MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – When Deric Hill decided to transfer to Barry University to play basketball, he was hoping for big things.
Last year, the Buccaneers point guard was fourth in the nation in assists and seventh in steals per game. So yeah, that’s pretty big. But he has other things in mind this year – agendas that are even more grandiose.
First things, first. Hill and BarryU host Puerto Rico-Mayaguez 7:30 p.m. Friday in the second regular season game of the year. The game will air on the Buccaneers Broadcast Network with Danny Rabinowitz handling the call.
“I think we take the same route as we did playing against JWU, and we take the same to playing against Puerto Rico-Mayaguez,” said Hill, who had seven assists and scored eight points in the Bucs’ opening-game win over Johnson & Wales.
Mayaguez (1-1) is coming off a 12-point loss at Lynn Wednesday after the Tarzans won their opener against National Association of Basketball Coaches NCAA Division II preseason No. 5-ranked Montevallo . All five Tarzans starters scored in double figures against Lynn, combining for 57 of Mayaguez’s 77 points.
“They have a very balanced scoring attack across the board,” Bucs assistant coach Justin Furr said. “Their relentlessness and ability to keep fighting means they’re never out of a game. Their guards have an ability to make shots, and their bigs are very skilled inside. Mayaguez presents matchup challenges for us at every position.”
Barry held JWU to 32.1 percent field goal shooting, allowing nine field goals in each half. Counting their two exhibition games against Division I top-10 teams, the Bucs have outrebounded all of their opponents thus far. In fact, BarryU’s three-game rebounding edge against Louisville, Florida and Johnson & Wales is 146-112. Only one party from that triumvirate – Louisville -- grabbed more than 40 rebounds against the Buccaneers. Barry has pulled down over 50 boards in two of those games, including against the Cardinals.
“Our defense is actually better than it was last year,” said Hill, who had three steals in the opener. “We established that.”
Defense is a hallmark of second-year coach Butch Estes’ keys to success. So far, so good. Of course, these Bucs realize there’s a long way to go. They also know the No. 22 national ranking they picked up in the first Division II Sports Information Directors of America Media Poll released this week means nothing in November.
“It makes us feel good, but last year we were ranked for a week, and right after that we lost a game to Florida Southern, and that unranked us,” said Hill, whose team was not in the NABC preseason poll and is 76th in the algorithm-based Bennent Rank.
“So I don’t think we need to get too cocky about it. We just need to keep playing the basketball we’ve been playing.”