Indeed, every Jeff player who played in last year's season-ending, heartbreaking loss to SUNY-Brockport in the NCAA Sweet 16 will return for the 2002-03 campaign. For this reason, the two-time defending NESCAC Champions will measure success this season by their national performance-the team sees itself as a legitimate contender for the national title.
"As far as this season goes, I have very high expectations," said tri-captain point guard Ryan Faulkner '03. "Every season, the ultimate goal is a national championship and we have a good chance at achieving that goal this year."
The fate of the 2002-03 Lord Jeffs depends heavily on senior tri-captains Faulkner, power forward Steve Zieja and center Pat Fitzsimons.
Zieja, a First Team All-NESCAC, All-District and All-ECAC honoree last year, is the team's best and most dependable player and is one to whom Hixon looks to give the ball in crunch time. Zieja led the team in scoring last year, putting up 18.2 points per game. He needs just 337 points this season to become Amherst's all-time leading scorer.
Fitzsimons is charged with patrolling the interior for Amherst. Last season he did just that, finishing with a conference best 2.6 blocked shots per game and a team-leading nine rebounds per game.
The team's floor general, Faulkner, was second in the NESCAC in assists last year, dishing out 5.2 per game. He will be in charge of making sure that all of Amherst's talented players get enough touches of the basketball.
Junior guards Adam Harper and John Donovan complete Hixon's starting five. Donovan is a sharpshooter who electrifies LeFrak Gymnasium when he finds his range. Harper returns as the NESCAC's leader in steals per game.
In addition to his talented starting five, Hixon has a deep bench from which to draw. In the backcourt, sophomores Ray Corrigan and Russell Lee return to backup Faulkner. Last season, Corrigan started the first nine games in place of the injured Harper.
Brian Preston '05 will look to get into the rotation on the wing along with promising freshmen John Bedford and John Casnocha. Casnocha will start the season aiding Don Quinn '04 in providing depth in the paint, as Amherst will be without the services of forwards Andrew Schiel '05 and Tim Jones '04 early in the season.
Schiel and Jones both figure to be integral contributors as the season kicks into highgear. Frank Perry '04 is arguably the team's best defender and should see some minutes after he completes his commitment to the men's soccer team.
Amherst begins its season this Friday against New England College at LeFrak Gymnasium in the first round of the Ken Wright '52 Invitational. Another critical early game for Amherst will be its showdown with recent rival Clark College at home on Dec. 3.
The Jeffs will begin their NESCAC slate in early January. Williams College is returning most of their key players and will challenge Amherst for supremacy of the NESCAC along with other likely contenders Trinity College and Tufts and Wesleyan Universities.
Despite all the hype, Amherst knows their season will be determined by the results they earn on the hardwood.
"I want to finish the season at #1, not start there," said Hixon.