For a team operating under new head coach Stacy Hollowell, there are few things that could have gone better in the Wolf Pack’s first game against Carver College.

For the first time since 2009, the men’s team reached the century mark in their first game of the season with a 101-81 victory over Carver College.

“We played with good pace in that game. We created some easy opportunities. When their backs were against the wall they pressured us a little bit but our guys handled the pressure well,” Hollowell said.

In the games following the victory over Carver College, the Pack faced consecutive losses to opponents Lafayette and Southeastern, games in which the team gave up an average of 92 points per game. Although they are exhibition games, it shows that the team is still improving on both ends of the floor according to Coach Hollowell.

“In the Lafayette game, we looked very timid. We didn’t play with the same kind of aggressiveness on offense that we played with against Carver College. We’ve gotta continue to get better defensively,” Hollowell said.

Along with getting used to a new system under a new head coach, freshman Nick Parker is also trying to get used to the pace of a college game.

“The most difficult part of playing college ball is adjusting to the speed of the game,” Parker said.

In his four years at Port Allen High, Parker averaged 20.6 points per game and 6.0 assist while leading his team to the class 3A quarterfinals. But Parker has shot a combined 2 for 16 in the last two games, which has led him to want to spend more time in the gym.

“I’ve got to get in the gym on my own time and work on the things I’ve been struggling with over the last couple of games,” Parker said.

The men’s team is made up of a group of freshman, sophomores and a handful of juniors. To anchor the bench unit, Daniel Kuhl, management senior, has accepted the role of coming off the bench.

“We’re so deep this year that I think coming off the bench is a vital role. I do whatever I need to do to help the team win,” Kuhl said.

Kuhl started a series of games last season. Although moving to the bench has been an adjustment of its own, Kuhl, as a senior, is most concerned with winning.

“It’s our last go ‘round. We might as well give everything we’ve got now because the seniors aren’t going to be here next year. We’re just trying to win,” Kuhl said.

The men’s team will face conference rivals Brewton Parker and Coastal Georgia on the road wback-to-back.