HICKORY, N.C. — The Catawba Valley Community College men's basketball team has high hopes as it enters the 2020 South Atlantic District tournament, which starts Thursday at North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount.
The Red Hawks (21-8) enter the event as the No. 2 seed and are coming off the heels of a nine-game winning streak to close the regular season.
CVCC men's basketball head coach Bryan Garmroth said his team's late-season surge started after he spoke to his players following a 92-81 loss at Louisburg on Jan. 25 — the last defeat his team suffered this season.
"I had told them that I felt like we had improved less during the course of the season than any team I'd ever coached," he said. "Since that time, they've made great progress. I felt like we were much better than how we were playing earlier in the season. Before the nine-game winning streak, I felt like we could easily be anywhere from fourth to seventh place (in the league). They did a great job late in the season of getting better and coming on strong."
That nine-game winning streak, which included going undefeated during the month of February, propelled Catawba Valley into the second place behind only regular-season champion Davidson County (28-1).
The Red Hawks were also only one of two teams, including Davidson County, who recorded 20 or more wins during the regular season.
Garmroth is proud of how his team finished the season, especially with a pair of hard-fought road wins.
"We hadn't done very well on the road," he said. "I was really proud of our guys for going and winning on the road at Patrick Henry and at Fayetteville, which are really tough places to play. We did it without (sophomore forward) Jahleer Black, who was hurt. I feel like we really earned the second seed."
Despite his team's tournament draw as one of the top seeds, Garmroth knows his players face several obstacles during this week's tournament.
"Our league is just so good," he said. "I don't know what advantage there is to be the second seed. There's not an easy game in this tournament. You have to play really well just to get to that championship game."
The Red Hawks tangle with the seventh-seeded Bobcats (17-13) in the first round at 5 p.m. Thursday. It's the third time the two programs have met in the tournament quarterfinals during the past six seasons with Bryant & Stratton winning both previous match ups — 74-72 in 2015 and 80-66 in 2017.
Garmroth says this year's Bobcats offer several challenges and threats that could hinder the Red Hawks' chances of advancing to Friday's tournament semifinals.
"They are a very talented team," he said. "They have a lot of size and a lot of athletes. They are a good team. They lost two or three games late in the season. I really don't know what happened, but we split with them in the regular season. Both games were really close. They got a big lead at their place, we came back and had a chance to win. When we were home, we got a big lead on them, they came back and had a chance. It'll be a great game on Thursday."
While the Red Hawks and Bobcats won their respective home games against each other, playing the South Atlantic District tournament on a neutral court at North Carolina Wesleyan College is something that Garmroth thinks will benefit his team.
"The only thing that would make it better is if we held it here in Hickory. I think that'd increase our chances," he said with a smile. "I love the fact that we are playing on a neutral site. That's the way it should be. It balances it out for everybody. North Carolina Wesleyan is a first-class place. I know their basketball coach well, and their athletic director has experience with our region. I know they're going to do a great job with the tournament."
If the Red Hawks win two tournament games on Thursday and Friday and meet Davidson County in the tournament final, the Red Hawks would clinch their first-ever trip to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II national tournament, which takes place March 17-21 in Danville, Ill.
A trip to nationals is something that excites Garmroth and his players, but the ninth-year Red Hawks head coach knows that there is a lot of work to be done in the days ahead before his team can even start to think about that moment.
"We talk about it. It is a goal," Garmroth said of reaching nationals. "It's something that is attainable and can be achieved. We have to spend every day preparing. Every day has to be a good day in practice. We have to be ready. Some days we are and some days we aren't — particularly in practice. We'd love to get to nationals. We do discuss it in terms of what we've got to do to make it happen. This Region is just so balanced, tough and competitive that getting there would be a real honor. We come out of a real tough Region."
2020 South Atlantic District/Region 10 tournament
Play-in round (from Monday)
No. 8 Fayetteville Tech 87, No. 9 Guilford Tech 83
No. 7 Bryant & Stratton 85, No. 10 Lenoir 62
No. 6 Louisburg 104, No. 11 Patrick Henry 79
No. 5 Pitt 75, No. 12 Vance Granville 50
First round (on Thursday)
No. 1 Davidson County (28-1) vs. No. 8 Fayetteville Tech (15-15), noon
No. 4 Wake Tech (16-13) vs. No. 5 Pitt (20-10), 2 p.m.
No. 2 Catawba Valley (21-8) vs. No. 7 Bryant & Stratton (17-13), 5 p.m.
No. 3 Florida Gateway (20-10) vs. No. 6 Louisburg (19-11), 7 p.m.
Semifinals (on Friday)
Davidson County/Fayetteville Tech winner vs. Wake Tech/Pitt winner, 2 p.m.
Catawba Valley/Bryant & Stratton winner vs. Florida Gateway/Louisburg winner, 4 p.m.
Championship (on Saturday)
Semifinal winners, noon
