The Amherst men’s basketball team — ranked in the top 25 in the Division III preseason poll — kicked off their 2009-2010 season on Nov. 21, with a home blowout win over the University of Maine-Farmington. Tied with the Beavers at intermission, 30-30, the young Lord Jeffs pulled away in the second half for a comfortable 76 to 51 victory at LeFrak Gym, then followed up the next day by shooting down the Ithaca College Bombers with an identical 25-point margin of victory, 92-67. The win over Ithaca not only secured the championship trophy for this year’s edition of the Ken Wright ’52 Memorial Tournament, but also marked the 600th career win for Amherst head coach David Hixon ’75, who has headed the college’s basketball program for an amazing 30 years after serving three as an assistant. Only six active Division III coaches have more victories.

In each game, a huge second half for the Lord Jeffs was the difference. Against UM-Farmington, a 14-3 spurt by Amherst coming out of intermission saw them bolt to a 44-33 lead that they never came close to relinquishing. A lay-up by first-year center Peter Kaasila — Kaasila netted 14 points in his first collegiate outing, making 6 of 6 shots and promising to be a force in the paint to be reckoned with — with 11:32 left in the contest established a double digit lead that would only grow, allowing Coach Dixon to substitute liberally and allow some of his young players to gain valuable game experience off the bench. In total, no fewer than 11 members of this year’s squad are sophomores or first-year players. Junior tri-captain guard Conor Meehan added 11 points while senior tri-captain swingman Steve Wheeler pitched in 10. Amherst shot over 50% from the floor and dominated the boards as well, 42-30, led by sophomore Jeff Holmes, who grabbed 8 caroms. On the other side of the court, Maine-Farmington saw an impressive double-double performance by senior center Josh Tanguay (14 points and 12 rebounds) go for naught.

The next game told much the same story. Despite falling behind early to the Bombers, the second half began with a strong Amherst offensive surge, led by captains Wheeler and Meehan. Amherst’s lead ballooned to 30 late in the game, once again allowing Dixon to empty his bench. Wheeler and Meehan anchored the team offensively with 17 and 13 points respectively, while the Lord Jeffs enjoyed utter domination on the glass, outrebounding Ithaca by a lopsided 55-34. Junior center Kurt Bennett led Amherst rebounders with eight, including four offensive boards. Amherst once again shot at a healthy 50% clip for the game. Steve Wheeler was named to the All-Tournament team, and Conor Meehan was awarded Tournament M.V.P.

Last Tuesday, Dec. 1, the Lord Jeffs beat Westfield State 86-68, extending their unbeaten record. Wheeler scored 20 points for the Jeffs while sophomore David Waller contributed 18 points to the winning effort. Their next home game is set for Saturday against Springfield.