WIU men head to Miami (Ohio) looking for win

BY SCOTT HOLLAND

MACOMB – Coming off losses in its opening two games, the Western Illinois men remain focused on what lies ahead, namely a trip to Ohio to play Miami Ohio and Mount St. Joseph on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
The Leathernecks opened the season with a pair of losses, and while both the Iowa and Central Michigan games were defeats, they came in differing fashion.
Against the Hawkeyes, the Leathernecks were never in the game while against the Chippewas, WIU led much of the contest before running out of steam late.
“We have to make sure we’re all on the same page,” WIU’s Rod Johnson Jr. said. “Coming off two losses is not the easiest thing but we’re all staying together making sure that focus is on the next games and putting these losses behind us.”
Johnson felt good about the improvement from game one to two game, but he also knows he and his teammates are not content with just being competitive.
“That’s what we’re here for, we’re here to win, we want to win every game,” Johnson said. “We didn’t finish the game out (Sunday), we did not play our best game at Iowa. We need to move forward but the biggest part of doing that is staying together, going 100 percent in every practice, in every game and for each other.”
Earning that trust of each other is not just important for the players, but the coaches as well as they try to piece together a starting lineup and rotation.
“Personnel, I like the pieces, but they all have to fit together,” coach Rob Jeter said. “We’re missing our true five, our perimeter player who can come in and give us action at the two. We have threes and fours, but we need more guard play, I like my guys, I know there are some glaring inefficiencies, but we are making progress.”