How 2 months of road games, playing ranked teams prepped Jackson State basketball for SWAC play

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Romelle Mansel knew the task ahead of the 2024-25 Jackson State men’s basketball season.

Mansel, a graduate student was entering his third year at Jackson State, and a challenging non-conference schedule awaited.

When JSU departed for Houston on Nov. 4, 2024, the team wasn’t scheduled to play a game in Williams Athletic and Assembly Center until Jan. 11, against Alabama State. The team would travel over 15,000 miles and stay countless nights in hotels.

“A lot of people don’t really pay attention to, or kind of realize, but like that takes a toll on the body,” Mansel said. “Flying place to place. Driving on a bus for two to three hours.

“Flying on planes for an hour here, and sitting in the layover for two hours and then flying somewhere else and having to practice that same night and then play the next day. That all is tough to do. … Non-conference is definitely, always a battle.”

Since starting 0-13, JSU has won six conference game and look to continue its recent run of success as it hosts in-state rival Mississippi Valley State (3-19, 1-8 SWAC) at 3 p.m., Saturday. The Tigers (6-16, 6-3) are tied for third in the conference behind Southern and Texas Southern.

Although JSU did not win a single game during their non-conference schedule, Mansel said it feels as if that shaped them into the team it is now. The Tigers faced multiple ranked teams, such as Kentucky, Iowa State and Houston. The Tigers non-conference schedule was ranked No. 23 overall and the hardest in the SWAC, according to TeamRankings.com.

“(We played) good teams,” Mansel said. “Really good teams that we have a possibility of seeing in the tournament. That’s helped us going into SWAC play. We went 0-13, so our mindset was, ‘Now that we’re in SWAC play, this is what really counts. So we need to really lock in.”

Junior guard Daeshun Ruffin is in his first season on the court after missing last year with knee injuries. He said playing that non-conference schedule was a blessing in disguise.

“It gave us a visual of the…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/2-months-road-games-playing-223313832.html

Author : The Clarion Ledger

Publish date : 2025-02-06 22:33:00

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