Tag: Tom Coyne

A New Face at the Top: Power Rankings 1/16

NESCAC Basketball Power Rankings 1/16

(2) 1. #12 Colby (13-0, 2-0)

Last week: W 83-50 vs. Conn College, W 91-77 vs. Trinity
This week: @ Middlebury, @ Williams

I don’t care what the national polls say – at this point in the season, this is the best basketball team in the NESCAC. As a student at Bates, I’m not the most vehement supporter of the Mules, but it’s hard to ignore their impressive performance over the first thirteen games of the season. They’re the only undefeated team remaining in the conference, averaging a league-best 94.6 PPG. Another marker of dominance is the manner in which most of their contests were won; eleven of their thirteen wins have been by 14+ points. Some will point to their incredible three point percentage (41.9% with over 200 attempts already) as a reason why the Mules won’t keep up their first place standing, but with nearly 24 assists per game compared to just 14 turnovers, Colby is clearly taking care of the ball and finding open guys to knock down shots. They boast four of the top seventeen scorers in the conference, led by Sam Jefferson ‘20 (22.8 PPG). Noah Tyson ‘22 (13.8 PPG, 9 REB/G) opened some eyes as a freshman last season, and his quality of play has picked up against Colby’s first two conference games, tallying 16 points against Conn and 24 against Trinity. Rebounding may be a concern moving forward as the Mules tend to go with a smaller-than-average lineup, but this team is equipped with so many knockdown shooters that they can change a close game to a blowout in a blink of an eye. 

(1) 2. #5 Middlebury (15-1, 1-1)

Last week: L 81-69 @ Amherst, W 77-76 @ Hamilton
This week: vs. Colby, vs. Bowdoin

Panthers’ faithful might be a bit irked to find their squad at number two in this edition of the power rankings, but there is plenty to be excited about going forward. After a disappointing showing in both the NESCAC and NCAA Tournament(s), I am certain Coach Brown and his squad are hungry to bounce back and make a deep postseason run. Thus far, their play has garnered them a top five ranking in the national polls, with their sole blemish coming recently against Amherst in their first conference game of the season. Jack Farrell ‘21 leads a deep group of players in which five average double figures and another three chip in at least 5.5 points per game. Farrell has reached double digits in all sixteen games, including a season-high 31 against Endicott. Tommy Eastman ‘21 had a monster game against Hamilton, going for 23 points and 12 boards. If he continues to play at that level alongside Farrell, Max Bosco ‘21 and company, the Panthers have more than enough offensive firepower to upend the Mules and stake claim as the best team in the conference.

(3) 3. Tufts (11-3, 1-0)

Last week: W 92-85 @ Wesleyan
This week: vs. Hamilton, vs. Amherst

It might be a surprise to see the Jumbos listed as high as number three on this list, but after a somewhat deflating 2018 regular season, Tufts has roared out to an impressive start. Few big men can match up with Luke Rogers ‘22, whose 15.7 PPG lead the Jumbos and his 12.7 REB/G lead all of the NESCAC. With Rogers garnering attention down low, it allows for veteran guards like Eric Savage ‘20 (14.8 PPG) and Brennan Morris ‘21 (11.7 PPG) to execute the offense at an efficient level, working inside and out to shuffle defenses around. In their opening win against Wesleyan, Rogers had another double-double (23 points to go along with 10 rebounds), and the Jumbos shot close to 55% from the field and sank 13 triples. If they can continue operating on offense in this manner while cleaning up the free throw percentage (converting only 15-24 against Wesleyan and 68% on the year), then this team will finish in the top four and garner some attention for an at-large bid when it comes time for NCAA Tournament selection. 

(4) 4. #22 Amherst (10-4, 1-1)

Last week: W 81-69 vs. Middlebury, L 72-69 vs. Williams
This week: @ Bates, @ Tufts

Don’t get me wrong – knocking off what was an undefeated Middlebury team is something that should be valued and highlighted when analyzing a team’s overall body of work.  As strong of a win as that is, however, Amherst finds themselves fourth in the power rankings due to their inconsistent play against conference foes. Their game against Wesleyan was considered a non-conference affair; however, I personally don’t consider the Cardinals as a strong opponent this season, and that loss certainly was something Amherst could have avoided heading into their conference slate. The big victory against the Panthers was followed by a loss to rival Williams, who at 7-7 is looking to be more of a bottom-half finisher in the 2019-2020 NESCAC season. Similarly to the University of Virginia, Amherst wins with its prolific defense, holding opponents to under 64 PPG. They’re 7-0 when holding opponents under 65 points, but Williams and Wesleyan were both able to get into the 70’s range. Eric Sellew ‘20 leads the team in scoring thus far in conference play, but the Mammoths need someone or two to step up from long range and bring some variety to an offense that doesn’t score a ton from deep. 

(5) 5. Hamilton (11-3, 1-1)

Last week: W 79-78 vs. Williams, L 77-76 vs. Middlebury
This week: @ Tufts, @ Bates

It’s basically Kena Gilmour ‘20 vs. everybody when talking about the Continentals. The senior is tied with Jefferson of Colby as the conference’s leading scorer at 22.8 PPG, and no one other than the senior averages double figures (for the season) for Hamilton. It’s clear the offense revolves around him as evidenced by the sheer number of shots he throws up, but thus far the plan is somewhat working. The Continentals have split two conference games (each by a single point) with that one loss coming against Middlebury. Gilmour will most certainly need help around him as his supporting cast looks vastly different than the team that guided Hamilton to the Sweet Sixteen a year ago. Eric Anderson ‘22 seems the most likely candidate to become the Robin to Gilmour’s Batman, as the sophomore is putting in 14.5 PPG in their two conference matchups to date. 

(9) 6. Bates (8-4, 1-0)

Last week: W 81-80 @ Wesleyan
This week: vs. Amherst, vs. Hamilton

It was an absolute rollercoaster of a performance, but the Bobcats managed to escape Middletown with a win over the Cardinals in their preliminary conference tilt.  Kody Greenhalgh ‘20 went from allowing a four-point play with eleven seconds remaining to give the Cardinals the lead, to then scoring a heavily-contested, game-winning layup.  An overall record of 8-4 at this point in the season is pretty solid, and that victory over Wesleyan was imperative if Bates wanted to make some noise in the ‘CAC this season. Greenhalgh joins the veteran Spellman ‘20 (15.5 PPG, 4.2 REB/G) as the two leading scorers, but there are a plethora of guys who can explode on any given night. with some major opportunities to pick up quality wins in the recent future. Stephon Baxter ‘23 is a name to watch for rookie of the year consideration; although his scoring average (8.9 PPG) doesn’t jump off the page, the point guard is a tenacious defender, takes smart shots and is hitting close to 45% of his three point attempts. Thomas Coyne ‘20 is always a threat from behind the arc, and the emergence of Omar Sarr ‘23 as a shotblocker and rebounder has helped a team lacking height tremendously. Given that their next four NESCAC games are Amherst, Hamilton, Tufts and Colby, the Bobcats have plenty of opportunities to snatch up wins against quality opponents. 

