Williams College Men's Basketball Season Outlook
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However, Maker’s team isn’t necessarily thinking about more wins as it heads into the 2009-2010 campaign. “Would I like for us to win another Little Three, win the NESCAC, and advance to the NCAAs? Yes,” says Maker. “But those aren’t our goals. Our goal is to represent this institution the way it deserves to be represented on and off the court.”
“We want to put a product on the floor that everyone can be proud of at this school,” he continued. “One of the kids playing with a lot of enthusiasm, chemistry, playing hard, tough, and sharing the ball. Entertaining to watch, feisty, team first, chemistry is everything, share the ball. That is what we are trying to do. I don’t worry about the results – results… come from [playing] that way.”
The team that will seek to fulfill those goals will have a very different makeup than last year’s team had. The team lost only four seniors, but one of those players was former co-captain Kevin Snyder, the All-NESCAC performer who scored 16.8 points per game and led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.
“Kevin was a special player and person,” says Maker. “Kevin’s character, his leadership [and playing] ability - you can’t replace that.”
The Ephs have also lost former co-captain Mike Kearney, who started with Snyder in the backcourt, and sharpshooter Tomas Golia. Combined, Snyder, Kearney, and Golia played over 1,500 minutes for the Ephs last season.
“This year, the team is different. Last year we had the twin guards,” says Maker. “We lose a lot of experience in the backcourt – Kearney, Kevin, and Golia. We were a cerebral backcourt last year ... We have to have other players step up to fill in roles. This year, we’ll be much more point guard dominant with quicker, more pure point guards. It will be a more classic system.”
Stepping up to fill the holes in the backcourt will likely be sophomore James Wang at the point and senior Alex Rubin at the off guard. “Sophomore Marcus Wells and freshman Nate Robertson will challenge James at the point,” adds Maker. “We can play two point guards together or we can slide another off guard in there. At the two, [sophomore] Jordan Mickens [and] freshman James Klemm will hopefully [play behind] Rubin.”
While the change in the backcourt will be drastic, the Ephs return each of its primary frontcourt contributors from last year. Notable are juniors Harlan Dodson and Troy Whittington at forward and center, respectively, and senior co-captains Blake Schultz and Joe Geoghegan. Schultz received First Team All-NESCAC and third team All-New England honors last season after averaging 18 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per from the wing. Geoghegan averaged 12.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game last season for the Ephs, but injuries limited the center to only 11 games.
Maker feels that the actions of the captains have really helped the team since last season ended. “The leadership Blake and Joe provided in the offseason and in the fall [brought us] to where we are now,” says Maker. “As a team we’re more physically fit than we were a year ago, and I think we’re mentally and emotionally in a better place in our team spirit. “
The team also returns four other seniors: center and forward Ethan Timmons-Schiffman, forward Will Hardy, forward Charlie Cates, and guard Mike Moorestein. “I think we have a very special senior class,” says Maker. “Our chemistry is fantastic, and that has a lot to do with the senior class collectively.”
Maker will also look to sophomore Brian Emerson to contribute as a pick-and-pop player in the frontcourt and to freshmen Parker McClelland and Chase Hicks to contribute on the wings.
The life of Maker, along with new assistants Ryan Wiersma and Shaun Morris, is made easier because Maker’s complicated offense has been in place for an entire year. “Our system offensively is very complicated,” says Maker. “It is a read based system that can take a lot of time to learn. It can look ugly at times but when run correctly based on how the defense is playing, [it works].
“There is a lot of benefit to having been here a year,” Maker adds. “We are much further along this time. A year ago today we had no idea what we were doing. I think the players understand what we as a staff want from them [in terms of] the expectation level of their performance and the language and terminology of our system. I think we have more flexibility this year, a foundation of players that are more comfortable with understanding how to make reads. I think we are further along than we were a year ago.”
For the Ephs to build on last season’s success, it will have to pick up the way it plays on the defensive end. The Ephs ranked only sixth in scoring and rebounding defense, allowing opponents to score 65.3 points and grab 34.5 rebounds per game.
“I think the two areas defensively I would like to see us getting better at is guarding the basketball one-on-one and rebounding,” says Maker. “We’re working on trying to do a better job of guarding the ball, keeping it out of the lane, while rebounding collectively needs to improve.”
“As we get a little more tough minded and committed to the defensive end of keeping the ball out of the lane and to collective rebounding, I think our team will get that much better,” he adds.
In the end, the team’s success will be determined by how much effort the players put in. “We believe] the team is first, in chemistry, in sharing the ball,” says Maker. “Will we do those things? I think we will … Are we tough minded enough and willing to put our individual agendas aside and do what’s best for the team? That is what we are trying to do.”
The 2009-10 Eph season will begin at home with the Ephs tipping off vs. Southern Vermont in the 8:00 PM game of the Williams Invitational.
| Date Opponent Status |
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| 11/20/09 | Southern Vt. @ Williams Invitational Cortland St. vs. Lasell -- 6 p.m. |
8:00 PM | ||
| 11/21/09 | TBA @ Williams Invitational Consolation Game -- 2 p.m.; Championship Game -- 4 p.m. |
TBA | ||
| 11/24/09 | Wesleyan (Conn.) | 7:30 PM | ||
| 11/29/09 | at MCLA | 6:00 PM |
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| 12/01/09 | Salem St. | 7:30 PM | ||
| 12/05/09 | Vassar | 7:30 PM | ||
| 12/08/09 | Framingham St. | 7:30 PM | ||
| 12/12/09 | Springfield | 4:00 PM | ||
| 12/29/09 | at Elmira @ Randolph-Macon Randolph-Macon Christmas Classic |
5:00 PM | ||
| 12/30/09 | at TBA @ Randolph-Macon Christmas Classic Consolation Game -- 5 p.m.; Championship Game -- 7 p.m. |
TBA | ||
| 01/03/10 | Southern Me. @ Purple & Gold Invitational Colby-Sawyer vs. Worcester St. -- 7 p.m. |
5:00 PM | ||
| 01/04/10 | TBA @ Purple & Gold Invitational Games Times at 5 & 7 p.m. |
7:00 PM | ||
| 01/09/10 | Amherst | 4:00 PM | ||
| 01/15/10 | Tufts * | 8:00 PM | ||
| 01/16/10 | Bates * |
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| 01/19/10 | at New Paltz St. | 8:00 PM | ||
| 01/22/10 | at Wesleyan (Conn.) * | 8:00 PM | ||
| 01/23/10 | at Connecticut Col. * | 4:00 PM | ||
| 01/26/10 | at Hamilton | 7:00 PM | ||
| 01/30/10 | at Middlebury * | 4:00 PM | ||
| 02/05/10 | Colby * | 8:00 PM | ||
| 02/06/10 | Bowdoin * | 4:00 PM | ||
| 02/12/10 | at Amherst * | 8:00 PM | ||
| 02/13/10 | at Trinity (Conn.) * |
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* = Conference games.
