Montgomery College basketball has gotten off to a prosperous start, with the men’s team winning five of their first seven games and the women’s team six of their first eight. Given MC’s track record of piecing deep, well-rounded rosters together, no single player can be credited for the team’s success; however, The Advocate has appointed a player of the month for both teams under the following criteria.
- Availability
- Two-Way Impact
- Efficiency
- Consistency
Men’s Team: Ian Pascal | Guard/Forward | 6’4 ” |
| 7 GP, 7 GS | 25.0ppg 7.6rpg 3.3apg 2.1spg 1.3bpg | 52 fg% 46.9 3pt% 82.1 ft% |
Top Performance: Nov 25, W (97-95) v. CCBC Catonsville – 28pts 9reb 4ast 3stl 0to 9/18 | 5/5 | 5/6
Pascal’s development with MC is truly remarkable; as a freshman he averaged 4.8 points last season and 5.6 points last November in just 13 minutes on average. This season, he’s more than stepped up to the plate as this team’s primary wing scorer and defender, now playing 32 minutes per contest on incredibly efficient shooting splits and volume. Pascal’s efficiency is unreal, and doubts are to be had regarding whether or not he can maintain this level of accuracy from all three levels; however, his consistency suggests that he can.
Typically, when players obtain a high scoring average for a week, two weeks – or even a month – it’s due to a combination of some bad, decent, and great games. Pascal has yet to have a low – or very high – scoring game, with his season low being 18 and high 29. He’s scored 24 or more in 6 of the Raptors’ 7 games, only dipping below 50 percent from the field twice.
His marksmanship was especially prevalent in the Raptors’ matchup against the Community College of Baltimore County Catonsville on the 25th, in which Pascal dropped 28 points on 68 True Shooting percentage, including a perfect five-for-five outing from beyond the arc.
It’ll be interesting to see if Pascal can indeed remain a volume yet efficient scorer as the season progresses.
Women’s Team: Imani Dennis | Point Guard | 5’4 ” |
| 8 GP | 8 GS | 16.5ppg 4.8rpg 4.6apg 5.4spg | 43.7 fg% 38.9 3pt% 77.8 ft% |
Top Performance: Nov 11, W (68-53) v. Lackawanna College – 29pts 6reb 8ast 10stl 12/21fg
Contrary to Pascal, Imani Dennis, a freshman guard out of Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, is new to the MC scene but has acclimated quickly. She’s second in points, first in assists, and first in steals per game amongst the team. Her and upperclassmen Tiana Carey have been a dangerous duo in the backcourt, averaging a combined 33.7 of the team’s 66.3 points per game.
Whether you’ve seen Dennis live in action or have just checked the box scores, it’s evident that she’s a student of the game. She’s had four games in which she’s recorded five or more steals, four games in which she’s recorded five or more assists, and two games with both. Dennis is an excellent playmaker, and she uses her knowledge as an initiator to read at least one step ahead of opposing ball handlers to force turnovers.
