Christian Porydzy – Nothing But NESCAC

Over the Hump: 2/1 Weekend Preview

Friday

Amherst (13-6, 3-2) vs. Wesleyan (13-5, 2-2), 7pm, Amherst, MA

We’re kicking things off with a very interesting game out of western Mass. Wesleyan won the non-conference meeting between these two, but that was three weeks ago and these teams have each come a long way since. Amherst has been fairly inconsistent so far, taking down Middlebury, Hamilton, and Bates but losing to Williams and Tufts. These are all good teams mind you, but the Mammoths haven’t really found much of an identity yet and we can’t seem to figure out exactly how good they are. Senior swingman Eric Sellew ’20 suffered a shoulder injury a few weeks ago at Bates and hasn’t played since, so we’ll have to keep an eye on his status for this weekend because he had been one of the most impactful players in the league to start the season. The Cardinals, on the other hand, have won 4 in a row and have looked like a different team since their opening weekend losses to Tufts and Bates. Wesleyan has shown recently that they have an array of guys who can go off on any given night. Antone Walker ’21, Jordan James ’20, and Gabe Ravetz ’21 seem to be taking turns as the team’s leading scorer and the fact that they all play different positions is huge for the versatility of the lineup. I expect this game to be fairly low scoring, but with Sellew sidelined I think the Cardinals are going to pick up their 5^th win in a row on the road in this marquee Little Three matchup.

Writer’s Pick: Wesleyan 72 – Amherst 67

Conn College (3-14, 0-4) vs. Williams (9-9, 2-3), 7pm, New London, CT

There’s never much to say about the Camels. They had a golden opportunity to seal the victory against Trinity last week but a few late missed free throws and a miracle, full-court heave by the Bantams allowed them to come away with the win. Dan Draffan ’21 and Ben McPherron ’23 have been Conn’s leading scorers all year, but they both fouled out late in the game against Trinity and had to watch both overtimes from the bench. It seems like nothing can go right for the Camels so we’ll have to keep waiting for them to put it all together. Williams has been another fairly inconsistent team this year, beating Amherst twice but blowing a 15-point lead against Hamilton and struggling in a few other conference games. Matt Karpowicz ’20 is the best center in the league but was essentially a non-factor in their last game at Middlebury, so look for him to try and get more involved this weekend. Cole Prowitt-Smith ’23 has been remarkably streaky, having flashes of looking like the most talented player in the league while also have stretches of playing completely out of control and undisciplined. I don’t see the Ephs losing this game, but they’ve got some things to figure out moving forward.

Writer’s Pick: Williams 84 – Conn 61

#22 Tufts (14-4, 4-0) vs. Bowdoin (6-11, 1-4), 7pm, Medford, MA

I’d say we pretty much know what to expect from this game too. Tufts has been one of the hottest teams in the league (although they did lose a non-conference game this week) and Bowdoin has had a fairly disappointing season thus far. The Jumbos have had a lethal scoring attack, led by talented big man Luke Rogers ’21 and senior captain Eric Savage ’20. This team already has impressive wins over Wesleyan, Hamilton, Amherst, and Bates despite having just one senior on the roster. Tufts is very talented and very explosive and they can score in a hurry. They also have the ability to really lock in on defense and their opponents often go through long stretches without scoring. The Polar Bears have not seen the same success and have been ridiculously one-dimensional this season. David Reynolds ’20 is putting up over 20 points per game, but it doesn’t really look like anyone else can contribute anything in the scoring column. Zavier Rucker ’21 is a solid point guard, but when Reynolds is the only guy you’re passing to it’s not very hard to defend. The Polar Bears may steal a win at some point this year, but this will not be the day. The Jumbos aren’t dropping this one on their home court.

