Don’t be confused by the quiet demeanor of Louis Orr, BG’s head men’s basketball coach.
Underneath there still burns the fire of a fierce competitor.
And that’s not a surprise since Orr played college basketball at a high level with Syracuse and then had
a successful career in the National Basketball Association.
Orr’s competitive nature came to the forefront during Tuesday’s game in Anderson Arena against Kent State
when he was very animated on the sidelines. One time he went down past the baseline at the north end of
Anderson Arena when the officials didn’t call a foul on Kent State after A’uston Calhoun appeared to be
hit on the way up for a layup.
"I believe our guys need strength and courage … In tough stretches like this, they need to feed
off of me," Orr said. "We’ve basically got a young team. I’m not saying that to say how we
play or anything, but the reality is that we only have two seniors.
"We don’t have an established leader on the court, a guy who will rally the troops," Orr
continued. "I feel they have to feed off me and that’s the way it has to be for the rest of the
year.
"And they have to know that no matter what, they can’t give up, you can’t stop fighting … The guys
have to know I’m going to fight for them and with them."
Look for the same animated Orr Saturday when the Falcons play their last regular-season game in Anderson
Arena against Buffalo. Tipoff is at 1 p.m. The Falcons are 12-18 overall and 7-8 in the Mid-American
Conference East, having lost six straight games.
SATURDAY HAPPENINGS: Among other events, the 13-member All-Anderson Team will be recognized at
approximately 12:40 p.m., just prior to tipoff. All basketball alumni will be honored on the court at
halftime and there will be a half-hour ceremony immediately following the conclusion of the game
including three short speeches and slideshow presentation of Anderson Arena memories. In the evening,
the Bowling Green athletics department is holding the BiG Event at 8 p.m. with live band, raffles, and
auctions to celebrate Anderson Arena.
MAC TOURNEY: The Falcons have only two playoff scenarios for the first-round of the MAC tourney.
With a win over Buffalo, BG will be the No. 7 seed and host Northern Illinois on Tuesday.
With a loss Saturday, BG will be the No. 9 seed and play at Central Michigan on Tuesday.
SCOUTING BUFFALO: The Bulls, 17-11 overall and 8-7 in the MAC, are coming off a 59-49 win over Miami on
Wednesday. Buffalo played a strong defensive game against the RedHawks, limiting Miami to 17 points in
the second half on 7-of-28 shooting.
Mitchell Watt, a 6-10 junior, paced the Bulls against Miami with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked
shots.
Zach Filzen, a 6-foot-3 junior, is averaging 16.2 ppg and has made 99 3-pointers.
Byron Mulkey, a 6-0 senior, is averaging 13.9 points, 4.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game.
Javon McCrea, a 6-6 freshman, comes off the bench to average 11.1 ppg.
Watt and McCrea have combined for 111 blocked shots. In contrast, the Falcons have blocked only 99 shots
as a team.
