Tag: Ajani Santos

Hamilton Stays Alive with Back-to-Back Wins

Joseph Lin '15 as taken his game to another level this season for the Continentals. (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics)
Joseph Lin ’15 as taken his game to another level this season for the Continentals. (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics)

Wins against Williams and Keystone College have provided hope that Hamilton is starting to turn it around after a rough patch to start NESCAC play. The Continentals were able to compete in their first four NESCAC games, losing by seven to Amherst and five to Colby, but a loss is a loss and before last weekend Hamilton was buried deep in the NESCAC cellar. However, the Continentals two most recent games have Hamilton players and fans thinking that all might not be lost. The most encouraging sign? That Hamilton has now shown an ability to win in different ways. Against the Ephs, Hamilton held an offense averaging 75.8 PPG on the season to 64 points, and against Keystone the Continentals dialed in from long range, nailing 9-18 three pointers.

Hamilton’s defeat of Williams was important not only for morale, but also to keep Hamilton mathematically afloat in the conference. While Hamilton went down by 12 points at 53-41 with 12:33 to go, they showed the tenacity to wait out Williams’ shooting barrage and pour in the points themselves to chip away at the lead. Williams made 14-29 three pointers (48 percent), with Hayden Rooke-Ley ’15 shooting 7-10 from behind the arc. However, Hamilton stuck with the defense and held the Ephs to just 5-13 from three point range in the second half. The Ephs did not score from long range in the final 9:28 of the game.

With Williams cooling off, the Continentals took advantage with a key three pointer by Jack Donnelly ’16 followed by points from Peter Kazickas ’15 and Joseph Lin ’15 to cut the lead to four. The teams went back and forth for a while before Hamilton took the lead with 1:18 left on a jumper from Ajani Santos ’16. With Lin on the bench after his fifth foul, Jack Dwyer ’18 knocked down a couple of clutch free throws to put Hamilton up three. Finally, Kazickas’ shots from the line closed it out for the Continentals in their first NESCAC win.

Head Coach Adam Stockwell showed his experience down the stretch, twice instructing his players to foul with Hamilton up three. Williams’ Mike Greenman ’17 made 3-4 free throws in the game’s final moments, not enough to close the gap.

Kazickas led the way for the Continentals with 18 points and six rebounds, while Kyle Pitman ’17 had 12 and Lin followed them in double figures with 11 points and nine assists. Rooke-Ley finished with 21 points for the Ephs, and Wohl contributed 13 points and six rebounds.

After two NESCAC playoff appearances in the last three years, Hamilton struggled in the midseason this year with two straight losses to former Liberty League rivals Vassar and Union and four consecutive defeats in NESCAC play, which dropped the Continentals to 10-6 after a 7-0 start. The loss of transfer Matt Hart, who averaged 20.6 points per game last season, and the graduations of Greg Newton ’14 and Bradley Gifford ’14 left a major hole on the court for Hamilton, and many wondered whether there was enough talent left on the roster to fill that gap. Senior captain Kazickas has stepped up all over the floor, though, averaging 10.3 points per game, while Lin has transformed himself, taking on a full-time starting role and averaging 15.1 points and 6.7 assists per game, 5.6 and 1.8 last year. Lin currently leads the NESCAC in assists and is sixth in all of Division-III. Santos (11.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG) and Jack Donnelly (7.4 PPG, 39 percent 3-PT) have picked up where they left off last year and sophomores Pitman and Wes Wilbur ’17 have done their part averaging 6.7 and 5.5 points off the bench, respectively, with Pitman shooting 38 percent from behind the arc. Joe Pucci ’18 and Dwyer are getting better and better every game, and learning new roles, with Pucci, a natural guard, having to play more in the high post with his 6’7” frame. Zander Wear ’18 also adds height to the team, with his huge 6’11” body; while he’s only played 98 minutes so far this season he has shown the ability to win battles on the boards.

Hamilton’s 1-4 NESCAC record will have several pundits counting them out of the running for a playoff run, but their recent wins should give them some momentum as they go on the road. They have already played some of the better NESCAC teams in the conference in Amherst, Trinity and Bowdoin and close out their schedule with easier games (if there is such a thing in the NESCAC this season) against the Connecticut teams, Wesleyan and Connecticut College. Despite the recent improvements, Hamilton still has a young team. However, the bench is improving with every game as the Continentals enter the NESCAC stretch run. The Continentals are showing signs of improvement and should be a contender for one of the eight playoff spots, and then anything can happen.

