Tag: Peter Kazickas

No Hart, No Linsanity; Who Will Guide the Continentals? Hamilton Season Preview

Jack Dwyer has taken over the point guard position for a young Continental team. (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics)
Jack Dwyer has taken over the point guard position for a young Continental team. (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics)

Editor’s Note: Things can be a little confusing now that the season is underway. Consider the rest of our previews as season predictions based off of a compilation of conversations with coaches and players and observations from the first couple of games.
All statistics that appear next to players’ names are from the 2014-15 season.

Last season was a year of growth for the Hamilton Continentals, both for players new and old. With the decisions of Matt Hart to transfer to George Washington and incumbent senior Bradley Gifford to hang up the sneaks, Head Coach Adam Stockwell was unexpectedly left with a depleted roster for 2014-15. As a result, freshmen who weren’t expected to play very much earned valuable experience, and PG Joseph Lin ’15 played like one of the league’s elite until an injury towards the end of the season.

The Continentals must once again overcome the loss of their two most important players from a season before – this time to graduation – with Lin and sharpshooting forward Peter Kazickas ’15 on to greener pastures. Coach Stockwell is waiting for a veteran to emerge at the center of this unit, like Lin last season or his predecessors Hart, Greg Newton ’14 and Pat Sullivan ’12. The Hamilton basketball team is entering its fifth season competing in the NESCAC, with its best finish being a 5-5 conference mark in 2013-14. With a lack of experience on the roster, Hamilton will be hard-pressed to match that 5-5 record, but the program is moving in the right direction with a bevy of talented youngsters now on board.

2014-2015 Record:

14-10 overall; 2-8 NESCAC (10th); Did not qualify for NESCAC Tournament

Head Coach: Adam Stockwell, 5th season, 55-43 (.561)

Returning Starters: Four

PG Jack Dwyer ’18 (3.8 ppg, 3.6 apg, 32.0% FG)
G Jack Donnelly ’16 (8.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 43.2% 3PT)
G/F Joe Pucci ’18 (5.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 41.8% FG)
F Ajani Santos ’16 (10.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.7 bpg)

Coaches always say that the past is the past and players have to earn their stripes each new season, but they don’t always choose lineups with that philosophy in mind. This year, it’s very apparent that Coach Stockwell is giving nothing freely to his veterans. Santos and Donnelly, who started 23 and 22 games last year, respectively, are out of the starting lineup, while Dwyer and Pucci, who each started 12 contests a year ago, have apparently locked down starting spots. Donnelly is still racking up minutes and has seemingly embraced the sixth-man role, but Santos looks to be in the dog house right now with just 10.3 mpg through three games so far. Coach Stockwell hasn’t let on what’s behind the severe drop in Santos’ playing time, instead reiterating his confidence that the big man can get back on track, and citing some outstanding efforts from some younger big men. If I had to ponder a guess, I’d say that Santos’ constant foul trouble and temper have hindered him. That’s only a guess though – there is plenty of season left to see how things work out.

Projected Starting Lineup:

PG Jack Dwyer ’18

The Hamilton lineup is extremely fluid right now, with 11 (eleven!) guys seeing double digit minutes per game, but Dwyer looks the the closest thing to a lock for me the rest of the season. He’s a true point with great quickness and good strength, given his size (5’11” 175 lbs). His scoring binge over the weekend was impressive, but not surprising to those around the Hamilton team. Don’t expect quite that level of production (16.0 ppg through three games), because he doesn’t shoot the three ball at all, but he can hang in the low teens range in points. There are some great, if unproven, shooters on this team, and Dwyer is the man to get them the basketball.

SG Peter Hoffman ’19

Hoffman is obviously green as a freshman, but he’s immediately become a scoring threat and is second on the team with 11.7 ppg. Unlike Dwyer, Hoffman can light it up from deep, and at 6’5″ he complements the smaller Dwyer well. Classmate Tim Doyle ’19 started the first two games in this spot, but Hoffman started the last, and it’s going to be a constant battle to see which youngster can solidify his position, but both will continue to see minutes.

