Living out of their suitcases for 12 of their first 13 games, the Tacoma Community College men’s basketball team was looking forward to their game on their home floor on Dec. 10. With the Titans clicking in all phases of the game, they rolled to an easy 109-63 win over Northwest Indian College from Bellingham, who regularly plays against West Coast Division II and Division III teams.

“This team has a real chance to be one of the best teams that we’ve had here at TCC. I really like our chances,” said Titans head coach Carl Howell.

The Titans were never seriously threatened in this game with sophomore Seattle University transfer Mark McLaughlin leading the charge with 30 points, while sophomore Nate Walker, a Foss alum, had 22 points and sophomore Curtis grad Dominique Williams added 20. Freshman Josh Lord, who played at Mount Tahoma last year, would chip in with 12 points and freshman Wilson grad Demetrius Smith added 11 points.

“We have a lot of scoring guards here who can really do some damage from the perimeter,” said Williams. Getting back to McLaughlin, Williams added “he can score from anywhere. He’s an incredible player.”

As if they did not have enough ability already, Howell added “we’ve got some really good size too. If we can stay healthy, the sky’s the limit.”

The players recognize how good they could become this season, but also have a handle on their emotions.

“The transition from high school has been good,” said Smith. “Nobody really sets any personal goals around here and we all want to get better each game.”

Another trait that Howell pointed out is the unselfishness on this team. “We share the ball really well and that leads to some easy hoops. If we can stay healthy, we should be in good shape going into the post-season.”