Trojans searching for confidence, host Ragin' Cajuns

TROY – A three-game stretch in late November/early December showed Troy’s players how good they can be when they’re playing with confidence.

But, as coach Don Maestri said, confidence comes with winning. That’s something that hasn’t happened much as of late. The Trojans get another shot tonight at 7:30 p.m. against UL-Lafayette in Trojan Arena.

From Nov. 26-Dec. 3, Troy won at Southern Utah and then beat East Tennessee State and Miami of Ohio at home. Since then, Troy is 3-11.

“We’re struggling with our confidence,” Maestri said. “I don’t think you get it unless you win. You start second-guessing yourself and we’re at that point right now where we are not sure of some of the things we are doing, especially at key times, to be able to win games.”

Troy has been in the games. The Trojans lost in the final seconds at South Alabama last week, and were down 53-50 with three minutes left to FIU on Thursday, but didn’t score again and lost 63-50.

Long scoreless stretches have hurt Troy’s cause in the losses. It’s at that point where Maestri feels his players are second-guessing themselves.

“You’re not playing with that real deep-seeded confidence where you’re like, ‘I’m going to knock one in,’” Maestri said. “At that point, when you’re winning, you play with a lot more confidence because you don’t fear missing a shot. Right now, we’ll shoot at shot and we’ll wonder, ‘Golly, is this going in?’ When you’re confident, you don’t even give it a second look.”

Troy players say they are focused game by game. At 7-14, 2-8 in Sun Belt play, the Trojans are last in the East. ULL is 13-11, 7-3 in league play, and a half-game out of first place in the West.

“One thing that coach has been telling us all year is that we’ve got to go one game at a time,” guard Alan Jones said. “Win or lose, don’t let it carry over to the next game. As a team, we all like each other. We all hang around each other. That helps out with what’s going on, on the court. Hopefully, sooner or later, that turns around.”

With no regular season championship within reach, a team can still win the Sun Belt Tournament in Hot Springs, Ark., and get to the NCAA Tournament. Troy players know that and are trying to get on a hot streak before postseason play.

“We’ve got to get better in every game,” forward Justin Wright said. “Some games we regress and don’t do the little things that we should. But we realize that if we play well and get hot at the right time then we’re there with everyone else. Hot Springs is where it counts.”

Maestri knows ULL is more talented than FIU, but said that the game tempo could give the Trojans a better chance to compete tonight.

“The game Saturday may help us some because the other team plays man to man,” Maestri said. “The pace may be quicker against (ULL). They have a more talented team (than FIU) but at the same time, maybe the style of ball will help us. Maybe if we get hot and start feeling it, hopefully we’ll have a better basketball game.”