Author: Cameron Carlson

It’s Almost February?!: Power Rankings 1/30

Power Rankings 1/30

Every week I closely follow the results of all the conference games, hoping that as each weekend passes we’ll be provided with more clarity on where each team falls relative to one another. Unfortunately, I haven’t once come away from a weekend this year feeling like I knew exactly where each team stood and how they would fare in the upcoming games. As a fan, this is exactly how I like it. I really hope the NESCAC is still working on that deal with ESPN 8 “The Ocho” because the entertainment value is off the charts. It’s a fool’s task to try and look through stats and box scores to decide who you think will win a given game because it’s more or less a crapshoot. This conference is a dream come true for a fan of the game, but as someone who has a horse in this race* it makes me but my nails to the nubs on a weekly basis. I guess you could call that fun. Anyways we’re a little over halfway through conference games, and there is still very little set in stone so take a look to see how far everyone has climbed or fallen in the rankings:

*If anyone from the NCAA is reading this I just want it on record that I have never involved myself with any sort of gambling or sports betting and I do not condone or endorse such behavior, this is merely a figure of speech; an idiom, if you will.

(3) 1. #6 Williams (18-2, 5-1)

Last week: W 86-50 vs. Trinity

This week: @ Colby, @ Bowdoin

The Ephs only had one game on the weekend, and they demolished Trinity by a score of 86-50. Four of five starters scored in double figures, with Bobby Casey ’19 contributing 20 points to lead the way. Williams was able to get out to an early lead and the Bantams completely folded, seeing their 24-point halftime deficit turn into a 36-point loss. It seems that the losses to Middlebury and Amherst are in the past because the Ephs are looking an awful lot like the dominant team they were to start the season. Questions still exist moving forward about their depth and what they can get out of their bench, but they really just have so many talented scoring options. Any of their guys can beat you on a given night, so even if one of their best players is off they’ve got another right there to pick up the slack. They lead the NESCAC in shooting percentage at 49.8% and average over 83 points per game, so they’re about as devastating a team as you can find. Matchups with Colby and Bowdoin this weekend should be interesting given that the two teams are trending in opposite directions. Colby surprised us last weekend, so Williams will have to be certain that doesn’t happen again.

(1) 2. Wesleyan (15-5, 5-2)

Last week: W 85-75 @ Bates, L 75-71 @ Tufts

This week: vs. Trinity

The loss to Tufts on Saturday is unfortunate, but I’m not down on the Cardinals just yet. They’ve already got wins over Middlebury, Hamilton, and Amherst, and a somewhat favorable remaining conference schedule. Austin Hutcherson ’21 has absolutely exploded in his second season, as he’s currently tied with Kena Gilmour for the league lead in points per game at 19.9. He does this while shooting over 45% from the floor and over 40% from behind the three-point line. Not all he does is score though; Hutcherson averages nearly 6 rebounds and over 3 assists per game, the latter a team best. Jordan Bonner ’19 and Antone Walker ’21 have also done a nice job in their secondary and tertiary roles, with Bonner chipping in 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and Walker adding 13.6 points per game. The Cardinals could still very well end up with the top seed, but they would need Williams to lose at least twice since they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two. It’s been a crazy year so far, so who knows what’s still in store.

(5) 3. Middlebury (15-5, 4-2)

Last week: W 75-38 vs. Trinity

This week: @ Bowdoin, @ Colby

Matt Folger has been the man on the court this year, and that mustache tells us he has also been the man off the court

Much like Williams, the Panthers took care of business in their only game of the weekend at home against Trinity. The Bantams simply couldn’t get anything to fall, and Middlebury remains one of the four 2-loss teams near the top of the standings. Max Bosco ’21 has continued to impress since he entered the starting lineup, and he led the way with 15 points and 5 assists on Saturday. His size isn’t particularly imposing, but Bosco is so quick and has so many different ways to score, obviously making him incredibly difficult to defend. The Panthers have so many guards in their lineup that sometimes they don’t have a ton of size on the court, but Matt Folger ’20 has done an outstanding job alongside big man Eric McCord ’19 to do the bulk of the work. The duo combines for 19.5 rebounds per game, and Folger averages 15.4 points per game as well. Middlebury will also take the trip to Maine to visit Bowdoin and Colby this weekend in a very important couple of matchups. Colby has been red hot and this could end up being a very exciting game, but Bowdoin has been struggling recently and this is a game that the Panthers need to win if they want to stay near the top. Lots of eyes will be on the results from Maine this weekend.

(4) 4. #11 Hamilton (17-2, 3-2)

Last week: W 77-42 vs. Bowdoin, L 86-78 vs. Colby

This week: vs. Bates, vs. Tufts

Things certainly didn’t go the way the Continentals had hoped this weekend after they earned a solid win on Friday, but were stunned by Colby on Saturday on their home court. They were simply outplayed by the Mules in nearly every aspect of the game, so once Colby took the lead late in the first half they never looked back. Kena Gilmour ’20 had a solid 24-point day, but no one else could really get anything going on the offensive end and Hamilton only shot 39.3% as a team. This was an unfortunate loss, but the Continentals are still very early in their NESCAC season since they had their game versus Amherst postponed. They’ve only got 2 losses in conference play and two winnable games in the weekend ahead of them. They finish the season with games against Middlebury, Williams, and Amherst, so if they want to host a first round game in the conference tournament then they’ll have to go 2-0 against Bates and Tufts. It’s hard to envision Hamilton winning more than one or maybe two of their final three games, so this weekend is a big one.

(2) 5. #23 Amherst (15-3, 3-2)

Last week: L 83-73 vs. Colby, W 86-62 vs. Bowdoin

This week: vs. Tufts, vs. Bates

Well Amherst is in literally the exact same position that Hamilton is in. They’re behind in games played so at 3-2 in conference they’ve still got a lot left to play. Their game with the Continentals still doesn’t have a date set, but you can obviously see the importance of that head-to-head matchup. They also have two games this weekend that are essentially must-win to stay in contention for a first round home game. The Mammoths are a pretty balanced squad, but Grant Robinson ’21 and Eric Sellew ’20 have put forward a good effort in leading the way. Robinson is averaging 15 points and 3 assists per game (both team bests), but he ups those numbers to 18 points and 4 assists in conference play. Sellew pitches in 11 points and 8 rebounds per game, bringing some size to the lineup and finding a place among the top forwards in the conference. Amherst is a very well coached team and they are loaded with talent as always, so this weekend shouldn’t be a challenge right? Tufts and Bates are two of the weaker teams in the NESCAC so surely the Mammoths should secure two home wins shouldn’t they? What makes this conference so fun is that we really have no idea what’s going to happen in those two games – NESCAC football could certainly take some notes from this kind of parity.

(10) 6. Colby (15-5, 3-3)

Last week: W 83-73 @ Amherst, W 86-78 @ Hamilton

This week: vs. Williams, vs. Middlebury

Sam Jefferson has elevated the Mules to another level over the last few games

Well I’ll be the first to admit that Colby shocked everyone over the weekend, going on the road to beat both Amherst and Hamilton (teams that previously had 3 combined losses between them) in convincing fashion. Neither game was a blowout, but the Mules were in control the whole way in both affairs, led by NESCAC Player of the Week Sam Jefferson ’20. Jefferson tied for the team lead with 24 points against Amherst on Friday, and then torched Hamilton to the tune of 29 points and 8 rebounds, while shooting over 56% on the weekend. This was a jaw-dropping effort from a team that has quickly changed the trajectory of its season. The Mules now sit at 3-3 in the conference with games left against Williams, Middlebury, Wesleyan, and Conn College. A win in at least one of those games likely gets them a spot in the postseason, but two wins secures it without a doubt. What Colby also proved is that they’re capable of winning big games on the road, a quality that will serve them well and terrify opponents come playoff time. They look like the hottest team in the NESCAC right so we’ll have to wait to find out who will be the first to slow down the Mules.

(9) 7. Tufts (10-10, 4-3)

Last week: W 91-87 vs. Conn College, W 75-71 vs. Wesleyan

This week: @ Amherst, @ Hamilton

Tufts is in an interesting position because they appear to be right near Colby and Bates in the middle tier of the conference standings right now, but having 4 wins under their belt puts them at a huge advantage. Usually having 4 wins gets you into the tournament, but they’ve still got a chance to add to their resume with games left against Amherst, Hamilton, and a struggling Trinity team. The Jumbos have already shown us that they’re capable of beating the best teams by knocking off both Middlebury and now Wesleyan. Brennan Morris ’21 led the way over the weekend, putting up team-leading totals of 16 and 20 points against Conn College and Wesleyan, respectively. What makes the effort by the Jumbos all the more impressive is the scoring balance that they’ve displayed. In both games this weekend Tufts had at least three guys in double figures and saw nine different players score at least one basket. This is the way that they’re able to compete with teams on the level of Wesleyan and Middlebury: Tufts doesn’t have one true stud player, but they have a deep rotation of guys that can score and they play good team basketball. A huge road trip lies ahead of them, but each of their opponents fell to Colby last week so truly everyone is vulnerable.

