Jacob is the oldest player on the court and has been dominant on the hardwood for the Bears. “When he gets in his mode, he’s basically unstoppable,” said freshman Yogi Oliff.

In the face of adversity, as head coach Pat Juckem said, “our guys haven’t flinched.”

When Hardy first practiced with the Bears in October, he could barely jump off the ground. Now, he’s back to being an integral part of the Bears’ team.

“In my eyes, we have absolutely no reason not to be the favorites moving forward,” senior Justin Hardy said.

Individual players have been limited to masked shooting and non-contact practices, and it is still uncertain whether men’s or women’s basketball will be able to practice with contact, yet alone play against other teams.

The Washington University men’s basketball team played its first game without former head coach Mark Edwards involved in 48 years. The Bears opened their season with a 91-62 win against Illinois College, new head coach Pat Juckem’s first since taking over for Edwards in May.

For the first time in 37 years, Washington University has a new basketball coach.