G/F Joe Pucci ’18

Pucci is tall – 6’7″ – but has guard-like athleticism. Just a sophomore, he has the ability to become a leader for this young squad. He should be able to do a little bit of everything for the Conts – score some points, rebound and defend those tough wing players. With Pucci at the 3, Hamilton will be going against the NESCAC grain which seems to be trending towards three-guard sets. It’s a risky strategy, but one that could pay dividends if Pucci can defend his smaller match ups.

F Andrew Groll ’19

Another freshman expected to play big minutes, Groll is going to be counted on to be a physical presence at 6’6″ 240 lbs. Coach Stockwell has high hopes for the way Groll will develop, and he applauded the way Groll gets after rebounds on both ends of the floor. He might not be the most refined offensive player just yet, but with so many shooters around him and coming off the bench, Groll could stick in the starting rotation.

F Ajani Santos ’16

This is a gut call, because the early signs are that Santos is being passed over by the young forwards – Groll, Pucci, Kelan McConnell ’18 and Karl Koster ’18. Obviously, his league-worst 88 personal fouls and eight ejections for fouls last year were a big problem, but there has to be something else going on here. Unless a player gets in trouble or comes into camp completely out of shape – and I’m not saying either of these things are true, nor is there any evidence that either is the case –  you usually don’t see a team’s most used player ride pine early on the next season. I don’t know what’s wrong, but I think it has to be made right for Hamilton to be competitive. As talented as the Hamilton youngsters are, Santos will be needed to provide some senior leadership if this team is going to go far.

Breakout Player: G Peter Hoffman

It’s not often that a freshman comes into any college league with the talent and opportunity to be an immediate star. In this case, Hoffman has both. He’s got great size for a two-guard, can shoot from anywhere (including the free throw stripe), and is a great perimeter defender, according to his head coach. There is a lot of competition at the guard spot for Hoffman, and he probably won’t see much more than 20.0 mpg with Donnelly coming off the bench and playing an important role, but he can be an efficient scorer and make an impact on both ends of the floor.

Everything Else:

Backing up the shifty Dwyer at point guard is the more strategic Wes Wilbur ’17. They won’t both be on the court very often, but when they are Wilbur will shift to the two-guard spot. The disadvantage of having them both on the floor is that it takes away the three-pointer from the Continentals game, and even though they didn’t shoot the three much last year, they were the most efficient three-point shooting team in the NESCAC. Donnelly and Hoffman are excellent outside shooters, and I would expect most of the minutes to feature the threesome of Dwyer-Donnelly-Hoffman on the court. Kyle Pitman ’17 is the last guard in the mix, and he brings great range to the floor, too.

The frontcourt minutes are totally in flux with the expected return to relevance of Santos. Right now, Groll, Pucci, Koster and McConnell are taking up most of the time, but something will have to give if Santos is going to reemerge. Groll and Koster are Stockwell’s workhorses down low, banging bodies and getting rebounds. McConnell is undersized at 6’5″ but is another sharpshooter, while Pucci does a bit of everything, too, but as noted above, with him at the 3-guard, Hamilton might get run off the court by some quick and skilled back courts. The x-factor for the Hamilton frontcourt, once again, is 6’11” Zander Wear ’18. Wear came to Hamilton with a lower level of basketball experience than most freshman in the league, but has taken a big leap from a season ago. Still, with so much youth and talent amongst the Hamilton big men, it will be an uphill battle for Wear to break in.

Coach Stockwell is running with a deep rotation right now and allowing the cream to rise to the top. It’s a good strategy early on, and one that many NESCAC coaches employ, especially with a younger roster like Hamilton’s. The only worry is whether the Conts can build up enough chemistry with the guys who are going to be on the court come NESCAC time in January. Can they rely on freshmen and sophomores to lead them to the NESCAC playoffs? Or will Donnelly and Santos go out with a flourish in their final college season? Hamilton may be the toughest team to predict at this point this season. The good news for Hamiltonians is that youth and talent are aplenty in Clinton.