(8) 8. Bates (6-13, 3-4)

Last week: L 85-75 vs. Wesleyan, W 76-59 vs. Conn College

This week: @ Hamilton, @ Amherst

This might be a generous ranking given their 6-13 overall record, but I’m going with the hot hand. The Bobcats looked atrocious in non-conference play, but have looked like an entirely different team in the New Year. In NESCAC play, Bates is actually first in both shooting percentage and three-point shooting percentage, first in assists per game, and they turn the ball over less than anyone. Kody Greenhalgh ’20 has come alive in conference play, averaging 12.6 points and a team-high 1.6 steals per game. Tom Coyne ’20 has helped provide another legit scoring threat since returning from injury and Nick Lynch ’19 has put up 3 consecutive 20+ point games while shooting over 60% from the floor. The Bobcats started very slow, but their recent emergence has made them a much scarier opponent to face. They surely aren’t the favorite in either of their games this weekend, but if they could find a way to steal one on the road then they’ll be in a terrific position to lock up a playoff spot. This team is a total wild card right now and I have to say it makes them very fun to watch.

(6) 9. Trinity (13-7, 2-4)

Last week: L 86-50 @ Williams, L 75-38 @ Middlebury

This week: @ Wesleyan, vs. Conn College

Nick Seretta and the Bantams have some work to do if they want to play postseason basketball

Trinity and Bowdoin both had horrendous weekends and have nearly identical records, so I’m going with the winner of the head-to-head matchup. In both of their games over the weekend Donald Jorden ’21 was the only Bantam to score in double figures, and he never got higher than 12. Losing by a combined 73 points is about as bad as a weekend could possibly go, and a deeper dive into the numbers doesn’t make things seem any better. Between the two games, Trinity shot 25% from the field and 19% from deep, they were out-rebounded by 17, they turned the ball over 9 more times than opponents, and they even committed 17 more fouls than their opponents. These are abysmal numbers by any standard, but especially not for a team that’s hoping to sneak into the NESCAC Tournament. Having two conference victories definitely keeps them in the conversation for the playoff race, but it’s an uphill battle from here for the Bantams. They’ve got 4 games left and would likely need to win 2 (maybe even 3 depending on tiebreakers) to clinch a playoff spot. They aren’t out of it, but they’ve got their work cut out for them.

(7) 10. Bowdoin (12-7, 2-4)

Last week: L 77-42 @ Hamilton, L 86-62 @ Amherst

This week: vs. Middlebury, vs. Williams

The same thing I said for Trinity applies here for the Polar Bears. They had a truly awful weekend that they’ll look to put behind them, and they’ll have to pull off an upset or two to find their way into the postseason. At this point it really looks as though Bowdoin only has four guys that actually do anything. David Reynolds ’20 and Jack Simonds ’19 score as much as anyone in the league, Zavier Rucker ’21 has a hand in the scoring and does a fine job running the point, and Hugh O’Neil ’19 grabs a ton of rebounds. No one else on the roster has an impact whatsoever on the game, and it’s really hurting the Polar Bears right now. They’ve got a good foundation with some valuable players in solid roles, but they simply need more production from their other guys. As Colby showed us, things can change a lot from week to week so who knows what to expect this weekend. Bowdoin isn’t out of the equation yet, but they do still have quite a bit left to prove.

(11) 11. Conn College (6-14, 0-7)

Last week: L 91-87 @ Tufts, L 76-59 @ Bates

This week: @ Trinity

It really does get challenging sometimes finding new things to say about a team that really hasn’t changed much. The Camels now run their losing streak in conference games up to 18 dating back to the very end of the 2016-2017 season. I’m not quite sure what needs to happen in New London, but things have been very bleak for a while now. David Labossiere ’19 and Dan Draffan ’21 continue to impress, but that’s about all they’ve got. It would be nice if they could be getting more out of the NESCAC’s tallest player, Ryan Omslaer ’22, who stands at 7’0” and weighs in at 215 pounds. You’d think a guy that much taller than everyone else would thrive, but I guess he’s still a work in progress. After all, he is only a freshman. Conn was almost able to steal their first conference win against Tufts on Friday, in an impressive effort fueled by David Labossiere who scored 26 points and hauled in 8 rebounds. At this point in the season their starters must be absolutely gassed because they pretty much only use 7-8 guys per game, and even the few guys that do come off the bench usually only see 10-15 minutes at most. They face Trinity this weekend and if there was ever a team that was struggling enough to lose to Conn this year, it could be the Bantams right now. Hopefully the action heats up on Sunday in Hartford.

Looking for a Pacesetter: Game of the Week 1/25

Game of the Week Preview

This is an interesting weekend in NESCAC basketball because if you look at the slate of games, you have a feeling that you could confidently pick anywhere from 7 to 9 of the 9 games correctly this weekend. Nearly all of the games feature a team towards the top of the standings against a team towards the bottom of the standings. The great thing about this conference is that we’re likely to be surprised by more than one result this weekend. Tufts is a total wild card, and you really don’t know what you’re going to get out of the Maine schools because a lot of times they’ll randomly shock you. We’ve put out previews for 8 of the 9 games so far, but Friday’s game between Hamilton and Bowdoin was big enough in our minds to earn Game of the Week honors. Now we can present a closer look at the huge matchup in upstate New York:

Overview

Mark Lutz has been a valuable contributor off the bench for Hamilton

Hamilton comes into the game on a mini two-game winning streak after suffering their first loss of the season to Wesleyan. They’ve looked every bit the team they were at the start of the year in these past two games so it appears that their trip to Middletown was a mere hiccup. The Continentals currently lead the NESCAC averaging 89.1 points per game while shooting 49.2% from the field, second to only Williams. In the loss to Wesleyan they shot a season-low 35.9%, so it’s easy to see why they finally had to put one in the loss column. None of their starters are below 6’4” so they do a good job rebounding on both ends of the floor. The key for Hamilton is to keep the pace of the game at the speed they want it. They’re a team that scores a lot of points and shoot at a very high rate, so a faster pace certainly tips the balance their way. They also have a bit more depth than Bowdoin, with talented players like Spencer Kendall ’21, Mark Lutz ’20, and Sayo Denloye ’20 coming off the bench. If they can keep the points coming and make this one a shootout I don’t see Bowdoin being able to keep up with their firepower.

David Reynolds is going to have to have one of his classic big games if they want to compete with the Continentals

The Polar Bears travel to Clinton having won three in a row since their consecutive conference losses to Tufts and Trinity. They were just able to snag a crucial win at Colby to keep their postseason hopes still very alive. It’s no secret that Bowdoin is very much a two-headed monster with David Reynolds ’20 and Jack Simonds ’19 who are 2nd and 7th in the NESCAC, respectively. They either take turns in the spotlight or simply share it instead – they’ve accounted for 12 combined 20-point games and 4 combined 30-point games. It’s clear who’s doing the shooting, but stopping them is easier said than done. The nice thing for opponents is that if you are able to stop the two of them, you’ve pretty much won the game. The Polar Bears rely so heavily on their dynamic duo that they really don’t have many other viable scoring options. Zavier Rucker ’21 and Hugh O’Neil ’19 have each had their moments, but haven’t showed much consistency. Bowdoin isn’t a low-scoring team per se, but their scoring numbers have been relatively pedestrian to date so it is certainly in their best interest to keep the game at a pace they can keep up with. If this game gets into the upper-80s or 90s then they won’t stand a chance.

Hamilton X-Factor

Peter Hoffmann ’19

If the Continentals want to stay competitive with the top teams in the NESCAC, they’ll need strong efforts from guys in supporting roles. They can’t ask Kena Gilmour to go out there every night and single-handedly keep them in the game, and I think Hoffmann is a guy who has all the right tools to step up as we move forward. He was on a tear at the start of the season, scoring 18 points in the first game of the season and consistently putting up 12-16 points per game. However, his scoring output took a hit once conference play started, and he netted just 4 and 8 points against Trinity and Wesleyan, respectively. Luckily he was able to get in on the blowout victory over Conn College, dropping 15 points in just 21 minutes of action. As they progress Hoffmann will have to be able to do a little bit of scoring, with Gilmour and Michael Grassey doing the majority of the work. He’s also got a big frame at 6’6” and 210 pounds so he can help contribute to Hamilton’s dominance on the glass as well as block the occasional shot. If Hoffmann can get going again then the Continentals will be a lot to handle with all the other weapons they have in their lineup.

Bowdoin X-Factor

Zavier Rucker ’21

Rucker has been doing a fine job as facilitator for the Polar Bears, turning the ball over at a low rate and coming in at 3rd in the conference with 4.1 assists per game. He’s also got a bit of size for a point guard and combined with his athletic ability he has given a good effort to help rebound since Bowdoin places 3rd to last in rebounds per game. Rucker finds himself in a similar role to Hoffmann: he is clearly the team’s third scoring option so he’ll have to be selective with his shots and efficient when he does shoot. He isn’t a guy who is often going to be in isolation or taking contested fade aways, but because he’s on a team with Jack Simonds and David Reynolds (who require a lot of attention), he’s going to find himself a decent amount of good looks. It’s almost as if Rucker is forced to be the smartest guy on the team – he can’t just take shots at will because they already have two guys that do that, and do it well. Rucker has to have the discipline to know that really the only shots he should be taking are high percentage ones, and that those shots will come if he continues to help set up his teammates the way he has been. There’s no question that a lot is being asked of him, but if Rucker can be the smartest guy on the court, Bowdoin always has a great chance to win.