Writer’s Pick: Tufts 87 – Bowdoin 71

Trinity (12-6, 2-2) vs. #10 Middlebury (17-2, 3-2), 7pm, Hartford, CT

I think this game has the potential to be interesting. The Bantams always seem to surprise us, as they did last Saturday at Conn when Christian Porydzy ’20 hit the shot of the year and Trinity managed to escape with the win. They have 4 players averaging double figures in scoring, led by reigning NESCAC Player of the Week Donald Jorden ’21, who is averaging a double double on the year. The problem, however, is that they’re going up against Middlebury. The Panthers are one of the best teams in the league and they’ve got quite a few scoring threats of their own. In fact, 5 of their players are averaging double figures in scoring and they have some of the craftiest guards in the league. Jack Farrell ’21 and Max Bosco ’21 can score almost any way, while Matt Folger ’20 is probably the biggest wing in the NESCAC and uses that to his advantage. Middlebury has already taken two losses in conference (against good teams) but they have some very impressive non-conference wins on their resume and their talent is undeniable. The Bantams could make things interesting playing in their own gym, but I think the Panthers will roll tonight.

Writer’s Pick: Middlebury 81 – Trinity 70

Bates (10-7, 2-2) vs. #5 Colby (17-0, 5-0), 7pm, Lewiston, ME

Call me biased, but this game has my pick for game of the day. We’ve talked about Colby all year long and deservedly so. Sam Jefferson ’20 is the most talented scorer we’ve seen in recent years and he’s surrounded by a bunch of dudes who can freaking shoot. The Mules are 2^nd in the NESCAC in shooting percentage and 1^st in 3-point percentage, while leading the league in points per game by a fairly large margin. It doesn’t matter that they only have 1 guy in their rotation over 6’4” because if you give anyone on their team the tiniest bit of space then they’ll kill you. All of that said, the Bobcats always tend to surprise us as well. They have a good recent track record against Colby and bragging rights are on the line in this CBB matchup. Bates will also have the advantage of playing in famed Alumni Gym, where they’ll play in front of a raucous crowd that is sure to play a factor in this one. Omar Sarr ’23 didn’t have his best day in their last game against Tufts, but he has a chance to really exploit the Mules’ lack of size. Aside from the low post these teams actually matchup fairly well, so my guess is that this one will come down to whoever has the ball last. There is sure to be a lot of scoring, but the hostile Alumni Gym environment is likely not something Colby has seen yet this year. All signs seem to point to a Bobcat upset.

Writer’s Pick: Bates 86 – Colby 83

Saturday

Trinity (12-6, 2-2) vs. Williams (9-9, 2-3), 3pm, Hartford, CT

This game is a lock for 2^nd best game of the day. Each of these two have bounced around the bottom/middle of the league and are looking to distinguish themselves. Williams has the advantage of playing Conn the night before, so they likely won’t have to have their starters overdo it. I’m intrigued to see how the Matt Karpowicz-Donald Jorden matchup goes given that they’re two of the most talented big men in the league but play very different styles. We’ll also keep an eye on Spencer Spivy ’22 who missed a game with illness and didn’t play extended minutes in his first game back. I believe that the Ephs have the more talented lineup, but the Bantams have experience and that goes a long way. Trinity starts 5 upperclassmen who have played together for years, so they have a wealth of experience in these big conference games. Playing at home is always nice too, but I really don’t see that making enough of a difference, especially having to play Middlebury the night before. My guess is that this is a tough weekend for the Bantams…

Writer’s Pick: Williams 78 – Trinity 68

#22 Tufts (14-4, 4-0) vs. #5 Colby (17-0, 5-0), 3pm, Medford, MA

We’ve been waiting for this one for a little while now. These two have identified themselves as the top two teams in the league right at the moment and they also have each gotten some national recognition. Tufts is coming off a mid-week loss against a talented New England College squad, but that was just their 4^th loss of the season and they still have yet to lose a NESCAC game. Luke Rogers ’21 is going to be the key for the Jumbos because he’ll be able to really go after Colby’s lack of size. Tufts’ backcourt has a chance to be competitive with their talented Mule counterparts, so Rogers is going to have to really make a difference. It basically seems like Tufts will have to take one of two approaches against Colby: either expect Sam Jefferson ’20 to have a big game as he always does and don’t let anyone else beat you or key in on Jefferson and make someone else beat you. So far neither of these strategies has worked for anyone yet, but it feels like the Mules have to lose at some point. The Jumbos have a lot of talent and home court advantage doesn’t hurt, so I think they’ll give Colby their first (or second) loss of the season.