On the Outside Looking (L)in: Hamilton Season Wrap Up

Hamilton fell short all too often this season. The Conts nearly knocked off Bates on the road in early February, but eventually lost 73-71. (Courtesy of Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)
Hamilton fell short all too often this season. The Conts nearly knocked off Bates on the road in early February, but eventually lost 73-71. (Courtesy of Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

Season Record: 14-10 (2-8), missed NESCAC Tournament

For a team that lost the NESCAC’s top scorer, Matt Hart, to transfer and a couple of critical players to graduation, to start this season 7-0 and then 10-2 seemed a miracle to some, which I’m sure was some motivation to the Continental players. All they heard all of season was about how the program was going to take a major step back with the departure of Hart, and yet the Conts came out firing, something that wasn’t missed by their former teammate.

Unfortunately for Hamilton, it all came crashing down after the first NESCAC game of the season. At the time, it seemed like a small hiccough because the Continentals played Amherst so tightly, and the play of captain Joseph Lin ’15 was a hot topic, as well.

Hamilton dropped its first four conference games, burying itself in a hole that it would not recover from. A 67-64 win over Williams kept the Continentals’ hopes alive, and two subsequent out-of-conference wins got the team’s confidence up, but after that four more conference losses put the nail in the coffin. Hamilton was able to end its season on a high note, though, with a fairly drama-free victory over Conn. College that began in a very unorthodox way. But more on that later.

High Point: 46-44 win at Hobart Sunday, January 4

Hamilton played five teams this season who made it into the final public NCAA Regional Rankings, which are used to determine at-large bids for the NCAA Tournament. Trinity, Amherst, Bates and Bowdoin all got the best of the Conts, but Hamilton was able to squeak out a win against East Region Hobart, which finished the season at 18-8 and now is hoping for an at-large bid that is unlikely to come. Still, to win a back-and-forth, ugly game on the road against a team that is on the cusp of the NCAA Tournament seemed like a statement win at the time for Hamilton.

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

MVP: Joseph Lin ’15

This is an easy pick. If there was such an award, Lin would likely garner the Most Improved Player in the NESCAC award. Lin came off the bench mostly last season, and played 21.8 minutes per game, tallying 5.6 PPG on 40.2 percent shooting, 24.5 percent from deep and 66.7 percent from the line, 2.6 RPG, 1.8 APG and a 1.4 A/TO ratio. In 2014-15 those numbers improved drastically: 29.2 MPG, 13.5 PPG, 45.5 percent FG, 38.5 percent 3PT, 74.7 percent FT, 2.7 RPG, 6.4 APG, 2.3 A/TO.

Lin worked his way into the starting lineup a few weeks before conference play began and became a mainstay in the starting five, distributing well to shooters Peter Kazickas ’15 and Jack Donnelly ’16 and inside to Ajani Santos ’16, earning a Player of the Week Honor along the way. Sadly, Lin’s season ended on crutches after he went down at Bates on February 7. In a nice gesture, Lin was able to grab one last basket in a Continentals uniform in his final game.

Player to Watch in 2014-15: Zander Wear ’18

Santos and Donnelly are known commodities at this point, but the real wild card for Hamilton will be the improvement of the near-seven-footer Wear. Listed at 6’11”, 245 lbs., Wear has better size than any big man in the NESCAC next season. The youngster appeared in 20 games, though he didn’t see very many minutes, and really didn’t do much in his short stints on the court. However, there is plenty of time for him to work on his footwork and skills before next season, and the kid is not afraid of contact, if his high school recruiting video is any indication:

How often do you see highlight tapes start with a player taking a bunch of charges?

A la John Swords ’15 for Bowdoin, Wear is a rare commodity that few teams can boast of and could single-handedly make the Continentals a contender next season.

