By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Napoleon — After going 15-6 three seasons ago, the Napoleon boys basketball program hit a two-year speed bump.
In 2014-15, the Pirates were 7-14.
Last winter followed with an 8-13 mark.
Jeremy File then stepped in hoping to smooth things out, and as he and his guys regrouped this year, they did so with a certain optimism surrounding the team.
Then, in the season opener, the Pirates were left scratching their heads after 68-62 loss at Onsted.
For whatever reason, that loss gave way to a mission.
“We wanted to take things one game at a time, and by the time we faced Michigan Center, we wanted to equal last year’s win total,” File, the first-year coach, recalled of his bold goal setting in early December.
Well, more than a month and a half later, File and the Pirates have played eight games since that loss.
File and the Pirates have won eight games since that loss.
“To accomplish that mission and equal the win total was a pretty big deal to these guys,” File said.
Now comes the chance to eclipse it in what is, without a doubt, the chance for Napoleon to pick up a true statement victory.
The Pirates are set to welcome in unbeaten (8-0) Michigan Center Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
“This is a big opportunity for our kids and our program,” File said simply. “We’ve gone through some rough times, and this is a big opportunity to take that next step.”
The timing, he added, couldn’t be better.
“As a team, we’re not where we want to be just yet,” File said. “But the timing for this game is great. This is a chance to prove where we really are.”
The timing is as great as the challenge.
Center is clearly one of the best teams around, fresh off a dominant 66-47 victory over previously unbeaten Hanover-Horton.
The Cardinals can shoot from the outside, drive the lane and battle under the boards, working with an offense averaging nearly 70 points per night.
“For us, we have to make some shots,” File said. “Playing against them, they are going to score, and we know that. They will hit shots. For us, it’s about responding. We have to come down and score. We have to answer what they are able to do.”
Easier said than done for a Napoleon team that has scored more than 55 points just once since Dec. 15.
“We’ve been in a funk lately on offense,” File said.
Jacob Chadwell has been the go-to guy, averaging nearly 20 per game.
File said he expects Center to do everything in its power to limit that production.
Point guard Darren Hampton is going to have to handle the pressure Center is likely to bring, File added.
“And a guy like Ty Rose, who’s 6’7”, they will have to be aware of him,” File said. “He has to play big. He can open a lot of things for us.”
Asked what his team has to do to limit Center, File laughed.
“It’s probably a list of 10 things,” he said. “The key is keeping guys in front of us. We have to contest everything, but with the understanding they are still going to score. So we can’t let them get comfortable. If they are going to score, make it difficult on them.”
That will be the theme of the night, a difficult team to play against, a difficult challenge, for sure, but a chance to make a bold bold statement as the season reaches its mid point.
“We’re excited,” File said. “This is a big opportunity for our guys.”
