There's no doubt that most schools are proud of their sports teams. Penn Valley Community College is no different. This year the Penn Valley Men Scouts have a chance to continue their winning tradition with a 21-5 record.

Winning twenty plus games is nothing new for this team. The basketball program began in 1967 with coach Fred Pohlman, whom the gymnasium is named after. During his time here, Coach Pohlman accumulated 600 plus wins and a national championship.

"I don't really care that there isn't a football team to go watch play. Basketball season is worth waiting for," said Penn Valley freshman Carlton Gray. "The success of the basketball team makes me proud of being a student here."

Over the years, the team has secured a prestigious reputation with successful coaching. Under Coach Marcus Harvey's tutelage the men's team has won various awards in the past three years. Harvey himself has been named Region 16 "Coach of the Year" seven out of nine years. He's a Kansas City native who also attended Penn Valley Community College.

During the last three years his teams have won two Regional Championships, two District championships, and placed third and ninth in the NJCCA Division II National Tournament.

Assistant coaches for the Men's team include Rick Madden, Clyde Harvey Sr., and JaRon Rush.

The Scouts' success this year is due in part to the team's defense, which has held their opponents to 72 points per game.

The team has three players that average more than two steals a game. The defense is led by Pierre De Clue's seventy-three steals, an average of 2.9 per game during the season.

This year Edriss Floyd leads the team in scoring. Floyd is a 6'1" guard from Truman High School. Although he is a sophomore, his average of eighteen points per game makes him look like a seasoned veteran.

The team's second leading scorer is Pierre De Clue. De Clue is a 5'9" freshman from North East High School. De Clue is the point guard and averages 13.6 points per game.

"The team seems to have a good core with Floyd and De Clue. They know how to take over a game and lead the rest of their teammates," said Penn Valley sophomore Tiffany Wether.

Many times a winning season doesn't end in success. But this year the team will try to bounce its winning record deep into the post-season.

Visit the Scouts' home page at http://www.mcckc.edu/pvscouts/.

Copyright 2008 Metropolitan Community College