Final Thoughts

There are obviously some themes presenting themselves here, but I’ll try to lay things out as overtly as possible. Hamilton is the deeper and (slightly) more talented team, but Bowdoin has two guys who are capable of putting up huge numbers on any given night, so they’ll surely be able to compete. If you haven’t figured out that pace is going to be the key to the game then you should probably make your way back to the beginning of the article because I don’t think I can harp on it enough. Bowdoin has talent and if they can keep this game close then they’ve got a real shot at winning, but if they try and play at Hamilton’s pace then they won’t be able to keep up. I think they’ll hang around for a little while, but I think the Continentals will be able to speed things up just enough to run away with this one.

Writer’s Pick: Hamilton 95 – Bowdoin 83

Even the Mighty Fall: Stock Report 1/23

Stock Report 1/23

Stock up

Potential end-of-season drama

Right when it was starting to look like no one would beat Williams, they lost. Then, they lost again. Now the best record in the NESCAC belongs to none other than the Hamilton Continentals, while Wesleyan shares the top spot in the conference standings with the Ephs (although Williams does hold the head-to-head tiebreaker). Additionally, the Amherst vs. Hamilton game that was supposed to happen this past weekend was postponed due to the snowstorm. That game will surely have playoff seeding implications given that these two teams are at the top of the conference, and the fact that it’s being rescheduled later in the season will add even more excitement to what was already going be a very exciting finish to the year. Everyone in the league except for Conn has picked up a conference win, and everyone except for Colby and Conn have two, so it’s exciting to see a little bit of parity between the teams (especially coming on the heels of football season). We’re looking at yet another terrific year for NESCAC basketball.

Bates’ playoff chances

It’s no secret that non-conference play was a disaster for the Bobcats, but they’ve looked like a completely different team in the New Year. The win at Colby was a promising way to start, and then Bates put up two valiant efforts against some of the league’s best teams in Williams and Middlebury but came away empty-handed. Beating Tufts for the 3rd straight year (and 4th time in 5 years) was nothing short of a statement win. The Jumbos haven’t had the best season ever, but they’ve already recorded wins over Middlebury and Bowdoin – two of the teams that defeated Bates. Tom Coyne ’20 has been a huge part of the turn around as he returned from a shoulder injury with a very hot hand. The junior put up 18 points off the bench on 6-12 shooting including 3-7 from downtown against the Jumbos, his third consecutive 17+ point game. The first half on Saturday was all about Nick Lynch ’19 as he scored 20 of his game-high 22 points thanks to a barrage of midrange jump shots. Kody Greenhalgh ’20 also turned in a very fine effort, posting 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals. The Bobcats may have started the season on a sour note, but they’re playing well when it counts so don’t count them out of the postseason just yet.

Middlebury as a title contender

Max Bosco is playing his way out of contention for our 6th Man of the Year award

Definitely the best way to secure a spot in the “stock up” column is to take down the top team in the league, and the Panthers did just that on Saturday with a convincing 80-66 win over Williams. Jack Farrell ’21 led the way with 24 points on a very efficient 9-14 from the field, and he also dished out 5 assists. An important thing to note for Middlebury is that Coach Brown recently decided to insert Max Bosco ’21 into the starting lineup in place of Griffin Kornaker ’21, and it has paid dividends. Bosco put up 21 points in his first game as a starter, and then put forth an 18-point, 6-rebound effort in the win against Williams. This is the type of spark the Panthers were looking for as they’re now looking like one of the scarier teams in the conference. The loss to Tufts hurts but other than that Middlebury has a nice looking resume and adding a win over Williams certainly doesn’t look too shabby either. They’ve got Trinity, Bowdoin, and Colby in the near future, so it’s a good time for the Panthers to snag a few more wins before they have to finish the year with two of the very best – Hamilton and Amherst.

Stock down

Colby in close games

The Mules have been off to a great start, but something that stands out as a real area where they have struggled is playing close games. Colby has shown an inability to win close games, especially when it counts. They’re 3-5 this year in games decided by 10 points or less and 1-3 in one possession games. These aren’t great numbers from a team who wants to be making an impression on the rest of the league. It’s especially frustrating when two of those close losses came to Bates and Bowdoin in conference play, both teams that the Mules defeated in their non-conference matchups. Winning close games more often than not comes from a combination of coaching and player maturity. Coach Strahorn is doing an excellent job so we know that isn’t the issue; the reason they have struggled so much down the stretch is that Colby only has one senior on their roster and he isn’t one of the guys who would be handling the ball at the end of a close game. They’ve got talent on their team, but the guys are young – they need these experiences in tight matchups to continue learning for the future. This will serve them very well in one, two, three years from now when they’ve got a team full of players who have been there time and time again. For now they’ll have to try and claw (hoof?) their way in it with what they’ve got.

Note: I wrote this before Colby’s 101-98 victory over Husson on Tuesday, so it looks like they’re already starting to turn things around.

Williams’ depth

Mickey Babek will have to step up if Williams is going to make a run

There’s no way the Ephs weren’t falling in the “stock down” column after suffering their first two losses of their year to Amherst and Middlebury, respectively. They’re fortunate that the Amherst game was technically a non-conference affair and that they get another crack at the Mammoths at the end of the year. Either way, Williams isn’t all high and mighty like they were before. In the loss to Amherst they had 16 points off the bench and against Middlebury it was a mere 3. Literally only 3 points. This is not characteristic of a team that wants to compete in the NESCAC even, let alone on a national scale. They need more production from guys off the bench like Mickey Babek ’20, Marcus Soto ’19, and Marc Taylor ’21, each of whom have the capability of hitting shots and playing a bigger role. As I like to say, no reason to panic for the Ephs. They’re still very much in the driver’s seat and with Trinity, Colby, and Bowdoin on the horizon they’ve got a very nice chance to stay on top.

It’s Always a Mystery: Power Rankings 1/17

Power Rankings 1/17

We’re now in the thick of things as each team has played 3 or 4 NESCAC games, and there is absolutely no more clarity in the rankings than we had last week. This conference is tough, and everybody just seems to be beating everybody. Even Williams is no longer unbeaten (continue reading to find out more). The Ephs still remain the league’s top team and they stand alone now that Hamilton has taken a conference defeat. Next week will give us some more marquee matchups and maybe next week the rankings will somehow be easier to write. Probably not, and that’s what makes it fun. For now let’s see where everyone falls in the mid-January rankings:

(1) 1. #3 Williams (15-1, 4-0)

Last week: W 85-61 @ Tufts, W 75-69 @ Bates

This week: vs. Middlebury

It wasn’t pretty at times, but Williams is still every bit deserving of their top spot in the rankings. After an impressive team effort in a blowout victory on Friday, the Ephs faced a bit more adversity in their matchup with Bates in Lewiston. The Bobcats led by as many as 14 in the first half and it remained close right up until the very end. The Ephs looked visibly uncomfortable against Bates’ 1-3-1 zone, uncharacteristically turning the ball over on several occasions. It took some hot shooting by Bobby Casey ’19 and a few critical plays by Kyle Scadlock ’19 to secure the victory for Williams. The ability to win games in which they aren’t playing their best has really set this Eph team apart through the first half of the season, and it was very much on display against the Bobcats. Williams actually took their first loss of the season on Thursday night in a non-conference matchup with Amherst, so maybe things aren’t as pretty as they seem in Williamstown. A huge matchup looms on Saturday when the Middlebury College Panthers come to town to try and hand Williams their second consecutive loss so stay tuned for the result this weekend in Western Mass.

(4) 2. Wesleyan (11-4, 3-1)

Last week: W 73-69 vs. Hamilton, W 62-60 vs. Amherst

This week: @ Conn College

Austin Hutcherson is slowly becoming “the man” in Middletown

It’s no secret why the Cardinals worked their way up to the 2 spot in this week’s rankings. After knocking off no. 6 nationally ranked Hamilton for the first time, Wesleyan turned around and gave Amherst their first conference loss of the year – just their second over all. This weekend was the Austin Hutcherson show: against Hamilton on Friday the sophomore dropped 32 points on 9-19 shooting, including 9-10 from the free throw line. He absolutely took over the game, scoring 24 points in the last 20 minutes and scored 12 in a row at the very end, sealing the win for the Cardinals. The very next day Hutcherson took an inbounds pass with 11 seconds to go in a tie game, drove the length of the court, and banked in a game-winner with 3 seconds remaining to defeat the Mammoths. Wesleyan made a statement this weekend that not only can they compete with anyone, but they have the star power to do some real damage in this league. Conn College won’t do much to get in the way of this machine, so look for the Cardinals to put another one in the win column this weekend.