Writer’s Pick: Tufts 88 – Colby 82

Conn College (3-14, 0-4) vs. #10 Middlebury (17-2, 3-2), 3pm, New London, CT

This is about as lopsided of a matchup as you’ll find in NESCAC basketball. Middlebury, a perennial power, heads south to take on a Camel team that is truly struggling at this point in the season. The Panthers really don’t have to worry about losing this game, but we should be paying much closer attention to the injury status of big man Alex Sobel ’22. Sobel is very talented and was off to a terrific start to the season when he went down with injury. The sophomore has missed the last 7 games and we have no time frame on his return. Jack Farrell ’21 is a potential POY candidate for the Panthers and will likely dominate in this one. Middlebury should head home on Saturday sitting pretty at 2-0.

Writer’s Pick: Middlebury 89 – Conn 60

Bates (10-7, 2-2) vs. Bowdoin (6-11, 1-4), 3pm, Lewiston, ME

It’ll obviously be very important to see how each of these teams do on Friday because that always has an impact on the attitude heading into the second game of the weekend. That said, it’s hard to envision Bates losing this game. The Bobcats won the first meeting between these two back in December and we have no reason to expect a different result this time. The emergence of freshman Stephon Baxter ’23 has added a huge spark to this senior-dominated backcourt and he has done a really impressive job making mature plays for the offense. Kody Greenhalgh ’20 and Jeff Spellman ’20 are as good as anyone in the NESCAC at creating their own shot and making teams really pay when left unchecked. Bowdoin likely won’t have an answer for Omar Sarr ’23 underneath and I don’t think David Reynolds ’20 will be able to shoot the Polar Bears to victory on the road in Alumni Gym. Bates will be coming off an emotional game against Colby the night before, but I think they’ll respond against Bowdoin either way.

Writer’s Pick: Bates 79 – Bowdoin 67

Sunday

Hamilton (13-6, 1-4) vs. Wesleyan (13-2, 2-2), 1pm, Clinton, NY

The final game of the weekend comes from upstate New York, where two teams who desperately need a signature win will square off to get one step closer to the NESCAC Tournament. Much like Bowdoin, Hamilton has been very one-dimensional this year. Kena Gilmour ’20 was last year’s NESCAC Player of the Year and is following that up with another stellar season, but he can’t do it all himself. Wesleyan has been nearly the opposite, with someone new stepping up each night. Antone Walker ’21 and Sam Peek ’22 have been the go-to guys around the perimeter, while Jordan James ’21 is on our Alonzo Mourning Center of the Year Award watch list. The Cardinals have a crucial matchup on Friday with Amherst so a lot will be decided then, but I think they’re going to be a little bit too much for the Continentals to handle. The trip to Hamilton is never fun, but I think Wesleyan will be happy on their ride back.

Writer’s Pick: Wesleyan 74 – Hamilton 65

Not Just a Football School: Trinity Men’s Basketball Preview 2019-2020

Trinity College Bantams

2018-19 Record: 17-8 (6-4 NESCAC, lost in NESCAC quarterfinals)

2019-2020 Projected Record: 17-8 (5-5 NESCAC)

Key Losses: F Connor Merinder, F Jared Whitt, G Anthony Kelley

Projected Starting Lineup:

G: Christian Porydzy ‘20 (8.3 PPG, 2.6 APG, 35.2% 3PT)

An experienced veteran guard, Porydzy will likely play both point guard and off ball this year. While he has handled the ball more in past years, he is Trinity’s best three point shooting threat in the starting lineup and can knock down the deep ball from NBA range. Despite not being overly tall or athletic, Porydzy can set up teammates for open shots and score in bunches with long range shooting. He finished last season on a high note, with three long balls each against Bates, Tufts, and Williams. Trinity should have more guys who can bring up the ball this year, allowing Porydzy to move without the ball and find himself open looks. If he can create his own shot and continue to knock down the three at a high clip, Trinity’s offense will take a big step forward this season.

