Linfield Men’s basketball had their first on record games on Nov. 15 and 16.
The Wildcats lost Saturday and Sunday’s games but look to a successful season within the NWC.
The men’s team currently has 10 freshmen on their roster, which makes up for over half of the team. They played Portland State University in an exhibition game on Nov. 8.
“We had a bunch of freshmen out there…it was a good chance to get the nerves off and kind of play somebody else in a nice environment,” Coach Shanan Rosenberg said. “We are a young team and we have guys who are lifting weights for the first time in their lives or still have yet to play a college game and that’s over half our team.”
“We played them tight for awhile, but we didn’t shoot very well.  They are just a lot better than us at the guard spots than us and they are senior heavy,” Rosenberg said.
It was a learning experience for the team and allowed for the new players to see what other college athletes were like in a competitive setting.
“The take away for us was we got exposed to some things we need to get better at and the kids were exposed to the speed, strength, and athleticism that’s out there at a collegiate level,” Rosenberg said.
Looking ahead to the rest of the season, the men’s team is confident that they’ll be able to compete with the other NWC schools.
“I think we have a ton of potential,” Rosenberg said.  “I think our ceiling is high and we are just going to get better and better. We’ll just have to get through the trials of being young and we have a few older pieces that we’ll contribute and blend in there.”
“I mean we’d like to be in the top four spots to get to the playoffs. That’s a long climb. I’d like to think we can compete for one of those top four spots. That would be a nice goal,” Rosenberg said.
The men’s team, despite having a young team think they have what it takes to play some good basketball.
“I like our talent level a lot and what I’m seeing in practice so far,” Rosenberg said. “We want to be playing our best basketball in February. We are longer and more athletic than the other teams have been in awhile. I’m really encouraged by that.”
“Our rebounding and defensive length are going to be our strengths. Offensively we’ll be able to score inside pretty well. We should shoot it well by the time we get deeper into the season,” Rosenberg said.
The Linfield men’s basketball team looks utilize their length and good defense against Whittier College and UC- Santa Cruz Saturday Nov. 22 and 23.