The Allegheny men’s basketball team lost its NCAC game against the College of Wooster on Wednesday, Feb. 17 in the David V. Wise Center. The Gators (3-20, 3-13) lost their second game against the Fighting Scots (18-6, 14-3) with a final score of 92-74.

From behind the arc, both Allegheny and Wooster performed well. The Gators tied their season high with 11 three-pointers and the Fighting Scots scored 14 three-pointers. Wooster scored 16 points off of Allegheny’s 15 turnovers and kept a 38-29 lead in rebounds.

As the basketball season comes to a close, the coaching staff and team members reflect on the 2015-16 season in addition to describing their hopes for the future of the program.

This season was Head Coach Bob Simmons’ first year coaching at Allegheny, and he remains optimistic for the future and is proud of the current players’ effort and dedication over the course of the season.

“It has been a whirlwind to say the least, but it’s been good,” Simmons said. “These guys that we have currently have been tremendous. They’ve bought into everything we’ve been doing both on and off the court. They’ve been the most coachable group and have worked harder than any group I’ve had, and I’m very thankful for that.”

Simmons is proud of the team’s effort during training and practices.

“I can count, maybe on one hand, where I’ve left the court or the office and didn’t feel they gave us everything they could, and I think that’s pretty special,” Simmons said.

Assistant Coach Michael Kenney said that the amount of effort the team has dedicated to the game does not reflect in this season’s record.

“The scoreboard lies a lot,” he said. “We make teams earn it.”

Simmons and Kenney described the changes they have made to the program. In addition to improving the team’s skills on the court, they want to make sure that the program represents Allegheny in the best way.

The coaches hold the players to higher standards. During the recruiting process, they are looking for potential players who represent the basketball program well, value academics and their education and show athletic talent on the court. For next season, the coaches hope to bring in a larger class to replace the graduating seniors.

This season, six players will be graduating from the team, captains Brian Holland, Evan Schweitzer and Brandon Smith as well as Chris Koryak, Chris Milon and Andrew Sestina.

Holland reflected on his basketball career and explained that he is proud to end his season with a team that brought effort and dedication to every practice.

“The program is in great hands,” Holland said. “I want to be able to look back and be proud to have been a part of Gator basketball.”

Holland said he cannot believe that his time playing for the men’s basketball team is coming to an end.

“You shouldn’t waste a moment of it,” Holland said.

The Gators will play their last game of the season and honor the seniors on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. against Denison University in the Wise Center.