G: Colin Donovan ‘21 (5.9 PPG, 34.8% 3PT, 90% FT)

Donovan is another guy Coach Cosgrove hopes will increase his scoring output this season as the Bantams try to take that next step in the NESCAC. He has gradually played more and more as his career has gone on and his experience will help greatly when freshmen come into the lineup. Similar to Porydzy, Donovan can play the point or 2 guard with his shooting ability. They are both strong spot up shooters and could both help their team immensely if they can find other ways to score or set up teammates. Donovan was the Bantams’ top scorer on Saturday in a close loss at UMass Dartmouth, but we hope his two late missed free throws were a fluke as he is normally one of the NESCAC’s best FT shooters. If he can give Trinity a consistent 8-10 points every night this season, their offense will make great strides.

F: Nick Seretta ‘20 (9.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.5 APG)

Not many guys in this conference play harder than Seretta. He can frequently be seen getting in passing lanes, harassing ballhandlers, and getting on the hardwood for loose balls. At 6’3” and 207 lbs, he is the type of tough, athletic wing Coach Cosgrove loves to recruit. Seretta can look like an All-NESCAC player some nights, and the Bantams will need this to happen frequently if they want to make a deep run in this year’s tournament. He had 20 points against Hamilton and 16 points against Conn last season. He is again a workhorse again for Trinity this season, averaging 10 points and 6 rebounds a game. Similar to many of his teammates, however, Seretta will need to shoot more efficiently and pick up the scoring a little bit to take some pressure off the perennially strong defense. Expect him to get a bulk of the minutes this year (he played in every game last season) and be all over the stat sheet while also doing the dirty work on defense.

F: Kyle Padmore ‘20 (9.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.0 APG)

A captain and three year starter, Padmore is going to be a big factor this year in determining how Trinity’s season will go. Similar to Seretta, he is a long and athletic wing defender and will usually be matched up with the opponent’s top scorer in Cosgrove’s intense man to man defense. The same can be said here as for any of the other starters: a small jump in scoring production will go a long way towards the team’s success. Padmore has been one of the team’s top scorers for a few years now, but he needs to improve at the line (54.8% FT last season, 53.8% in 7 games this season) and avoid getting in foul trouble- he has been a constant piece in Coach Cosgrove’s rotation for a few years now. As one of three senior starters, Padmore and his classmates need to be more efficient on the offensive end if Trinity is going to take the next step and be more competitive with the NESCAC’s top teams.

C: Donald Jorden, Jr ‘21 (11.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 61.1% FG)

Jorden will likely draw a lot more attention in the post this season, as teams started to realize last year what he was capable of. At 6’6” and 200 pounds, Jorden used his athleticism and strong footwork to maneuver around defenders and dominate almost every one-on-one matchup under the basket. He is one of the league’s best rebounders and shot-blockers and became the Bantams’ best scoring option last season- he scored in double digits 18 times and started every game. This year, though, it will likely be tougher sledding. Jorden does not have 6’9” Jared Whitt to spell him for minutes, and he will likely be scouted much more seriously by NESCAC opponents whose bigs may be pushing 6’10”. He’s been looking good so far this season, averaging 11.1 RPG and shooting a phenomenal 66.1% from the field. Those are all-NESCAC numbers. If Jorden can continue to dominate the boards and get easy baskets and his teammates score at a higher clip, Trinity will overcome their injuries and make a splash in the conference this season.

Everything Else:

The Bantams have had a decent start to this season, but they have lost a few close games already that may end up coming back to bite them when they are looking for an at-large bid to the tournament late in the season. They have won the games they’re supposed to and their scoring can push triple digits on some nights, but their lack of ability to score in the clutch has hurt them in close games so far this season. We know that any James Cosgrove Trinity team will defend the ball voraciously and constantly be in passing lanes, but each of the starters will need to contribute a few more points per game for this team to compete with the NESCAC’s best. They ended last season on fire in conference play, winning their last four regular season games before losing a competitive battle on the road in the quarterfinals (it seemed almost unfair that they went from out of the playoffs all the way to the 5 seed only to run into Williams).

