SPRINGFIELD – A winless Springfield boys basketball team played host to the out-of-league, winless Dallas Dragons on Saturday night, competing in the first half before losing 77-60.
“This one’s new for me,” coach TC Combs said about the Millers 0-18 season. “I haven’t had this many losses in my entire life. As a coach, you do a lot of personal reflection during a winless season. It’s a foreign place that I’m unfamiliar with, but I’m trying to learn how to lean into it and find character-building aspects to this.”
Springfield athletic director Audrea Shelley said she scheduled this game only last week, creating a matchup between the No. 30 Millers and the No. 32 Dragons – both winless at the time.
“Neither team had a win this season yet,” Shelley said about the late-season matchup. “I had a spot to fill in the schedule and thought it could be a good opportunity for the Millers to get a chance (to win).”
A hopeful start
It looked like the scheduling gambit paid off early. In the first quarter, the Millers and Dragons played competitively with neither team gaining more than a five-point lead. Most of the Millers’ points came from free throws, whereas the Dragons had a handful of layups. In the second quarter, however, the Millers took an eight-point lead with top scorer Vinnie Trinka setting the tone early with two three-pointers.
It was a different story in the second half. The Millers lost their momentum and fell behind by 10 points. Trinka finished with 28 points for the Millers and teammate Jonte Arellano recorded 14 points.
Following the game, Combs emphasized the importance of learning to lead through adversity and staying positive. He said he is working on pushing through difficult moments and aligning the team’s thinking.
Building character
“Those character-building aspects for me are learning how to lead when things aren’t going our way and trying to push through the hard moments. Working on those so that the other coaches and the players can get on the same page as me.”
Combs, in his second season with SHS, took over the program in 2024. It had a 5-41 record through the two seasons before he arrived, including an 18-game losing streak to end the 2023 season. He helped lead the Millers to a 5-18 record last year.
Combs said the players who have stuck it out this season still “care,” and commended them for showing up to practices and games under difficult circumstances.
The Springfield boys have five games remaining and Combs said he hopes for better results this season and into the future.
Up next, they travel to No. 25 Eagle Point (7-13) for a rematch against the Eagles on Friday. Eagle Point beat the Millers 66-53 in their first matchup.
