USI men’s basketball program sparks excitement at Fall Festival

EVANSVILLE, Indiana (WFIE) – USI basketball season is just around the corner and on Monday night the men’s and women’s teams were presented to the town of Evansville during the fall festival.

ISU men’s basketball head coach Stan Gouard is now in his second season leading the men’s program, and he says there is much to be hoped for now that the energy of the fans has returned.

“We are an athletic team. we’re playing real fast, we’re going to play a little defensively and we’re just trying to do our best on the basketball court and win a national championship for Evansville, ”said coach Gouard.

Despite the setbacks of the pandemic, the men’s team finished last season 12-5 overall. This season they return 4 starters in guys like Clayton Hughes and Mateo Rivera, but they also bring new threats like Castle grad Isaiah Swope.

Now a junior in a red shirt, Jacob Polakovich will enter the field for the first time since following coach Gouard from U Indy.

“It’s really exciting to be able to come back and play there, especially in my first year here with a real team,” said Polakovich. “You can expect us to play really fast. We are all together and we get along very well. I think we are going to play fast and physically.

Practice resumes on October 15, following the team’s debut at Midnight Madness.

The men begin their season at home on Nov. 18 against Oakland City.

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