The Jeffs, ranked fifth in the nation in the d3hoops.com poll, hoped to achieve two goals in the season opening tournament: Get a good look at the incoming recruiting class and avoid an early-season upset. The team managed to accomplish both of these tasks, although the latter proved to be more difficult than anticipated.
In the first game of the year on Nov. 18 against Fitchburg State, the Jeffs had little difficulty dispatching the opposition, sprinting to a 51-15 advantage at the half and never looking back-eventually posting a 98-43 victory. Every player on Amherst's roster made it to the floor, with no player logging more than 17 minutes in the office. The frequent punching of time cards was not the only business-like aspect of the Jeff's evening; they also took a professional attitude towards cleaning the boards, out-rebounding the Falcons 55-25, and were efficient from the field, sinking a cool 53.5 percent of their field goals.
Senior co-captain guard and pre-season contender for NESCAC Player of the Year John Bedford led the way for the Jeffs with 17 points. He accompanied in double digits by forward Dan Wheeler '07 and sophomore Div. I transfer guard Adolphe Coulibaly, who scored 12 and 11, respectively. Center Dan O'Shea '07 led the team in boards with nine in only 12 minutes of play. In addition to Coulibaly's strong play, the rest of the Jeffs' newest batch of players looked promising as well. First-year point-guard Marcus Bradley was especially impressive, scoring eight points and notching two steals in just 12 minutes. Throughout the game the Falcons failed to find a rhythm on either end of the floor, racking up 24 turnovers to just seven assists and allowing the Jeffs to make a run at triple-digits on the scoreboard.
The team is still far from having its rotation set and the rout allowed for many players to give Head Coach Dave Hixon '75 an audition for playing time. "I think our team this year is wide open as to who will play and contribute," said Bedford. "There is a lot of talent 1-18, so I think it is a matter of who is willing to do the little things and work extra hard to get the victories."
The team had a significantly more difficult time the next day against the defending Commonwealth Coast Conference champion Endicott. The Gulls went 22-6 last season and qualified for the NCAA Tournament, but fell in the first round. The Gulls came into this season, however, without their coach, their all-time leader in assists and ninth-highest scorer in school history and three other significant contributors. Despite being so wet behind the ears, the Gulls managed to catch the Jeffs by surprise with aggressive defense, causing Amherst to make just three of their first 15 shots. This allowed Endicott to jump out to a 21-9 lead, threatening to hand Amherst its first-ever loss in its own season-opening tournament.
"Looking at the tape our defense was actually very solid, it was just we were not hitting open shots and sometimes that happens at the beginning of the season," said Bedford of the team's early miscues. "Every team in the country had two extra weeks to practice so I think that had something to do with it."
Hixon rallied the troops, however, and a trey from senior co-captain forward John Casnocha lit a fire in the team's belly, igniting a 13-2 run, and pulling the Jeffs within one point. After a pair of Endicott free throws, Amherst trailed 25-22 going into the break. However, the Jeffs had no trouble regaining the momentum they had found at the end of the first period, as Bedford scored five straight points out of the gate to give the Jeffs their first lead of the night. It was Wheeler however, who finally buried the Gulls, nailing two straight bombs from beyond the arc to give the Jeffs a 35-33 edge that they never relinquished. The lead eventually reached as much as 17 points, and when the buzzer sounded the Jeffs had a 68-57 victory and their fifth-consecutive Ken Wright '52 Invitational title.
Wheeler led the Jeffs in scoring with 17 points and was second in rebounding with eight. The performance was enough to earn him tournament MVP honors. Junior guard Tim McLaughlin joined Wheeler on the all-tournament team after scoring 10 points in the championship game. Andrew Olson '08 was the only other Jeff in double figures with 13, although Bedford and Goldsmith '08 also gave strong performances, contributing eight points and nine rebounds, respectively.
Aside from coming away unscathed, the Jeffs also got a good feel for what the strengths of this year's squad will likely be. One interesting tactic that Amherst fans may have noticed was Hixon's decision to move Bedford to the shooting guard position from small forward, where he played most of last season, and move Casnocha to small forward from his conventional power forward spot. The early season results also suggest that Wheeler could have a break-out year after spending most of last season as the first man off the Amherst bench. Aside from leading the team in scoring, Wheeler also established himself as a force on the glass, and hopes to continue his strong play into the conference schedule. The Jeffs look to remain undefeated this weekend when they play Springfield and Westfield State Colleges in the Pioneer Valley Classic hosted by Western New England College.
NESCAC Notes
With a 4-0 record, Williams College is off to a strong start with their non-conference schedule, including three consecutive wins by 10 points or more. The Jeffs most talented conference challenger, Trinity College, was tripped up in a 66-64 loss to underdog Eastern Connecticut College, and also had a tough time putting away Franklin and Marshall College, winning 84-75 in overtime. Tufts University has logged perhaps the most impressive victory of the season for the NESCAC teams so far, beating a talented Springfield squad 72-71.