Jeremy Weatherton
Staff Writer

Guard Chris Dean goes to the hoop strong against four defenders in a game against Erskine. Photo by Cory Guinn.
Parity is a word tossed around college athletics to describe the fact that no matter the circumstances, any team can win on any given night.
The men’s basketball team at North Greenville University embodied the word parity on a nightly basis this season, as it was an underdog in most games played.
The team opened the season with injuries to three of the four incoming freshman, and two never even touched the practice court, much less had the ability to contribute to games, according to head coach Chad Lister.
“Our senior leadership was crucial,” said Lister, and he pointed to it multiple times as the glue that held the team together this season when it felt as though nothing was going right.
The team also lacked depth in the post this season as injuries crippled the big men on the team.
“We lost two post players to season-ending injuries, including [sophomore sports management] Phil Brown, who was having a breakout season,” said Lister.
Brown went down at a crucial point in the season, as the Crusaders were playing some of the best basketball of their season when he went down, and the team was poised to make a run into the top eight of the conference and a berth into the conference tournament.
Brown went down early in the second half of the home game against Erskine College, after already recording a double-double in the game of 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Brown’s injury represented an enormous loss of post presence that could be seen as the team dropped four of its final six games, including its final four conference games.
The Crusaders did not give up on the season, though, as they fought hard in every game they played before and after the injuries to the five different players.
“Our improvements [this season] came from mental toughness,” said Lister of his team, adding, “There were glimpses of great play this season. Our defensive effort in a win against King College was one of the best of any team I have coached in 18 years.”
This year’s team exceeded the expectations of the rest of the conference as the conference coaches picked the Crusaders to come in last in the preseason, and the team finished ninth, just missing out on the opportunity to go to the conference tournament.
The team loses four seniors in Tyshawn Patterson, undecided, the team’s leading scorer, averaging 23.8 points per game, inside presence Jamaal Pryor, sport management, three-point shooter Jimmy Ellis, business, and point guard Tim Franklin, sport management.
However, the team returns key contributors to this season’s success, such as Chris Dean, junior sport management, and Keith Johnson, junior business administration, the second and third leading scorers, respectively.
“We are so excited to get everyone healthy and possibly have everyone back to work out at some point before the end of the spring semester,” said Lister.
While the team may not have had the best season possible on the stat sheet or record wise, it seems as though they are building toward a brighter future, and as next year’s recruits come in, so will the potential for another run at the conference tourney.
But, as the Crusaders learned this year, nothing is guaranteed, as injuries and other factors can contribute to the demise of a team, and any team can win on any given night.
For this simple reason, the team keeps its head held high on a great season, and looks to next year to improve.
While the players may change, the principles of college athletics, and Crusader basketball, remains the same, and for another year, parity will rule the landscape of basketball.