(7) 7. Trinity (10-5, 1-1)

Last week: W 84-70 @ Bowdoin, L 91-77 @ Colby
This week: vs. Wesleyan

Aside from the Bobcats, the Bantams are a secondary selection as a dark horse to finish in the top five of the league standings. They boast one of the best rebounding squads in the league and four legit scorers. One name to watch is forward Donald Jorden ‘21 – the junior is shooting over 67% from the field, and given that he only averages 11.7 PPG, I’d advocate for a higher feature role for Jorden if he’s putting the ball in the basket that frequently. The Bantams were beating Colby by seven at intermission before the Mules exploded for 54 points in the second half, so this Trinity team does have what it takes to compete with the upper echelon of this league. Defensively, the Bantams will want to tighten up, and a date with Wesleyan will provide them that test. 

(8) 8. Williams (7-7, 1-1)

Last week: L 79-78 @ Hamilton, W 72-69 @ Amherst
This week: vs. Bowdoin, vs. Colby

This team experienced a ton of roster turnover from last year’s senior-laden team, but even with the emergence of fellow Nothing but NESCAC writer Max Karpowicz ‘20 as the team’s go-to scoring option, the Ephs struggled in their non-conference games heading into league play.  The good news is that the level of play seems to have improved quite rapidly in their games against Hamilton and Amherst. Karpowicz’s (16.0 PPG, 9.1 REB/G) 21 point-performance paced the team in their hard-fought win over Amherst. The Ephs were also missing standout freshman Cole Prowitt-Smith ‘23 (13.3 PPG), validating the win as even more impressive given their offensive woes that plagued them early on. In no way is this ranking meant to indicate that the Ephs should panic, as there are plenty of opportunities in this league to rack up significant victories; moreover, I think this is the floor for Williams, and I expect them to move up given the talent they still possess. 

(6) 9. Wesleyan (9-5, 0-2)

Last week: L 92-85 vs. Tufts, L 81-80 vs. Bates
This week: @ Trinity, vs. Conn College

The loss of Austin Hutcherson ‘21 to the University of Illinois was undoubtedly a huge blow to a Wesleyan squad that had high hopes for the 2019-2020 season. A 9-5 record is nothing to be ashamed about, but the Bates game presented an opportunity to bounce back from a close loss to Tufts. Instead, the loss at home was especially deflating given the manner in which it happened, and a non-conference loss to Johnson & Wales pushed their losing streak to three. They’ve struggled to score for the most part, averaging under 74 ppg and shooting just 41% from the field. Jordan James ‘21 and Antone Walker ‘21 form a nice scoring duo, but the Cardinals lack depth to continuously push the pace and put the ball in the basket for 60 minutes. Additionally, they’ve allowed 80+ points in each of their two conference games, something that needs to be corrected quickly. A matchup against Trinity might not allow them the chance to fix their flaws on the defensive side, but it could allow them the chance to fine tune their offense. 

(10) 10. Bowdoin (5-8, 1-1)

Last week: L 84-70 vs. Trinity, W 87-70 vs. Conn College
This week: @ Williams, @ Middlebury

Apart from its past two games, the Bowdoin offense has been a disaster. They slot in ahead of only Conn in terms of points per game, and aside from David Reynolds ‘20, no one on this team is really playing up to the standard this team needs in order for them to be a serious contender for a top-eight finish. They lost to Trin by fourteen, right after getting absolutely pounded by rival Colby 108-62 (yikes). They did end their losing streak with a much-needed 17-point victory over Conn, scoring 87 points in the process. Reynolds carried the team with 29 points, and both Sam Grad ‘21 and Manav Randhawa ‘23 chipped in with fourteen points apiece. Maybe the offense has found some sort of groove these past two games, but it seems unlikely that they can compete with the likes of Middlebury or Williams this weekend. 

(11) 11. Conn College (3-11, 0-2)

Last week: L 83-50 @ Colby, L 87-70 @ Bowdoin
This week: @ Wesleyan

This team wasn’t very good last year, and with the departure of David Labossiere ‘19, many around the league would agree that not much was expected from Conn this season.  At this point, it seems likely that they will go winless in conference play for a third consecutive year. Everything seems to be a problem: the Camels are averaging 62.8 PPG while allowing close to 75 PPG while committing close to 18 turnovers per contest.  That recipe will certainly not win you many basketball games, and in this case, the Camels have just three wins on their schedule to date. Dan Draffan ‘21 (12.4 PPG, 7.5 REB/G) and newcomer Ben McPherron ‘23 (11.6 PPG) lead the way, but both are inconsistent and McPherron only shoots an abysmal 34% from the floor. Maybe they can pull a miracle win in their remaining league games, but every league game forthcoming will be quite the challenge for these bottom-dwellers. 

That Time of the Year: Mid Season NESCAC Power Rankings

Mid Season Power Rankings

It’s finally time for NESCAC basketball. The only thing that makes the New England winters bearable is packing the gym to watch our beloved basketball teams battle it out for a chance to get to the NCAA Tournament. We’ve been a bit behind on our basketball coverage so far with some writer turnover, but it looks like we’re back on track so it’s time to give everyone the first power ranking of the season. As we all know, NESCAC teams traditionally beat up on non-conference opponents, so it isn’t until conference play when we really get to learn a lot about where everyone stands. I mean when you’ve got 9 teams above .500 that’s pretty ridiculous. NESCAC teams are a combined 91-36 so far and I haven’t done my research, but I have a hard time believing any conference out there is doing better. Anyways, let’s get down to it:

1. #3 Middlebury (13-0)

Friday: at Amherst
Saturday: at Hamilton

Not much of a surprise here. The Panthers have played one of the more challenging schedules in the league to this point and they still have yet to lose. Wins over Endicott, Stevens, and Springfield standout in particular as these are teams who have spent time in the national rankings recently. Coach Brown has built this team under the classic model – they’ve got the prototypical, crafty center in Alex Sobel ’22, the reliable wing in Matt Folger ’20, the star guard in Jack Farrell ’21, and a rotation of versatile scorers who, if left unchecked, will shoot you out of the gym. This is an incredibly well disciplined team that commits the fewest fouls per game of any team in the NESCAC and turns the ball over less than anyone besides Amherst. What is especially interesting is that Middlebury has potentially the most difficult matchups in the opening conference weekend, so we’re about to learn a lot about this team. Coming home with road wins in western Mass and upstate New York is a pretty good way to earn your no. 3 national ranking.

2. #12 Colby (11-0)

Friday: vs. Conn College
Saturday: vs. Trinity

Without a doubt the biggest story of the year so far is whatever is happening in Waterville. I don’t know what they’re putting in the water up there, but the Mules have been playing out of their freaking minds. Colby is home to 2 of the league’s top 5 scorers (Sam Jefferson ’20 and Matt Hanna ’21), while Noah Tyson ’22 also cracks the top 5 in rebounding. These guys lead the conference in field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, and total scoring, so you better be ready for a shootout whenever the Mules are in town. The only reason I’m at all skeptical is because they’ve only played 3 teams so far with winning records and none of these 3 (Gordon, New England College, ME-Farmington) are known for being basketball powerhouses. With that being said, there’s a reason they’re one of the only two undefeated teams left so this is their spot to lose. Things are looking pretty bright right now for the NESCAC’s northernmost school.

