THIBODAUX, La. –The W Head Men's Basketball Coach Dean Burrows is all about the "culture" of his program, which was one of the reasons the fourth-year MUW mentor scheduled back-to-back exhibition games versus NCAA Division I foes to open the 2024-25 slate. The second of those bouts was Saturday afternoon's 93-44 loss at Nicholls State University.
 
Likely there were no Vegas lines favoring the Owls, as an unbalanced result when an NCAA III faces an upper division team is commonplace. But Burrows doesn't look at the results; he is more concerned with his team's effort. That, after all, is the only thing his MUW squad can ever control regardless of the opponent.
 
You see, Burrows isn't concerned about being the 2024-25 exhibition games champion. Right now, the only game on his schedule is Tuesday's (Nov. 12) regular season opener at Belhaven University. Burrows goal is to create a cultural shift within the program; cue Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down."
 
And getting ready for that opener versus Belhaven over the past week has allowed the Owls to play a pair of NCAA I foes (MUW also lost at Mississippi Valley State last Thursday) in big time arenas and versus teams with talent greater than anything they are likely to experience in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC). The kicker is that, due to the difference in affiliation, The W doesn't even have to count the two losses since they were designated as "exhibitions". It's a free education.
 
Burrows was able to use the big stage to put his Owls through their paces in an environment where they were clear underdogs and gauge their response. At Nicholls State, it was senior Chris Evans coming through by leading The W with 11 points on a 4-for-7 afternoon shooting from the floor.  Eric Bass Jr. was 2-for-2 from the field and finished with nine points and fellow newcomer James Dukes hit 4-of-8 field goal tries to book eight points.
 
Dukes also topped the team with five rebounds. Fifth-year senior Dariun Doss grabbed four boards, as well.
 
Versus the Colonels, MUW shot a creditable 35 percent from the floor as a team. The W also made good on 70 percent from the charity stripe, well above last year's team average.
 
"The opportunity to compete against a D1 program in a game that doesn't go on our record is a no-brainer," Burrows said earlier. "And one we will always try and do, with and for, our guys."
 
It is the reason why – when other teams are lining up against Our Sisters of the Poor to get an easy win under their belt – Burrows is, instead, seeking out the most challenging environments to prepare his Owls team for the rigors ahead for 2024-25.
 
After all, remember what the Good Book says: "Iron sharpens iron…"