When you think of College Basketball, your mind typically thinks of Duke, Kansas, Villanova, and UNC. While these teams are the powerhouses of the NCAA, there is a passionate, hardworking, resilient basketball team that is based right here in South Portland. Part of the YSCC (Yankee Small College Conference), SMCC competes with 10 different teams, where they are just as dominant as some of these other D3 schools.

The SMCC Seawolves 2023-24 season has officially begun. The Seawolves took their 6th win of the season against Villa Maria College (Buffalo, New York), with 75-64 as the final score. It was a very hard fought matchup. Since the season has started, the Seawolves have been on a roll, achieving a 6-3 record thus far. As the team starts off on a good note, there is still a lot of basketball to be played. I spoke to Head Coach Matt Richards and asked a few questions about the team’s past, present and future. Coach Richards is entering his 21st season as Head Coach of the SMCC Seawolves. He is viewed as one of the best coaches in SMCC Basketball history, achieving numerous accolades and awards overtime; including a National Championship in 2022.

I started off by asking him what strategies he uses as a Coach to motivate his players, and help build chemistry on the team.

“I try to create an atmosphere where the team is empowered to define its goals and standards of how they will hold each other accountable,” Richards said. “Once we create that then my job is to really make sure each day we arrive to accomplish those things.” The main objective as a coach is to build a community within the team to help foster the team’s chemistry, creating a safe environment where players can feel comfortable.

Since the team has lost a few key veteran players, a question arises on how well the team will adapt to the changes. What are the expectations? What does this mean for the team’s chemistry? 

“My goal is for this group to meet their potential,” Richards explained. “It’s a long season and journey with ups and downs. However I feel we have the things in place to be very competitive. If we do this, then playing into March is attainable.” Playing basketball into March is a very long season, filled with loads of road trips. Time will tell with this group.

“My goal is to provide a competitive basketball environment while giving players and families the opportunity to do this while getting an affordable education meeting their career aspirations.” Richards explained when asked about what drives students to come to SMCC and South Portland. “The college does a great job of supporting these efforts. This is a big reason why we have had the success we have had during my time here.” By offering affordable education and schooling, along with a beautiful campus by the water, SMCC offers various reasons for why a student athlete may choose to attend the school .

A question that has been on my mind is how SMCC recruits players. “A couple of different ways,” Richards said. “We do a lot of outreach and watch games at high schools across New England. We also get recommendations from trusted sources we know within the Basketball community.” The recruitment process is more or less like a typical college scouting report. “Lastly, any interested players can reach out to us through our recruitment portal on our website.” Overall, if you were a student athlete looking to attend and play a sport at the collegiate level at SMCC, there are various different ways to get enrolled and become a Seawolf.

Something that students, faculty or any individual may wonder is how many student athletes that are on a certain team are actually from Maine.  “We have a 19 person roster.” Richards told when asked about how many Maine students are on the team. “From that group of 19, 10 are from Maine.” In other words, half of these athletes come from Maine, with the other half coming from out of state. 

Overall, The Seawolves have an action packed season upcoming within the next few weeks, so hopefully any fellow SMCC students will check out some Seawolves basketball as this wonderful time of the year progresses. Go Seawolves!