INDIANAPOLIS – With the target now squarely on the program’s back, Kentucky Wesleyan head coach Happy Osborne and his squad have some work ahead of them to maintain the coveted title as G-MAC champion.
A dream season ended in the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional at No. 1 seed Wisconsin-Parkside, but the Panthers pushed their opening-round opponent to the brink, and have the ability to run the table in the league again this year.
At the end of last season Kentucky Wesleyan graduated seven seniors. KWC is still in good shape though with the top two returning scorers back in impact senior Ken-Jah Bosley and preseason DII Bulletin All-American Jordan Jacks.
Last season, Ken-Jah Bosley was Kentucky Wesleyan’s leading scorer at 16.6 points per game. Already the G-MAC’s all-time leading scorer, Bosley can add even more separation from the rest of the pack with a season similarly aligned with his previous years.
Jacks averaged 13.9 points per game and also crashes the boards to become a nightly double-double threat. Both have the potential as player of the year caliber in the conference.
Bosley understands that it takes time to get acquainted with a new team, but once the chemistry strikes that harmonious chord, the sky’s the limit.
“I think the toughest challenges are just getting the comraaderie,” Bosley said. “It’s a new team and it’s going to be hard. I mean the (Miami) Heat, the one LeBron (James) was on, they got together they are a crazy talented team [and] started 9-8. I mean they didn’t have the comraderie, yet. So I mean that ’s something that we’re going to have to work on. Happy (Osborne) always says, ‘UK gets new guys every year so why can’t we be just as good in the DII level’.”
Kentucky Wesleyan has had two exhibition games against Division I in-state opponents prior to its first game on Nov. 11 against Wayne State at the GLIAC/G-MAC Challenge.
The Panthers faced off against Western Kentucky in exhibition play, sending the game into double overtime, but eventually falling 103-97. Bosley went off for a game-high 42 points and if it wasn’t for an improbable shot from the Hilltoppers to send it into double OT, the Panthers would have made national headlines for the upset.
As Kentucky Wesleyan prepares to get their season in full swing, Osborne is looking forward to seeing the team push through the challenges they are faced with.
“Our biggest challenge is just coming together as a team,” Osborne said. “They really like each other, and they’re a fun group. I enjoy coaching them.”
This season, the team will be nationally televised on ESPN3 for the Division II Showcase of the Week. The Panthers will be taking on the University of Southern Indiana on November 19.
After last season’s conference championship and the G-MAC’s first NCAA Championship Midwest Regional bid, the team strives to continue that excellence through the season.
Jacks thinks that the team has the ability to do that as long as they continue to push each other.
“I like the new guys that coach has brought into this team,” Jacks said. “I feel like we gel a lot better than any team I’ve been on and we’re really talented. I feel like if we can just keep on pushing each other in practice, then everything will work out.”