(2) 3. #7 Hamilton (15-1, 2-1)

Last week: L 73-69 @ Wesleyan, W 91-46 @ Conn College

This week: vs. Amherst

They had to lose eventually and I suppose eventually for the Continentals was last Friday in Middletown. Wesleyan was the better team that night, carried by Austin Hutcherson and Jordan Bonner. Hutcherson won the star battle with his 32 points, as Kena Gilmour ’20 scored only 15 points, while grabbing 2 rebounds and dishing out 2 assists. Obviously he can’t put up insane numbers every single night, but no one besides Gilmour and Michael Grassey ’19 (20 points) could get into double figures and the rest of the team was very cold shooting the ball the entire game. The good thing was that Hamilton bounced back on Saturday and demolished Conn College by a score of 91-46. This is a powerful way to respond after suffering your first loss of the season, so my guess is that the Continentals aren’t going anywhere. They’ve got another huge chance to prove themselves when they host an Amherst team this weekend who is also looking to rebound after a loss. I’m sure we’ll be in for an exciting matchup from New York.

(3) 4. Amherst (13-2, 2-1)

Last week: W 88-60 @ Conn College, L 62-60 @ Wesleyan

This week: @ Hamilton

The Mammoths are in the exact same position as the Continentals coming out of the weekend. They were off to a tremendous start, lost a tough game to Wesleyan, and now have to come back and play another tough team who’s in the same spot. Grant Robinson ’21 continues to impress, posting 18 points on Friday and 21 on Saturday while nearly draining a three-pointer for the win in the final seconds of the Wesleyan game. The only apparent problem for the Mammoths is that Robinson isn’t getting a lot of help right now. He’s averaging 15.1 points per game (19.3 in conference play) and his teammates haven’t been able to support him as much as Coach Hixon would like. In the loss at Wesleyan, Robinson had 21 and there actually were double-digit efforts from Fru Che ’21 and Eric Sellew ’20 who had 13 and 11, respectively. The problem was that is took them both at least 14 shots to get there, so not very efficient. I’ll say the same for Amherst as I said for Hamilton – they have nothing to worry about and they’re still in a comfortable position, but this should serve as a wake up call. This Saturday is a big one.

(5) 5. Middlebury (13-5, 2-2)

Last week: W 100-93 @ Bates, L 86-84 @ Tufts

This week: @ Williams

Max Bosco has been playing really well as of late, and even worked his way into the starting lineup in their mid-week game

What a tough way to end the weekend for the Panthers who really hoped to go 2-0 against the likes of Bates and Tufts. It took a bit of late-game magic for the Jumbos who picked up a huge win at home. Again, no reason to panic yet in Vermont – Tufts is a good team and it’s still very early. In the game against Bates the Panthers were forced to deal with the same 1-3-1 zone that stifled Williams at times, but they shot the Bobcats out of the gym. The game was relatively close the whole way, but Middlebury led pretty much start to finish. It really felt like every time Bates would get the game a little bit closer they’d hit another big shot to keep the Bobcats at bay. Max Bosco had a huge weekend, dropping 28 on Bates and 17 on Tufts, while shooting 50% from the field. He has a very crafty nature and can beat you in a variety of ways – one of which is taking it hard to the basket and often getting fouled. In fact, he got to the line quite a bit over the weekend hitting 14 of his 17 free throws, good for 82%. Midd will take a trip down to western matchup for an enormous matchup at Williams on Saturday so keep your eyes on the score from that one.

(9) 6. Trinity (12-5, 2-2)

Last week: W 66-56 vs. Bowdoin, W 62-60 vs. Colby

This week: non-conference

I have to admit; I was a little down on Trinity early in the year and even after their close game with Hamilton, but this weekend they definitely proved something. Colby and Bowdoin aren’t traditionally the top teams in the NESCAC, but they’re having very good seasons and had played well recently. Winning close games in this conference is no small task, and the Bantams won two of them in a single weekend. Kyle Padmore ’20 led the charge on Friday, netting 20 points on 8 of 12 shooting, grabbing 7 rebounds, and even blocking 4 shots. The hero on Saturday was freshman Anthony Kelley ’22 who caught the inbounds pass and took the ball coast to coast, laying it in with 3.5 seconds on the clock to win the game for the Bantams. That basked accounted for 2 of just 4 points for Kelley on the afternoon, but they were certainly the biggest. Donald Jorden, Jr. ’21 has slowly been making a name for himself as he posted 26 points and 19 rebounds on the weekend, continuing to play really good basketball all season. Trinity is idle this weekend as far as conference play goes, but they’ve got big games coming in the near future with Williams, Middlebury, and Wesleyan, so there’s no question that they have some preparing to do.

(8) 7. Tufts (8-9, 2-2)

Last week: L 85-61 vs. Williams, W 86-84 vs. Middlebury

This week: @ Bates

The loss against Williams was tough, but I’d say this was a fairly successful weekend for the Jumbos. They had 5 guys score between 14 and 17 points against Middlebury, but it was Brennan Morris ’21 who stole the show, hitting a fade away baseline jumper with just a few seconds left to win it. Those were 2 of Morris’ team-high 17 points in the contest, but it was a true team effort in the win. Eric Savage ’20 and Luke Rogers ’21 turned in really the only significant performances in the big loss against Williams. Savage scored 16 points and handed out 6 assists while Rogers recorded a double double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Tufts has been a bit of a wild card thus far, struggling at times in non-conference play but picking up a couple of impressive wins in Bowdoin and Middlebury when conference play started. They sit at 2-2 and they’ll travel to Lewiston on Saturday to take on a streaky Bates squad. A win puts them at 3-2 and in a great spot in the standings, but the Bobcats have won 3 of the last 4 meetings between the two teams so it’s certainly not a matchup to take lightly.

(6) 8. Bowdoin (9-5, 1-2)

Last week: L 66-56 @ Trinity

This week: @ Colby

The loss to Trinity is a bummer for the Polar Bears who surely had their hopes a little higher for this one. The Bantams played terrific defense, holding Bowdoin to just 34.4% from the field on the day. Moving forward they’re going to need more from their stars, David Reynolds ’20 and Jack Simonds ’19. These guys combined for 14 points and 9 rebounds, and that’s not going to win you a tough conference game on the road. Zavier Rucker ’21 had the best game scoring 14 points of his own, but really no one stepped up for the Polar Bears and they drop to 1-2 in conference play. It seems like if Simonds and Reynolds don’t play well then they lose, because no one else has stepped up this season in the scoring column aside from Rucker at times. They’ve got an important game on Saturday with Colby in what is essentially a must-win game if Bowdoin wants to stay in the race to potentially host a first round NESCAC tournament game. Colby won their first meeting 83-70 when they faced off in a non-conference CBB game, so some adjustments are going to be necessary if the Polar Bears want to have a chance this weekend.

(7) 9. Colby (12-4, 1-2)

Last week: L 62-60 @ Trinity

This week: vs. Bowdoin

It seems that many teams are in the same spot heading into their 4th/5thconference games because Colby could use a bounce back. They started conference play well by defeating Tufts, but they’ve dropped games to Bates and now Trinity since then, so things seem a bit shakier. Alex Dorion ’20 put together a notable effort off the bench, dropping 17 points that included 4 of his 6 3-point attempts. I’ve obviously pointed it out enough at this point, but the NESCAC is a star-driven league and Sam Jefferson ’20, Matt Hanna ’21, and Noah Tyson ’22 weren’t their usual selves against the Bantams. These guys have led the team in scoring and rebounding all year and they couldn’t really produce against a tough Trinity defense. The Bowdoin game this weekend will be very telling because the Mules have already defeated them once so they certainly know what it takes. They beat Bates in their first meeting but lost in the conference matchup so Colby really can’t afford to let this happen again. At this point only time will tell.

(11) 10. Bates (4-12, 1-3)

Last week: L 100-93 vs. Middlebury, L 75-69 vs. Williams

This week: vs. Tufts

Tom Coyne has had the hot had off the bench recently

Bates lost two games this weekend, but it definitely wasn’t all negatives in the two games. The Bobcats introduced a new 1-3-1 zone that they used on Middlebury and Williams and it gave us a few different results. Middlebury shot the ball incredibly well – in fact they shot a higher percentage from behind the three-point line than they did in front of it. The zone was a sneaky look, but the Panthers simply shot too well to lose this game. Nick Lynch ’19 had one of the quieter 25-point games I’ve ever seen, but along with 11 rebounds he had himself a pretty nice looking double double. On Saturday the defensive ploy worked a bit better, confusing the Ephs and giving the Bobcats a number of fast break layups. Tom Coyne ’20 had himself a huge game off the bench, lighting it up from the perimeter to the tune of 24 points on 8-13 shooting including 7-11 from 3-point land. Towards the end of the game it was Coyne’s hot hand that kept Bates within striking distance where they ultimately got stuck. There’s no doubt that the Bobcats have struggled this year, but they have showed some positive signs and they have a winnable game against Tufts on Saturday. This could be an exciting mid-January matchup from Alumni Gym.

