Basketball proving self during non-conference gauntlet
Comets host Central, Highland this weekend
Just three games into this season, it's clear this is a different Western Iowa Tech men's basketball team.
While the inaugural team admirably laid the foundation for this and all future seasons, the 2024-25 squad has already shown -- in victory and defeat -- that its capable of more.
Potentially much more.
The Comets early season schedule is no joke. They opened on the road against No. 24-ranked Kansas City Kansas, losing a close game down the stretch 77-68.
Two days later they hosted No. 15 Johnson County and, with a 75-69 win, knocked off their first ranked opponent. Johnson is now ranked No. 13 with its only loss coming in the Dunker Center.
"I think we are a good team, and the focus is on getting better each day," head coach Harvis "Coco" Cofield said. "If we continue to keep moving in the right direction, we will set ourselves up for success."
The Comets had a chance to notch another first -- their first win against an NJCAA Division I opponent -- when they hosted Cloud County on November 9. WIT led 29-27 at half but lost the battle at the three-point and free-throw lines as the Thunderbirds came back for a 76-65 win. Cloud County outscored WIT by 18 from the three-point line and made 10 more free throws.
A different schedule could have led to an early 3-0 record, but the Comets wanted the challenge. With four more non-conference games before the first ICCAC game at Iowa Central on November 30, Cofield wants his players to continue to dig in.
"As a program we just want to continue to work, keep getting better and compete every game," Cofield said. "I do feel our non-conference schedule is very competitive and challenging and it will prepare us for a very tough ICCAC conference."
Four ICCAC schools -- Des Moines Area (2), Kirkwood (5), Ellsworth (7), Iowa Western (23) -- are nationally ranked in the top 25, and a fifth, Iowa Lakes, is receiving votes.
The Comets play two home games this weekend. They host Central Community College-Columbus (3-2) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Highland CC (3-3) at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
While last year's Comets had a few standout players, this year's team isn't as reliant on any single individual. In three games, two players have been WIT's high-scorer, four have led or tied for most rebounds in a game and four have led or tied for most assists.
Sophomore Devares Whitaker opened the season with a 28-point performance at Kansas City Kansas, and is one of three players to average 10 or more points per game this season. Whitaker leads the Comets with 19.7 ppg, and sophomores Azani Smith and Isaiah Lloyd are each averaging 11.3 ppg. Freshman Zahj-lyn Collins is just behind them with 9 ppg.
WIT's depth has allowed Cofield to get quality minutes deep into his bench, playing up to 11 guys significant minutes when needed.
"We typically like to play eight to nine players, but I feel we can go deeper in the rotation with different lineups and have success," Cofield said. "During practice we experiment and mix things up so that everyone has a chance to play with each other and learn from each other.
"I am excited about our depth this year and am pleased with how coachable this group is as a whole."
Even setbacks are opportunities for the team's improved chemistry to shine this season.
Sophomore Zeb Svoboda and freshman Caleb Kawela, both of whom were expected to be key contributors, will miss most if not all of the season due to injury. The injuries have given a chance for others to step up, and Svoboda and Kawela -- both in partial casts -- are often seen cheering on their replacements from the sideline.
"The new guys are mixing in very well with the returners," Cofield said. "This past summer play was very important. We had almost everyone on campus for practice and summer team events.
"This team is very connected and is a player-led team. No matter what they may face, they always value each other's opinion and try to help each other out. Player led teams are always fun to coach."