Composite Power Rankings 1/9

Hunter Merryman '15 and Middlebury are the cream of the crop, for now. (Courtesy of Middlebury Athletics)
Hunter Merryman ’15 and Middlebury are the cream of the crop, for now. (Courtesy of Middlebury Athletics)

As NESCAC season swiftly approaches tonight, we decided to get some of our staff members involved in this week’s power rankings. Everyone should feel pretty comfortable about the top team, but after that there was a huge amount of disagreement through the middle of the ranks which, I believe, is a testament to the depth in the league this season. On the other hand, it is probably also a result of a lot of impressive records against mediocre competition. That being said, the NESCAC continues to be one of the best Division-III hoops leagues in the nation, and we don’t see that changing any time soon.

Team Average AD SM AL JM PL
Midd 1.4 2 2 1 1 1
Amherst 2.6 1 1 4 5 2
Bates 3.4 6 3 3 2 3
Williams 4.2 3 6 2 4 6
Trinity 5.2 5 4 7 6 4
Wesleyan 5.6 4 5 5 7 7
Bowdoin 6.8 9 8 6 3 8
Hamilton 7.4 7 7 9 9 5
Colby 8.6 8 10 8 8 9
Conn 10 10 9 11 10 10
Tufts 10.8 11 11 10 11 11

(Contributors to the rankings: AD = Adam Dulsky; SM = Sean Meekins; AL = Adam Lamont; PL = Pete Lindholm)

1. Middlebury (9-0)

Adam, Pete, and I agree that the Panthers appear to be the class of the ‘CAC this season. Has this team returned to the level that the program was at from 2008-2013 when it lost 18 games over the course of five seasons? Probably not. I think that if Ryan Sharry, Andrew Locke, Nolan Thompson and the rest of the 2010-11 squad walked into Pepin in their prime they would dispatch the current edition of the Panthers with relative ease. But this team is no pushover, and in what appears to be a slightly down year for the usual suspects in Amherst and Williams, Middlebury could just grab its third NESCAC title.

For me personally, this ranking was less about the 9-0 record than the fact that I’ve felt since the preseason that this was a championship-worthy roster, and with the promising early season play of a few youngsters and the recent return of Matt Daley ’16, this team is only getting stronger.

2. Amherst (8-2)

Amherst and Williams will always gain respect just based on the name, but this team looks pretty good on the floor in its own right. In watching Amherst back in early December, we had some concerns about their perimeter defense.

Amherst is still allowing too many points per game (eighth in the NESCAC with 67.2), but NESCAC Rookie of the Year candidate Johnny McCarthy ’18 is a defensive force, leading the NESCAC in steals per game to date, and David George ’17 is still fantastic at discouraging points at the rim, so it’s curious that the Lord Jeffs have allowed so many points. What they are great at, though, is scoring. When they match up with our number one team, Middlebury, it will be a must-watch just for the ability of everyone involved to put the ball in the hoop.

3. Bates (9-2)

I like Bates more than most at this point in the season. Am I just jumping on the hype train? Maybe. But it seems like senior leader Graham Safford ’15 has elevated his game both on the stat sheet and in terms of his intangibles, and has really become a Kizel/Toomey type of transcendent player. In terms of numbers, he has improved on his field goal and three point percentages while also racking up almost two more assists per game. I think Safford leads the Bobcats deep into the NESCAC tournament.

4. Williams (9-3)

I know Ephs’ fans are sick of hearing it, but imagine if they still had Duncan Robinson. That would be scary. Even without Robinson, Hayden Rooke-Ley ’15 and Dan Wohl ’15 are just filling it up. Both are above 19.0 points per game. Rooke-Ley is like Ray Allen from the line right now, which you should read more about here. Wohl is not only one of the league’s best sharp shooters, but the 6’6″ guard/forward leads the league in defensive rebounds. The one thing this team lacks is depth, as six players chew up most of the minutes for first-year coach Kevin App. Perhaps to say that the team lacks depth is the wrong way to word it, because a lot of those bench guys could get big minutes elsewhere around the league, but it could cause a problem if one of the Ephs’ stars were to go down with an injury because his replacement would lack experience. Take Rooke-Ley for example, who was only able to play 10 minutes in Williams’ last game against Endicott because of a minor injury. Unfortunately, Rooke-Ley has a long injury history at Williams, so we have to hope that nothing more serious materializes for the senior.

5. Trinity (10-2)

With the Bantams it comes down to whether or not you believe that this uptick in scoring is for real, or if they will return to their anemic offensive ways once the competition stiffens up. I think they will regress some, but Jaquann Starks ’16 is a much better offensive player than he was last year, as is Shay Ajayi ’16, someone I thought could break out for the Bantams before the season began. I think this middle of the pack prediction is pretty accurate, and I could see them stealing a game in the NESCAC tournament on the road.

6. Wesleyan (10-2)

As we mentioned a few days ago, Wesleyan is off to an historic start to the season.

