By CONNOR GRAY, Assistant Editor
The Northwestern Rangers basketball team is ready for a normal regular season, with the season only one day away.
Last year, the team dealt with many postponed or canceled games because of the coronavirus affecting the Rangers or their opponents. The team was only able to play 15 games and had a 3-12 record.
With last season behind them, and only having three players returning, the team is mainly composed of new players, with many being transfers.
Head coach Vinay Patel is in his third season leading the Rangers. He said he wants to bounce back from last season and get the team through this season with no issues.
“It’s great to be back to some normalcy — having a true preseason that we didn’t get to have last season, and we didn’t get started until January,” Patel said.
Patel also said that, with everything being how it was before the pandemic, it made things easier in preparing for the upcoming season.
With the NCAA giving players an extra year of eligibility, the players who returned will get another shot at leaving the program on a high note.
Patel spoke highly of forward Bubba Furlong, who led the conference in rebounding and was third in the country in blocked shots. Patel described him as the backbone of the team.
Having new players on the team is not new for Furlong, as he is in his fifth season on the college level. 2020 was his first year at Northwestern.
“It’s just trying to figure out how to work together as one to make the team better,” Furlong said.
Furlong also mentioned that Patel has been the best coach he has had. Patel has helped him as a player and as a person, Furlong said.
Junior college transfer Larry White has enjoyed being a part of the team and has enjoyed having Patel as his head coach.
“It’s our first year together having a full team,” White said. “Just seeing everything that [Patel] is capable of and going under his wing.”
The Rangers will play the University of Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State University on Nov. 12 and 13, respectively, in Edmond.