Taylor Hanson '14 goes for a rebound against two Colby defenders. Photo by Amy DeGenaro.
The men’s basketball team played a tough quarterfinal game this past Saturday, losing 61-41 to Middlebury. The Camels coming this far, however, is a testament to the extent the young team has improved since the beginning of the season.
“We’ve played our best basketball the last month or so but have been improving on a daily basis since November 1,” said Head Coach Thomas Satran before the game.
The improvement in their play is reflected especially by their recent wins within NESCAC, with victories over Tufts, Wesleyan and Bowdoin, in addition to a close loss to Colby.
The team was cautiously optimistic in the period leading up to the Middlebury game, a blend of confidence in their performance as a team and a sober acknowledgement of what they were up against.
“Playing at Middlebury is an enormous challenge,” said Satran. “They are a top five team in the nation and statistically the nation’s best defense.”
He cited the Panthers’ shot blocking, rebounding and ability to convert in transition as the three biggest challenges they would have to face. Members of the Camels seemed to agree.
“Wasn’t pretty,” said Mason Lopez ’14 of their loss to Middlebury in January.
However, the circumstances of their 80-52 loss in their previous encounter were unfavorable; the team had to come back from a tough loss to Williams only the day before.
“We’re in a better place now because we’ve had more time to prepare for them,” Lopez added. “We’re feeling as good as we’ve ever felt as far as team spirit and team chemistry goes.”
After the game, Satran expressed the team’s disappointment with the outcome, but also his pride in what the Camels had accomplished.
“We made the NESCAC Tournament with a young team. That’s a good accomplishment and a true reflection of our players’ character and attitude,” he commented.
Jethro Anilus ’14 cited the team’s defense as the strongest point of their game on Saturday, holding Middlebury down to a considerably lower number of points than in their last encounter. The Camels’ offense, however, was a weaker aspect of the game.
“We didn’t play as well as we know we can play and have a lot to improve on, but next year we’re going to come out even better,” he said. “We did a good job overall and I think we had a very successful season.”
The current level of performance and cohesion that brought Conn this far was not easily achieved. “We had some problems in the beginning. November was really tough,” said Boris Jeremic ’13.
Lopez agreed. “I think the beginning of the season was hard, but we’re young so we were expecting that,” he said.
Challenges aside, the team managed to pull together and effectively integrate many freshmen players. “Their attitude and commitment to the team concept has been outstanding and really helped us grow as a unit,” said Satran. Two freshmen were usually started per game and the impact they had on the team was noticeable.
Moreover, the great strides the team has made this season in terms of unity and performance will only set the ground for success in the future. “This year’s group has strong chemistry, character and work ethic and that is why they have a chance to be really good in the seasons to come,” said Satran. “As long as that continues we will continue to be tough to beat.”
With such a strong freshman base, there seems to be no other way to go except up. “I feel people have a better idea of what their role on the team is,” said Jeremic of the team’s performance towards the close of the season.
“Next year, big things,” said Lopez with a grin. •
