Tag: Sayo Denloye

Kena Returns: Hamilton Men’s Basketball Preview 2019-2020

Hamilton College Continentals

2018-2019 Record: 25-5 (7-3 NESCAC), runner-up in NESCAC Tournament; lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA tournament

2019-2020 Projected Record: 23-6 (7-3 NESCAC)

Key Losses: PG Tim Doyle, F Michael Grassey, F Peter Hoffman, C Andrew Groll

Projected Starting Lineup:

F: Kena Gilmour ’20 (19.0 PPG, 5.8 REB/G, 3.1 AST/G)

Where do you start with Kena? The 6’4” senior is the reigning NESCAC Player of the Year who led the Continentals in minutes, points and assists as a junior. He was an efficient player, shooting 47% from the floor, 34% from three and 88% from the free throw line. Gilmour stuffed the stat sheet, leading the Hamilton offense with 19 points per game, grabbing close to 6 rebounds per game and dishing out 92 assists. On defense, he recorded 37 steals and 20 blocked shots over 30 games. He has been a scorer throughout his time at Hamilton and should graduate with close to 2,000 career points. Not surprisingly, Kena received pre-season second team all-American Division III honors after earning fourth team recognition as a junior. Amherst’s Grant Robinson was the only other NESCAC player to receive pre-season honors, earning a fourth team selection. The lefty Gilmour has a very impressive resume, and he should repeat as league POY. As the only returning starter for Hamilton, look for Kena to continue to be a dominant player for the Continentals. 

G: Mark Lutz ’20 (6.4. PPG, 1.9 REB/G, 49.2% FG)

Last season, Lutz came off the bench for Hamilton and provided deadly three point shooting. Despite playing a shade under 16 minutes per game as a junior, he took the third most threes per game for the team or about one every 5 minutes on the floor. That approach was a good strategy for Coach Adam Stockwell, as Lutz nailed 48.4% of his three point attempts. Lutz’s height (6’3’’) helps him get good looks at the three point line, and his accuracy adds offensive punch for the Continentals. Entering his senior campaign, Hamilton will again look for his three point prowess to provide valuable spacing for their offense. It will be interesting to see in his final season on the Hill whether Lutz will remain in a specialist role or expand his repertoire.

PG: Sayo Denloye ’20 (5.4 PPG,  2.5 AST/G, 46.3% FG)  

Denloye replaces Tim Doyle at the point for Hamilton, and as a junior the California native displayed the consistent ability to breakdown defenses with his quickness. Sano had 24 steals, and he was effective from the three point line hitting just under 43% for the season. As a starting point guard, he will need to improve his free throw shooting, as he shot just 52% from the stripe as a junior. Hamilton will ask Denloye to run the show, which likely means getting the ball to Gilmour in his favorite offensive spots, driving and kicking to Lutz for three, and tossing lobs to Spencer Kendall and Nick Osarenren. If he can do those things, keep up his strong defense, improve at the charity stripe and sprinkle in efficient three point shooting, the Hamilton offense should be in very good shape.

F: Spencer Kendall ’21 (4.6PPG, 3.3 REB/G, 64.1% FG)

If you watch a Hamilton basketball game, there will invariably be a “wow” play during the game in which the 6’5” Kendall elevates and executes an impressive dunk. Spencer has a serious vertical leap, which the Continentals put to good use on the offensive end with lobs to him off backscreens and back cuts. In a reserve role as a sophomore, finishing lobs was his primary offensive role, and Spencer did it well, evidenced by shooting an impressive 64% from the floor. Entering his junior year, Hamilton will look for Kendall to expand his offensive role, to provide strong rebounding (especially with the loss of three of its top four rebounders), as well as to improve at the free throw line, where he shot only 45%.

C: Mike McEneney ’21 (1.7 PPG, 40% FG)

McEneney is one of only two Continentals on the roster over 6’8” and should replace some of the minutes of departing center Andrew Groll at center. Last season, Groll provided stable, consistent play down low: strong defense, physical play in the post, complimentary offensive skills and stout rebounding against taller NESCAC foes. Hamilton will be very happy if Mike fills a similar role in his junior campaign. McEneney, who is listed at 6’9” and 245 lbs., played less last year than other projected starters Lutz, Denloye and Kendall, only logging a shade under 7 minutes per game as a sophomore, so he has less of a track record in league play. Over the course of a game, Coach Stockwell could fill the center role with traditional big men McEneney and 6’8” freshman Patrick Mogan, or sprinkle in a small ball line-up with Kendall and 6’4” Nick Osarenren upfront.

Everything Else

Hamilton has been very successful over the past 2 years, going 49-10 and 14-6 in the NESCAC, but four of last year’s starters graduated last spring, taking with them 319 career starts on the Hill, roughly half of last year’s scoring and 46% of their rebounding. Scanning the New England landscape, it doesn’t appear that any of the other top NESCAC teams are absorbing such significant losses to their starting line-up. Hamilton will need to replace the production of that impressive ’19 class, but Coach Stockwell has built a strong program in Clinton which employed a deep rotation last season. Projected starters Lutz (16 min/G), Denloye (14 min/G) and Kendall (14 min/G) all played meaningful minutes, as did sophomore Nick Osarenren (13 min/G), who flashed terrific defensive skills with impressive length and athleticism. Sophomores Eric Anderson and Elliott Tirabso return, and the incoming freshman class appears strong, highlighted by point guard Nkosi Cooper and center Patrick Mogan. And of course, one of the top players in all of Division III returns to the Hill.  

A couple things to watch for the Continentals. As great as Kena Gilmour has been, he has struggled in two spots. Last season Tufts appeared to be his kryptonite – holding him to a combined 13 points on 4-19 shooting in two games (regular season and NESCAC tourney). In two high-stakes losses, the NESCAC tournament final and the NCAA tournament third round game, Gilmour shot a combined 8-37 from the floor. All those games were played at Hamilton’s home, Margaret Bundy Scott Field House. As scary as it is to think Gilmour will continue to elevate his game as a senior, those are areas that I am sure he is looking to improve.  

The schedule leans somewhat favorably to Hamilton, as they get league home games against Middlebury, Trinity, Wesleyan and Williams. One key to the season appears to be finding complimentary scoring to Gilmour, as Hoffman and Grassey, who scored close to 1,500 and 1,200 points, respectively over their careers in Clinton, have departed. Two other keys include getting strong post play and finding the right mix on the floor from a deep roster. If Hamilton answers those questions, and odds are they will with an impressive coach Andrew Stockwell at the helm, the Continentals should continue their NESCAC success.

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

Game of the Week Preview

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

Overview

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

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

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

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

Hamilton X-Factor

Peter Hoffmann ’19

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

Bowdoin X-Factor

Zavier Rucker ’21

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

Final Thoughts

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

Writer’s Pick: Hamilton 95 – Bowdoin 83