Conference Play Tips-off and Assistant Coach Turns Player
The Emmaus men's basketball team recently rung in the new year with a flurry…a flurry of games, a flurry of roster additions, and plenty of snow flurries!
Since the turn of the calendar to 2020, the Eagles have taken to the home court on four occasions, bookended by back-to-back weekends of snow, and a flurry of NCCAA DII competition.
And a week after dressing six active players for the 2020 opener against NCCAA Regional opponent, Maranatha Baptist University, the Eagles now feature eleven rostered players, and have found themselves in a pair of high energy, high entertainment games in front of the Pollard faithful.
New to the Eagles roster are first year players: Micah Ayres, Ben Egle, John Hertz, and Andrew Kerttula. Junior Josh Davidson has re-entered the fold for his second stint in an Eagles uniform, while senior, Cody Cunard features a most unique path to reaching his 4th season of action on the hardwood.
After starting the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach for both the men's and women's basketball programs, Cunard has made the rare transition from coach to player. Recognizing a need with the short roster versus Maranatha, and seizing upon an opportunity, Cunard has come out of "college basketball retirement," and re-enrolled at Emmaus Bible College, putting himself on a path to complete his fourth season of eligibility and to graduate in May 2020.
In a whirlwind 72 hours, Cunard went from coaching Thursday afternoon, to attending class on Friday afternoon, and then logging 12 points and 42 minutes of action, over 2 games on the weekend.
The boost from Cunard and new additions, Ayres, Davidson, Egle, Hertz, Kertulla helped lift the Eagles in spirit and play, in a 86-78 loss to NCCAA #8-ranked, Central Christian Saints on Jan. 10. The Eagles brought a similar tenacity to the court one week later, when they played their best ball of the season in the first half, before eventually falling to MCCC opponent, Calvary University.
The Eagles now travel to Ankeny, IA, where they will take on the Faith Eagles on Tuesday, Jan. 21, before returning to the home court on Saturday, Jan. 25, when they face-off against the Nebraska Christian College Sentinels at 5pm.