Alarid, OCC men look to stay focused this year

Nov. 17—The Ozark Christian College men's basketball team is coming off of an 18-19 finish to its 2021-22 campaign.

The Ambassadors have seen some change since then, but still have plenty of familiar names on the roster as well.

Headlining those familiar names is fifth-year senior and starting point guard, Tyler Alarid. Alarid made it very clear what he wants to do in his final collegiate season.

"Obviously, I would say winning that national championship," Alarid said. "Just ending up on top. I feel like that's everyone's goal this year."

That would be a turnaround from last season when OCC dropped its first two games of the NCCAA national tournament. Meaning, the Ambassadors finished outside the top 6 in the nation.

Head coach Chris Lahm added some insight on just what kind of team Alarid will be helping to lead this year. He says added depth will go a long ways in helping Alarid not have so much responsibility as a scorer this year.

"We could absorb an injury or two this year that we haven't been able to the last few years," Lahm said. "It's probably the most talented team I've had in the last 10 years."

Part of that added depth will be a name that this area is familiar with in Joel Pugh. Pugh has been a starter for Lahm and the Ambassadors in one regular season game and seven exhibitions so far.

Despite being so green to the college game, Pugh believes his history as a starter for the Carthage Tigers has helped ease some of the nerves but not completely.

"A little bit," Pugh said. "There's always nerves coming in to a new team."

Part of that comfort has come with pairing up alongside an experienced guard in the backcourt in Alarid.

"It's definitely nice having him (Alarid) as a really experienced player," Pugh said. "It definitely helps me in the aspect that I haven't played college ball before. So, him having as much experience as he does is definitely helping me grow in my game, too."

Other key returners for Ozark this year will be senior big man Caleb Brown, sophomore shooter Josiah Beckenhauer and a scoring threat off of the bench in sophomore Aason Cross.

Other key newcomers to watch are sophomore transfer Danny Foster, a 6-foot-5 forward, and a 6-3 freshman guard, Konrad Benner.

"Obviously we've shown improvement when you have some starters last year that are now bench players," Lahm said. "The addition of Danny (Foster) and Joel is huge for us. Especially when you get a guy like Joel Pugh in who was COC all-conference."

As for what coach anticipates from his unit throughout this season: offense.

"They're going to be a very good offensive team," Lahm said. "Defensively, we've improved this year. We could get better.

"We like threes but we love layups and getting to the free throw line. Our goal is to always make more free throws than our opponents attempt."

That might just be the recipe that the Ambassadors have cooking after one regular season game. In their 71-55 win over Southwestern Adventist on Oct. 27, the team shot 40 free throws and made 32 of them. Lahm noted that they've continued to do that through their exhibition matchups.

"We're looking forward to seeing if that has upped our level of play," Lahm said. "We're looking to see if these seven games have paid off, talent wise."

OCC will be putting exhibition games behind them and begin rolling through their regular season schedule beginning on Thursday at Union College (Neb.).

As the gauntlet begins toward that national title Alarid seeks, he has a plan in mind on how to best help his team reach that goal.

"Every day, coming in and bringing the energy," Alarid said. "The past years I've felt like we had a lack of energy in practice and games. This year, I feel like being more intentional, bringing more energy and making sure, 1 through 15, everyone's locked in."

And Lahm is ready to hand him the keys.

"He (Alarid) pretty much has free reign to do anything he wants, within limits," Lahm said. "It's really nice to have somebody like that, that knows what we're doing. He probably knows what every guy on the floor should be doing at any given moment. Which makes him that much better of a player."

GAME NOTES

The OCC men enter play at 1-0 after their lone regular season game on Oct. 27 at home against Southwestern Adventist. The Ambassadors will face the Warriors of Union College in Lincoln, Neb.

The Warriors have yet to begin regular season play. Lahm noted that Union College features a 6-9 presence on the interior that may impact the gameplay.

The OCC women also play at Union College on Thursday. The Ambassadors are 0-1 on the young season after a 62-46 road loss against Cottey College on Nov. 4. The Warriors are playing in their first game of the season.

The men are scheduled to tip off at 6 pm. following the women's game, which tips off at 4 pm.