The 10 Most Important People This Weekend

Graham Safford '15 might be holding flowers, but he still has his eyes on the prize: two wins this weekend. (Courtesy of Bates Athletics)
Graham Safford ’15 might be holding flowers, but he still has his eyes on the prize. (Courtesy of Bates Athletics)

Usually in our weekend preview we tell you three players who we think are going to have a significant impact on the weekend. Given how big of a weekend this one is, three is simply not going to be enough. The criteria for this is not simply the best players on each team. The most important players are the ones who will have the biggest impact on how we look back on the weekend.

10. Small Forward Peter Kazickas ’15 (Hamilton)

The emergence of Joseph Lin ’15 has overshadowed the improvement of Kazickas, another senior who has stepped up in his final season. Last season Kazickas was a secondary option for Hamilton and only made 0.4 threes per game. This season he is shooting an unfathomably hot 59.1 percent from three in conference while making four times as many threes as last year. Yes, Hamilton is officially eliminated from the tournament, but as Williams learned earlier, traveling to Clinton is not an easy task. The Continentals could play spoiler to Wesleyan, if Kazickas shoots like he has been recently.

9. David George ’17 (Amherst)

If George watched the Middlebury-Bowdoin game, he was salivating at all the dunks John Swords ’15 had against the Panther frontline. He could have a great game Sunday if Amherst makes a concerted effort to get him the ball. George has been a very good player this year for the Jeffs, but he has not been close to the dominant force he looked like for parts of the NCAA tournament. He is shooting 52.8 percent from the field which honestly is not a great percentage for a big man. A big game going into the NESCAC tournament will put fear in Amherst’s opponents.

8. Shooting Guard Hayden Rooke-Ley ’15 (Williams)

Any doubt about who the best pure shooter in the NESCAC is was put to rest by Rooke-Ley Friday night against Bates. He went 6-8 from three, many of them with a hand in his face. To shoot for the season 46.7 percent from three given the difficulty of most of those shots is impressive. Finding him in transition is an absolute must. Rooke-Ley might not create very many opportunities for others, but he cashes in on the ones he has. At 4-4, Williams could be primed for a 2-0 weekend against Wesleyan and Conn College. If they got to 6-4, it would be the first time all season they have been more than a game away from .500 in conference.

7. Guard BJ Davis ’16 (Wesleyan)

Staying in front of Davis is a nightmare, and he gives Wesleyan more dynamism in their offense now that the Cardinals are running more offense through him. The Cardinals might need to win both of their games this weekend, and Davis is the one player who can truly be a difference maker for them. His shooting percentages are not great recently as he is drawing opponents’ top defenders. In conference games Davis is Wesleyan’s leading scorer and passer with 13.6 PPG and 4.0 APG. It is possible that on Saturday Williams puts Dan Wohl ’15 on Davis. If that is the case, Davis will probably try to use his quickness to get in the lane and forgo shooting from outside.

6. Point Guard Jake Brown ’17 (Middlebury)

Nobody thought that Middlebury would be here, needing at least one victory in the final weekend against Trinity or Amherst to even think about making the tournament. Brown could be important in very different ways. Friday against Trinity, Brown will defend Jaquann Starks ’16. Starks has been in double-digits the last five games, but Brown will be a real challenge for him. If Brown shuts down Starks, the Bantams offense could grind to a halt for long periods. Then, on Sunday Brown might take advantage of his athleticism against Reid Berman ’17 to get into the lane and cause Amherst headaches. Last Sunday Brown was limping at periods with what looked like an ankle injury, and if he is less than 100 percent, Middlebury will be in even bigger trouble than they are already.

5. Center John Swords ’15 (Bowdoin)

A fired up Swords is the best type of Swords, and that is the version we saw on Sunday against Middlebury. It probably helped that he only had one game that weekend and did not have to worry about his knees. Though his offensive production against Middlebury was great, it will be his defense and rebounding that Bowdoin really relies on this weekend. Because Tom Palleschi ’16 did not play last year, Swords and him have not matched up for significant minutes yet. The two will likely spend the beginning of the game feeling each other out with Palleschi probably relying on his jump shot initially.

