Howard Basketball Team Enjoying a 7-0 Start This Season

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) The Howard basketball team has stumbled through a losing season three of the last four years. But this season, they’re off to a 7-0 start, including a long-awaited win over their biggest rival.

Howard features a new head coach this year in James Talley, although he wasn’t new to the players.
Said Talley:”Yes I was the JV coach for the last two years, and we had a pretty solid record. The assistants that are with me now, they were also helping out with JV, so the kids they know us. And again like I said, they believe in us. We believe in them.”
That belief grew even stronger when Howard beat rival Brainerd for the first time in five years.
Said guard Calvin James III:”I’m looking at the score like man, we down almost ten points. I’m not trying to lose to this team another year in-a-row. I’m sick of it. We fought hard. We fought tough. And we came out with the victory. Now we are 7-0. People want to come see us. We just have people clapping for us. Chanting our name. Saying Howard. Howard. IT feels good to hear that.”
Talley is a former Howard football player, and he still looks like one.
And it seems he has brought a football mentality to the team.
Said guard Marquez Williams:”He brought physicality. He told us we’ve got to be physical. And like he brought back the hustle to Howard.”
Said Talley:”We’re at the Henry Bowles Gymnasium. Henry Bowles came to Howard. He wanted to always be the football coach. He was kind of forced into being the basketball coach, but look at the success he had. And I just want to bring that toughness to our guys.”
While the 7-0 start is great, the season is still awfully young.
Said Talley:”It’s not how you start it’s how you finish. That’s our message to the guys. Just continue to keep playing. Keep playing the style of ball that we are trying to get you to play. The up-tempo style. Up or down by fifty. We need to continue to play our style.”