Last spring Mike DeGeorge took the Men’s basketball head coach position at Colorado Mesa University. The Mavericks last year had a record of 11-17 and have not made it into the RMAC championships for the past two years. Now, with a new head coach could things change that much within a year?
DeGeorge came from Rhodes College which was a Division III school as head coach of their men’s basketball team. After two seasons with the team, he turned around their record of 7-18 to 19-9. He also won three conference championships and earned the team a trip to the NCAA tournament. in 2017 he was named the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Coach of the Year and his team led the nation in assists.
So far this year with CMU, DeGeorge has not disappointed.
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The Mavericks are currently 6-1 in which is their best start since the 2012-13 season. CMU has shined in areas that were nonexistent last year while playing with a new found swagger.
The team is averaging 88.1 points per game while allowing only 77.7. The offense is showing consistency beyond the arc which seemed completely absent from last season. The Mavericks are shooting 42.6 percent beyond the arc.
“The team has had a growth mindset since we started working together in August and showed lots of improvement,” DeGeorge said. “If we continue working to get better every day, this has the potential to be a memorable season.
In DeGeorge’s head coach debate, the Mavericks beat #21 Dallas Baptist University and since then, have won five out of their last six contests. CMU only has two games where the final score is decided by ten points or less.
Not only has DeGeorge turned other teams around in his past, but is already showing that he has influenced the Mavericks and putting them on the winning track. His continuous pattern of turning teams with a majority of losses to winning teams is something no one can deny. Looking at how he turns numbers around is only one part. Over his career, it was pointed out that he also took care in the team’s academics and made those numbers rise as well.
Overall, the Mavericks can be excited to go see the men’s basketball team win because DeGeorge makes winners.
“I am a firm believer that you are only as good as your seniors. We have six seniors this season who have a sense of purpose to everything we do and they are providing great leadership.”
Seniors Connor Nichols and Damon Dubots lead the team in scoring and rebounds. Nichols, who was the leading scorer for the Mavericks last year, leads the team with 21.9 points per game. Dubots is second with 13.6 ppg.
DeGeorge and his team will return to Grand Junction to host UCCS and Colorado School of Mines from Dec. 7-8. The Mavericks currently rank first in the RMAC after starting conference play off with a win against Western State on Dec. 1.
