K.K. Curry | Photo courtesy UT Martin Sports Information
The Skyhawk men’s basketball team exceeded expectations this season, finishing third in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) rankings following their final loss at Morehead State (No. 1 seed) on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 25.
The men’s basketball team began this journey in 2021, when Ryan Ridder accepted the head coach position with zero returning players, a rare occurrence. Ridder has been adamant in creating a championship squad from scratch, and this year, they finally have a chance to take it all in the OVC tournament after an exceptional, gritty season.
K.K. Curry, a 6-foot-6 forward from Cleveland, Tennessee, was one of the returners from last season.
“Being a part of a brand-new team with no chemistry or culture, it was hard,” Curry said. “It’s just a different feeling from now to last year. You can tell we are really trying to win something.
“Last year, it felt like we were just trying to get the season over with,” he added, addressing their harsh 2021-22 season, where the team ended with a 4-14 conference record.
This year, the Skyhawks were in first or second place the majority of the season. Most of the top teams had tying records, which is why UT Martin fell to third place following their last game, a tough loss to Morehead. Regardless, the team finished with a 10-8 winning record, showing perhaps the most growth of all the teams in the league.
“I feel like we performed well and really surpassed expectations of how people thought we were going to do,” said Curry, who had an impressive season himself, finishing as one of the top rebounders in the league.
Speaking on the lows and highs of the season, he said, “Morehead was the toughest loss since we could have seeded better, but every win feels so good because winning college basketball games are hard, so we celebrate after every one.”
Looking forward to post-season play, perhaps the most anticipated time of the year, the Skyhawks expect to gain champion status in the OVC tournament. Placing third in conference play automatically advances UT Martin to the quarterfinals, giving them a good chance to take it home.
“You can expect us to play as hard as we can and leave with some hardware,” said Curry, referring to the much-coveted OVC tournament trophy.
Though the OVC tournament began yesterday, March 1, in Evansville, Indiana, UT Martin’s first game will take place today (March 2) against sixth-seeded SIUE, which defeated Southern Indiana 68-54 yesterday to pull off its first OVC tournament win.
Tournament tickets are available online.