(10) 11. Conn College (6-10, 0-4)

Last week: L 88-60 vs. Amherst, L 91-46 vs. Hamilton

This week: vs. Wesleyan

It seems like more of the same in New London as the Camels took two drubbings at home at the hands of Amherst and Hamilton. For a number of years now they just haven’t been on the same level as the rest of the NESCAC. David Labossiere ’19 and Dan Draffan ’21 have been putting together some very strong seasons, but neither of them could get anything to fall over the weekend. I will give them the fact that these games were against Amherst and Hamilton who are currently right near the top of the standings, but Conn struggled nonetheless. Their next game is against a hot Wesleyan squad that just knocked off the same two teams that they just lost to. The expectation is low at this point for the Camels but maybe that’s a good thing. Spoiler is a fun position to be in sometimes so maybe they can make something happen.

Off to the Races: Men’s Basketball Stock Report 1/8

Now that one weekend of conference games is in the books, we can see how exciting this season is truly going to be. There is really no apparent hierarchy and every team displayed some sort of weakness that can be exploited as we move forward in the season. This weekend was really a microcosm of what NESCAC basketball looks like on a regular basis. We had a few blowouts, a few tight games, a few defensive battles, and a good number of shootouts. There was seemingly no discernable pattern of who’s beating who, and that’s exactly the way we like it. Every weekend is an interesting one, nearly impossible for us to predict. With that being said, let’s take a look at the best and worst performers of the first weekend to see where everybody stands:

Stock Up

Williams dominance

It was about as successful as it could have gone this weekend for the Ephs as they took care of Wesleyan and Conn College at home. The Wesleyan game especially passes the eye test because they were able to prove that they could win a defensive battle. We know that Williams can score, but the fact that they led a low-scoring game pretty much the entire way against the talented Cardinals shows that they can win in any fashion. Bobby Casey ’19 led the way against Conn College, posting a game-high 24 points and 8 assists in a rout of the Camels. The Ephs were playing as well as anyone in the preseason, but they’ve brought their dominance into NESCAC play and that is a scary sight for teams around the league.

Jack Simonds as a leader

Everything was falling for Jack Simonds this weekend, but we’ll find out if he is really here to stay

The top performer of the weekend was undoubtedly Jack Simonds. The senior put up an astonishing 55 points on 22-33 from the field and grabbed 15 rebounds combined in the matchups with Bates and Tufts. It felt like Simonds couldn’t miss all weekend and he certainly threw his name back into the conversation for NESCAC player of the year with his efforts. After a breakout sophomore year, Simonds had a bit of a down season in his junior campaign and Bowdoin struggled at times without his leadership. He has come into conference play firing on all cylinders after torching Bates and putting up a valiant effort in a loss versus Tufts. Bowdoin comes out of the weekend right in the thick of things at 1-1, but things are looking bright if Jack Simonds can keep putting out performances like these.

Stock Down

Hamilton dominance

This is not meant to take anything away from a win to start off NESCAC play for the Continentals, but the Bantams tested them on Sunday. It took a carrying violation against Trinity and then a basket with 0.8 seconds left for Hamilton to sneak out the win. The Bantams were embarrassed by Amherst in Western Mass on Friday so morale was low when they rolled into New York for their Sunday matchup. Hamilton couldn’t capitalize, and Trinity hung around for much too long in this one. Kena Gilmour ’20 was not himself at all, putting up 15 points and snatching only 4 rebounds, but fortunately Michael Grassey ’19 picked up the slack and was able to do just enough to secure the win. The Continentals are doing just fine, but being ranked #6 in the country is a very impressive feat. It’ll take a much less sloppy effort if they want to compete with the other top teams in the league moving forward. 

Clarity in the middle

Austin Hutcherson ’21 is identifying himself as the top option so far for the Cardinals

It’s never easy to identify the best teams this early in the season, but there are 6 teams that finished the weekend 1-1, and it wasn’t exactly the 6 that we may have thought. After looking really bad to start the season, Bates snagged a win at Colby and even Conn College battled tough with Middlebury until the very end. Tufts started off slow losing to Colby on Friday, but turned around and took care of Bowdoin on Saturday. Wesleyan looked very impressive at times too, but here they are at 1-1 with the rest of them. Trinity and Conn each went 0-2 on the weekend, but the way they played we can tell there won’t be a winless team in the NESCAC this year. All we can do now is wait another week to get a bigger sample size and start making some better assessments. I wouldn’t be surprised to see quite a few 2-2 teams at the end of the second weekend…

Hope for Connecticut

I will admit that Wesleyan had a solid weekend and doesn’t have much to feel bad about at the moment, but Conn and Trinity aren’t doing them any favors in the early going. The state of Connecticut as a whole went 1-5 this weekend and only one of those losses was by fewer than 12 points. I’m not saying I expect to see these three schools at the top of the standings, but they certainly haven’t helped make a name for themselves so far. There’s never an easy game in this conference, so there’s no time to relax for any of the schools down in the NESCAC’s warmest state. Another weekend like this and we might have to start looking forward to the spring season when the southern schools get to have their moment.

5 Bold Predictions for the Rest of the Season

1. Williams wins the national championship

Matt Karpowicz ’20 is one of the many Ephs who will help pave the way for a deep tournament run

To be honest, this isn’t a particularly bold prediction. The Ephs are #2 in the nation and they have looked nearly unstoppable to this point in the season. Their average margin of victory is 26 and only 2 of their games have been decided by less than 10 points. What makes them so tough to stop is the fact that they have so many different guys that can beat you on a given night. If you try to play a zone then Bobby Casey ’19 and James Heskett ’19 will light you up from beyond the arc. If you don’t have a true big man then Matt Karpowicz ’20 and Michael Kempton ’20 will wreck you in the paint. If you don’t have at least one standout wing capable of playing defense at a high level then Kyle Scadlock ’19 is going score at will. These guys are as good as it gets at the D3 level and you can see it as soon as they step on the court – the average height of their starting lineup is 6’6” and not one of them is below 6’3”. Williams has made runs deep into the tournament in recent years, but this time they’ll come back with some hardware. Barring injury, the Williams College Ephs will be your 2019 NCAA Division III Basketball National Champions.

2. Hamilton wins the NESCAC championship

Kena Gilmour ’20 is one of the biggest stars that the NESCAC has to offer

Well, if anyone is going to take down the Ephs (at least before the NCAA Tournament) then there’s no doubt that the #5 team in the country has the best chance. The average height of their starters is 6’5”, so they’re really the only team that has the size to reasonably matchup with Williams. They’ve got a bona fide star in Kena Gilmour ’20, an array of athletic wings who can shoot the ball and have the athleticism to defend multiple positions, and a big man in Andrew Groll ’19 who anchors the team down low. They, too, have blown teams out of the water, with only 2 games within 10 points and an average margin of victory of 21. They shoot the ball at an astonishingly high rate (51.3% FG) and turn the ball over less than almost anyone. Essentially the only question that I have about them is whether or not their defense will be able to compete in a game when the shots simply aren’t falling. Like most NESCAC teams they haven’t played a very tough schedule so they’ve had their way with opposing defenses, but there will come a game when they just aren’t getting the bounces. I’m not sure that their defense is good enough to win a grind-it-out type game like this, which is also why I don’t see them being able to make a run in the NCAAs. What we do know is that their offense is as good as anyone in the nation, so I think they will get hot enough in a three game stretch to win the NESCAC title.

3. Bowdoin finishes third in the NESCAC

David Reynolds ’20 will have to keep producing at the same rate for Bowdoin to stay in contention

There’s no doubt that Williams and Hamilton are the top 2 teams in the conference, so the question seems to be who will finish 3rd. Things are much murkier in the middle, but I like what’s been going on in Brunswick so far this season. After a slow 2-3 start the Polar Bears have really found their identity, winners of their last 6 contests. The duo of Jack Simonds ’19 and David Reynolds ’20 is one of the most lethal scoring combinations in the league, with each of them averaging over 17 points per game. Zavier Rucker ’21 is one of the steadiest point guards out there, and he also adds a very viable third scoring option. His range certainly raises some questions as he’s only shooting 27.3% from 3-point land. Teams will definitely start to play off him a bit and respect his quickness, forcing him to shoot from farther out. He’ll have to get better from the outside to draw some of the attention away from Reynolds and Simonds. Hugh O’Neil ’19 is another elite big man who currently leads the league in field goal percentage (67.2%) while also coming in at 2ndin the league in rebounding (10.6 per game). This type of efficiency is exactly what Bowdoin is looking for out of their senior captain. What especially stands out about the Polar Bears is their strong upperclassman leadership. Aside from Rucker their main rotation of guys consists only of juniors and seniors, and this will go a very long way in a conference that is seeing a lot more asked of some of the younger players. Bowdoin has an excellent opportunity to make a leap into the top half of the NESCAC this season, and it all starts with the guys who have been there time and time again.

4. Colby leads NESCAC in scoring

Noah Tyson ’22 is potentially the most talented player on the Colby roster, and he’s only a freshman

This is another prediction that doesn’t appear to be very unreasonable given what we’ve seen so far – the Mules are 2nd to only Hamilton in points per game – but Colby has struggled mightily in recent years, including last year’s 10th place finish. What they have going for them this year is a very balanced scoring attack where all 5 starters average double figures in scoring. They attempt an incredible amount of 3-point shots, but this fast paced style is the way that they need to play since they lack a true big man and have a height disadvantage at almost every position on the court. When the game is moving at this type of pace it also means that they’ll be allowing a lot of points, so even if they do lead the league in scoring they very well could finish in the bottom of the standings again. For the fans, however, this makes almost every Colby game must-watch basketball. We’re likely to see lots of scores in the 80s and 90s, so it’s almost always going to be worth tuning in to the action in Waterville. Win or lose, it’s shaping up to be a very exciting season for Coach Strahorn and his squad.