Guard Harry Rafferty ’17 has become less of a distributor and more of a scorer, leading the Cardinals in points per game. He and Jack Mackey ’16 make for a scary three-point duo. Rashid Epps ’16 has continued his maturation, averaging nearly a double-double so far this season, and Joseph Kuo ’17 is a force inside, turning away more than one shot per game. There’s a lot of experience on this roster, so even though this level of success is new to this Cardinals’ roster, they should be able to stay competitive throughout conference play.

7. Bowdoin (8-3)

I ranked Bowdoin much higher than the rest of the crowd. Even Lamont, a Polar Bear himself, had Bowdoin down a few notches more than I did. But this is a team with NCAA tournament experience, and I think the presence of John Swords ’15 gives them a chance to win any game, on top of the continued strong play of point guard Bryan Hurley ’15, who I think will continue to get better and more comfortable as he gets further away from the knee surgery that kept him out for most of last season.

8. Hamilton (10-2)

Hamilton fans aren’t going to like this one. The Continentals are 10-2 and we have them ranked eighth? Well the fact of the matter is that as much as we’ve talked about soft early season schedules for NESCAC teams this year, Hamilton might take the cake. Their best win came at home by just four points to 8-5 Lycoming. Joseph Lin ’15, Peter Kazickas ’15 and Ajani Santos ’16 have all taken huge steps forward this season, but there’s not much production coming after the starting five.

9. Colby (7-5)

It will hurt me if this team fails to make the playoffs, both because they are fun to watch and I have a few personal connections to the team. But they just don’t play any defense, which is key in conference play. Opponents are shooting 41.5 percent from the floor against the Mules, and Colby has the second-worst rebounding margin in the NESCAC. They really miss power forward Patrick Stewart ’16 and the defensive presence he helped bring besides Chris Hudnut ’16. If they can’t remedy these issues then they can say good bye to their chances of playing into late February.

10. Conn College (7-4)

Conn has actually bounced back well statistically from the graduation of Matt Vadas ’14, as the Camels are averaging 71.9 points per game, actually up from last year’s 69.3 points per game. But those points aren’t coming efficiently at all, as Conn has the league’s worst shooting percentage. But be patient Camels fans. There are five first years getting double digit minutes, the team’s best player, Zuri Pavlin ’17, is but a sophomore, and Bryan Gross ’15, currently getting under 10 minutes per game, is the only senior on the roster. So there will be better times ahead.

11. Tufts (4-7)

What can we say about the Jumbos this season? Despite so much potential before the year began, exactly what we feared might happen has come to fruition. Like in years past, Tufts just can’t put the pieces together. Last year it was injuries to Tom Palleschi ’17 and Ben Ferris ’15. This year it’s simply ineffectiveness. Guys that formerly were money from beyond the arc have completely lost the ability to hit threes, Ferris looks like a shell of his Rookie of the Year Award-winning self, Palleschi is still shaking off the rust and it appears that coach Bob Sheldon can’t find a lineup he likes because almost the entire roster is getting into most games. The lone bright spot is the continued production of Hunter Sabety ’17. With him, Palleschi and guards Tarik Smith ’17, Stephen Haladyna ’16 and Vinny Pace ’18 back for 2015-16, the story will be the same next season. Loads of potential, but when will it come together for Tufts?

Ooops We Did it Again: NESCAC Fantasy Basketball

I am still mad about how the inaugural Nothing but NESCAC Fantasy Football Season ended. I mean Pete Lindholm treated his fantasy team like an unwanted puppy for most of the season before realizing that said puppy was actually cute as a button and would help him with girls. Of course, the only thing cute about Pete’s fantasy team was that Matt Milano ’16 decided to go all John McClane on me and almost beat my team single-handedly.

So how did I decide to overcome such trauma? Did I choose the honorable route and try to beat Pete at Fantasy Basketball?

No, I took the easy way out and simply made for certain that Pete would be unable to spoil basketball for me. Joe MacDonald and I partook in a fantasy draft last night without telling Pete, or any other members of our staff about it. Sorry Pete, but I already beat you, and the season hasn’t even started yet.

Okay so enough gloating about my Dr. Evil plan. Fantasy Basketball will work a little differently than football did because there are only two participants. First, only NESCAC conference games count towards fantasy. Second, the league will be scored rotisserie-style meaning that there are no weekly matchups. Rather, there are eight categories: FG Percentage, FT Percentage, Three Pointers Made, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, Blocks, and Points. At the end of the season whoever wins each category gets a point. So whoever wins more categories wins the league. Finally, the roster is simple: three guards, four forwards, and three bench players. Rosters can change every week. Waivers switch every week back and forth. After the first weekend Joe gets first priority and then next weekend I get first priority.

Every week we will update you on our progress. Here is a rundown of the draft.

First Round

Adam: Forward Dylan Sinnickson ’15: “Since Sinnickson is near the top of the NESCAC in rebounds and points despite playing so few minutes, I expect his numbers to be even higher in conference play. He does not get a lot of assists, but I think I will be able to make up that difference elsewhere.”

