Chris Ferguson, Campus Carrier Asst. Sports Editor
Basketball season is coming to a close and several players have have set new school records. Against Hendrix College, junior Elijah Hirsh set the record for most blocks in a game with ten blocks. This shattered the previous record, which was only six blocks. In the same game, he was only one rebound shy of a triple double. However, throughout the season Hirsh has accumulated 10 double-doubles.
Hirsh transferred at the beginning of last semester from Reinhardt University and wasn’t originally planning to play basketball. What ultimately attracted him to the team were their values.
“Coach Rogers ended up convincing me and getting me back into the swing of things,” Hirsh said. “Not only does everyone care about the sport, but there is also a strong emphasis on academics. There is more of a focus on bettering oneself on and off the court.”
The way the team plays has also allowed Hirsh to be able to set the new blocking record and continue to make strong defensive plays.
“Coach Rogers set up the defense so that when the offensive player drives into the paint, it will set them for me to block them,” Hirsh said. “Hopefully I can break the record again next year.”
Although Hirsh has performed well throughout the season, the team overall has not had the season they had planned for. But the Vikings still have a chance to turn their season around.
“If we win these next three games, we have a shot at the conference championship,” Hirsh said. “This gives us a chance to turn things around even though we did not have the strongest season.”
Hirsh thinks very highly of Coach Rogers, not only on the court, but off the court as well. Rogers has helped Hirsh develop as a player and as a person.
“I think he’s a phenomenal coach and has helped me develop as a defensive player,” Hirsh said. “His knowledge towards basketball is very important, but he has taught me character and work ethic which will help me later in life past my basketball career.”
Hirsh plans on continuing to play basketball past college if the opportunity presents itself.
“The goal is to continue playing after college, maybe a couple years,” Hirsh said. “But some people can play too long and you have to know when to just give it up.”