursday night against South Dakota State.

  The final two games before the Summit League tournament will be against South Dakota State and South Dakota. Both of these games are in South Dakota. The games can be viewed at MidcoSports.com for $5.99 per month. Stay tuned for a recap of these two games and instant reactions from the Summit League tournament.

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