Maurice Ndour, Stevie Taylor and Javarez “Bean” Willis will play their final game in The Convo of their careers as the Bobcats host the RedHawks on Friday.
Senior night.
It’s a night that brings back memories from the journeys throughout the careers of the seniors, especially those who have taken a nontraditional path to where they are now.
The Bobcats (9-19 4-13 Mid-American Conference) find themselves playing their last game in The Convo during the program’s longest losing streak since 1981.
And coming off its third-worst loss of the season in Buffalo, New York, on Tuesday, this isn’t the way Ohio’s seniors Stevie Taylor, Javarez “Bean” Willis and Maurice Ndour want to close out their college careers. Specifically Ndour, a forward, wants to right the ship before the Bobcats head to a road site for the first round of the MAC Tournament on Monday.
Ndour led Tuesday’s game with 25 points, but said the dominating loss stemmed from not sharing the ball enough.
“It’s going to be our last home game, so we definitely don’t want to go out there like that,” he said. “We’re getting towards the end of the season, so I’m just trying to be as aggressive as I can.”
Coach Saul Phillips said all three seniors will be in the starting five, like the past two games. Judging by the past two games, Ryan Taylor and Antonio Campbell will also start alongside their senior teammates.
Phillips wants his seniors to end their careers on the right foot, but he also wants to see a different team than he has in the past three weeks. Ohio hasn’t won a game in almost a month and part of that has been a repercussion to the players failing to lift each other up when things go bad. Phillips referenced that after Tuesday’s game, saying it was “probably the most acute case of poor reaction to adversity” that he’s seen as Ohio’s coach.
With the 11 seed in the MAC Tournament locked, there isn’t any seeding for them to play for, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a throwaway game — especially as Ohio faces Miami (13-7, 8-9 MAC) for another "Battle of the Bricks." In next week’s MAC Tournament, Ohio could be playing Akron, Western Michigan or even the RedHawks in the first round, so depending on the results from the other two teams, Friday could serve as a tune-up game.
“You’re doing everything you can to win a game that means a lot to your fanbase and send your seniors out on a positive note and you’re doing the best you can to get a win so you have some momentum going into the tournament,” Phillips said. “There’s still plenty to play for.”
Ohio’s freshman may not fully understand the rivalry between the Bobcats and RedHawks quite yet — even after the 77-66 loss a couple weeks ago — but there is at least one player who knows why Ohio University students despise Miami University: Stevie Taylor.
Taylor, a guard, is the only Bobcats senior who has been in Athens for all four years. He is also the only remaining player from the 2011-12 squad, which made it to the Sweet 16. He played alongside the winningest senior class in Ohio history and is playing for his third coach in four years with Ohio. He’s gained a bit of a following for being an outgoing person off the court, along with being one of the most followed Ohio athletes on social media.
“He’s been around a lot of neat moments for this program and certainly being a fairly local kid here, (he) has carved out quite a name for himself.” Phillips said. “I’d like nothing more than for him to finish this out the right way.
“It’s their last game in The Convo. They’ve had a chance to play at a great university, so they have one last chance to go out and represent them.”
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