5. Bobby Casey wins POY

Bobby Casey ’19 has a chance to be the second consecutive Eph to bring home the POY trophy

Although I wrote that Kena Gilmour was our prediction for Player of the Year in our awards preview a few weeks ago, it could be another southpaw that takes home the trophy at the season’s end. Teammate James Heskett ’19 earned POY honors last season, but this year it’s been Bobby Casey’s turn. The senior has been a lights out scorer this year, coming in at 5th in the league with 18.1 points per game while shooting over 50% from the field including over 45% from deep. He’s also grabbing 5.5 rebounds per game and dishing out a league-leading 4.5 assists per game. There’s no question that he benefits heavily from the fact that he’s the team’s primary ball handler and the talent that exists around him in Williams’ lineup is unparalleled. Not a lot of guys would be able to share the ball as much as he does while still getting a fair share of shots for himself. Either way, the Ephs are loaded and Casey is a star so he’ll be an interesting guy to keep an eye on as the season progresses. If they’re able to maintain the blistering start that they’re off to, you can bet that Casey will be leading the way.

Slightly Too Early End of Season Award Candidates

At this point in the season every team has played between 8 and 10 games, which isn’t a particularly large sample size. Well, we decided that the p-value is low enough for us to be able to hand out some awards for what we’ve seen thus far. At the end of the season the NESCAC hands out awards for Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year. We felt that this simply isn’t enough to recognize all of the talent that is present in NESCAC basketball, so we added 6th Man of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year. We plan on putting out an updated list midway through the season and, of course, at the end of the season as well so stay tuned because we’re in for an action packed season.

Player of the Year

Kena Gilmour ’20 (Hamilton)

19.7PPG, 6.6REB/G, 2.7AST/G, 52.6% FG

Gilmour has been off to an incredibly hot start in his junior campaign after earning Rookie of the Year honors two seasons ago and finding a spot on the all-NESCAC first team last year. He is a true do-it-all player who scores, shares the ball, rebounds, and defends well. Averaging 19.7 points per game is already impressive as it is, but he hasn’t even played full minutes in a number of their matchups given that they’ve been blowing teams out. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see his scoring numbers actually increase come conference play. What really stands out is that he’s shooting over 50% from the field, proving that he’s an efficient scorer who has the awareness to take good shots and not force anything despite being the team’s best player. He’s certainly aided by the fact that the Continentals have so many other threats, but the 6’4” guard is already looking like a very strong candidate for POY honors.

Defensive Player of the Year

Matt Folger ’20 (Middlebury)

9.9REB/G, 2.1BLK/G, 0.9STL/G

He’s no slouch on the offensive end either, but Folger has really been making a name for himself on the other end of the court. In the NESCAC, guys who are 6’8” and 210 pounds are almost always going to be big men so Folger has a huge advantage given that he plays as a wing. He possesses the size to defend NESCAC bigs but he has the quickness and athleticism to defend guards as well. It also doesn’t hurt that the Panthers have an outstanding true big man in Eric McCord, so Folger has been able to play mostly around the perimeter. This is a huge reason for why he is tied for the league lead in blocks per game – he’s almost always defending someone 2 to 5 inches shorter than him. This allows him to often get a hand on jump shots when he’s closing out on a shooter. Folger consistently causes problems for whomever he is defending, so opponents beware and try not to get distracted by that outrageous moustache.

Rookie of the Year

Noah Tyson ’22 (Colby)

11.8PPG, 8.6REB/G, 2.6AST/G, 0.5TO/G

At this point in the season, this was the easiest award to pick. The former Mr. Basketball in Vermont has really been making a name for himself during his first season in Waterville. His scoring numbers have been good, but the 6’2” guard has been hauling in rebounds like it’s his job. His 8.6 rebounds per game is good for 8thin the NESCAC, but each of the 7 guys ahead of him on the leaderboard are over 6’4” so you can see that Tyson is a next level athlete. Perhaps the most promising feature of Tyson’s game is that he’s very sure-handed with the ball. The freshman is averaging a miniscule 0.5 turnovers per game, giving him the 3rdhighest assist-to-turnover ratio (5.2) in the league. He has all the tools to become a star, so keep an eye on the standout youngster to see if he can continue this blistering pace as we start to move into conference play.

Side note: Apologies for using this photo of Tyson from last year, but Colby hasn’t uploaded their headshots for basketball season yet so it’s the best we could do.

6th Man of the Year

Max Bosco ’21 (Middlebury)

15.3PPG, 2.9AST/G, 48.2% FG

Here’s another early award that was frankly a no-brainer. Bosco has been easily the most effective 6thman in the league, putting up an impressive 15.3 points while playing just 21.6 minutes per game. He is the perfect complement to Middlebury’s top offensive threats – Matt Folger and Jack Farrell – because it allows the Panthers to take one of those two off the court and without sacrificing any offensive production. Bosco is a guy that is easy to lose track of, but if you do then he’ll make you pay. He’s capable of knocking down threes with his quick release, but he can also put the ball on the floor and get to the rim if you close out too hard. This guy is exactly what the Panthers could ask for in a 6thman and the rest of the league should be on notice – don’t forget about Max Bosco.

Comeback Player of the Year

Kyle Scadlock ’19 (Williams)

14.4PPG, 9.2REB/G, 2.3AST/G, 63.2% FG

Not only is Scadlock a lock to win comeback player of the year, but he’s also a very serious contender for player of the year. The senior currently falls at 16thin the NESCAC in points per game, however he’s doing that while taking nearly half as many shots per game as the first 15 guys on the list. Shooting 60% over the course of an entire season seems impossible, but Scadlock has been getting great looks because of how many other weapons are in this Eph lineup. Scadlock has also been a rebounding machine thus far, but this also isn’t too much of a surprise given that he’s 6’7” and is almost always the most athletic guy on the court. Williams has also played a relatively easy schedule to this point so they haven’t needed any serious late-game leadership that a guy like Scadlock can bring. I wouldn’t be surprised to see his scoring totals actually start to increase once they start facing more talented teams.

Coach of the Year

Damien Strahorn (Colby)

This is probably the toughest award to give out this early in the season since each team has played a vastly different schedule to date. That said, Strahorn is doing an excellent job with the guys he has to come up with a winning formula. He has the Mules off to an 8-2 start while scoring the 3rdmost points per game in the conference, behind only Williams and Hamilton who currently sit at #2 and #4 in the national rankings. They also lead the league in assists per game and are doing a very respectable job rebounding given their lack of a true big man. On the other end Colby forces a ton of turnovers and are very pesky defensively, which is exactly how they need to play with their size disparity. If he can keep the Mules as hot as they have been to flip the script from last season’s 10thplace finish, Strahorn will be on his way to earning coach of the year honors.

Trinity College Bantams 2019 Basketball Season Preview

Trinity College Bantams

2017-2018 Record: 15-10 (4-6 NESCAC), lost in NESCAC Quarterfinals

2018-2019 Projected Record: 13-11 (2-8 NESCAC) 

Key Losses:

G Eric Gendron ’18 (11.7PPG, 4.2REB/G, 3.2AST/G)

G Jeremy Arthur ’19 (11.3PPG, 4.1REB/G, 43.1% FG)

Projected Starting Lineup:

G: Christian Porydzy ’20 (8.9PPG, 3.6REB/G, 3.4AST/G)

Porydzy is the facilitator for this squad. He shares the ball willingly, he’s athletic enough to beat defenders off the dribble, and his jump shot is good enough that opposing teams have no choice but to respect it. Because Porydzy is such a solid all around player, he’ll have to do pretty much everything a littlebit better for Trinity to see more success this season. There’s no doubt that he’ll need to have an uptick in scoring given all the scoring they lost from last year, but the Bantams are also losing a lot of rebounding, which is an area that Porydzy excels in despite being a smaller guard. They also suffer the loss of the second team leader in assists, so Porydzy will have to pick up some of the slack from there as well. Through 7 games this season, we aren’t seeing Porydzy improve his production from last year, so keep an eye on the performance by the point guard in Hartford.

G: Nick Seretta ’20 (7.5PPG, 2.8REB/G)

One of the biggest issues last season and so far this season for the Bantams is the lack of a playmaker. They need a guy who wants the ball in his hands at the end of a close game and can execute in those big spots. A guy who consistently puts up 15 points and grabs 6-8 rebounds per game. Seretta should be that guy. He’s got the size and athleticism to be one of the league’s premier players, yet his stats don’t reflect that at all. In fact, he hasn’t really seen an improvement in his numbers at all, despite Trinity losing their top two scorers and two of their top rebounders from last season. In their two losses thus far, Seretta scored 16 points on 5-16 shooting including 1-7 from beyond the arc. He followed those two games by putting up a goose egg in 23 minutes in the two-point victory over Southern Vermont. Seretta needs to be better moving forward because Trinity will only be able to go as high as he can take them.

