Every college athlete wants to win. They want to be a dominating player in the sport they play and they want to lead their team to victory.
The unfortunate truth is that every athlete does not always get the chance to be on a winning team.
The Shippensburg University men’s basketball team had a less than perfect season to say the least, but despite the struggles, freshman Abe Massaley understands that losing is part of the game.
Massaley is a graduate of Imhotep Institute Charter High School in Philadelphia, Pa. and was a dominant force for the Raiders in his freshman year.
Before coming to SU, Massaley earned four varsity letters as a Panther under head coach Andre Nobel. During his four-year tenure at Imhotep, Massaley averaged 10 points per game and five assists while adding All-Public League honors to his résumé.
The former Panther said his former head coach helped him become a better player and prepared him for college basketball.
“Just hard working, every practice was competitive. We always worked hard every single day,” Massaley said.
The 5 foot, 11 inch guard stepped his game up in his first season as a collegiate player despite the increase toughness of competition.
“The guys are stronger, faster and quicker (in college). In high school I could take a play off one day. I can’t do that here,” Massaley said.
Massaley has limited his days off and his stats have mimicked the hard work he put in this year.
The Philadelphia native finished his freshman campaign averaging 13.3 points and 3.9 assists for the Raiders. Massaley ranks 23rd overall in the PSAC in scoring and finished 27th overall in free-throw percentage at .706.
Massaley was given a big role on the Raiders’ squad at such a young age but head coach Chris Fite believes he has handled it well.
“I told him from the very first meeting that a lot was going to be thrown at him and he was going to have a lot of responsibility as a freshman,” Fite said. “I think he has handled it well and I think he has been one of our leaders.”
All of the responsibly can be a lot to handle, especially as a freshman, but Massaley has proved to his team he is capable of bearing all of that weight on his shoulders.
Being only 5 feet, 11 inches and weighing just 170 pounds Massaley is one of the smaller point guards in the league, but that does not stop him from getting to the basket. Massaley uses his quickness and explosiveness to give himself and his teammates a better chance to score.
“He has a unique ability that a lot of players don’t have. He has a different gear that a lot of players don’t have,” Fite said. “He has the ability to get by guys with his speed and create shots for himself and create for his teammates.”
Fite also states that Massaley has grown throughout the year in many different aspects but one that he stressed was his consistency.
Massaley started his career at SU by notching four-straight double-digit point totals against some tough opponents. He then dropped into a two-game hiatus where he did not score more than eight points. Massaley managed to regain focus and strung together seven-straight double-digit point totals including a career and season high of 27 points against Edinboro University on Jan. 8.
Massaley performed his best when he and the Raiders took on the West Chester University Golden Rams. In the two games that Massaley played against WCU, he tallied 33 total points and five assists.
Massaley and the Raiders had a tough 2013-14 season but they never let those struggles get in their head.
“You have got to be level headed. Losing is a part of the game and winning is a part of the game…I am not a quitter,” Massaley said. “You just have to keep going out there every single day and keep fighting. You keep doing that good things will happen, that’s my motto, that’s what makes me keep going.”
The Raiders went on a 14-game losing streak but ended that streak on the last game of the season when they beat Millersville University 92–87, a game where Massaley notched 16 points and five rebounds.
Massaley has set high, but achievable goals for himself in the coming years, saying he wants to make the PSAC playoffs, eventually the NCAA tournament and has hopes of becoming an All American.
Massaley and the Raiders had a tough journey through the season but he says the team remained a family through and through.
“We are a bunch of guys who just love each other, even with all of the losing and everything we are a family, we are just one,” Massaley said.
The Raiders and Massaley will work hard this offseason in hopes of achieving their goals. The team has every roster player returning so the future for Massaley and the Raiders is bright — it is their choice on whether they make it memorable.
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