4. Power Forward Sam Willson ’16 (Colby)

Willson is basically the entire Colby frontcourt right now. We aren’t sure because Colby does not publish the height of their players on their website, but based off of this photo, after Willson, Luke Westman ’16 was the second tallest player who played for Colby against Middlebury. Willson wasn’t even supposed to start this year, but a preseason injury to Patrick Stewart ’16 and more recent injury to Chris Hudnut ’16 leaves Willson as the only big man left. Offensively his role is the same as he is still really a stretch four who is good in pick and roll situations. On defense is where he will really make or break the Mules’ weekend. He could have a tough time going against Tom Palleschi ’16 and Marcus Delepeche ’17. He will need to use his strength and rely on help from his teammates to keep Colby afloat down low.

3. Center Tom Palleschi ’16 (Tufts)

In the first half against Williams, Palleschi looked unstoppable draining midrange jumpers, hook shots, and layups down low on his way to 22 points. Then suddenly in the second half he went cold and didn’t score in the final 17:20 of the game. That was a big reason why Williams came back to win and plunge Tufts back into the thick of things. Without Hunter Sabety ’17, Palleschi is the only inside threat for Tufts. He has to exploit Colby who is still playing without Chris Hudnut ’16. If Tufts stumbles Friday then Palleschi will have to deal with Swords. His ability to hit shots from outside might give Swords problems, but he has to make them first.

2. Power Forward Dylan Sinnickson ’15

His Player of the Year candidacy is over after last weekend, and Sinnickson just has not looked like the same explosive inside-out threat that we saw earlier this year. In his past four conference games, Hamilton was the only one where he scored more than 13 points or grabbed more than nine rebounds. He needs to be the man for Middlebury for at least one game this weekend. Something like a 20 and 15 performance. He most certainly has to outplay Connor Green ’16 when those two meet on Sunday. Maybe returning to Pepin will help Sinnickson to get back to the player who looked almost unstoppable for stretches earlier in the season.

1. Point Guard Graham Safford ’15 (Bates)

We have been saying all season that Safford is the single most important player to any team. There is a reason why he is averaging an insane 36.9 MPG. But how much of a toll is it taking on him? The last two Friday NESCAC games Safford has averaged 26.0 PPG, but on Saturday that average dips all the way down to 9.5 PPG. Both of those games have still been wins, but they were against Hamilton and Conn College, the two worst teams in the NESCAC. Bates might struggle Saturday against Colby. So maybe Safford knows that Friday is the game that Bates needs to win. After all, he was in the Bowdoin gym Sunday afternoon watching Middlebury and Bowdoin play.

Traveling to Maine Carries Significant Risk: Stock Report 2/9

Malcolm Delpeche '17 flushed this one home as the Bobcats slipped by Hamilton on Saturday, Feb. 7.
Malcolm Delpeche ’17 flushed this one home as the Bobcats slipped by Hamilton 73-71 on Saturday, Feb. 7.

The Maine triumvirate of Colby, Bates and Bowdoin combined on the weekend to go 4-0 at home. Behind hot shooting from Ryan Jann ’16 who finished with 26 points, the Mules beat Middlebury for their first win without Chris Hudnut ’16. Then on Sunday Bowdoin blitzed their way to an easy win over the Panthers to drop Middlebury to 3-5 in the NESCAC.

Meanwhile, Bates’ vaunted home-court advantage once again took center stage as the Bobcats pulled out close wins over Williams and Hamilton. The wins bring the Bobcats’ home record to 12-0 and 6-0 in NESCAC play. While you have probably heard all about how Alumni Gym rattles opponents, Colby and Bowdoin also boast great home records. Colby is 7-2 overall and 2-2 in the NESCAC at home, and this season has seen a resurgence in student attendance in Waterville. Bowdoin does not have as many students at their games (though I am one of the proud few), but the Polar Bears are 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the NESCAC when they play in Brunswick.