Joe: Forward Chris Hudnut ’16: “With the top pick I wanted an all-around player, and Hudnut is just that. He excels in multiple categories, i.e. points, field goal percentage and rebounds, and for a big man those 3.0 assists per game aren’t too shabby either.”

Second Round

Joe: Guard Luke Westman ’16: “I’m in love with efficiency, and no one is more efficient than Westman. It is truly amazing that a point guard can have a field goal percentage around the 70 percent mark. He’ll chip in some nice assists, too, with good rebound and steal totals as well. Also, both Adam and I played for his older brother in high school, and in one brief meeting with the younger Westman he made a good impression on me. You have to have good chemistry in fantasy basketball so that also factored into this selection.”

Adam: Guard Graham Safford ’15: “Go ahead and take Westman, young Joseph. I am more than content getting the best all-around guard in the ‘CAC. Safford averages more points, rebounds, and assists. Yes, Westman has a major edge in efficiency, but Westman is no guarantee to come through every game while Safford is a known warrior.”

Third Round

Adam: Guard Dan Wohl ’15: “While I am at it I might as well go get the other 1,000 point scorer in the NESCAC. Wohl has been overshadowed by others until this season, but he has shown himself to be fully capable of being the lead man offensively. I will gladly take his 19+ PPG.”

Joe: Guard Hayden Rooke-Ley ’15: “Even with the knowledge that Rooke-Ley played limited minutes in his last game due to injury, I was willing to take the risk for the current leading scorer in the NESCAC. He will be a boon not only in points, but also in three pointers and free throw percentage.”

Fourth Round

Joe: Forward Zuri Pavlin ’17: “Pavlin is another guy that I just love as a player, numbers aside. I had him pegged as a NESCAC First-Teamer before the season, and he’s making me look pretty smart by improving on his point and rebound numbers so far this season.”

Adam: Forward John Swords ’15: “His rebounding numbers are down a little but Swords is still a double-double machine. Throw in his ability to get multiple blocks in a game and he is a great fantasy player. Not to mention that he is incredibly efficient shooting 72.3 percent from the field.”

Fifth Round

Adam: Guard Johnny McCarthy ’18: “Joe made fun of me for picking my third guard so early saying that this pick makes my love affair with McCarthy official. Yes I am driving the McCarthy bandwagon, I am unabashed about that. Do not let that blind you to the fact he leads the league in steals and is gaining confidence every game offensively.”

Joe: Forward Hunter Merryman ’15: “I already had the best free throw shooter and the best shooting guard from the field, so I took the best long-range bomber in the ‘CAC in this round. That’s what this pick was about, getting buckets. Just like my man Hunter.”

Sixth Round

Joe: Forward Hunter Sabety ’17: “Sabety is just a slightly less productive version of my first pick, Hudnut, so I think this was a steal. Sabety is superior in field goal percentage and blocks but gives up a few points, rebounds and assists. Nonetheless I feel great about my front court at this point.”

Adam: Forward Rashid Epps ’16: “The numbers that Epps has put up this far are solid if not overwhelming, but I think Wesleyan leans on their best players more as conference play gets underway. That is exactly what Epps is so you can call this a gut pick if you’d like.”

Seventh Round

Adam: Guard Jake Brown ’17: “My starting lineup is still not filled out but I can’t pass on Brown. I mean how can I resist a stat line of 10 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals? His scoring will go up because teams will be unwilling to help off of the Middlebury shooters.”

Joe: Guard Joseph Lin ’15: “At this point I was looking for one more starting guard, and I found it in Lin. His primary contribution will come in assists, which I really felt I was lacking in.”

Eight Round

Joe: Forward David George ’17: “Back to the big men in round eight. Since this is a rotisserie league, there will be an opportunity to slot in George if I am losing close in blocks down the stretch, which could make the difference, and he’s an above average rebounder as well.”

Adam: Forward Shay Ajayi ’16: “Ajayi has gone through stretches of very good play and then also some stretches where he looks average. If he plays more consistently then this turns into a very good pick.”

Ninth Round

Adam: Forward Ajani Santos ’16: “First Ajayi, now Ajani. Santos’ numbers have actually tailed off significantly in recent games, but he is the most talented player on the Hamilton roster. At this point I can stash him on my bench and see if he can turn things around.”

Joe: Guard Lucas Hausman ’16: “I’m not convinced that Lin will keep up his numbers in conference play, so I decided to give myself some cushion with these next two picks. Hausman has improved tremendously on offense, and his 88.1 percent free throw percentage will off set some of my Shaquille O’Neal-like big men.

