Boys Basketball
Hurt gone, Marian feeling no pain
Akinyemi steps into void as Spartans romp over Providence
When guard Brandon Hurt transferred on Dec. 28 to Victory Rock Prep School in Bradenton, Florida, Marian Catholic coach Mike Taylor had a simple message for his players: Next man up.
Junior guard Victor Akinyemi and his Spartans' teammates took those words to heart. The 6-foot-4 Akinyemi stepped into Hurt's starting position and hasn't looked back.
Case in point Tuesday night at Providence. Akinyemi knocked down four straight 3-pointers in the first quarter to ignite Marian Catholic in a 60-31 nonconference win.
The Spartans (10-5) improved to 4-1 without Hurt, a 6-foot junior who spent three years on the varsity.
Akinyemi finished with a game-high 14 points while sitting much of the second half as the Spartans enjoyed a double-digit lead.
“I'm just letting the game come to me,” Akinyemi said. “Chase (Adams) has me and Sean (Taylor) to kick it out to. My teammates set me up good. After that first shot went in, I knew I was on and my shot was going in.”
Akinyemi moving into a starting role has elevated freshman guard Ahron Ulis on the depth chart. Ulis' brother Tyler, a Marian Catholic graduate, is a rookie in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns.
The 5-10 Ahron Ulis supplied six points against Providence (3-10). His basket and 3-pointer in the second quarter helped the Spartans extend a 17-8 lead to 24-10 early in the second quarter.
While Ulis was sad to see Hurt leave, he's enjoying the increase in playing time.
“I have been playing better and getting more minutes,” Ulis said. “With Brandon gone, me and Malik (Tidwell) have to step up. I have to take advantage of my opportunities.”
Tidwell came off the bench to score nine points.
Senior Warren Allen is taking it upon himself to pick up some of the slack left from Hurt's departure. The 6-5 senior scored eight of his 10 points in the third quarter against Providence.
“You do what you can,” Allen said. “I have to take on a bigger load. We were all feeling down when he (Hurt) left. But this team has a lot of heart. I really believe that's going to be our meal ticket.”
Allen and the rest of the Spartans did a nice job getting the ball to Akinyemi in the early going.
“Vic was on fire,” Allen said. “He was knocking everything down.”
Providence, on the other hand, had a difficult time finding the bottom of the net. The Celtics shot only 29 percent (12-for-41). Jake Schutter led with eight points.
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