3. Tufts (10-2)

Friday: at Wesleyan

The Jumbos are off to a very nice start to the season with their only two losses coming against WPI and Babson, both of whom are in the nation’s top 25. Eric Savage ’20 is doing a terrific job leading this team as captain and lone senior, putting up 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. Luke Rogers ’21 has also had a fantastic start to the season, leading the NESCAC with 12.5 rebounds per game, while also chipping in 14.4 points per game as well. Like Middlebury, Tufts has the right formula for success – an outstanding center surrounded by guards (of varying sizes) who can all shoot the ball well and defend at a high level. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them crack the top 25 in the near future. They have a tough matchup tomorrow on the road against a hot Wesleyan team, so if they come away with a win that’ll really make some noise.

4. #15 Amherst (9-3)

Friday: vs. Middlebury
Saturday: vs. Williams

The team formerly known as the Lord Jeffs probably would’ve found themselves a spot higher in these rankings if not for their setback on Tuesday at Wesleyan. Fortunately for them, their game with the Cardinals was technically non-conference and these rankings don’t actually mean anything so it looks like they’re in the clear. If anything this loss should light a fire under Amherst because they’ve got a very tough weekend ahead against Williams and Middlebury. Eric Sellew ’20 is quietly one of the most efficient players in the conference, averaging 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists per game while shooting over 50% from the field in just 22 minutes per game. Interim Head Coach Aaron Toomey has played a lot of guys so far and hasn’t overworked his starters at all, so I’d look for them to see more minutes this weekend now that the games really start to matter. I wouldn’t be surprised to wake up Sunday morning to find the Mammoths at 2-0.

5. Hamilton (10-2)

Friday: vs. Williams
Saturday: vs. Middlebury

Hamilton is a team that has been pretty hard to read so far. We know they have the star power in Kena Gilmour ’20, the reigning NESCAC Player of the Year, but they still haven’t seemed to figure out who else is going to step up. No one besides Gilmour has had a 20-point game this season and he’s also the only starter to be averaging double figures in scoring. They need a more consistent secondary scoring option to have any success in NESCAC play. The Continentals also have a few solid wins under their belt, but also have a 21-point loss to a SUNY Purchase squad that isn’t anything to write home about. They have a chance this weekend send a message and prove that they belong, but if Gilmour is the only one who shows up then we may not see the Conts this high on the list next week.

6. Wesleyan (9-2)

Friday: vs. Tufts
Sunday: vs. Bates

I’ll be the first to say that the Cardinals’ win over Amherst this week was very impressive, but I’m still not entirely sold. They’ve been blown out twice this year at the hands of Williams and Eastern Connecticut, neither of whom have had particularly hot starts to the year. They’ve done a solid job so far at replacing their top 3 guys from last season and junior guard Antone Walker ’21 showed that he has the clutch gene, hitting two free throws with just 5 seconds left to take down the 15th-ranked Mammoths. Jordan James ’21 continues to be one of the most effective big men in the league, recording 13.5 points and 8 rebounds per game on 63% shooting. With the momentum they have right now, I think Wesleyan could easily take 2 this weekend and prove that the Austin Hutcherson era has officially come and gone.

7. Trinity (9-4)

Friday: at Bowdoin
Saturday: at Colby

The Bantams are probably the most frustrating team to cover because every year they’re remarkably inconsistent. Just when you’re ready to write them off they pull a huge win out of nowhere to make you think twice. All 5 of Trinity’s starters are averaging double figures in scoring, so it’s clear that they share the ball and have many ways to hurt you. Donald Jorden, Jr. ’21 is one of just two players in the league to be averaging a double double and he looks to be putting together an all-NESCAC effort so far. The biggest apparent flaw right now is that the Bantams are 0-4 in games decided by 10 points or less, so they’ve really struggled with the game on the line. This is a serious problem because there really aren’t any bad teams in the NESCAC (besides Conn) so the chances are good that they’ll be playing a good number of close games. If they can’t win a fair share of those games then it’s not going to be a fun season in Hartford.

8. Williams (6-5)

Friday: at Hamilton
Saturday: at Amherst

One of the biggest surprises this year has been the struggles of the Williams College Ephs. I guess it’s not that surprising when you remember that they lost 6 seniors, 3 of which were starters and 2 of which were all-NESCAC honorees. That said, they’re still loaded with talent and a closer look shows you that they’re realistically a few bounces away from being 7-3 or 8-2. Cole Prowitt-Smith ’23 has emerged as the early frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, but he gets a bit out of control at times and has shown some immaturity down the stretch in a few of their games. Matt Karpowicz ’20 is easily the best big man in the league and has had an excellent season so far, but he can’t do it all himself. The Ephs are still the Ephs and I think they’ll hit their stride eventually, but the question is how long will that take?

9. Bates (7-4)

Sunday: at Wesleyan

The Bobcats have pretty much beaten all the bad teams and lost to all the good teams that they’ve played so far, so I guess you could call them average. Ah, the NESCAC, where the 9th best team is 7-4 and considered “average.” Jeff Spellman ’20 is having another solid year but has shot a fairly low percentage and often looks like he’s trying to do too much by himself. Omar Sarr ’23 has improved every game and at times looks like an awfully good big man, but he hasn’t played a ton of minutes and gets into foul trouble a good amount. The backcourt duo of Kody Greenhalgh ’20 and Tom Coyne ’20 can hang 20 on you on any given night, but those games have been few and far between this year. The fun thing about Bates is that they have such an unbelievable home court advantage it makes for some surprising wins. Unfortunately they have to travel to Middletown on Sunday for their lone contest of the weekend, so expectations are a bit lower.

10. Bowdoin (4-6)

Friday: vs. Trinity
Saturday: vs. Conn College

I didn’t expect the Polar Bears to be particularly good this year, but they’ve actually been quite bad so far. Zavier Rucker ’21, David Reynolds ’20, and Sam Grad ’20 are the only players that seem capable of scoring and they pretty much have to play the entire game since Bowdoin has less depth than LeBron’s early Cavs teams. The problem is that Bowdoin also doesn’t have LeBron on their team, so they haven’t won very many games. The good news is they have the easiest opening weekend schedule, so it’s an opportunity to forget their non-conference struggles and get on track for the most important part of the season. I don’t know exactly how you’re supposed to respond after a 46-point loss, but I guess we’ll find out tomorrow when the Bantams come to town. Thankfully for the Polar Bears, Conn College has a basketball team…

11. Conn College (3-8)

Friday: at Colby
Saturday: at Bowdoin

The Camels are never very good and this year looks like the same old story. They graduated their best player from last year in David Labossiere and they don’t have a particularly strong senior class following him. Their best hope is the recent hire of their new head coach, Tim Sweeney, who came from Hobart where he had some very successful seasons. Dan Draffan ’21 is the team’s best player putting up 13 points and 8 rebounds per game and freshman Ben McPherron ’23 looks promising so far, but they’ve got a very long way to go. It would be very surprising to see this team win a game in conference play.

