Record setting 13th straight for hawks coach Samson Downey

By Alex Figliomeni

Skedline.com 

Coach Samson Downey is in the record books. The Humber Hawks men’s basketball coach Samson Downey has become the first head coach in program history to win 13 straight to start his career.

Hawks beat Fanshawe Falcons 82-70 this past Sunday, they used a 51-point second half to solidify coach Downey’s record win.

Hawks fifth-year senior guard Curwin Elvis finished with a career-high 26 points, freshman guard Kevin Otoo added 17 points, while senior forward Jaylan Morgan recorded his first double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points and ten rebounds.

“It was a great win for us, coach always has us prepared for every game. We were not only able to continue our winning streak but also get our coach a record-setting win,” said Hawks sophomore guard Jordon Francis, who had 12 points of his own.

The record was in jeopardy as Hawks were down one at halftime. Fanshawe had an 18-5 run in the second quarter to take a 10-point lead with 4:26 remaining, but the Hawks closed the gap to one. Hawks had a stellar second half, outscoring the Falcons by 13. The Hawks shot 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from the floor in the second half, and the Hawks hit a season-high 31 free throws.

“Our first half of the game wasn’t the best, and the message he told us at halftime was that not every game will be pretty. Sometimes our shots might not fall, and things might not go our way, but we must still be able to play defense, play hard, and win these type of games. We ended up playing better the second half and came away with the win,” said Francis.

“It felt good. We had a bad first half, we stuck together and followed coaches game plan and pulled through with the ‘dub,’” said Hawks freshman guard Kevin Otoo, who had a monstrous dunk in the game.

“That was a tough game, Fanshawe’s defense held us to 30 points in the first half. They play with grit and heart, and it showed,” said Hawks sophomore point guard Fowzi Mohamoud. “It was great to give coach his 13th win, but we didn’t celebrate. It’s just another regular season game, and we’ll celebrate when we win a national championship.”

“It was great for Downey especially him being a first-year coach to prepare us in practice and give us great game plans to help him reach 13 in a row,” said Morgan.

Downey is a former Humber assistant coach and player. He played five seasons for the Hawks and won the provincial championship in 2005. He led Humber to a 74-14 record during his playing career in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA). Coach Downey surpassed former coach Shawn Collins, who held the previous record with 12 straight in 2010.

Hawks are on pace to average the second-highest scoring average in team history. They square off against Conestoga tonight at home, and the game will be streamed live on the Hawks Sports Network at 8 p.m.