Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
"This is going to be one of those kind of games" - Teamwork comes up big for MTSU Men's Basketball against Kennesaw State
1/10/2025 11:59:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Facing a tough defensive challenge, several players stepped up in myriad ways to get the Blue Raiders past the Owls
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The two players that joined Head Coach Nick McDevitt at the post-game press conference of Middle Tennessee men's basketball's 84-79 win over Kennesaw State made sense.
You had Jlynn Counter, who hit 1,000 career points with a fastbreak layup late in the first half, celebrating the milestone, while also dishing out six assists to his teammates. And you had Essam Mostafa, who went to work on the pick and roll to score 22 points and just miss a double-double with nine rebounds, shooting 10-for-15 from the field.
"My teammates did a great job finding me today," Mostafa said. "Coach has been telling me to roll hard lately. So, I just listened to what coach has said (Counter), and JP (Jestin Porter), Cam (Weston) did a great job finding me every time I was open."
But most of the time spent in the press conference, McDevitt, Counter and Mostafa didn't talk about their nights. They talked about the Thursday night everyone else on the Blue Raiders had. It was one those games where the Blue Raiders, even with outstanding individual days, needed every single minute from every other player to get over the edge against the Owls.
It started on the Glass, where Kennesaw State came into the night with a big advantage, outrebounding their opponents by nearly eight boards a game entering Thursday night. That fact was something McDevitt preached to his team all week, comparing the Owls to UAB and USF, two other teams that make their mark in second chance points.
"Our emphasis over the last several days is you've got to understand this is going to be one of those kind of games," McDevitt said. "We knew that they were a very good offensive rebounding team. And the guys that do it kind of thrive in that role. You've got to know that Wooley and Cottle are going to shoot the shots. So if you want a touch, you have to go rebound it."
The Owls got their fair share, including 15 second chance points on Thursday, but the Blue Raiders still neutralized the advantage, out rebounding the visitors 38-35. The usual suspects, Mostafa and Torey Alston, each played a big role, with both forwards finishing with nine rebounds on the night. But six different Blue Raiders recorded at least three rebounds, showing the effort to keep the Owls off the glass required each teammate on the court.
Not in press conference, but good to see hit his stride, was Jestin Porter, who led MTSU with 27 points on a 9-for-15 night from the floor, including 3-for-7 beyond the arc. After scoring just 11 combined points in the MTSU's first two CUSA games last week, including a zero-point night at Liberty, both Counter and Mostafa took the time to highlight the work Porter has to put in to drive the team forward offensively.
"That boy has been in the gym the last three or four days," Counter said, discussing how Porter spent extra time working on his game after the tough start to CUSA play. "It's been crazy. I'm glad that he was able to come out and showcase that."
Mostafa was sure to acknowledge how tough even the nights where Porter scores are. "JP is our leading scorer," the big said. "You've got to know he's the first one that everyone scouts. People are going to guard him hard, he's going to get tough shots every time. Sometimes, the ball don't go in. But he showed today, who JP is."
Finally, there were guys like Tre Green, who only played 11 minutes off the bench on Thursday, but made the most of them, making all three of his three-point attempts and often guarding Kennesaw State's top perimeter threat, Simeon Cottle, who MTSU held under his season average by four points on the night.
"No matter whether you play two minutes or 38 minutes, be ready to go in and impact the game. I think he epitomizes that," McDevitt said. "He's a guy, he's ready to go in, particularly at the end of games, and guard people. He's a strong, physical guy. So, he's ready to fight through ball screens and pindowns and things like that when the other team is trying to get the ball in their best offensive player's hands."
You had Jlynn Counter, who hit 1,000 career points with a fastbreak layup late in the first half, celebrating the milestone, while also dishing out six assists to his teammates. And you had Essam Mostafa, who went to work on the pick and roll to score 22 points and just miss a double-double with nine rebounds, shooting 10-for-15 from the field.
"My teammates did a great job finding me today," Mostafa said. "Coach has been telling me to roll hard lately. So, I just listened to what coach has said (Counter), and JP (Jestin Porter), Cam (Weston) did a great job finding me every time I was open."
But most of the time spent in the press conference, McDevitt, Counter and Mostafa didn't talk about their nights. They talked about the Thursday night everyone else on the Blue Raiders had. It was one those games where the Blue Raiders, even with outstanding individual days, needed every single minute from every other player to get over the edge against the Owls.
It started on the Glass, where Kennesaw State came into the night with a big advantage, outrebounding their opponents by nearly eight boards a game entering Thursday night. That fact was something McDevitt preached to his team all week, comparing the Owls to UAB and USF, two other teams that make their mark in second chance points.
"Our emphasis over the last several days is you've got to understand this is going to be one of those kind of games," McDevitt said. "We knew that they were a very good offensive rebounding team. And the guys that do it kind of thrive in that role. You've got to know that Wooley and Cottle are going to shoot the shots. So if you want a touch, you have to go rebound it."
The Owls got their fair share, including 15 second chance points on Thursday, but the Blue Raiders still neutralized the advantage, out rebounding the visitors 38-35. The usual suspects, Mostafa and Torey Alston, each played a big role, with both forwards finishing with nine rebounds on the night. But six different Blue Raiders recorded at least three rebounds, showing the effort to keep the Owls off the glass required each teammate on the court.
Not in press conference, but good to see hit his stride, was Jestin Porter, who led MTSU with 27 points on a 9-for-15 night from the floor, including 3-for-7 beyond the arc. After scoring just 11 combined points in the MTSU's first two CUSA games last week, including a zero-point night at Liberty, both Counter and Mostafa took the time to highlight the work Porter has to put in to drive the team forward offensively.
"That boy has been in the gym the last three or four days," Counter said, discussing how Porter spent extra time working on his game after the tough start to CUSA play. "It's been crazy. I'm glad that he was able to come out and showcase that."
Mostafa was sure to acknowledge how tough even the nights where Porter scores are. "JP is our leading scorer," the big said. "You've got to know he's the first one that everyone scouts. People are going to guard him hard, he's going to get tough shots every time. Sometimes, the ball don't go in. But he showed today, who JP is."
Finally, there were guys like Tre Green, who only played 11 minutes off the bench on Thursday, but made the most of them, making all three of his three-point attempts and often guarding Kennesaw State's top perimeter threat, Simeon Cottle, who MTSU held under his season average by four points on the night.
"No matter whether you play two minutes or 38 minutes, be ready to go in and impact the game. I think he epitomizes that," McDevitt said. "He's a guy, he's ready to go in, particularly at the end of games, and guard people. He's a strong, physical guy. So, he's ready to fight through ball screens and pindowns and things like that when the other team is trying to get the ball in their best offensive player's hands."
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