Of the three losses between them, two of them came at the hands of one of the other with Colby beating Bowdoin in Brunswick in December and the Polar Bears returning the favor in Waterville a few weeks ago. So the only team that has managed to come from out of state and beat a Maine school is Williams which beat Colby on January 17.

Stock Up

Center John Swords ’15 (Bowdoin)

As the only returning player from the All-NESCAC First Team, expectations were high for Swords coming into the season, but he has fallen short of them on the offensive end. Sunday was the Swords that Bowdoin fans were hoping for. The seven footer scored 20 points on 10-13 shooting, and at least five of his baskets came on dunks.  Swords attacked from the very beginning of the game, forcing Chris Churchill ’15 to pick up two early fouls. He was not afraid to put the ball on the floor and go to the hoop, something that he has been hesitant to do for long stretches this season. He also took it personal when he got called for an offensive charge drawn by Matt Daley ’16 and attacked Daley the next time he got the ball down low. It was only one game, but if Swords continues to play like he did on Sunday, Bowdoin will be difficult for teams to handle.

Shooting Guard Rick Naylor ’16 (Trinity)

Sometimes it is hard to pick out specific players on Trinity who are difference makers beyond Jaquann Starks ’16. That isn’t meant to insult the ability of anyone on the Bantam roster, but they are so balanced that picking out individuals is difficult. Naylor is certainly a role player averaging 5.8 PPG for the season, but he has come up big in recent weeks. First against Bowdoin he carried Trinity down the stretch on offense, and on Friday he helped Trinity outlast a determined Wesleyan squad. He went 5-6 from three on his way to a team high 17 points. On offense, Naylor is pretty much a straight shooter with 63 percent of his made shots coming from deep. In conference play he is shooting 54.5 percent from three, the second highest percentage in the league. On the other end, Naylor fits perfectly into the hard-nosed style Trinity plays. Despite averaging only 20.6 MPG, he has fouled out of four games so far this season, the fourth most in the NESCAC this season.

Guard Connor Green ’16 (Amherst)

Not that Green’s stock was necessarily low, but it has sky rocketed recently as the Lord Jeffs have started to look more like the perennial title contenders that we are used to seeing. Over the last four games, Green has scored at least 24 points three times and thrice snagged double digit rebounds. Last week we handicapped the Player of the Year race and Green came in with the fourth best odds to win the award. If we ranked these players again today Green would probably have the second best odds and the gap between Green and favorite Dan Wohl ’15 would be much smaller than it was then. Amherst is playing much better of late, blowing out some of the NESCAC’s bottom feeders and a couple tough Maine teams. It took awhile for Coach Dave Hixon to work out the rotation, but he seems to have found a serviceable point man in Reid Berman ’17 and a reliable bench scorer in Jeff Racy ’17. The Lord Jeffs are dangerous right now and Green is only elevating his game as the season goes on.

Stock Down

Hamilton’s Luck

Honestly, I feel terrible for the Continentals. They have played better than their 1-7 record would indicate. On Saturday Hamilton almost pulled off the upset at Bates. A layup from Joe Pucci ’18 put Hamilton up 71-66 with 1:36 to go, but Bates scored the final seven points to storm back for the win. For the Continentals, it was merely the latest close loss. Six of their seven losses in conference have been by single digits. It is a shame, too, because they play a fun, uptempo brand of basketball with an eclectic crew. Peter Kazickas ’15 is lights out shooting the ball, and he also rocks the best ‘mun’ (man bun. It is a hairstyle I swear) in the NESCAC. Ajani Santos ’16 has a nice post game, and Joseph Lin ’15 is one of the most clever players I have seen. Because of tie-breakers, Hamilton is already eliminated from the NESCAC tournament. We knew Hamilton would miss the transferred Matt Hart, but this group exceeded expectations even if the final records don’t show it.

