Jim Whitesell ‘perplexed’ by turnovers
Over the past five games, men’s basketball is 2-3 and has dropped contests to Kent State and Eastern Michigan. During this period, the Bulls have turned the ball over 86 times. “To me, it’s perplexing,” head coach Jim Whitesell said. “I think it’s the idea of ownership. It’s about making the easy play — sometimes we’re guilty of making the hard play. We’ve been sporadic, and it’s cost us. That and free throw shooting — they’ve cost us. We have to adapt.”
The Bulls will return to action on Friday night against the University of Toledo. For the third straight week, UB will be playing in a nationally-televised Friday night game, this time on the CBS Sports Network. Tip-off is at 6:30p.m. at John F. Savage Arena. The Bulls will also play on ESPN2 next Friday at Kent State.
Women’s softball goes 2-3 in opening tournament
It took the Bulls seven tries to get their first win last season. This year, it took them just one: a 4-3 victory over UT Martin in the season opener last Friday. “We came out right away, we beat a good team,” said softball head coach Mike Ruechel. The Bulls went 2-3 in the Lion Classic, as they look to start the season on a stronger note.
Last season, the Bulls struggled mightily with team defense, so they brought in Riley Johnson to teach that skill. UB looked impressive during opening weekend, with one exception: the teamy made six errors in an 8-7 win over Grambling State University. “Looking back at the errors, they’re all correctable,” Ruechel said. He expects the Bulls to continue to make progress in that regard.
Football players enter the transfer portal
The Bulls have had five football players enter the NCAA transfer portal, including receiver Jordan Overton, running back Theo Anderson, defensive lineman Chibueze Onwuka, linebacker Ja’Varius Harrison and cornerback Dawun Hylton. Harrison transferred to East Tennessee State University; the rest are still looking for homes.
Offensive guard Ray Thomas-Ishman transferred from UMass to UB last week. He will have immediate eligibility. Thomas-Ishman was a two-star recruit, before starting 34 games during his first three seasons with the Minutemen. He was named to the Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List before his senior campaign. He sat out in 2019 after being suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules.
Justin Weiss is the senior sports editor and can be reached at justin.weiss@ubspectrum.com and on Twitter @jwmlb1.
Justin Weiss is The Spectrum's managing editor. In his free time, he can be found hiking, playing baseball or throwing things at his TV when his sports teams aren't winning. His words have appeared in Elite Sports New York and the Long Island Herald. He can be found on Twitter @Jwmlb1.
