Mitchell Cutcher
Sports Editor
Coming into this season, Omaha head coach Chris Crutchfield expected freshman guard Ja’Sean Glover to play a large role on the team. After a slow start, the Minnesota native has found himself in the starting lineup.
Through the first two months of the season, Glover was only seeing the floor for about 11.4 minutes a night. Glover saw his breakout performance come on the road against Saint Thomas, where he scored 11 points. However, it was the work outside of practice and games that helped the freshman guard insert himself into the starting lineup.
“He’s in here every morning at 8:30 and he’s working with Coach Brown just on shooting the basketball and ball handling,” said Coach Crutchfield on the work Glover has put in to be in the starting lineup. “Obviously his confidence has grown, that’s what happens when you put in the work. You make that investment in your game, your confidence, and we’re starting to see now a guy playing with tremendous confidence.”
Not only has Glover made an impression on the team with his play, but he has also done so with the level of energy he has brought. This season, the Minnesota freshman has taken on the role of being an inspirational leader for the team. He has been the guy this season to bring the energy, and that personality trait rose to the top.
“He has always been a high energy guy,” said Coach Crutchfield. “He comes in with a smile on his face every day. So, I think it is contagious. Somebody takes on that identity in your locker room every year and it’s not anything that is being asked of him to do.”
Glover provides Omaha with a wide skill set that can be used in a variety of ways. This season, Coach Crutchfield has deployed him in a defensive first role where he has been expected to guard the other team’s best player, such as Max Abmas for Oral Roberts. Glover has proved the ability to score in bunches as he did against North Dakota State, where he scored 16 points.
That game against North Dakota State can truly be pinpointed as the turning point this season for the Minnesota native. Since that game, Glover has started every game and has been playing at least 28 minutes per game. Since making his first college start, Glover is averaging six points per game, five rebounds per game and is shooting 50% from behind the three-point line.
Prior to Omaha, Glover played high school basketball at Madelia High School in Minnesota. During his high school career, Glover was a three-sport athlete in Football, Basketball, and Cross Country. In his senior season, he averaged 30 points per game and finished 10th all-time on the state’s scoring list with 3,100 career points.