Size Matters: Bates Men’s Basketball Preview 2019-2020

Bates College Bobcats

2018-2019 Record: 7-17 (3-7 NESCAC), did not qualify for NESCAC Tournament

2019-2020 Projected Record: 12-12 (4-6 NESCAC)

Key Losses: C Nick Lynch, G Max Hummel, F Brandon Galloway

Projected Starting Lineup:

G: Jeff Spellman ’20 (15.4 PPG, 5.0 REB/G, 4.1 AST/G)

Last season Spellman made the leap from good to great. He saw his already solid scoring, rebounding, and assist numbers increase and he established himself as one of the most explosive guards in the league. This guy can beat anyone off the dribble and is able to create his own shot with ease, making him the go-to guy when they need a basket. The only danger for Spellman this year is that he tries to do too much on his own. He’s the best player on the team hands down, but he’s got 14 other guys on the roster who are capable of holding their own at this level, too. If the Bobcats get over-reliant on Spellman’s ability, their offense will get predictable and very easy to stop. If he can do his part to create looks for other guys on the team then opponents will be forced to respect the other options and Spellman, in turn, will benefit.

G: Nick Gilpin ’20 (5.5 PPG, 3.2 REB/G, 2.9 AST/G)

Filling the obligatory “coach’s son” role, Gilpin is the steady hand on the team. The point guard doesn’t always fill out the stat sheet, but he always has an impact on the game. Coming into this season, Gilpin had played in 73 career basketball games at Bates and started 65 of them – this kid has seen it all. His numbers have remained relatively steady over the course of his career, which makes it easy to know what you’re going to get out of him but hard to know what areas he can really improve in. At first glance it sort of seems like he should be scoring more. He definitely is a pass-first point guard, but he’s shot over 40% from the field in his career and over 40% from beyond the arc, as well. With that being said, he has never averaged more than 6.1 points per game in a single season during his career, so it makes you wonder why he’s not shooting more. If he can increase his scoring output just a tad to complement Spellman in the backcourt, then this will be a very challenging team to stop.

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

Mortimer will play one of the most important roles this season for Bates. At 6’4” and 185lbs, Morty is one of the only guys that can match up physically with some of the bigger wings that they’ll see from teams like Hamilton or Williams. He’s got the quickness to beat guys off the dribble and the strength and athleticism to go strong to the rim and absorb contact through the finish. He’ll also be asked to rebound at a higher level this season given that the Bobcats were dead last in rebounding a year ago. Like Gilpin, Mortimer’s numbers have remained largely the same in the early part of his career so if Bates is going to get better this year it’ll have to start with more production from guys like Morty.

F: Andrew Snoddy ’22 (7.1 PPG, 3.8 REB/G, 50.5% FG)

Unfortunate injury ended Snoddy’s freshman campaign, but he looked very good in his short time. His lanky build distracts from the fact that Snoddy has some pretty legit athleticism and he’ll jump through the roof when you’re least expecting it. It’ll be tough for him to match up physically with some of the bigger wings as well, but he has the athleticism to do it. Shooting over 50% from the field is an excellent sign of production, but it’s a bit deceiving because he was only 3-19 from 3-point land. If he’s able to expand his range this year then teams will have a very difficult time preventing the Bobcats from spreading the floor and shooting them out of the gym. Snoddy will also need to step up on the glass this year because there really isn’t anyone on the roster who has had rebounding success in the past and rebounding was easily their biggest weakness from last season.

C: Kenny Aruwajoye ’22 (2.3 PPG, 2.9 REB/G)

There will likely be no one who is asked to take a bigger step forward this year than Kenny. He played sparingly as a freshman, mostly just filling in when C Nick Lynch needed a break. Now he’s the most experienced center on the roster and he’ll have to match up with the likes of Matt Karpowicz from Williams and Luke Rogers from Tufts. Defense and rebounding will be the focus for Aruwajoye because if he can negate the effects of some of the league’s top centers, the rest of the team will take it from there. His touch around the rim is getting better by the day and if he can prove that he’s capable of knocking down a 10-12 footer when left open then that opens up a world of options for the Bobcat offense. Fortunately Coach Furbush brought in a few freshmen big men so Aruwajoye will get to rest when he needs it, but he’ll still be asked to shoulder the majority of the low-post workload.

Everything Else:

The 2019-2020 season looks to be a very interesting one for the Bobcats. They’ve seen success in the recent past, but struggled last season and failed to qualify for postseason play for the second consecutive year. After the graduation of the Delpeche twins in 2017, Bates has had a hard time finding a solid replacement down low, and have subsequently seen huge dips in their rebounding numbers. It seems that Coach Furbush has finally been able to address this problem by bringing in Jacob Iwowo ’23, Omar Sarr ’23, and Cam Riley ’23, who stand at 6’7”, 6’8”, and 6’9”, respectively. Iwowo is a bit skinnier and isn’t a true center, but Riley has a similar build to Matt Karpowicz of Williams and projects to be a very fine center if he can stay in shape enough to make it up and down the court all game. Sarr is also a big body that can anchor the post, but he possesses a bit more athleticism than Riley, which means that they may even be able to put the two of them on the court together if they want to go with a bigger lineup.

Given that size has been their problem, Bates has a number of experienced guards coming off the bench. Tom Coyne ’20 is one of the deadliest sharpshooters in the league and he usually ends up doing quite a bit of scoring for the Bobcats, playing over 20 minutes per game despite not being in the starting lineup. Kody Greenhalgh ’20 also brings a wealth of experience and athleticism, playing a similar style to Jeff Spellman ’20. He can knock down a three, get to the rim, and defend at a high level, making him an excellent spark of energy off the bench. Freshman Stephon Baxter ’23 also adds a dynamic playmaker to the backcourt, as he has the quickness and basketball IQ to see significant playing time in his rookie season.

This is one of those “off years” for Bates, where they only have 4 home conference games as opposed to 6 road games. Only Amherst, Hamilton, Bowdoin, and Colby will have the pleasure of dealing with the raucous Bobcat crowd that sits within arm’s reach of the players on the court. Speaking of which, I’m going to take a quick moment to discuss the newly labeled student section in Alumni Gym. Bates has added a banner reading, “’Cats Clutter” that hangs directly over the student section behind the far basket in their gym, and it’s actually sort of a bummer for two key reasons. The first reason being that the best spot to sit from a fan’s perspective is not at the end of the court (granted someone has to sit there), but in the corner of the gym adjacent to the student section where if you sit in the front row you have to be careful that you don’t trip a player or referee running down the side line. It’s a lot of fun being so close to the court that no one can hear the chirping going on besides the fans and the players they’re going after. The second (and more important) reason is the fact that “The Litter Box” is clearly a better and more appropriate name for the fan section. It still covers the cat metaphor that they were going for while more aptly describing the array of individuals that chose to attend the basketball games. Would you rather get heckled for 40 minutes by a gathering of felines or by a collection of rowdy fans who openly call themselves pieces of crap? I rest my case.

