Daytona In March

Not Spring Break for the Sycamores

(Des Moines, IA) – Indiana State basketball players are heading to Daytona in March, but not for Spring Break. The Sycamores are the top seeded team in the College Basketball Invitational. INS (22-12) will take on USC Upstate (16-15) Saturday morning.

The CBI appearance marks the first post season activity for Indiana State since a five year run from 2011 to 2014 which saw the Sycamores participate in the CBI, NCAA, CIT and two NIT’s. Four of those post season playing teams were coached by Greg Lansing.

Head coach Josh Schertz and INS administration believe it was important to grab this post season opportunity.

Prior to the team traveling to the Sunshine State we spoke with coach Schertz about USC Upstate (no it’s not Southern California), his excitement about the Missouri Valley Conference and his evaluation of the still going on, 2022-23 season.

(Valley Hoops Insider Podcasts Has the Entire Conversation)

Daytona in March – What About USC Upstate?

The Spartans are better than their 16-15 record would indicate. They were fourth (10-8) in the improving Big South Conference and split the regular season schedule with NCAA Big South representative UNC Asheville. Upstate lost games to Duke, Clemson, South Carolina and Florida State, contests Valley teams dream of getting on their schedule.

The Spartans are led by a pair of outstanding guards in Jordan Gainey and Trae Broadnax and their frontcourt is one of the nation’s best shot blocking units. Coach Schertz says the Spartans are a dangerous team.

The second-year Sycamore coach saw his club grow from a twenty-loss team into a 22-win team. Schertz believes the Valley is highly underrated. Five MVC squads topped the 20-win plateau and during the regular season, collectively went 3-5 against ‘power conference’ teams. He’s hoping Valley teams (Drake and Bradley) will have success in the post-season (this interview was conducted before Bradley’s loss at Wisconsin). Schertz wants his Sycamores to pull their weight too.

Daytona In March – Reflection on the Season

He says his personal jump to the Missouri Valley Conference is all he hoped it would be. Competing in the Valley, particularly at Arch Madness is special to this veteran coach. I asked him about this team’s thrilling, high-voltage quarter-final game with Belmont and amazingly played semifinal with Bradley.

As seasons wind down, I’m always curious about how coaches evaluate their seasons. We know wins and losses are major measuring rods, but coaches usually have other measuring sticks. They typically see the big picture and the small victories better than the average fan.

Coach Schertz sees solid building blocks being laid in the Sycamore program. He says the ‘blue print is in place’ for the younger players to follow.

During this trip to Daytona, six seniors will be playing their final games wearing Indiana State uniforms. Schertz believes they’ve left their mark and have provided solid footing for the Sycamores follow next season.

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