The bright lights of NCAA programs often overshadow club sports and Quinnipiac’s club men’s basketball team is looking to change that.
The Bobcats are currently off to the best start in team history since joining the North Atlantic East conference in 2023. They’re 7-1 in conference play, 9-1 overall and riding a five game win streak, best in the entire North Atlantic region.
“There’s a lot more commitment this year compared to previous seasons,” senior Matt Ecker said.
Ecker, who serves as the club’s president, isn’t the only leader who’s stepped up for the program. Head coach Andre Fisher has his fingerprints all over this team.
“When we started, I told the group ‘All I need for you guys is to allow me to do what I do, and I’ll let you be out there and do what you do,”’ Fisher said.
Fisher studied at Quinnipiac University from August 2023 to January 2024. Quinnipiac part-time faculty and Director of Editorial Services Brian Koonz had Fisher as a student and knew the coach would make a great fit on the court.
“Andre will always be one of my most memorable students,” Koonz said. “As coach of the club men’s basketball team, Andre has built another family, this one united by trust, hard work and high energy. No one should be surprised this team is 9-1 with Andre as coach.”
Outside the classroom, Fisher would frequent pickup games with fellow students. It was there that he’d make a long-lasting impression.
When he stepped on the court he became the conductor of an offense. The people he played with, which included members of the club basketball team, didn’t forget his incredible passing ability and unique basketball IQ.
Fisher has coaching experience at the middle school and AAU level. He has a goal of reaching the collegiate ranks of coaching, so when a former pickup partner came calling, he had to pick up the phone.
“Matt (Ecker) reached out to me,” Fisher said. “I couldn’t pass it up, I’m like ‘there’s a reason why he’s asking me.’ And it’s been fireworks since.”
The coach prides himself on defense, Fisher instills a philosophy into all his players that coaches in the pros have been preaching for generations, defense wins championships.
“He’s a glue guy that keeps us together,” Ecker said. “The way he comes to practice with a gameplan, his drills and the respect he commands. He really takes (the team over) in terms of motivation.”
Whatever Fisher is doing, it’s clearly working, the Bobcats currently have the best record in the school’s club basketball history.
The key to Quinnipiac’s success so far seems to be that defensive gameplan. The Bobcats have roared out the gate in games by trapping ballhandlers, running a full-court press and utilizing zone defense.
“That’s definitely been the biggest factor, that’s what’s pushing us past teams,” Ecker said. “It’s our defense, once we get into our zones it allows us to accelerate on offense and create that gap that allows us to win against other teams. It’s been really, really successful.”
A winning culture is something that’s difficult to create right off the bat, but the Bobcats have seemingly proved it’s possible.
It’s had a trickle-down effect on the entire team, guys are buying in and putting their best foot forward when it comes to not only preparation but gametime.
“We just need to keep being us and not get run over by anyone else,” senior Kaab Dawit said. “We’re the best in the conference right now, so everybody’s gonna want our heads, and we just gotta be prepared for that.”
That type of mentality hasn’t always been the case. In past years, club members treated the team more like an invite-only pickup game rather than a serious organization. Once the halfway point of the season came, guys mentally checked out and the losses piled up.
“We had a conversation a few weeks ago ‘cause I started to notice that it was sort of falling off in terms of attendance and practice, like in previous years,” Ecker said. “We all had that conversation to just kind of get back on the same page. And now we’re better than ever.”
One thing is for certain, if the Bobcats keep adding to that win column, they’ll force the rest of the campus to take the organization seriously.