Tenth Round

Joe: Guard Jaquann Starks ’16: “Starks has been an astronomically better shooter this year than last, which makes up for the paltry 2.0 assists per game. But I can live with that if he’s going to keep pouring in buckets from all over the floor at his current clip.”

Adam: Forward Marcus Delpeche ’17: “This pick came down to Delpeche or Mike Boornazian ’16. Boornazian is a better all-around player, but Delpeche’s blocks and rebounds make him an intriguing player for me to grab this late.”

Here are the Final Rosters.

Adam

Guard: Graham Safford ’15, Dan Wohl ’15, Johnny McCarthy ’18, Jake Brown ’17

Forward: Dylan Sinnickson ’15, John Swords ’15, Rashid Epps ’16, Shay Ajayi ’16, Ajani Santos ’16, Marcus Delpeche ’17

Joe

Guard: Luke Westman ’16, Hayden Rooke-Ley ’15, Joseph Lin ’15, Lucas Hausman ’16, Jaquann Starks ’16

Forward: Chris Hudnut ’16, Zuri Pavlin ’17, Hunter Merryman ’15, Hunter Sabety ’17, David George ’17

Power Rankings 12/12

First and foremost, I want to thank all of our readers who followed us so faithfully during the fall and early on here in the winter. We know that most of you are just like us, NESCAC students with a love of sports and a desire to see their classmates, peers and friends compete and succeed on the field. If you’ve been reading the blog closely these last couple months, you will know that I had the pleasure of spending this past semester in Sydney, Australia.

Yours truly crushing some surf down under. (Courtesy of Surf Camp Australia)
Yours truly crushing some surf down under. (Courtesy of Surf Camp Australia)

As a consequence, I could only follow the football and basketball action from afar and only contribute sporadically to the blog’s content. But I’m back now, ready to bring you even more analysis and opinion right here on Nothing but NESCAC, as the dramatic ‘CAC basketball season unfolds. Again, thank you for reading, and we hope you continue to do so.

Let’s get on to this week’s power rankings.

1. Bates (7-0)

It pains me to slot the Bobcats ahead of my very own Panthers, but Bates has simply been the most impressive team so far. They took down a Babson team early in the season that just dismantled the suddenly reeling (is that too strong a word?) Amherst Lord Jeffs and has wins over Bowdoin and Tufts as well. They’ve already shown that they are the team to beat in the CBB with two wins by a combined 26 points. And both Delpeche brothers have taken steps forward and become solid compliments to the likes of Graham Safford ’15, Mike Boornazian ’16 and guard Billy Selmon ’15. What’s more, the ghost of that Safford three to win the game at Middlebury last season still haunts my dreams. This team has it all. Experience, height, three point shooting (though Safford and Boornazian have started off slow in that regard), and something to prove after going 1-9 in the NESCAC last season.

2. Middlebury (7-0)

Middlebury has had some close calls already against questionable opponents (UNE and Skidmore), but they’ve found a way to win and that’s all that matters. This is a team that I believe will get better as the year progresses, as Jake Brown ’17 becomes even more comfortable as the point man, Matt St. Amour ’17 gets further removed from his knee surgery, Jack Daly ’18 gains more experience and, fingers crossed, Matt Daley ’16 gets healthy and realizes the potential that he has flashed the past two seasons. Dylan Sinnickson ’15 and Hunter Merryman ’15 are doing their part, but the team is lacking an inside presence on both ends, something we knew would be a question mark before the season started.

3. Bowdoin (5-3)

This might surprise some, as there are two teams with only two losses, but there is a method to the madness. Two of the Polar Bear’s losses came to very strong teams in Bates and Babson, which are a combined 15-1, and as we know the only loss between them came when the Bobcats topped the Beavers. The loss to Colby isn’t a great one, but I believe it was just a hiccup. Remember, this was an NCAA tourney team last year that brought back an MVP candidate in the seven footer John Swords ’15. The health concerns we had now look foolish, as Swords is playing upwards of 29 minutes per game. With him on the floor, Bowdoin has a chance against anyone.

4. Williams (7-2)

Seven straight wins is a good way to start turning heads. With all the departures and two losses to open the season, this team could have gone into panic mode quickly. But then the Ephs proceeded to launch an offensive assault, scoring at least 82 points in the next six games. However, they allowed 69+ in five of those six games. I think it’s clear that this team is going to be fine offensively, but like Middlebury the biggest question is an inside presence on defense that can discourage shooters in the lane. That’s something that all the teams above the Ephs (with the exception of Middlebury until Daley gets healthy) all have.