G: Kyle Padmore ’20 (5.3PPG, 2.3REB/G, 52.6% FG)

Padmore is another guy who could fill the “best player” role simply based on his physical attributes. He has height and length, and he is a very efficient scorer as you can see based on his 52.6% field goal percentage from last season. In the early going he has already doubled his scoring average as well as largely increasing his rebounding and assist averages. This is exactly what the Bantams are hoping for from a guy who is seeing an increase in minutes. Because of his size he’ll likely be tasked with defending bigger guys, so it remains to be seen if he can bang around with some of the larger bodies that he’ll see come conference play. He’s still figuring out how to take a bigger role, but it appears Padmore is up for the challenge at a time when Trinity really needs it.

F: Donald Jorden, Jr. ’21 (4.2PPG, 4.4REB/G, 67.9% FG)

The Tampa, Florida native is off to an incredibly efficient start in his sophomore campaign. He, too, has nearly doubled his scoring and rebounding averages through 7 games and continues to shoot an eye-popping percentage from the field. Granted he’s playing over twice the amount of minutes he was playing last season, so the numbers make sense. Regardless, this kid is playing really good basketball and he is doing everything that Coach Cosgrove could ask. Jorden will face a similar challenge to Padmore in that he’s a bit undersized for the “4” position, but his length and athleticism should surely close the gap in terms of height and weight. He should pose a number of matchup problems, so look for Jorden to continue the outstanding pace he is setting for himself.

F: Connor Merinder ’19 (5.5PPG, 4.7REB/G, 49.6% FG)

Merinder represents really the only big body that Trinity puts on the court in the starting five. His rebounding and scoring numbers are respectable, but his main duty is defending opposing bigs and doing what he can to eliminate the size disparity between the Bantams and most other NESCAC starting lineups. Nearly every team at this point has one or two guys between 6’7” and 6’10” that act as a true center, like Matt Karpowicz of Williams or Luke Rogers of Tufts. What I like about Merinder is that although he doesn’t do a ton of scoring, he shoots a high percentage which will at least force other teams to respect the inside game enough to open up options for other guys. Merinder isn’t going to be the most standout player on the roster, but his value is unmatched and he’ll do his best to compete with some of the other bigs around the league.

Everything Else

This season will certainly be an interesting one for the Bantams, who lost two of their top players from last year. The main focus for them will be on the offensive end where they struggled at times last season. In five of their ten losses they failed to even reach 60 points, and they ended they year 3rdto last in the conference with 71.1 points per game. It would appear that the main reason for this was that shots just weren’t falling. Trinity plays good defense and don’t turn the ball over very much, but their field goal percentage was middle of the pack and their 3-point shooting percentage was only two spots away from dead last in the league. This second stat is especially concerning given that their lineup is very guard-heavy. These guys won’t be able to compete very much if they aren’t hitting shots from the outside, because we know their strength is not in the paint.

Colin Donovan ’21 is going to be one of the only weapons off the bench this year

Another key focus for Trinity this year is depth. So far this season the Bantams have not looked particularly deep, and it seems as though their rotation really just consists of 7 guys. They like to bring Joe Bell ’20 and Colin Donovan ’21 off the bench, the latter of the two being a solid scoring threat. Again the issue of size resurfaces. Neither of those two role players off the bench is over 6’3” so it’ll be a challenge for Trinity to match the size of some of the stronger teams in the conference. With this being the case, they simply need to be hitting more shots. Hopefully Coach Cosgrove has stolen a page out of Tom Izzo’s book, because with their lack of size, they need to be taking and making better shots. If they can spread the floor, speed up the pace of the game, and be a bit more efficient in scoring then they have a real shot at stealing a few wins. If they aren’t able to do these things, it’ll be a very long year in Hartford.

Tufts University Jumbos 2019 Basketball Season Preview

Tufts University Jumbos

2017-2018 Record: 17-8 (6-4 NESCAC), lost in NESCAC Quarterfinals 

2018-2019 Projected Record: 16-8 (5-5 NESCAC)

Key Losses:

G Thomas Lapham ’18 (7.0PPG, 2.3AST, 1.0STL/G)

G Everett Dayton ’18 (8.3PPG, 4.3REB/G, 44.9% FG)

G KJ Garrett ’18 (9.9PPG, 5.3REB/G, 1.2STL/G, 46.7% FG)

G/F Vincent Pace ’18 (18.3PPG, 8.3REB/G, 2.5AST/G)

Projected Starting Lineup:

G: Tyler Aronson ’22

Aronson found his way into the starting lineup right out of the gate in his freshman campaign. Listed at just 6’2” and 185lbs, Aronson makes his living as a scorer despite not being the biggest guy out there. He has a terrific jump shot and his high release allows him to get into the paint to score from mid-range rather than just live behind the three-point line. His outstanding athleticism makes him a very tough matchup on both ends of the court, and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see him near the league lead in steals by the end of the season. Watch out for Aronson this year because he’s already in position to lead the next wave of elite NESCAC guards.

G: Carson Cohen ’22

The second of Tufts’ dynamic duo of freshman is Carson Cohen, who has served as a bit of a workhorse through his first four contests. Cohen is averaging 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists while playing 34 minutes each game thus far. These are some great numbers, and that includes two close victories and an overtime loss against #11 nationally ranked MIT. Playing a similar style to Aronson, Cohen has great handles and will surprise you with how quickly he can get to the basket. As his 5 assists per game would indicate, he has tremendous court vision and is serving as the facilitator the Jumbos need. He is also looking like an early rookie of the year candidate with his performance so far.

G: Justin Kouyoumdjian ’21 (4.7PPG, 2.4REB/G)

Kouyoumdjian is finding a nice role as the 3rdor 4thscoring option in the starting lineup. His shooting numbers are modest and certainly have room for improvement given his nice shooting stroke, but he’ll contribute a few buckets when the Jumbos need it. He’ll also grab a few rebounds and dish out a few assists, acting as a sort of glue for this team. In the early going he has turned the ball over at a bit too high of a rate (4 per game) so that’s something to focus on as the season progresses. For now, the southpaw serves as a complementary scoring option who will help keep everything running smoothly on the court.

G/F: Brennan Morris ’21 (1.8PPG, 0.4AST/G, 53.9% 3PT)

Morris brings a bit of height to the starting lineup and he plays as a true sharpshooter with about as pure of a jump shot as you can find. Like the smaller guards in the lineup, he can score in a multitude of ways and helps spread the floor on offense. He is a key part of the lineup as he has the size and length to matchup with some of the bigger forwards in the league, which will be especially important against teams like Williams and Hamilton who are loaded with 6’4”-6’7” wings. Morris is a great piece to have in this lineup, and it’ll be a big year for him given that he saw very little action in his freshman season.

C: Luke Rogers ’21 (5.2PPG, 4.8REB/G, 60.5% FG, 39.5% FT)

The Massachusetts native is about as true a center as they come. Rogers is a skilled post player who is capable of having huge games (as evidenced by his 32-point outburst in the second game of the season). He’s going to be a rebound machine this year, especially since Tufts will often go with a relatively small lineup. He was in the rotation last season, but didn’t play a ton of minutes so keep an eye on his durability given that his 6’8” frame is lugging 230lbs up and down the court every night. He is really going to have to work on free throws because he shot an abysmal 39.5% from the line last year, and he’s at 41.7% through four games this year. Teams are going to take notice, so he better be staying late shooting foul shots after practice or else hack-a-Rogers could be in full effect.

Everything Else

Tufts lost a larger portion of their lineup from last season than any team in the league. Not only did they graduate 4 players who played key roles, but they also saw the departure of Vincent Pace ’18 who was a true NESCAC stud. This left them with a ton of minutes up for grabs, and only one senior on the roster. This year the Jumbos have an entirely different core filled with talented underclassmen – the only question is whether or not they can survive with so much inexperience against teams with much older lineups. Well, they’ve already begun to answer that question, plugging two freshmen into the starting five and seeing guys step up who were used in much smaller doses last year.

Patrick Racy ’20 has mostly been used off the bench in the first three games, although he started nearly every game in his sophomore season. He helps bring length to the court with his 6’6” frame, and he has already upped his rebounding totals from 3.8 per game last season to 5 per game through their first four. Eric DeBrine ’22 is another guy with size who can help the Jumbos matchup with some of the bigger teams, and he has been used as such in his first four career games. Given that Tufts starts 3 guys who are 6’2” or below, they’ll look to mix in these guys who can completely change the dynamic of the lineup with different sizes and skill sets. They also finished the 2017-2018 season tied for last in the league in blocked shots per game, so hopefully these bigger guys can get their hands on a few more shots.

Tufts will look to Will Brady to fill in important minutes off the bench

One issue that the Jumbos will look to fix from last season was their scoring inefficiency. They ended the year 3rdin the NESCAC with 78.7 points per game, but second to last in field goal percentage (42.6%) and third to last in 3-point field goal percentage (33.1%). What this really means is that they can be scoring A LOT of points. They’ve already improved their shooting numbers early into this season, and they’ve added some guys to their lineup who can really shoot. I talked about the four guards in their starting lineup that can knock down shots, but Will Brady ’21 is another who plays a similar role and shoots a very high percentage from beyond the arc. He will help bring some firepower to an already talented offense that is seeking to increase their efficiency, especially since their defense really isn’t anything special.

