Riverhawk Men’s Basketball Completes Their Season
ARNOLD, MD – Anne Arundel Community College's men's basketball team has concluded for the 2016-17 season. The Riverhawks ended with their thrilling 89-88 win over the College of Southern Maryland.
Leading the team this season was newly appointed head coach Joseph Snowden, who served as interim head coach last season. Although his first season as official head coach, Snowden is no stranger to Anne Arundel Community College and has shown great dedication to the school and athletic program through the years. Joe has been a fundamental contributor to the men's basketball team since 2007.
"First off, I want to thank all of our students, the fans, parents, the athletic staff and the college for their great support through out the season." Coach Snowden states. "We were in so many close games that, by the numbers, winning them could have improved our record. If I looked at our record (6-15 overall, 3-11 conference), it appears unsuccessful yet we did not come in last in a very strong Maryland JUCO conference – and that IS successful."
Those close games Coach Snowden is referring to, are the thirteen games on the season that were decided by 9 points or less, six games decided by 5 points or less, and four games ending in overtime.
"The team played hard every game, showing solid team work in each contest."
The Riverhawks had four sophomores leading them this season.
Larry Stevenson (Charleston, SC/Sigonella) competed in the 2015-16, and 2016-17 seasons for the Riverhawks. A point guard with strong leadership attributes, Larry finished this season averaging 16.8 points per game, shooting 38.1%, 31.6% from the 3PT line and 66.3% at the free throw line. Stevenson was also ranked sixth in the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference for assists per game, as well as sixth in the conference for steals per game. For his career, Larry found himself apart of the starting line-up in 49 out of the 50 games he participated in. He scored his season high of 31 points in the 92-90 win over Lorain County Community College early on in the season and posted another 31 points in the 91-90 win over Chesapeake College.
Christian Thomas (Annapolis, MD/Annapolis) also competed in the 2015-16, and 2016-17 seasons. Thomas tallied a total 21 starts in the 50 games he played. This season, Christian averaged 6.8 points per game, shooting 42.6%, 40.0% from the 3PT line and 63.3% from the free throw line. Christian scored his career high in the last game of the season with 22 points, draining a deep jump shot in the remaining seconds to earn the 89-88 win over the College of Southern Maryland.
Anthony Frazier (Washington, DC/Arundel) played in the 2012-13, and the 2016-17 seasons. This season, Anthony started in 19 of the 21 games he played in while averaging 15.1 points per game. Anthony finished shooting at 47.9%, 35.8% from the 3PT line, and 77.1% at the free throw line. Frazier found himself ranked fourth in the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference for assists per game. Like Thomas, Frazier scored his season high in the 89-88 win over the College of Southern Maryland. Accompanying his high of 24 points that night, Anthony grabbed 7 rebounds, shot 10-11 from the field and 4-5 from beyond the arc.
Marcus Dentley (Pasadena, MD/Northeast) competed in the 2015-16, and 2016-17 seasons for the Riverhawks and started in all 50 games that he played in. This season, Marcus recorded 5 double-doubles, and scored his season high of 41 points in the 93-81 loss to Potomac State College of WVU. With this seasons stats, Marcus found his name among the leader board for the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference; ranked 1st in conference for his average 22.2 points per game, 7th in the conference for his average 3PT shooting percentage of 40.0% (1.4-3.6 3PT/G), and 5th in the conference for his shooting percentage of 81.6% at the free throw line (4.4-5.4 FT/G). In November, Marcus was awarded "Student Athlete of the Month" by the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference.
Addition to their efforts on the court, freshman Miles Dobson (Chino Hills, CA/Chino Hills) along with the Dentley, Stevenson, and Thomas all excelled in the classroom and were named to the Fall 2016 Athletic Director Student Athlete Honor Roll.
"At the end of the day I am happy we improved during the season and can look to continue with that momentum with the six freshman who grow quickly. "
Coach Snowden concludes his thoughts; "No coach is pleased with not winning a championship, but it's the small steps first – winning will come."