5. Amherst (5-2)

Three days ago, Amherst might have had a claim to the top spot on this list, but I’m not here to talk about the past. The Lord Jeffs are still among the most talented squads in the NESCAC, but they are struggling to put it all together right now. Against Brandeis their perimeter defense was mediocre. The Judges were able to run a simple three-man weave at the three-point line until one of their guards was able to catch a defender napping and drive the lane (they also shot nearly 60 percent from deep, but a lot of those were way too wide open). Coach David Hixon will likely make sure that doesn’t become a trend, but for now it’s a concern. What’s more, defensive star David George ’17 barely saw the floor down the stretch of that game as Amherst needed to score points quick. George is a great rim protector, but he can’t be a liability on the offensive end if this team is going to be next-level.

6. Wesleyan (6-2)

The Cardinals have won handily in most of their victories, and competed in both losses, losing in OT to Williams and by eight to Curry. This team’s strength is a defense that ranks third in the NESCAC, but Wesleyan suffers from a lack of depth. Six players are averaging over 20 minutes per game, and after that no one tops 11 minutes. On the flip side they do have great balance in that group with four players in double digits scoring and a fifth, Jack Mackey ’16, averaging 9.9 points per game. Besides that OT loss against Wesleyan, we do not have much to go off of for this team.

7. Trinity (7-2)

The Bantams have a defense that has been just slightly more successful than the Cardinals, and because of their stinginess last season there’s reason to believe that the D will once again be very legit. On offense, the Bantams feature a lot of solid but unspectacular pieces. Their best strategy will be to milk clock and trust that they can shut opponents down. But will that be enough against the high-powered attacks of Middlebury, Williams and Amherst?

8. Colby (6-3)

As expected, Chris Hudnut ’16 is playing at an All-NESCAC First Team level, averaging a double-double thus far. What is surprising is how far teammate Luke Westman ’16 has raised his game. Last year, Westman was quiet but deadly, averaging 9.5 points per game on 65 percent shooting while tallying a 1.75 assist-to-turnover ratio. The junior point guard has upped the ante, however, becoming more efficient and taking better control of the ball, averaging 12.2 points per game (second on the team) on 68.2 percent shooting (incredible for a guard) and posting a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. This team is loaded with offensive weapons, but are sort of the anti-Trinity, as they are allowing the second-most points in the league. Defense wins championships, fellas, and as fun as the Mules are to watch, they haven’t yet figured that out.

9. Conn College (5-3)

It’s been a bumpy start for the Camels, but the St. Joseph’s win was a good one and with three straight W’s, hopefully the team can get on track. Bo McKinley ’16 is doing a good job running the point and shooting the three, and Zuri Pavlin ’17 is a beast, as expected, averaging a double-double. But two exciting freshmen have come on and made this team dangerous. Six-foot-five Isaiah Robinson ’18 tops the teams in minutes and provides another big body in the Conn frontcourt, while Lee Messier ’18 has proven to be a sharpshooter from deep and leads the team in scoring. This young duo should only get better, making the Camels a candidate to play spoiler either late in the season or possibly in the first round of the NESCAC tourney.

10. Hamilton (7-2)

Hart who? The Continentals are 7-2! Hope abounds in Clinton. But wait, not so fast. Not only is Hamilton on a two-game skid, but only one of those seven wins came against a team that currently has a winning record, and the competition doesn’t get much better before the Continentals open up conference play against Amherst. As I predicted before the season started, Ajani Santos ’16 has really elevated his game, leading the team in scoring and and shooting almost 57 percent from the floor, but Zander Wear ’18 has not mad the immediate impact that we hoped he would, and overall there’s just a gap between Hamilton and the top tier of the NESCAC.

11. Tufts (3-6)

Despite all the optimism with the return of Tom Palleschi ’17 and the promise of a healthy starting five that couldn’t get on the court at the same time last year for very long, we were skeptical before the season started about whether this team would be as good on the court as it was on paper. Unfortunately, in the past few seasons the Jumbos have just been one of those teams that can’t match its talent with its performance. As the only team in the NESCAC with a losing record right now, Tufts was a default choice for the bottom spot in these rankings. They still have the talent to rise quickly through the ranks, and two former NESCAC Rookie of the Years, as well as one of the league’s most dynamic big men in Hunter Sabety ’17, but for right now they look doomed to another disappointing season.

It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint: 10 Thoughts on the First Games

We wanted to wait until every team had played a game before giving our initial impressions on the first looks that we got of NESCAC teams. It was a whirlwind of a first round of games that played out in the only way we thought it could: unpredictably.

1. Long way to March: One of the things that we harped on consistently during football was how quickly the season goes. Every football game has enormous ramifications. Obviously the same is not true for basketball as teams have months to come together as a team and gel before the NESCAC season begins. Teams as we see them now are going to look very different in a couple of months. Freshmen who barely got off the bench so far will end up influencing the conference race down the stretch while upperclassmen just getting comfortable in their roles will blossom. Do not overreact to a small sample size. Of course, that does not mean there is nothing to takeaway from these games either.