Being one of many NESCAC teams that have an at-large national tournament bid in their sights, the Bantams would love to go on a similar hot streak at some point this season to separate themselves from the middle of the conference make their case for a bid. Their defense led them to victory against the NESCAC’s weaker offensive teams, but their lack of a consistent top scorer was brutally evident in blowout losses to Amherst and Middlebury. While some of the starters have upped their scoring outputs from last season, Trinity would love to see a guy step up and average 15 a game to take some pressure off the defense. They unfortunately do not return as many of last year’s contributors as we originally thought, as Anthony Kelley ‘22 (buzzer beater to beat Colby last year) is not enrolled at the school this year and 6’9” Jared Whitt ‘22 tore his ACL in the preseason. This means that the non-starters who frequently see minutes in Cosgrove’s rotation- Joe Bell ‘20, Jadakis Brooks ‘20, Steven Lora ‘23 and DJ Smith ‘23- will be important in not only being fresh legs to come in and defend, but also in picking up the scoring.

Despite last season’s losses, this is still a veteran roster that should be excited about its freshman class and the losses its NESCAC foes have suffered. Coach James Cosgrove may be the league’s most intense coach and his players’ defensive energy reflects that attitude every game. While referees may dread games in the Coop due to his frequent disputes over calls, Cosgrove knows how to coach. Trinity has the NESCAC’s second best league record over the last five seasons. This statistic will look a lot better if they can add a deep run in the tournament and gain an at-large bid to the national bracket this winter. To make a bigger dent against the conference’s perennial powerhouses, the Bantams will need to be better at the free throw line and on the offensive end in general.

New Year, New Pecking Order: Holiday Power Rankings

2019 Preseason Holiday Power Rankings

1.) #2 Williams (9-0)

This Williams team looks nearly unstoppable. They have three players averaging over 14 points per game and three averaging over five boards per game, dominating each of their nine opponents thus far. Bobby Casey has been lights out from deep, draining 47.7% of his threes, Scadlock has been electric from the floor, shooting over 60% from the field, and James Heskett has been doing his thing for the Ephs, following up his All-American season with some more balanced numbers among a more talented supporting cast with the return of Scadlock. Matt Karpowicz and Michael Kempton have been doing well all around as a big man unit, averaging a combined 14 PPG and over ten boards, equalling a dual double-double. No NESCAC team can match the size and big-game experience of this Eph team with the Continentals as the only real threat on their road to a second straight NESCAC championship.

Casey and the Ephs are not going to be a fun opponent this season.

2.) #5 Hamilton (9-0)

I’ve been a big fan of this unit that Coach Stockwell has developed for quite some time. They were set on a course for predestined greatness in this 2018-2019 season long ago when the group of Peter Hoffmann, Tim Doyle, Andrew Groll, and Michael Grassey joined forces in the 2015-2016 season. Those four along with the most athletic player in the lineup, junior Kena Gilmour, make up this team that could bring the Continentals their first major men’s sports championship in who knows how long. Gilmour and Grassey are doing most of the scoring in the perfect 9-0 start to the season, averaging 19.7 and 15.2 PPG, respectively. They are a balanced team and Gilmour, Grassey, and Groll all haul in over five boards per game. Their trusty point guard, Doyle, dishes out passes to the rest of the shooters and is the glue that keeps the gears turning and rounds out the deadly group that is, top to bottom, without any glaring weaknesses.

Gilmour’s Continentals are the biggest threat to the Ephs in 2019.