Either way this is sure to be a fun year for Bates as they look to get back to their winning ways. They’ve got a good mix of seasoned vets and developing youngsters, which should serve them well as the season progresses. The biggest foreseeable issue is the lack of post experience: the Bobcats now have 3 true centers on their roster but 2 of them are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. Division III basketball isn’t known for having dominant big men, but the NESCAC is the exception. Nearly every school in the conference has a guy or two that are 6’8”+ and can bang around down low with the best of them. It will come down to how quickly the freshmen can develop because if they can add productive minutes, even in short stints, then the experienced backcourt should be able to take them where they need to go. However much success they have in grooming their big men will likely define the direction that their season will go.

Final Regular Season Power Rankings

March is Overrated, “February Frenzy” is Upon Us – Power Rankings 2/13

Chaos doesn’t even begin to describe this week’s edition of the Power Rankings. Heck, we didn’t even know that Midd was the #1 seed until last night! In these past two weeks, we’ve witnessed the unexpected: Williams tumbling out of the top three? Yup. Trinity catching fire late while Wesleyan sinks like a stone? Sure. Amherst blitzing past everyone in their path? Check. These two weeks have proven that any of the top eight teams in the postseason tournament have the ability to get hot and win the entire thing, which makes for an extremely entertaining set of games. It’s also an indicator that the teams we consider to be a part of the upper echelon of NESCAC basketball are nowhere near safe, even in their opening games. Without further ado, here’s my interpretation of the madness.

(5) 1. #11 Amherst (20-3, 7-2)

At this very moment, no team is hotter than the Mammoths. Winning six straight conference games until last night was no easy task, especially considering the volatile nature of the NESCAC this season. Their two most impressive wins of the season came last weekend; on Friday, the Mammoths traveled to Williamstown and secured a season-sweep of rival Williams, and if that wasn’t enough, they followed up that performance with a road win against Middlebury. Grant Robinson ‘21 (19.0 PPG last two games) and Fru Che ‘21 (15.0 PPG last two games) paced the Amherst attack, and bench players Garrett Day ‘21 and C.J. Bachmann ‘19 reach double figures in both contests. What’s more impressive is Amherst is a team that usually grinds down teams with its defense, but against the Panthers they proved they can outscore teams by dropping 97 points.  Even with their loss to Hamilton last night, I’d still consider Amherst as the front-runner for the NESCAC Championship.

(3) 2. #25 Middlebury (18-6, 7-3)

If the Panthers had defeated the Mammoths on Saturday, they would have clinched regular season crown; instead, they had to wait for Hamilton to knock off Amherst. A weekend split between Hamilton and Amherst is nothing to be ashamed of, however, and the Panthers’ win against the Continentals was massive in the sense that the result ensured they would earn a top two seed for the postseason tournament. Jack Farrell’s ‘21 18 points paced Middlebury against the Continentals, but it was sharpshooter Max Bosco ‘21 who sunk a three-pointer with 2.4 seconds left to give the Panthers their seventh conference win. The Panther defense that had been brilliant in recent games was non-existent in their matchup with Amherst, as Middlebury allowed a season-high 97 points, including 56 in the second half. The Panthers will now turn their focus to their matchup against Tufts in the first round of the postseason tournament and will be expected to advance.

(4) 3. #10 Hamilton (20-6, 6-3)

The Continentals bounced back from their heartbreaking defeat against the Panthers with huge wins against Williams and against Hamilton. Those wins cemented their place as the two seed for the postseason tournament. Kena Gilmour ‘20 was sensational, registering 25 points, six rebounds and four assists, as three other players joined him with double figures in the scoring department. Hamilton also held the Ephs to just 7-23 from beyond the arc and forced 16 turnovers in the process. The Continentals have really picked up the quality of their play in recent games even with the one blemish against Middlebury, and they’ll be undoubtedly one of the favorites in the NESCAC tournament and possibly beyond.

(1) 4. #18 Williams (19-5, 6-4)

What on Earth is going on in Williamstown? No one would have predicted the former #2 team in the country to endure a three-game losing streak this late in the season and plummet to #18 in the national rankings. After defeating Colby, the Ephs and the rest of the NESCAC community were left stunned when Bowdoin’s Sam Grad ‘21 nailed a game-winning three in overtime. This past weekend, Williams lost to rival Amherst, and if that wasn’t bad enough, their second-leading scorer, James Heskett ‘19, tweaked his ankle and missed their regular season finale against Hamilton. Word on the street is he should be ready to go in their quarterfinal matchup, and he’ll be needed because Bobby Casey ‘19 cannot do it all by himself, despite averaging 21.0 PPG over their last three. The Ephs might want to focus their attention on the whole defensive thing: They’ve allowed opposing teams to shoot 52.2% in the past three games, including 44.7% from downtown.

(9) 5. Trinity (17-7, 6-4)

After getting absolutely pounded by Williams and Middlebury by a combined 71 points (ouch), Trinity was sitting at 2-4 in conference with just four games remaining. Their win against in-state rival Wesleyan completely re-energized this squad, and the Bantams rattled off three straight  conference wins against Conn, Tufts and Bates to soar up the standings into fifth place. Their most recent win against Tufts was the most impressive sans the upset against Wesleyan, as the Bantams dominated the Jumbos from start to finish en route to an emphatic 20 point victory. Four players reached double-digits, led by Donald Jorden Jr.’s ‘21 20 point, 10 rebound performance. Trinity now has plenty of momentum heading into their quarterfinal matchup, and the league’s fourth best defense will have to be ready to shut down a Williams team that hung 85 on them last time out.

(2) 6. Wesleyan (16-8, 6-4)

Even with the loss to Tufts, Wesleyan looked like it was in position to snag a top three seed. They had a very favorable remaining schedule and already boasted wins against Middlebury, Hamilton and Amherst. Then came the loss to Trinity, but hey, the Cardinals only shot 19% from deep and when you have an in-state rivalry game, anything can happen. Next up was a non-conference loss to Amherst; not a huge deal considering Amherst is a great squad and it was only a one point loss, but concerning because Austin Hutcherson ‘21 struggled to score for the third consecutive game. Stopping the bleeding after the Amherst loss was essential in order for the Cardinals to hold on to a top three seed; well, the Cardinals responded by going down 26 points – at halftime – to Colby, and despite a frantic comeback, the deficit was too large to overcome. Hutcherson had a horrific first half (5 points, 2-11 from the field) before finding his stroke in the final twenty minutes, and only one player (Sam Peek ‘22) contributed off the Cardinals’ bench. Hutcherson (37 points) and Wesleyan bounced back the following day by annihilating Bowdoin, but the damage from their recent defeats was done and Wesleyan fell in the standings to simply a middle-tier team. Don’t get me wrong: Wesleyan certainly has the capability to make a deep run in the postseason, but the shine from their blazing start has worn off and those three losses severely hampered their quest  an NCAA at-large selection. Winning the tournament might be the only way we see Hutcherson, Jordan Bonner ‘19, and company make it to the Big Dance.

