The Joliet Junior College men’s basketball team sits at 10-11 with two games left in the regular season. Despite the under-.500 record, the Wolves have still earned a No. 17 ranking in the country among NJCAA Division III teams.
Head coach Danny Turner said the ranking speaks more of the team’s resilience rather than their record.
“We’ve played at least five teams who’ve been nationally ranked. And we’ve beaten three nationally ranked teams,” Turner said. “That’s why we’re rated 17th in the country with the strength of our scheduling and our wins we’ve had against those higher-level teams.”
Turner said the losses against those teams were all competitive games and noted a single-point loss against nationally ranked Bryant & Stratton.
“It puts it into perspective; the national voters see the strength of our schedule,” Turner said.
Despite the record, Turner believes this group stands out from previous teams.
“No, this team is very special. It’s our most talented team that we’ve had in my four years here,” Turner said.
“If we make it to the national tournament, we’ll probably have the most losses out of any team that’s there,” Turner said. “We’re pretty much the underdog.”
With the postseason approaching rapidly, Turner has the team matching game intensity during practice.
“It’s all in the prep of just staying competitive, man. At this point in the year, you don’t want your team to lose any competitive edge,” Turner said. “You have to be able to fan various actions in the half court, for example. You have to be able to defend screens and attack in the half court to be successful in the postseason.”
Turner said his message to the team down the stretch is simple.
“Best. It’s giving me your best attitude, give me your best effort, and give me your best focus. You know, if you can give us those three of your best, then we have a chance to be successful,” Turner said.
Turner highlighted several athletes who can execute those actions and emphasized how important experience is.
“Experience matters. You know, we start four sophomores and those who’ve experienced postseason play. At least three of those four that are starting have experienced it,” Turner said.
Among the starters mentioned by Turner were All-American nominee Jeff Fleming and lights-out shooter Jyaveion Green.
“Jeff Fleming is a returning starter. Reliable target for two years, good double-double guy. He’s getting strongly looked at by some four-year schools,” Turner said. “And then we have Jyaveion Green. At one time Jyaveion Green was one of the top three three-point shooters in the country, at 52%.”
The Wolves will enter their final two regular-season games with energy that reflects postseason play. Joliet will face Wilbur Wright College on Nov. 14 and Harper College on Feb. 17.
“If we can hold our opponents under 70 points, that’s pretty good. That’s a goal of ours in these last two games,” Turner said.
