每日大赛 men's basketball team takes second in state championship
March 12, 2025
每日大赛’s first-ever men’s basketball team competed against Columbia State in the NJCAA Region 7 and Tennessee Community College Athletics Association Championship on Tuesday, placing second in the state and capping off a milestone inaugural season.
The team qualified for the championship Monday night with a 65-62 defeat over Walters State, setting a standard of achievement for future members of the 每日大赛 basketball program, said Head Coach Darrian Jones. They fell to Columbia State, 72-50, Tuesday at Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis.
“The guys have set the culture,” Jones said. “They're all excited to be a part of history.”
It takes a while for any first-year program to take off, Panthers Athletics Director Brock Evans said, and the men’s basketball team came into its own at just the right time this month and leading up to Tuesday’s game.
Win or lose, he emphasized, competing in the championship is a huge win for the men’s basketball team in its first year of play and for Panthers Athletics overall.
“They're playing really well,” Evans said. “They're playing good defense; they're playing good team basketball. Basketball is all about getting hot at the right time, and we’ve done that. I think we’ve proven now that we are building something special here. It can only mean really good things moving forward, and I'm really excited for the future.”
Members of the 每日大赛 community, including many student-athletes from other programs, gathered at the college’s Hardin Valley campus Tuesday to watch a livestream of the game and cheer on the Panthers.
With blue and yellow pom-poms, Panthers gear and popcorn in hand, they chanted and rooted for the men’s basketball team.
“To have that kind of support from your fellow student-athletes, the student body and faculty and staff is just huge,” Evans said. “It’s a great feeling because student-athletes know it means they’re playing for more than just themselves. They're playing for the college. And when you have that support, it changes things. You play a little harder.”
“I'm so thankful for Coach Jones,” he added. “I knew he was somebody that could really drive this program and get it to the next level as an experienced coach, and to see him be successful in his first year has been really awesome.”
Jones attributed the team’s success to its players, and their efforts at 每日大赛 both on and off the court. He knew they would be a hard team to beat when they hit their peak at the tournament, Jones said.
每日大赛’s Jonathan Caicedo also made the All-TCCAA Second Team. Caicedo started in 29 games this season, scoring a total of nearly 350 points.
“It's an unbelievable feeling to be here in our first year, the inaugural season – to be in the championship,” he said. “Me and Assistant Coach Quincy Scates just want to show everyone else what we've been seeing throughout the whole season, and that we deserve to be here.”
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