Eric Savage is serving as the team captain this year, so the Jumbos are eager to get him back as soon as possible

A big hole in the early going for the Jumbos is the loss of Eric Savage ’20. He has been out thus far with a concussion but yet his Jumbos squad is a team that has looked pretty good so far given how much they lost from last year. When he is healthy again, slot him into the starting lineup and make this Tufts team much tougher to face than they are currently. Tufts is already off to a good start, and that’s a very scary sight for teams that expected a down year with all the youth in Medford.

Can’t Stay Young Forever: Bates Men’s Basketball Season Preview

Bates College Bobcats

2017-2018 Record: 12-12 (4-6 NESCAC), didn’t make NESCAC Tournament

2018-2019 Projected Record: 15-9 (5-5 NESCAC)

Key Losses: None

Projected Starting Lineup:

G: Nick Gilpin ’20 (6.1PPG, 3.8REB/G, 2.8AST/G)

Nick Gilpin ’20

In his freshman season, Gilpin benefitted from having a pair of giants down low that took some of the pressure and attention away from him as the primary point guard. Last year he was tasked with quarterbacking an offense that really hadn’t found its identity for much of the season and he did a decent job, finishing with a very similar stat line to his rookie campaign. This season he’s really going to have to step up as one of the veteran ball-handlers on the team. He has never shot a particularly high percentage from he field, but his 90.2% clip from the free throw line last season indicates that there is potential there, so the Bobcats will look for Gilpin to expand his range and become a bit more of a scorer to keep them in games. This shouldn’t be too much of a challenge because of his sneaky athleticism and quick first step, so look for Gilpin’s scoring output to increase in 2018-2019.

G: Jeff Spellman ’20 (14.8PPG, 3.8REB/G, 43.4% FG)

Jeff Spellman ’20

There’s no doubt that Spellman is one of the best shot-creators in the conference and he has the quickness to get past almost anyone on the perimeter. The problem was Bates relied a little too heavily on his scoring prowess last year, because too many possessions ended with him in isolation having to force a shot. He’s definitely a stud athlete, but not so much that the Bobcats can abandon their offense and allow him to play hero ball all the time. He’ll benefit tremendously from having additional scoring threats around the outside to take some of the attention off of him because more often than not he’ll be guarded by the opposing team’s best perimeter defender. In order for Bates to improve their offense Spellman will need to stay within the system and take scoring opportunities as they appear, while sharing the ball and potentially even seeing an increase in his assist numbers. If he can remind teams that he isn’t the only option on this roster then he’ll start to get much higher-percentage chances to do the scoring himself, and in turn the offense as a whole will improve.

G: Tom Coyne ’20 (11.5PPG, 3.7REB/G)

Tom Coyne ’20

Junior year is going to be a big one for the team’s second leader scorer from last season. Coyne averaged 11.5 points per game, but only shot 37% from the field while going 31.9% from beyond the arc. He got good looks and is very able to create his own opportunities to score, but the shots simply weren’t falling last year. The Bobcats need him to execute a higher percentage of his chances to increase their scoring output this year. The good news is, I think he will. Coyne has a terrific jump shot and benefitted greatly from seeing additional minutes in his sophomore season. If he can do this successfully, he’ll help draw some attention and open up lanes for other guys. His keen passing ability and court vision should allow him to see an increase in assist numbers as well. One question is whether Coyne will be able to defend larger guys because in this current starting lineup they only have one player over 6’4.” Being that Coyne is only 6 feet, he’ll often be matched up with a bigger guy so it’ll be important that he can slow opponents down and keep them off the glass despite the height disparity.

G/F: James Mortimer ’21 (5.7PPG, 2.3REB/G)

James Mortimer ’21

Mortimer is going to be a big X-factor this year. At 6’4” he’s one of the bigger players in the lineup so he’s going to have to hit the glass and pull in more than the 2.3 rebounds per game he was grabbing in his rookie season. He’s a capable scorer so the points will come, and he’ll likely put up more than 5.7 given that he’s going to see a large increase in minutes this year (he was only getting 17 minutes per game in 2017-2018). The place where the Bobcats will need Mortimer the most is on defense. Like I mentioned for Tom Coyne, the Bates lineup is usually on the small side so he’ll spend a decent amount of time guarding guys who are 2 to 3 inches taller than him. Defending the 4 will require a tremendous amount of toughness, so it’ll be a huge test for Morty now that the expectations are a bit higher in year two.

C: Nick Lynch ’19 (8.5PPG, 8.1REB/G, 45.8% FG)

Nick Lynch ’19

Nick Lynch is the only guy in the starting lineup whose focus isn’t primarily on the offensive end. Lynch has size and experience, a rare combination for this Bates squad. He does an outstanding job guarding every team’s biggest player and he shoots an efficient percentage from the field. I guess you could call him the Al Horford of the team. He does a great job on the boards and in the word on the street is that he’s looking as springy as he did before he went down with an injury during his sophomore year. With his combination of size and athleticism, he has the potential to play at the same level as some of the elite bigs in the NESCAC. With the addition of Kenny Aruwajoye ’22, the Bobcats also have another big who can matchup with guys the size of Lynch, so it’ll be interesting to see how the two big men mesh during their one season together.

Everything Else

As you can tell from reading the player previews, the Bobcats need to get better on offense. In 2017-2018 they finished last in the NESCAC in field goal percentage (39.3%) and second worst in 3-point shooting percentage (32.4%). Frankly, those numbers need to be better. If they want to be able to keep up with offenses like Hamilton and Middlebury then they need to be scoring more points. The starters will be asked to step up, and fortunately they have a weapon in sharpshooter Max Hummel ’19 who finished second in the conference with a 45.9% mark from 3-point range. They also have versatile guard Kody Greenhalgh ’20 who will bring a super athletic spark off the bench in a similar role he had last year. They have the personnel to run a higher scoring offense; the question is whether or not guys will step up to take on more of the burden.

Kody Greenhalgh ’20 has a chance to be a force off the bench

Losing the Delpeche twins last season led to a completely new defensive strategy given that the Bobcats no longer had two monsters in the paint waiting to swat away anything in the vicinity. They had to go with much smaller lineups and these lineups were effective at times, seeing that they forced the third most turnovers per game as a team in 2017-2018. The issue was that Bates was allowing opponents to shoot at a 44.5% rate from the field, the highest in the NESCAC. On-ball defense is going to be a key area of focus this year because it’s often as simple as getting a hand in the face of a shooter to challenge and potentially change their shot. Brandon Galloway ’19 is going to be a huge part of this equation because he has the quickness and athleticism to defend some of the league’s best players. I don’t have a stat to prove it, but I’m pretty sure that Galloway was the league leader in charges taken last season, so he’ll look to continue this type of production on the defensive end since he’ll usually be matched up with the other team’s best player.

Nick Lynch ’19 will be asked to anchor the Bobcats down low

Likely the biggest challenge that the Bobcats were faced with after the graduation of the Delpeches was size. Last season they finished last in the conference in blocks and rebounds, while allowing the most rebounds to opponents of anyone. Nick Lynch was the only guy over 6’4” who saw legit time and the two guys who were exactly 6’4” in the rotation (Mortimer and Hummel) never got very extended minutes. They’re going to ask much more of Sunny Piplani ’21 who played sparingly in his freshman campaign. At 6’8,” Piplani has the size to be a difference maker in the paint, but he’s also very able to step back and knock down shots from deep with his soft shooting touch. Recognizing that height was an issue, Coach Furbush went out and recruited guys to bring some size to the lineup. First years Kenny Aruwajoye ’22 and Andrew Snoddy ’22 will definitely see minutes right away purely because of their sheer size. Aruwajoye stands at 6’8” and 220lbs, and he brings a high IQ to the post. His skill set is still a bit of a work in progress, but he has a very solid foundation to build upon. Snoddy is a 6’6” wing who will provide some much needed size and athleticism to a lineup that has lacked a true wing in recent years.

It was long overdue, but Bates finally renovated the floor in famed Alumni Gym

It looks to be a very promising year in Lewiston as the Bobcats return the bulk of their lineup and have added some pieces in areas where they needed it. Fortunately for the fans (and unfortunately for opponents), the conference schedule is much more favorable than it was last season when they were forced to play a number of games at home despite the students being on winter vacation. During the month of January, Bates will play host to Middlebury, Williams, Tufts, Wesleyan, and Conn College in consecutive games. They have a chance to really do damage (go Red Sox) during this stretch, especially given that they finished last season with the highest team free-throw percentage in the conference (77.1%) and had the second fewest turnovers per game (11.7). Combine these numbers with a raucous crowd sitting just inches away from the court and you have a recipe for winning close games. No matter who you are you can never take a visit to Alumni Gym lightly, and you can count on the Bobcat faithful to pack the house each and every time a conference foe comes to town. Watch out NESCAC, it looks like it could be the year of the Bobcat.