Up close and personal with Reggie Borges
By Joshua Muench

JM: What does your team need to do in order to succeed at the Mid-Conference tournament?
RB: I think we need to come together as a team. One of the problems we've had the last couple weeks is we haven't been playing together . . . We also need to learn how to win on the road. We've had trouble all year winning away from our home court. It's easier to win when we have the Mabee Maniacs and everybody cheering for us. It gets a little harder when you're away from home and everybody's against you. . .We'll have the Maniacs [at the tournament] but we have to learn to win away from home.

JM: What do you want to see happen personally in your game at the Mid-Conference tournament?
RB: For me personally, I have to get back to where I was last year when I was dominating games and playing well. That is one of the differences between how we were playing at the start of the year and how we are playing now. When our shots weren't falling early in the season, I was able to step up and carry our team until everybody came back around. Recently, I just haven't been able to do that. I've been picking it up on defense and rebounding, but my shots haven't been falling. I need to be scoring because I am one of the scorers on the team. My team expects that from me. In order for us to win three straight in the tournament, I have to be on top of my game. If I can do that, we'll get to the NCAA tournament.

JM: What teams pose the biggest challenge for you in the tournament?
RB: I think its wide open. There are four or five teams that are capable of winning it. Of course, Valpo is the favorite, but Oakland, IUPUI, and UMKC are all playing really well right now. They are all clicking at the right time, just before the tournament. UMKC, for example, is on a four or five game winning streak. They are all out to get us, though, so every team is going to be hard to beat. All that said, in my opinion, Valpo is going to be the toughest team.

JM: Who on your team this season has been the biggest surprise in terms of contributing to the success of the team?
RB: It's not surprising but Luke (Spencer-Gardner) is our leadership on the floor, leading by example. He's the guy that you know is going to play his heart out on every play. Tyrone (Tiggs) has stepped up a lot in terms of vocal leadership. Last year, he led by example, but he has stepped up a lot and it shows in the way he plays so hard. Also, I think Josh Atkinson has played better than anyone expected him to. He's contributed a lot to the team and he wasn't really in a position to be a vocal leader because he had just come back to the team, but he's done a good job at that, too. Not only on the floor, but also in the way he plays in practice and the way he carries himself off the floor.

JM: Which game this season stands out in your mind as the most memorable experience for your team?
RB: The Arkansas game was the most exciting and memorable game to me. It stands out in my mind the most because from what I saw, no one was thinking about personal goals. No one was worried about how many points they scored. Instead, everyone was focused on beating Arkansas. The bench was really into it. Even if they weren't in the game, they were really excited on the bench. Everybody on the court was looking out for each other and we were all a team. If someone went down, we were all there to pick him up. If one of Arkansas players was in our face, the rest of the team was right there sticking up for our player. I think we just really came together as a team during that game and the games following that. We played really hard and had something to prove. We wanted to show other teams that we could beat some big name teams. We really proved that during that game. I think I shot really bad during that game but it didn't matter because we won the game and everybody played as hard as they could.

JM: What would it mean to you to be able to play in the NCAA tournament? RB: It means everything to me. I have been wanting to get to the tournament ever since I started playing basketball. You know, I saw my brother's college team struggle and they never made it. I have always wanted to be the one to make it to the NCAA tournament and showcase my talent and the team's talent. My brother was the always the good athlete in our family and when he didn't make it I was like 'I'm going to make it.' So it's something that is really important to me. I'll do anything to get there. If we don't make it to the NCAA and make it to the NIT instead, it won't be as sweet because the Big Dance is big time and we are a big time team. I think we can make it.

JM: What adjustments or changes have you or the team made that gives you a better shot at a Mid-Con championship this year?
RB: Last year, I know I was a little more selfish. When I wanted the ball or got the ball, I was going to score. I would try to score every time. As a team last year, I think a lot of the guys were new. We were a bunch of junior college players trying to show what we could do instead of worrying about the team's goals. Towards the end of the year, we finally started to get more team-oriented. This year, it's all about the team. Everybody's played together for a year now. If I get the ball inside, I'm not just going to turn and shoot because there's going to be a double team coming. I'll kick it out to an open shooter, whereas last year I would have shot it anyway. Plus, the outside guys are looking more inside because they know now if we don't have a shot they are going to get it back. Last year when they dumped it in, they knew they weren't going to get it back.

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