2. Injuries matter…to a point: A major takeaway was that a host of players did not suit up. Hunter Sabety ’17 missed Tufts’ first game but returned last night. Patrick Stewart ’16 will miss significant amounts of time because of a back injury, and Ajani Santos ’16 is out for an undisclosed time with an injury. Those losses all showed in their teams performance somewhat. Yet Keegan Pieri ’15 did not play for Bowdoin last weekend and the Polar Bears barely missed a beat. Pieri will be back this weekend making Bowdoin that much more dangerous, but the lesson is that teams are constructed in different ways. While Bowdoin had the personnel to survive without one of their two returning starters, other teams felt the crunch.

3. Trinity is a big fat question mark: It was surprising to see Trinity give up 83 points in their first game, but anytime your opponent goes 13-27 from three you are going to give up a lot of points. The good news was Trinity still won the game and doubled up UMass Dartmouth on the boards. When Salem State put up 102 on Trinity on Sunday then eyebrows across the league were raised. Known for their suffocating defense, the Bantams allowed Salem State to shoot 56.9 percent from the field and got out-rebounded.  Trinity allowed only 61.4 points per game last year, and with everyone back their defense was supposed to be even better. They should be able to turn things around on that end, but they are not a team built to score 80 points a game so they need to improve sooner rather than later.

4. Losses hurt NCAA chances: On an individual level for each team these losses are not devastating if the teams can turn it around, but the NESCAC’s general struggles could hurt the league when the selection committee meets for the NCAA tournament. The NESCAC is generally a three bid league though it often only gets two teams into the tournament. Everyone knows how much talent left from the NESCAC so there is reason to believe that the league could be down this year. The NESCAC tournament champion gets an automatic bid. If the NESCAC continues to rack up out of conference losses that will make a NESCAC team more likely to be overlooked for an at-large bid.

5. Tufts is an enigma: For those who follow college football, the term Clemsoning is familiar. Clemson always seems to lose one game every season where they far outmatch their opponent in talent level but makes a host of mistakes to get upset. Over on the D3Boards, user lefrakenstein used the term “Tuftsing” to describe how it is almost predictable that the Jumbos are struggling out of the gate despite all of the talent on their roster. Now that they are 0-2, Tufts has to figure out how to put together all of their talent quicker than other teams. They begin conference play against Middlebury and Amherst and cannot afford to lose both of those games.

6. Williams lacks depth: The Ephs have been deeply reliant on their starting five to provide pretty much everything for them so far. Coach Kevin App did a better job last night of managing his players’ minutes, but that was not enough to stop SUNY Oneonta from mounting a large second half comeback that pushes Williams to 0-2. Ryan Kilcullen ’15 has averaged 35 minutes per game after being a secondary role player last year. The freshmen should develop and be able to give the perimeter players time to rest, but Kilcullen will need to play more than 30 minutes a game all season unless Edward Flynn ’16 can deliver on the promise he has shown. Depth is not everything (Amherst basically only played their starters down the stretch last year), but it sure helps.

7. Aaron Toomey’s absence looms large: Of course there was no question that Amherst was going to miss Toomey, one of the most decorated players in NESCAC history, but with Jayde Dawson ’17 transferring in from Division-I, the hope was that the team would adjust its style of play. Dawson struggled mightily in his first game and was benched down the stretch last night, but he should turn things around. Even then he is not the same type of player as Toomey. I did not realize it until I watched Toomey live, but he had this unbelievable skill of being in complete control of the game no matter the circumstances. Reid Berman ’17 looked much more confident than he did last year and was a major reason Amherst came back, but he still had three turnovers including one where the defender simply picked his pocket and scored a layup the other way.

8. Shooting is at a premium right now: One of the reasons for teams struggling to score is futility from the outside. More than half of NESCAC teams are making less than 30 percent of their threes. A lot of that is because the premier shooters in the NESCAC graduated. The top five players from last year in terms of three pointers made all departed from the NESCAC so don’t be shocked if long range shooting is down throughout the year. Percentages should tick up somewhat as players get more comfortable shooting in game conditions.

9. John Swords ’15 is amazing: The seven foot center went out and played what is at this point typical John Swords basketball, averaging 18 points and 12 rebounds on the weekend. Let us clarify that the concerns about his health were very real. Yet that did not affect him this weekend for a very simple reason. Swords got new shoes that he started using this weekend that made the pain in his legs go away. Mind you that these are not special shoes made to alleviate pain or something like that. They are simply new shoes. Swords felt completely confident in his ability to do whatever he normally does on a basketball court this weekend. That is great news for Bowdoin and terrible news for everybody else in the NESCAC.