Clarity

Remember when I said that this weekend was going to go a long way in figuring out the NESCAC picture? Yeah, well I lied about that. Going into next weekend, the number of scenarios that can end up happening are endless. Trinity will host a quarter-final game, Bates will host for sure as long as they win one of their games this weekend, and Amherst will host for sure if they win against Middlebury. If those three host, then the winner of Tufts-Bowdoin will host the fourth game. Unless Colby or Williams goes 2-0 on the weekend and Tufts beats Bowdoin, then the Ephs or Mules would host because they both own the tiebreaker over Tufts. If Colby, Williams and Tufts are all 6-4 then Williams would host because they went 2-0 against those teams, but if Bates loses both games then there could be a four-way tie…OK we give up. Personally I am rooting for the scenario where Bates and Amherst go winless for the weekend, Tufts beats Bowdoin, and Williams and Colby go 2-0. That would mean that all six of those teams would finish at 6-4.

Middlebury Defense

There were some questions about the quality of Middlebury’s competition at the beginning of the year, but nevertheless their domination was impressive enough for us to rank them at the top of our initial power rankings, and a big part of that decision was the Panthers’ commitment to defense. Coach Jeff Brown challenged his guys to be the best defense in the country this season, and for a good chunk of the year the Panthers were ranked in the top five nationally in field goal percentage defense. In Middlebury’s first 13 games, during which stretch they started 13-0, they allowed 70 points only twice and both were easy victories. In the subsequent 11 games, opponents have scored 70 points seven times and Middlebury has gone 7-5. This weekend Colby and Bowdoin combined to shoot 47.3 percent from the field against the Panthers. Even Jake Brown ’17, possibly the best perimeter defender in the NESCAC, struggled against the athletic Lucas Hausman ’16 on Sunday. If Middlebury is going to right the ship (and even make the NESCAC tournament), they will need to get back to playing good defense.

One Stands Above the Others: Power Rankings 2/6

Courtesy of the Middlebury Campus
Courtesy of the Middlebury Campus

With about a week left in the regular season, the league has begun to stabilize, relative to the amount of fluctuation the NESCAC has experienced this year. This past week we saw how middle of the road teams stacked up against the best, as well as a continued fight put up by the lowest rank, proving once again that the gap from the best to the worst is slim.

1. Trinity (16-5, 6-1) Last Week: 1

After two straight wins against threatening Colby and Bowdoin, the Bantams have a three game win streak, all of which came against conference teams. Trinity will finish its season on the road, taking on Wesleyan, Conn College, and Middlebury. Assuming all things go as planned, and the Trinity defense continues to shut down its opponents, the Bantams are in a good position to take the No. 1 seed headed into tournament play.

2. Amherst (15-5, 4-3) Last Week: 4

Amherst, like Trinity, thwarted the efforts of Colby and Bowdoin at the end of last week to give them their first winning record in conference play all season. Connor Green ’16 exploded for 33 against Bowdoin, and in the past three games he has averaged 20.6 PPG. The Lord Jeffs also have Wesleyan, Conn College, and Middlebury to close out conference play. Depending on how Trinity does, it’ll be interesting to use these last three games as a way to compare Amherst and Trinity going into the playoffs.

3. Bates (15-4, 4-2) Last Week: 6

Recalling last week’s rankings, Bates had just come off two tough losses to Trinity and Amherst, but rebounded with a win versus Tufts. Since then the Bobcats have extended their streak with wins against Wesleyan and Conn. The wins were made possible by their stingy defense. Here’s where Bates stands- they’ll finish out their conference play against four teams ranked lower than them in our rankings and the standings. That being said, the final push will be crucial for Graham Safford ’15 to round up his troops and get them ready for playoff basketball.

4. Tufts (10-9, 4-2) Last Week: 3

Tufts drops two spots from last week after they lost Saturday against Wesleyan. The Jumbos are still in a good spot as the tournament approaches, though the loss of Hunter Sabety ’17 could be devastating. What stands out the most with this team was the streak they had in mid-January, where they consecutively beat Middlebury, Amherst, and Trinity, allowing an average of only 57 PPG in the three game stretch. Tufts can put it all together in a short period of time against the top teams in the league. Why? Defense.