(6) 7. Colby (17-7, 5-5)

If I’m being completely honest, I have no idea what to think of this team. Colby has some of the strongest wins in league play (@ Amherst, @ Hamilton, and this past Friday, @ Wesleyan). Against the Cardinals, Matt Hanna ‘21 (19 points) led the offensive assault as the Mules drained 18 three’s, and freshman sensation Noah Tyson ‘22 recorded a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) while knocking down four triples of his own. Their performance against Conn on Saturday, however, was much less exciting, as the Mules were unable to finish off the only winless NESCAC squad until the very waning minutes. Sam Jefferson ‘20 (20 points, carried an offense that hit only 39.7% of their shots, 21.1% from deep, and a head-scratching 58.3% from the charity stripe. As strong as some of their wins are, the Mules do own losses against both Bates and Bowdoin, so maybe it’s just an instance of Colby playing to the level of their competition? If so, it’s good news that this team will open up the NESCAC tournament against the #2 seed, Hamilton.

(7) 8. Tufts (11-13, 4-6)

On February 1st, The Jumbos sat one game ahead of Bowdoin for the eighth seed in the NESCAC standings with three games to play. One win in those three games would have ensured their participation in postseason ball. Well, the Jumbos proceeded to get whacked by Amherst, lose a close one to Hamilton, and get annihilated yet again, this time by Trinity. Luckily, the Jumbos own the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Polar Bears, so despite their three-game losing streak, Tufts lives to see another day. In their most recent loss to Trinity, Eric Savage ‘20 led the Jumbos with 20 points and big man Luke Rogers ‘21 (14 points, 11 rebounds) added yet another double-double to the stat sheet, but the defense (or lack thereof) is a real cause of concern for Coach Sheldon and his team. Tufts is dead last in defensive PPG, FG% and 3PFG%. The boys in brown and blue have a lot of work to do this week in order to prepare for their first round matchup.

(10) 9. Bowdoin (15-9, 4-6)

The win against Conn gave the Polar Bears a real shot at snagging the seventh seed from Colby (due to their head-to-head victory over the Mules back in January), as long as they could beat a Wesleyan team in full nosedive mode. The Polar Bears trailed by nine at half, and were eventually run out of the gym as they saw their postseason hopes fade away in what was surely one of their worst performances of the season. They shot just 36.2%, and David Reynolds ‘20 and Jack Simonds ‘19 combined to shoot just 9-26 from the field. The defense was porous to say the least, allowing Austin Hutcherson to explode for 37 points as he and the Cardinals hit at a 54.5% clip on the day. What’s more, the Polar Bears committed 19 fouls, leading to 26 free throw attempts for Wesleyan. All in all, the poor performance will certainly leave a bitter taste for Polar Bear fans, who will have to wait until next season to see if their squad can make the postseason dance.

(8) 10. Bates (7-17, 3-7)

I really thought the Bobcats were going to make a late push for a playoff spot, but they ran out of gas and dropped their last three league games. Defending the long ball has been a weak spot for Bates all season, and it was evident in their losses against Hamilton and Trinity. Despite forcing 21 turnovers against the Continentals, the Bobcats allowed them to sink 16 triples, and the Bantams drained 13 of their own in what proved to be the difference in a tightly-contested contest. Center Nick Lynch ‘19 capped off his career with a 20-point performance against Trinity before fouling out with 1:12 left, and Jeff Spellman ‘20 came alive with 14 points in the second half, helping erase an 11 point deficit with under five minutes and claw within one point. With the season over for the ‘Cats, there’s plenty to look forward to as Spellman, Kody Greenhalgh ‘20, Tom Coyne ‘20 and Nick Gilpin ‘20 will all return for the 2019-2020 season; the biggest concern will be filling the role of Lynch (13.4 PPG, 7.3 REB/G).

(11) 11. Conn (7-17, 0-10)

The Camels had nothing to play for this weekend, but credit this team for fighting hard until the very last whistle of their 2018-2019 season. They could have easily folded against Bowdoin and Colby knowing that they were effectively eliminated from postseason ball, but they made the Maine schools earn their wins. Unfortunately, we’re not here to hand out participation trophies, and Conn’s valiant performances does not mask the fact that the Camels have not won a NESCAC game since February 10th, 2017 (a streak that has extended to 21 consecutive games). It does not help that Conn will graduate David Laboissiere ‘19, a prolific scorer who ended a fantastic career with combined 34 points over the two contests. On the bright side, the Camels only graduate three seniors, and forward Dan Draffan ‘21 (21.0 PPG last two games) and company will hope to erase the Camels’ woes on the hardwood next season.

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

Power Rankings 1/30

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

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

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

Last week: W 86-50 vs. Trinity

This week: @ Colby, @ Bowdoin

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

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

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

This week: vs. Trinity

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

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

Last week: W 75-38 vs. Trinity

This week: @ Bowdoin, @ Colby

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

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

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

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

This week: vs. Bates, vs. Tufts

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

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

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

This week: vs. Tufts, vs. Bates

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

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

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

This week: vs. Williams, vs. Middlebury

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

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

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

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

This week: @ Amherst, @ Hamilton

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

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

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

This week: @ Hamilton, @ Amherst

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

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

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

This week: @ Wesleyan, vs. Conn College

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

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

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

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

This week: vs. Middlebury, vs. Williams

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

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

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

This week: @ Trinity

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

Changing of the Guard: Power Rankings 1/24

Power Rankings 1/24

As the title of this week’s Power Rankings suggests, Williams has been ousted from the top spot, something they’ve held for quite some time. If I’m being completely honest, any of the top four teams in this week’s edition of the power rankings has a legitimate case to be ranked number one, and that’s what makes this league so exciting. The chaos from top to bottom surrounding the league’s potential seeding makes every game a must-watch, and with some incredibly important conference games set to take place this weekend, hopefully we’ll get a more clear picture of where teams stand. Or, maybe it’ll be even more chaotic. There’s only one way to find out.

(2) 1. #25 Wesleyan (14-4, 4-1)

Last Week: W 78-70 @ Conn College

This Week: @ Bates, @ Tufts

After going back-and-forth, I’ve decided to stick with the hot hand that is Wesleyan. Since falling to Williams in their conference opener, the Cardinals have rattled off six consecutive wins. Their 4-1 mark in conference play is very impressive and because their conference schedule was front-loaded with teams such as Williams, Hamilton and Middlebury, the Cardinals have one of the league’s easiest remaining schedules. Wesleyan has cemented themselves as a force to be reckoned with; the question that remains, however, is can they beat the teams they’re supposed to beat? The first “test” came Saturday in New London, where the Cardinals staved off a frantic Camels comeback to secure a 78-70 victory. Everything was fine and dandy in the first half as Wesleyan jumped out to a 47-29 lead; the second half was a completely different story, as the Camels went on a 12-0 run to open things up and eventually cut the lead to five with a minute remaining before Wesleyan ended their hopes with some clutch free throw shooting. Austin Hutcherson ‘21 struggled from the field, but Jordan Bonner ‘19 carried the Cardinals with 24 points to go along with 10 rebounds, his 9th double-double of the year. Up next for the Cardinals is a feisty Bates squad before heading down to Medford to take on the Jumbos.

(4) 2. #19 Amherst (14-2, 2-1)

Last Week: postponed @ Hamilton

This Week: vs. Colby, vs. Bowdoin

*From the Nothing But NESCAC Community, our thoughts and prayers go out to Coach Hixon and his family regarding the passing of his mother this past week.