10. A juggernaut could lurk: My bold prediction during the preseason was that every single team would lose two games in the NESCAC regular season. No regular season conference champion has had two losses since the crazy 2000-2001 season when five teams finished at 6-3 (Hamilton was not in the NESCAC yet). After seeing every team play I stand by that prediction for now. However, given how many injuries Middlebury had this weekend, the fact they still went 2-0 means they had the most impressive weekend of anyone. The Panthers played without Matt Daley ’16, a player many think could be All-NESCAC if he stays healthy. Jack Daly ’18 looks like an instant impact player who gives Middlebury plenty of depth in the backcourt. The Panthers lost a lot of talent,  but the assortment of pieces in Vermont could gel together quite nicely.

Hamilton Team Preview: The Continentals Had Their Hart Ripped Out

Hamilton College Continentals

2013-2014 Season: 14-11 (5-5 NESCAC), tied fifth in the NESCAC, reached quarterfinals of NESCAC tournament

Head Coach: Adam Stockwell, fourth season, 41-33 (.554)

Starters Returning: 2

G Jack Donnelly ’16

F Ajani Santos ’16

Breakout Player: F Peter Kazickas ’15

With NESCAC leading scorer Matt Hart gone to Division-I George Washington and crunch time finisher Greg Newton ’14 having graduated, Hamilton will require leaps forward from many players to be as successful as last year. However, their departures will also create an opportunity for other players to step up. Kazickas is one of those players. Splitting time between the bench and the starting lineup last year, he averaged eight points and four rebounds per game in just under 20 minutes per game of playing time. He shot 54 percent from the field and 42 percent from three last year, showing a smooth stroke that will be crucial in replacing the explosive outside ability of Hart. His solid rebounding for his size (6’4″ 193 lbs) will also be important, as Hamilton will have to play much larger than they are to battle on the boards with the multitude of solid big men inhabiting the NESCAC this season. Kazickas is representative of Hamilton’s universal need for breakout seasons from their players, but he also has an impressive skill set that could set him apart from his teammates.

Projected Starting Five:

Joseph Lin (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics)
Joseph Lin (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics)

PG Joseph Lin ’15

Lin should move into the lineup full-time in his senior campaign. He didn’t do too much scoring last season and will probably continue to try to distribute this year. He needs to take better care of the ball (34 turnovers) if he’s going to be the primary ball handler, but he also provides some value defensively, as he garnered 23 steals last season.

 

 

Jack Donnelly (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics)
Jack Donnelly (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics)

SG Jack Donnelly ’16

Donnelly started 17 games last season and averaged 6.2 points per game, the majority of which came off of threes. Seventy-five of Donnelly’s 142 points came from deep. That was far and away the highest percentage on the Continentals. He and Kazickas represent the only real threats from three-point land.

 

 

Peter Kazickas (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics)
Peter Kazickas (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics)

SF Peter Kazickas ’15

As mentioned above, Kazickas is able to chip in with points and rebounds and stretch the floor a bit with some efficient three-point shooting.

 

 

 

Ajani Santos (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics)
Ajani Santos (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics)

PF Ajani Santos ’16

Santos put up numbers similar to Kazickas last year, but he’s much bigger at 6’7″ and doesn’t stray too far from the hoop offensively. With that in mind, he should be counted on to haul in a few more rebounds this season and create second chances for his teammates.

 

 

 

C Zander Wear ’18

Wear is huge for the NESCAC (6’11” 245 lbs), so he could be an immediate boon for the Continentals. He’s young (17 years old to start the year), so maturity will be a question, but just from his brief highlight tape one can see that he brings a multi-faceted offensive game to Clinton. He’s not afraid to play pick-and-roll basketball away from the basket. He won’t be able to just reach over big men in the NESCAC though like he did in high school and will need to use his body to block out his opponents. Check out his high school tape below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2wS45u8gSU&w=560&h=315]

Everything Else:

The offseason was not very kind to the Continentals. The graduations of Hart, Newton and crowd favorite and emotional leader Matt Dean ’14 leave several voids in the Hamilton lineup. However, the Continentals should also benefit from an experienced roster. Junior captains Santos and Donnelly return in the starting lineup, and seniors Lin and Kazickas should push into the starting lineup full time. The experience and chemistry of this core is the key to Hamilton overcoming their major offseason losses.

The best case scenario for the Continentals is that these four mesh together well and take a collective step forward. The arrival of the 6’11” freshman Wear provides Hamilton with size and toughness inside that it didn’t have last year that could make Hamilton a silently dangerous team which can threaten the top tier teams. However, the more realistic scenario is that Hamilton simply lacks the offensive firepower and depth to stay with the rest of the league, and ends up locked in a struggle to get into the NESCAC tournament. The Continentals had some tight conference losses last year, including the NESCAC tournament at Middlebury, but at this time the losses (i.e. Hart, Newton) seem to outweigh the gains (Wear, experience). Barring marked improvement from individual players, it could be a tough year in Clinton.