3.) Amherst (7-1)

This is a bit of a surprise for me as I figured that after losing some studs, the Mammoths would enter more of a rebuilding year. Their only loss so far was to the 2017 national champion Babson Beavers and they received votes in the last D3 Hoops rankings. Their big man, Joe Schneider, is their only senior, boding well for the future of this historically dominant program. Grant Robinson is leading the way on the scoring front with 15.8 PPG with Eric Sellew putting in 9.6 PPG, and sixth man-to-be and deep threat off the bench, Garrett Day, dropping 9.3 PPG in just 17.3 minutes per game. Five Mammoths average over four rebounds per game and while Robinson is the closest they have to a superstar, they are a deep team with many possible contributors and several wild card players who entered into new roles at the start of this season.

4.) #24 Middlebury (8-2)

This is an unusual year for the Panthers as they are without a true leader on the court like they have had the past few years. Matt Folger is the most talented player on the floor for Midd and has been off to a hot start, putting up 16.0 PPG, shooting over 50% from the field and over 47% from deep which is going to need to be sustainable for the Panthers to have a shot to compete with Bobby Casey and the Ephs. My biggest concern for the Panthers this season was at the guard position as they lost Jack Daly and had a big scoring, passing, and rebounding hole to fill. Jack Farrell, Max Bosco, and Griffin Kornaker have all contributed surprisingly well so far this year, making up the next wave of elite Panther guards. Farrell is averaging 15.8 PPG, 4.9 REB/G, and 4.3 A/G while Bosco is scoring 13.8 PPG in 21 minutes per game off the bench. Kornaker is more of a distributor, averaging 4 A/G and spreads the floor well between Folger, Hilal Dahleh, and Eric McCord down low. While Folger hauls in boards in his own right, raking in 9.5 per game to nearly total an average of a double-double for himself. McCord and freshman forward Alex Sobel are the defensive specialists, grabbing 10.8 and 5.4 REB/G, respectively. The guards are going to need to continue to play lights out for the Panthers with Folger leading the way for Midd to compete in the postseason. Their early season conference match ups should provide a good indication of how this rather unpredictable teams competes against better competition.

5.) Wesleyan (7-3)

Contrary to Andrew’s (unsurprisingly) favorable preview for the Cardinals entering this season, this team has proven to be human in the early going despite their notable athleticism. They played a non-conference game against Williams and lost by 15—not such a bad result considering the prowess of the second-ranked Eph team. It actually was a poorly played game by the Cardinals, boding even better for their future games against the NESCAC’s top foes as they shot just 25% from beyond the arc. They also hauled in just 28 boards which was likely the main issue—allowing Williams to dominate on defense. Jordan Bonner, Austin Hutcherson, and Antone Walker are the big time scorers for this Wesleyan team, all averaging at least 14 PPG and represent a dangerous trio of shooters. This young team may be a bit inconsistent at times with Bonner as the only senior on the roster, but they should have a shot in some games that they are not favored in due to their athleticism and potential to score.

6.) Colby (8-2)

This young Mule team is coming out of nowhere to intimidate the other NESCAC competition in the 2018-2019 preseason. While I didn’t really expect them to compete without any seniors on the roster, they are quietly putting together wins with five players averaging double digit point in the early going. Matt Hanna (14.1 PPG, 5.7 REB/G, 3.5 A/G), Sam Jefferson (16.6 PPG, 4.0 REB/G, 40.3% 3-PT), Wallace Tucker (11.1 PPG, 3.7 REB/G, 2.0 A/G), Noah Tyson (11.8 PPG, 8.6 REB/G, 2.6 A/G), and Ronan Schwarz (11.9 PPG, 4.9 REB/G, 58.2% FG) round out a well-balanced, and deep starting five for the Mules. While it’s hard to determine the quality of their opponents, they knocked off Bowdoin pretty easily 83-70 and Bates 86-69.

7.) Trinity (7-3)

Trinity is a team much like Colby in that they lack a superstar or one player really performing above the rest of the team. Four of five starters (Kyle Padmore, Donald Jorden, Christian Porydzy, and Nick Seretta) average 10 PPG while Connor Merinder adds 8.3 PPG. Jordan and Merinder each haul in 8.1 and 6.4 REB/G, respectively and are the best rim defenders on the team. They lost to pretty badly 84-67 to 16th ranked Nichols but lost by less than five points in their other two hiccups thus far. This team still has a lot to figure out after losing key players last season, much like Middlebury and Amherst, but they seem to have a deep enough lineup so far to be dangerous and a match for many NESCAC foes.