Amherst has quietly been lurking in the background amongst the perennial conference front-runners, but made their presence known with a marquee victory over bitter rival Williams. The Mammoths clawed their way back from an eleven point deficit in the second half, taking the lead with three minutes remaining on a Fru Che ‘21 three pointer. Che ended up scoring the game-winning shot with eight seconds to play to cap an emotional week for the Mammoths, who were without Coach Hixon for the first time in nearly 42 years. Amherst’s defense has been superb in conference play (59 ppg) and held Williams to just 35.8% from the field. This is a deep squad that consists of 11 players averaging 10 min/game or more, and their only conference loss was on the road at Wesleyan on a shot with seconds left. A convincing non-conference victory over a ranked Eastern Connecticut squad will have the team’s confidence sky high as they look to continue their winning ways with home games against Colby and Bowdoin this upcoming weekend.

(1) 3. #8 Williams (16-2, 4-1)

What’s wrong with Williams’ big 3? The trio will need to fix their offensive woes

Last Week: L 80-66 vs. Middlebury

This Week: vs. Trinity

The warning signs were there in their win against Bates, but many people shrugged off the Ephs’ sluggish performance. Their offensive woes continued in their non-conference loss to rival Amherst, but even more painful was a second consecutive loss at home to Middlebury. Some might say dropping Williams to #3 might be harsh, but their coaching staff and players will be the first to tell you they expect better execution than what’s been presented the past few games. This is a team that was averaging well over 85 ppg, but in their last three games against NESCAC opponents has mustered up 75, 62, and 66 points. In their loss to Middlebury, Williams shot an abysmal 2-20 from beyond the arc; Bobby Casey ‘19 was just 1-7 from three, and Kyle Scadlock ‘19 (13.8 ppg) was a non-factor, scoring three points. James Heskett, a normally deadly three point shooter, was a combined 3-24 from downtown in their most recent games against Bates, Amherst and Middlebury. Williams is still talented enough to win if one of the three has an off night, but they need more consistent production from their trio of stars in order to right the ship and fix their offensive woes. Next on tap are the Bantams, who’s defensive statistics are in the top half of all NESCAC teams.

(3) 4. #6 Hamilton (15-1, 2-1)

Last Week: postponed vs. Amherst

This Week: vs. Bowdoin, vs. Colby

Hamilton was supposed to play Amherst on Saturday, but extreme weather conditions postponed the game to a later date. With no non-conference games during the week, Hamilton will have gone ten days without a game when they welcome Bowdoin to campus on Friday. Kena Gilmour ‘20 continues to dazzle for the Continentals, leading the ‘CAC with 20.4 ppg. Like the three teams ranked ahead of them, Hamilton still controls their own destiny in regards to seizing the regular season championship. However, their final two games are absolutely brutal, with road trips to Middlebury and Williams back-to-back and the rescheduled home meeting with Amherst penciled in somewhere near the back portion of the schedule. But before we look too far ahead, Gilmour and co. must take care of business against Bowdoin and Colby – two teams that have no trouble shooting the rock – in order to keep pace with the rest of the league.

(5) 5. Middlebury (14-5, 3-2)

Last Week: W 80-66 @ Williams

This Week: vs. Trinity

I guess the Panthers read my stock report last week, because their defense came to play this past weekend against Williams. Middlebury did everything right: they only turned the ball over eight times (and forced thirteen turnovers of their own), shot 46% from the field while holding the Ephs to just 36.2% (including 10% from three) and converted 86.7% of their free throw attempts. Jack Farrell ‘21, Max Bosco ‘21 and Matt Folger ‘20 continued to set the nets ablaze, accounting for 59 points. Their next stretch of games is an opportunity for the Panthers to separate themselves from the likes of Bowdoin, Trinity, Bates, etc. and secure (at worst) the 5th seed for the conference championship. Middlebury can build off their phenomenal defensive performance when they face Trinity on Sunday, the worst offensive team in the NESCAC.

(6) 6. Trinity (13-5, 2-2)

Last Week: Non-conference

This Week: @ Williams, @ Middlebury

The Bantams were off from NESCAC play this past weekend, where they stomped St. Joseph’s (L.I.) by a score of 92-38. Connor Merinder ‘19 led the way with 21 points and shot 5-6 from beyond the arc, and Trinity shot a season-high 61.8% from the field. The fun will be short-lived, however, because Coach Cosgrove and his squad have two conference games on the road this week that will really test their defensive prowess. First up is a Friday matchup with Williams, a team that is struggling on the offensive end but given their plethora of talent, can erupt at any moment. After a day off, the Bantams will have another go against a top five team, this time against Middlebury. It’s a matchup of contrasting styles, as Middlebury likes to bomb away from deep and can score at will, while the Bantams prefer to grind down their opponents on the defensive end. This game in particular is crucial for the Bantams in order to prove they belong in the discussion for a top six seed come tourney time.

(8) 7. Bowdoin (11-5, 2-2)

Last Week: W 72-69 @ Colby

This Week: @ Hamilton, @ Amherst

The Polar Bears avenged their non-conference loss to Colby earlier in the year with a 72-69 victory up in Waterville. David Reynolds ‘20 was once again the go-to-guy for Bowdoin, as the junior finished with 24 points and 8 rebounds. Jack Simonds ‘19 also had a nice game, tallying 18 points, and big man Hugh O’Neil ‘19 hit the go-ahead shot with 38 seconds remaining. It was a big win for the Polar Bears, who improved to .500 in conference play and into a tie with Trinity and half a game behind Middlebury in the conference standings. Road trips with Hamilton and Amherst certainly doesn’t bode well on paper, but if the duo of Reynolds and Simonds continues to put up lofty scoring numbers, they just might have a chance to spring an upset or two away from home.

(10) 8. Bates (5-12, 2-3)

Kody Greenhalgh ‘20 puts his athleticism on full display, driving to the hole for a layup

Last Week: W 76-65 vs. Tufts

This Week: vs. Wesleyan, vs. Conn

After two close contests against Williams and Midd, the Bobcats finally picked up a conference win on their own floor against the Jumbos by a score of 76-65. Nick Lynch ‘19 scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half and juniors Jeff Spellman ‘20 (16 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) and Kody Greenhalgh ‘20 (14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals) were extremely active on both sides of the court.  The return of Tom Coyne ‘20 has been monumental for the Bobcats, and the sniper from long range turned in another impressive performance with 18 off the bench. The defense has played significantly better since allowing 100 to Middlebury, forcing 17 turnovers against Tufts and holding them to just 34.8% from the field. This team is peaking at the right time, and welcomes both the best team in the conference and the worst team to Alumni Gym this weekend. Saturday’s tilt with Conn is an absolute must win if the Bobcats want to secure a spot in the conference tournament, but they most certainly have a chance to knock off the Cardinals. It’s going to be an extremely exciting weekend for Bobcat fans.

