The Augustana men’s basketball team was defeated by the Illinois Wesleyan Titans 75-56 at home in its final game of the season on Saturday, Feb. 21. Despite trailing by only four at one point in the second half, the Vikings were outmatched by the stifling defense of the Titans and were unable to break through. With the loss, the Vikings finished 10-15 overall and 5-11 in the conference.
After a road win at North Park University, which left them 5-3 in CCIW games, the team started a dreadful eight-game losing streak. In the streak, games included double-digit road losses to Elmhurst University and Illinois Wesleyan, and back-to-back home losses on last-second game-winners to North Park and Carthage College.
Even after tough losses, players like junior guard Eli Aldana knew that the next day and the upcoming games offered more opportunities to learn and move on.
“We talked about how we didn’t lose both those games on that last play,” Aldana said. “It was multiple plays throughout the game that led to that. We emphasize going 1-0 every day, so we’re coming back the next day after those losses. It’s all about just trying to flush it. Obviously, learn from it, but flush it and keep moving on, so the days pile on.”
One of the key areas in which the Vikings struggled in conference play was rebounding, as evidenced by the fact that they were outrebounded in six of their eight losses during the streak. In CCIW games, the Vikings averaged the fewest number of rebounds per game, only managing to snag 32.6 each contest.
However, one of the key areas in the Vikings’ favor heading into this offseason is the potential for what the team can return next season. The team can bring back seven of its top 10 scorers from this season, and while losing key players like seniors Dani Romero and Marieon Anderson hurts, the future looks bright. One player returning is First-Year Caden Workman, who already has big ideas about what he aims to accomplish this offseason.
“This offseason, one thing I have to do is definitely get more physical and bigger, stronger, faster, just to play at this level if I want to stay healthy,” Workman said. “Basketball-wise, I have to get a better 3-point shot and be more consistent with that. I think I do pretty well playing in the paint, but I know I continue getting better at that.”
In the 2024-25 season, the team had its best season since before the COVID-19 pandemic, and expectations around the program seemed high. Despite losing nine seniors last offseason and posting a 10-15 record this season, the team is in a better spot than when head coach Jordan Delp took over.
No team wants to go through an eight-game losing streak that pushes them out of the conference tournament, especially after a comeback season the year before. To restore that optimism, the program must persevere. As the program shifts into offseason mode, Delp’s focus now is on how the program responds to the adversity the team faced this season.
“Adversity is coming regardless,” Delp said. “My hope is that we can take these lessons and utilize them to help us build more discipline and consistency in our work this offseason. I believe that teams are made during the year, and players are primarily made in the offseason, so we have to make sure we take our medicine from an individual skill set standpoint and make sure we’re focused on improving in the right areas.”
After the loss to Illinois Wesleyan on senior day, the Vikings have a long offseason to build a team around a young core that can once again compete for a CCIW title and bring the Vikings back to winning basketball.
Going forward, the Vikings athletes will have a chance to improve on their down season this year and use the lessons learned to overcome adversity in the future. For redshirt First-Year Andre Klaver, this is part of the journey most teams experience in their quest for greatness.
“No matter what we go through, I think these are binding moments as players, because going forward, we know we won’t make the same mistakes,” Klaver said. “Other people learn the same lesson, but you play for those moments, for the wins and losses, and everything in between.”