8.) Bowdoin (6-3)

Despite a below average 6-3 record entering the break, including a loss to rival Colby College, the Polar Bears are boasting a modest four game win streak after staring the season just 2-3. While it often takes some time for younger teams to get going, I didn’t expect to see this from the rather experienced Bowdoin team. Jack Simonds, Jack Bors, Hugh O’Neil, and David Reynolds who represent a similar level of experience to the Hamilton team. In fact, I’d even go to say that similar to Hamilton, this is the year of hope and destiny for the Bowdoin team too. If there was ever a year for them to make a run at the whole thing, this is it. Now I’m by no means saying they’re as talented as Hamilton or Williams, but David Reynolds and Jack Simonds both have POY potential, making a run at the league’s scoring title, and Hugh O’Neil has DPOY potential, bringing down rebounds with the best of them for his entire career. They fall all the way down here to eighth on these first power rankings of the season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them get hot and make a run and host a first round playoff game.

9.) Tufts (4-5)

Nobody lost more key players than Tufts did at the end of 2018. They lost starters Thomas Lapham, Everett Dayton, and, most importantly, Vinny Pace, leaving them with just Miles Bowser and team leader Eric Savage remaining. Savage, however, is the only Jumbo left in the starting lineup from last season as Bowser is no longer on the roster. Tyler Aronson and Carson Cohen are two of the new starters and are freshmen looking to make a quick impact at the college level. Both highly decorated high school players, Aronson and Cohen should improve as the season goes along but likely, as seen in their early record, will be overmatched by against some better teams and will experience up-and-down shooting nights. Rounding out the starting five are sophomores Justin Kouyoumdjian (that is a mouth full), Brennan Morris, and Luke Rogers. Savage has been a bit banged up thus far, leaving room for Cohen to make an early impact, but expect Cohen to come off the bench in games that Savage plays in. Arguably their best game of the season was in a loss to #7 MIT that went to OT early in the season. While the Jumbos might be the last ‘good’ team in these power rankings, they still have the talent to knock off any team on any day, speaking to the depth of the NESCAC.

10.) Conn College (3-5)

And then there were two. Conn and Bates seem to be far below the rest of the NESCAC competition thus far. I hope they prove me wrong, but each program is in different places and will struggle for different reasons throughout the spring. For Conn, they have their star player, David Labossiere, leading the way but they lack a solid supporting cast to propel them into the fire of the NESCAC competition. Dan Draffan is another great player for the Camels, but Jack Zimmerman, Phil Leotsakos, and Ryan Omslaer need to step up their game for Conn to work to sneak into the playoffs. With that said, however, Labossiere could make a run for the NESCAC scoring title and could take over any game as he is shooting 40% from deep and averaging nearly 20 PPG so far. Draffan scores over 16 PPG and hauls in nearly 10 boards per game and if they can figure out how to score, this team could upset better NESCAC teams on their off nights.

11.) Bates (2-7)

Bates had an underwhelming but not abysmal 2017-2018 season, but lost one of their starters in Guards Shawn Strickland. They went into the holiday break with five straight losses, two to NESCAC teams (Colby and Bowdoin) which I think clearly makes them the worst team in Maine so far. They shoot from beyond the arc at just 27.8%, make under 60% of their free throws, and only have two players in Jeff Spellman and Nick Lynch scoring in the double digits per game. Lynch and Spellman are also the only Bobcats averaging over six boards per game and it looks as if, unless there is going to be a dramatic shift in the new year, this may be a long season for Bates. Tom Coyne should return after the break in time for NESCAC play, and while it’s been rough so far, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Bates make the playoffs and slowly climb up the rankings into the top eight.

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 3^rdto 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.