(7) 9. Tufts (8-10, 2-3)

Last Week: L 76-65 @ Bates

This Week: vs. Conn, vs. Wesleyan

If the Jumbos defeated Bates, they more than likely would have solidified a place in the conference tournament barring a collapse down the stretch. Instead, they’re on the outside looking in. Luke Rogers ‘21 (18 points, 10 rebounds) was the only bright spot for a team that struggled to shoot the ball on Saturday, and the big man will be a thorn for opposing teams in the years to come. The starting five combined to shoot a paltry 3-18 from three, and as a team the Jumbos struggled mightily from the charity stripe (52.6%). They have the inverse schedule of Bates this weekend, with Conn first up to visit Medford on Friday followed by Wesleyan. Similar to the Bobcats, the Jumbos cannot afford to trip up against a Conn squad that did show some fight against Wesleyan, as a loss would all but doom their hopes of making the postseason dance.

(9) 10. Colby (13-5, 1-3)

Last Week: L 72-69 vs. Bowdoin

This Week: @ Amherst, @ Hamilton

The game between Bowdoin and Colby presented huge ramifications regarding the playoff picture, and the loss pushes the Mules towards the bottom of the league’s standings. Four of Colby’s starters (led by Sam Jefferson ‘20) finished with double digits in the scoring department, but they got very little production from their bench. The shiny overall record Colby experienced to the 2018-2019 season was inflated by a weak non-conference schedule, and it’s beginning to show. With just one win in conference play to date and remaining games against all of the league’s top five teams (starting with road games against Amherst and Hamilton this weekend), all of this doesn’t bode well for Colby’s playoff chances.

(11) 11. Conn College (6-11, 0-5)

David Labossiere has been one of the few bright spots for the Camels this season

Last Week: L 78-70 vs. Wesleyan

This Week: @ Tufts, @ Bates

The Camels are once again struggling in conference play, but I’ll give them credit for fighting back against Wesleyan this past weekend. The Cardinals came out and punched Conn in the mouth, taking an 18 point lead into the half. David Labossiere ‘19 and Dan Draffan ‘21 willed their team back in the second half, and the two leading scorers finally received some additional help on the offensive end from Phil Leotsakos ‘19, who finished with a career-high 16 points. Although this performance wasn’t enough to produce a win, the Camels should feel more confident about their chances against Tufts and Bates, two teams who aren’t as strong as Wesleyan. Road games in the ‘CAC are tough to win, and Conn hasn’t won a league road game since the 2016-2017 season; but if the Camels replicate their performance against Wesleyan (most importantly having a third solid scoring option), then they might just shock the NESCAC with a win this weekend.

Even the Mighty Fall: Stock Report 1/23

Stock Report 1/23

Stock up

Potential end-of-season drama

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

Bates’ playoff chances

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

Middlebury as a title contender

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

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

Stock down

Colby in close games

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

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

Williams’ depth

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

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

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

Power Rankings 1/17

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

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

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

This week: vs. Middlebury

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

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

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

This week: @ Conn College

Austin Hutcherson is slowly becoming “the man” in Middletown

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

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

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

This week: vs. Amherst

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

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

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

This week: @ Hamilton

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

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

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

This week: @ Williams

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

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

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

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

This week: non-conference

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

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

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

This week: @ Bates

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

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

Last week: L 66-56 @ Trinity

This week: @ Colby

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

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

Last week: L 62-60 @ Trinity

This week: vs. Bowdoin

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

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

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

This week: vs. Tufts

Tom Coyne has had the hot had off the bench recently

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

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

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

This week: vs. Wesleyan

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

Still No Clarity: Men’s Basketball Stock Report 1/15

Freshman Andrew Kelley’s (‘22) game winner against Colby boosted Trinity’s chances of securing a playoff berth.

Stock Up

Austin Hutcherson’s ‘21 MVP Campaign

Hutcherson displayed flashes of his full potential during an impressive freshman season, but I don’t think many people would have pegged the 6’6’’ guard to be at the forefront of the MVP conversation. He’s averaging 24.0 ppg in conference play thus far, sporting a ridiculous 46.7% clip from beyond the arc. His offensive game doesn’t strictly revolve around the three ball, however, as he averages more than three trips to the free throw line a game and converts 88% of his freebees. Hutcherson single-handedly willed Wesleyan to huge conference victories against Middlebury and Hamilton, exploding for a combined 78 points; and although the sophomore struggled against Amherst’s stifling defense, he still managed to sink the game-winning shot with 3 seconds left. He’s put the Cardinals in prime position to snag a top seed come conference tourney time, and it’s hard to ignore the multitude of offensive skills Hutcherson brings to the hardwood day in and out. All aboard the Austin Hutcherson hype train.

Late Game Heroics

What a weekend in the ‘CAC. NESCAC fans were blessed with not one, not two, but three game-winning shots during Saturday and Sunday’s slate of games. The first one concerned Wesleyan and Amherst, where Austin Hutcherson sank a shot off the glass with three seconds remaining to give the Cardinals a 62-60 win over the Mammoths and cement their place as the number two team in league play. Then, in what most certainly is one of the bigger upsets we’ve encountered this season, Brennan Morris (‘21) of Tufts drilled a baseline jumper with seven seconds to play, shocking the Middlebury Panthers en route to an 86-84 victory. Last, but certainly not least, Trinity’s Anthony Kelley (‘22) took an inbounds pass with less than four seconds left and converted a layup as the buzzer sounded, finishing off Colby 62-60. It was an exhilarating week of basketball in one of the country’s premier D3 conferences, and here’s to hoping the madness continues.

Stock Down

Hamilton’s FT% on the Road

When I wrote the team preview for Hamilton, I alluded to their struggles from the free throw line in the 2017-2018 season and how that number would have to improve if the Continentals wanted to challenge for the NESCAC Championship (and beyond). Well, it’s safe to say they must’ve not read the preview, because the numbers are still bad. In particular, the Continentals are sporting an abysmal 55% clip from the charity stripe when playing on the road. Up until this weekend, Hamilton had the talent and scoring capabilities to overcome their poor numbers at the line, but it finally caught up to them this weekend at Wesleyan. The Continentals converted just 53.8% of their free throws (7/13), while the Cardinals sunk 22 of their 23 free throws. In a game where neither team shot particularly well, it was free throws that ultimately decided the outcome. Considering Hamilton has two huge road games remaining against Middlebury and Williams, they might want to consider setting some practice time aside for free throw shooting.

Middlebury’s Defense

Thomas Coyne ‘20 nails one of fifteen threes for the Bobcats against a porous Middlebury D.

The Panthers had rather pedestrian numbers on defense throughout the non-conference slate, but they’re giving up an additional 10 ppg in conference play. Allowing 93 points to Bates (who averages less than 75 ppg) and 86 to Tufts is not the recipe to success. Through four conference games, the Panthers are allowing opposing teams to shoot 49.1% from the field, including 40.9% from downtown. They’re not forcing a ton of turnovers, and based on their assists allowed/game, opposing NESCAC teams are moving the ball with ease against Midd’s D. They have such an explosive offense that can keep them in any contest, but the defensive side of the ball needs more attention if the Panthers want to right the ship.

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. 

Simonds, Bors, and O’Neil represent a NESCAC ‘Big 3’ that could challenge any team on any day.

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.