Bowdoin College Polar Bears
2018-2019 Record: 15-9 (4-6 NESCAC), did not qualify for NESCAC Tournament
2019-2020 Projected Record: 9-15 (1-9 NESCAC)
Key Losses: G Jack Bors, F Jack Simonds, F Hugh O’Neil
Projected Starting Lineup:
G: Zavier Rucker ’21 (12.3 PPG, 3.4 REB/G, 3.4 AST/G, 50% FG)
Easily the most efficient player on the roster, Rucker returns for his third season as the point guard of this team. Given that he has the ball more than anyone else, Rucker has done a nice job in his career of minimizing turnovers and only taking high-percentage shots. This helped him shoot over 50% from the field over the first two years of his career…but there is a catch. First his first two seasons in Brunswick, Rucker was surrounded by Jack Simonds, David Reynolds, and Hugh O’Neil – the team’s top three scorers. Reynolds is still there, but losing O’Neil and Simonds means that Rucker is going to be asked to score a bit more this season. It seems as though scoring is not his first instinct, but he does have the ability when he needs it so he’ll have to improve at creating shots for himself if Bowdoin is going to keep up with some of the higher scoring teams in the conference.
G: Taiga Kagitomi ’22 (1.7 PPG, 1.8 REB/G, 12.3 MPG)
This is an interesting year for Kagitomi because he is being thrust into a starting role after seeing very little action as a freshman. The southpaw has good size for a guard and is very skilled at finishing around the rim, however his jump shot is still a bit of a work in progress as he is 3-17 in his career from beyond the arc. This is going to be an important point of emphasis because the Polar Bears could use all the scoring they can get. He’s also going to be tasked with defending some of the most physical players in the NESCAC, so we’ll have to keep an eye on his wear and tear throughout the course of the season. Kagitomi has the size, athleticism, and skillset to be successful in this league, he just needs to see the minutes in order to reach his full potential.
G: David Reynolds ’20 (17.6 PPG, 4.7 REB/G, 1.5 AST/G)
Reynolds is the most prolific scorer on this team and one of the most elite scorers in the league. He has been top-10 in the NESCAC in scoring since his sophomore year and he continues to prove why he’s a force to be reckoned with. The most glaring issue with Reynolds is that all he really does is shoot. His assist numbers have been largely unimpressive and his rebounding totals are nothing to write home about given his size and athleticism. He needs to realize that he doesn’t need to be the one taking the shot every time down the court because that makes their offense insanely predictable. Bowdoin could really benefit from Reynolds looking more for open teammates and hitting the glass hard, because losing Simonds and O’Neil is a huge hit for this team and they need production anywhere they can get it. Reynolds has the talent to be one of the best players in the conference, but to this point in his career he has been very one-dimensional. If he can diversify his skillset a bit more this season that will directly translate into more wins for the Polar Bears.
F: Sam Grad ’21 (6.1 PPG, 2.2 REB/G, 49% FG)
Grad has a chance to be one of the most impactful players for Bowdoin this season. At 6’7”, 222lbs, he has as much size as anyone in this league, but he’s not even a true center for this team. Admittedly he’s not the fastest guy up and down the court, but Grad is a terrific rebounder and his shooting ability allows the Polar Bears to spread the court and force opponents to respect the 3-ball. With the graduation of Hugh O’Neil, Grad will be asked to spend a bit more time defending opposing bigs and playing in the post, so we’ll find out how comfortable he is playing on the inside. There really isn’t much else to say about Grad other than the fact that much like the rest of the roster, he’s going to really have to step up in order to keep Bowdoin competitive. Their lineup this year isn’t particularly deep, so Grad is going to have to increase productivity while simultaneously playing more minutes – is it even possible to ask more of someone?
F: Xander Werkman ’23 (DNP)
Clearly the biggest mystery in this starting lineup is Werkman given that he’s a freshman. That said, Coach Gilbride clearly sees something in him because he has already made his way into the starting lineup early in the season. Werkman is a very interesting case because he’s listed at 6’7”, 195lbs, but his high school recruiting profiles list him as being between 230 and 240, so this guy has clearly whipped himself into shape in preparation for his rookie season. This means that Werkman likely has experience playing in the post, which will be crucial for a team that lacks a true inside presence. So far he has been very efficient shooting-wise, shooting 50% from the field and 50% from deep (albeit with just 4 attempts). This type of efficiency will have to continue and it seems as though Werkman has the ability to do this, but it’s still very early in the season. He doesn’t seem like too much of a threat at this point, but things can change very quickly as he starts to find a comfort level with NESCAC basketball.
Everything Else:
At 4-4, the Polar Bears are not off to quite the start they would’ve hoped for, but there is still a very long way to go. They’ve shown what they’re capable of by battling down the stretch against no. 12 nationally ranked Babson. Losing Simonds, O’Neil, and Jack Bors is going to be very difficult to overcome, but they still return Zavier Rucker ’21 and David Reynolds ’20, two of the most talented players in the NESCAC. This year will really depend on what the rest of the team brings to the table. In recent years they’ve had the firepower to compete with the class of the league, but lacked a considerable amount of depth. Now they find themselves searching for the next generation of talent in Brunswick.
One of the only returning players that saw substantial time last season is Stephen Ferraro ’20. Ferraro is a 5’10” guard who can handle the ball and sees the court very well, so they’ll need his steady hand in the backcourt to help ease a bit of the burden off of Rucker. At this point his biggest flaw is that he hasn’t been able to prove that he can knock down the deep ball, which is a problem when you’re less than 6 feet. He’s going to have to expand his range to have improved success this year on the offensive end. Drew Gagnon ’20 is another senior who hasn’t played a ton over the course of his career, but he’s a lanky wing who can certainly provide value, especially with his ability to shoot. Rookie Jack Shea ’23 is really the only other guy who has seen consistent time this year, so they’ll depend on his defensive ability and skills around the rim to add a bit more depth to their lineup.
Right now it’s hard to envision where Bowdoin will end up, but the trend has not been positive so far. They are noticeably suffering the losses of their key seniors from 2018-2019 and haven’t yet found guys who are ready to step into these roles. If Reynolds and Rucker continue to be the only guys who can produce, it will be a very long season. 8 games is a small sample size and I anticipate that the Polar Bears will surprise us once or twice, but I don’t see them making a run and they’ll likely have to battle just to qualify for the NESCAC Tournament. They only have 2 more games before conference play begins, so hopefully they’ll be able to fine-tune a few things to at least have a chance to be competitive with the most challenging portion of their schedule.