5. Middlebury (15-4, 3-3) Last Week: 2

Last week the Panthers could only grab one out of two in conference play, falling to Williams 87-62 while beating Hamilton in a tough 82-77 overtime game. Given the struggles that Hamilton has had all season, what does an overtime win say about the Panthers? Hamilton has been giving teams their all down the stretch, so maybe this is yet another example of the small margin between the top and bottom. Regardless, Middlebury  still has its work cut out for them as they still have to play Trinity and Amherst, two teams ranked above them.

6. Williams (12-7, 3-3) Last Week: 7

Williams jumps up a spot after their decisive 87-62 win against Middlebury. The Ephs’ offense has been close to the top all year averaging 76.4 points per game, but they’ve struggled considerably on defense. That is why they remain below Middlebury, despite their emphatic victory over the Panthers. The Ephs have a huge road weekend coming up against Bates and Tufts. You can bet that Daniel Wohl ’15 won’t go down without a fight, seeing as he leads the league in PPG with 19.9.

7. Bowdoin (14-6, 4-3) Last Week: 5

Last week Bowdoin was posed with the difficult task of playing Trinity and Amherst in back-to-back road games. A loss to the Bantams 67-66 in OT was a heartbreaker that made it even more difficult to face off against Amherst. These two losses hurt Bowdoin and surely put them down in the rankings, but then again, who else besides Tufts has been able to handle the one-two punch of the Bantams and Lord Jeffs. With guard Lucas Hausman’s ’16 scoring dominance (ranked No. 3 in PPG with 19.0), along with the recent play of John Swords ’15 and Bryan Hurley ’15, Bowdoin is still in a position to fight with the best.

8. Wesleyan (14-6, 3-3) Last Week: 9

The Cardinals split their last two games, losing a close one against Bates 74-66 but coming back the following day to take down Tufts. Wesleyan has a tough stretch ahead of them with Trinity, Amherst, and Williams all on their schedule. As of late, even Hamilton has shown it can disrupt any opponent it faces, which makes things a little more difficult to a Wesleyan team that is on the cusp of the playoffs.

9. Colby (12-9, 3-4) Last Week: 8

Colby, who a few weeks ago was in a position to take a high seed in the NESCAC quickly dropped three straight to Bowdoin, Amherst, and Trinity, putting them in a tough spot to finish out the season. Not only that, but Middlebury, Tufts, and Bates all remain on their schedule, which makes for a tough final stretch. The Mules’ defense has been struggling recently, making it even more difficult for even their third ranked offense to consistently carry the load. We’ve all heard it before: defense wins championships, and a last place ranking in that category does not bode well for Colby.

10. Hamilton (13-7, 1-5) Last Week: 10

Not much has changed for Hamilton since last week. They still have only one win against NESCAC opponents, but once again they’ve proved that they’re not going to fold easily. Last week the Continentals battled with the Panthers of Middlebury, eventually falling short in an 82-77 overtime loss. Forward Peter Kazickas ’15 led the charge with 21 points while guard Joseph Lin ’15 dished a season-high nine assists in the loss. Neither their defense nor their offense has been exceptionally bad or good this season (6th ranked defense, 8th ranked offense) ; they just have not been able to put two good halves of basketball together.

11. Conn College (7-12, 0-6) Last Week: 11

Conn’s struggles continue after losing their eighth straight against Mitchell. Offense has been a problem for the Camels all season, and their last four NESCAC opponents (Amherst, Trinity, Williams, Hamilton) won’t make this season go by any faster. Forward Zuri Pavlin ’17 has proven he is capable of being Conn’s go-to guy in the coming years after a 31 point game against Mitchell. In addition, he’s ranked second in the league in RPG with 10.9. Definitely a force to be reckoned with in the future, Conn just needs to find him a little more support in the backcourt.

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?

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.