Lionel SobehartThe flashy action shots featured on the front and back pages of the 2006-2007 men’s basketball media guide have something particularly peculiar about them: just one senior is shown.
The newest edition of Bears basketball features a highly talented roster which is slightly lacking in collegiate basketball experience, but is by no means short on optimism about the upcoming season. The squad was hit with a major setback in the early going, however, when junior sharp shooter Danny O’Boyle, a captain and key returnee, was lost to a season-ending Achilles injury in the Bears’ fourth game of the season.
But the Red and Green still return three primetime players and a host of key role players from last year’s roster, which narrowly missed an NCAA tournament bid after falling to Chicago in a devastating season finale. In junior big man Troy Ruths and sophomore standouts Sean Walis and Tyler Nading, Wash. U. brings back three vital components from last year’s 17-8 squad.
Head coach Mark Edwards has also brought in a strong freshman class, which includes a number of players who have already seen considerable minutes in the team’s first six contests.
Because the UAA has no conference tournament, it is vital to get off to a strong start and a lack of preparedness in the beginning portion of the season can quickly become a UAA team’s downfall. Edwards, who said this year’s UAA features “the best parity the league has ever seen,” has addressed some of the team’s lack of game experience by scheduling difficult out-of-conference tilts early in the year. The squad opened its season with an exhibition game on the road at nationally ranked and Division I Southern Illinois, an experience which Edwards says has already paid dividends.
“Just being put on that stage and having to perform and play through a tough situation, which is what they provided us, I think that’s a great experience for us,” said the 26th year coach.
In addition to the SIU trip, the Red and Green have already won a competitive four-team tournament in Boston and traveled to No. 15 Augustana College, where the team was handed its only loss, 75-73. This past weekend, the squad defeated a tough Pomona-Pitzer team in the championship game of the Lopata Classic. That victory moved the Bears’ record to 5-1 on the young season.
Ruths, perhaps the UAA’s most potent big man, has been and likely will see more double-teams from opponents throughout the season. Lost to graduation was seven-foot center Mike Grunst, so Ruths will face the wrath of opposing defenses without the former center by his side. Thus far, though, the Bears have coped admirably without Grunst as well as without former three-point threat Scott Stone, who averaged over 15 points per game last season.
“I think we have really good potential to fill in for those guys even though they were so important to the program,” said Wallis.
Freshman Aaron Thompson and Cameron Smith have already proven to be significant additions to this year’s roster. Thompson has taken O’Boyle’s starting spot in the lineup, splitting time with gritty sophomore, Phil Syvertsen. Though it will be difficult to replace O’Boyle, a tri-captain who averaged 14 points in the team’s first four contests before being injured, Edwards expects a number of players to help overcome his season-long absence as best as possible.
“You can’t lose someone that is an integral part of your team without it affecting your team,” said Edwards. “How it pans out I don’t know. But I’m confident that we have some personnel that can step up and make contributions.”
O’Boyle’s loss coupled with the graduation of Stone has led to even more touches for the sophomore swingman Nading, last season’s UAA Rookie of the Year and, along with Ruths, a potential candidate for UAA Player of the Year this season. Thus far, Nading has relished that opportunity. He is currently averaging 15 points and seven rebounds and took MVP honors in the Lopata tournament with a tremendous 22 points, 13 rebound performance in the final. Ruths, steady as always, is averaging 18.7 points and seven boards a game.
Wallis has also upped his offensive game in the early going, averaging 11.5 points in a team-leading 33 minutes of action per game. The steady point guard, who is known more for his passing prowess and ability to control tempo on the court than for his scoring ability, has already recorded a pair of twenty points games. If Wallis can continue to produce at a steady offensive clip and hit shots from beyond the arch, teams will be unable to double and triple team Ruths and the Bears will likely put up points in bunches.
Providing invaluable leadership and experience for the Bears this season will be senior Nick Nikitas, a versatile off-guard who will compliment Nading and Wallis nicely in the backcourt. Junior Moss Schermerhorn and freshman Zach Kelly, both forwards, are expected to be impact players off the bench.
The excitement surrounding this year’s team stems from its combination of proven talent coupled with an abundance of enthusiastic and highly-touted rookies. While some observers around the UAA might expect Brandeis, NYU and Chicago (considered the league favorite) to vie for the crown, no one around the Field House is throwing in the towel.
“Winning early in the league is important. Every game in the UAA is important. Absolutely, we’ll be ready for it,” said Nading.
From Edwards on down to his players, the Bears fully expect to compete for the league championship. Indeed, the team’s strong play thus far is already raising eyebrows. In a recent D3hoops.com poll, the Bears garnered seven top 25 votes. And while the young team is yet to crack the elite, Edwards and his players seem ready to make a run at national glory in the 2006-2007 season.
“We set out to win the UAA, that’s always a goal for us because we know the UAA is one of the toughest conferences in the nation for DIII, then getting to the tournament and seeing what we can do,” said Nading.
“I think the goal right now is to really get comfortable with each other. It’s one thing to get to the [NCAA] tournament. It’s another thing to win in the tournament. My goal is to win the conference. I don’t see that that’s unrealistic,” said Edwards.
Wallis went even further than his classmate and coach. “We set out with the goal to win the national championship,” he said. “I think that everything’s pretty realistic from this point. We’ve got a lot of growing to do. We definitely haven’t reached our potential yet.”