SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Kansas City Roos men’s basketball team’s season ended against the Omaha Mavericks in the quarterfinals of the Summit League Tournament on Thursday. The Roos lost 70-61.
The first half for Kansas City was rough due to senior forward Melvyn Ebonkoli being in foul trouble. It ultimately changed the game for the Roos on the defensive side.
“It killed us,” said head coach Marvin Menzies. “It put us in rotations and sub-patterns that weren’t our strength. It was a huge impediment to our gameplan.”
With Ebonkoli in foul trouble, junior forward Josh Ijeh got to see a lot more minutes than usual. He averages nine minutes on the season, and played 16 in Thursday’s game.
After being down 19 points a little into the second half, Kansas City went on a 10-0 run to stay in the game.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Omaha senior forward Marquel Sutton was just too much for Kansas City to handle. Sutton scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds on the night. Menzies described Sutton as a “man amongst boys.”
“He was player of the year for a reason,” said Menzies. “He was physical, strong, and efficient from the field. He just had a really good game.”
Senior guard Jamar Brown ended his career at Kansas City in a loud fashion. He scored 27 points and shot 50% from the three-point line. He talked about how he wants the team and city to remember him after the game.
“I want them to remember me through my hard work and dedication,” said Brown. “For my willingness to be a good presence for everyone on and off the court.”
Sophomore guard Jayson Petty showed great heart in the final game of the season. He finished with 15 points and had 7 rebounds.
After being predicted to finish number one in the conference, Kansas City finished eighth with a 4-12 record in the conference, and an overall record of 13-20. Even though it wasn’t the season they expected, Menzies is ready to build off of this year, and make improvements for next season.
“This is the best job in the world because it’s mine,” said Menzies. “I’m going to take that challenge, and work as hard as I can, until somebody tells me to leave.”
