November 7, 2014
As the winter sports season officially begins, the Hamilton basketball teams look to make a statement on the hardwood. Both teams enter the season with high expectations and are working hard to improve upon a successful 2013-14 season.
The men’s basketball team enters this season returning many of its impact players from last season’s team that ended the year with an overall record of 14-11. “Ajani Santos ’16 is one of the best forwards in the NESCAC. I would expect Pete Kazickas ’15 and Jack Donnelly ’16, last year’s NESCAC 3 point percent leader, to step up this year as Captains as well,” said head basketball coach Adam Stockwell.
“My expectations for this season are very high. This is the best we’ve looked this early on in my four years. Our goal is to host a home playoff game and advance to the national tournament and I believe we can do this,” Kazickas said. “I am fully confident that we will continue to get better and have our best season yet.”
Though there are many returning players for the Continentals this season, first-year players are looking to make an impact on the team. “We have a larger freshman class this year with six in the class. It is going to be a group that people will enjoy following. All six of them bring a lot of positive attributes to the team. It is a group with a lot of promise but much to learn as well,” Stockwell said.
The men’s team will start the season with an away game against SUNY New Paltz on Nov. 15 and will have its home opener against SUNY Polytechnic at 8 pm on Nov. 19. On Nov. 24, Hamilton will play host to an invitational tournament that will include local teams like Utica College and St. Lawrence University.
“I am excited about the potential for our season, as I believe we have a focused group of individuals across all classes who understand the work that has to be done to reach any of our goals. Most importantly, our team is lacking selfishness and egos, which even after only a few days of practice, has been a tremendous starting point and made it a lot of fun for everyone including the coaches,” Stockwell said.
The women’s team also is looking to rebound from a quarterfinal exit in the NESCAC tournament and a seventh-place finish in the NESCAC standings. The 2013-14 team is returning its leading scorer, Sam Graber ’16, as well as several other players looking to make an impact and carry the Continentals to a successful season.
The Continentals enjoyed a significant home-court advantage in the 2013-14 season, with a home record of 8-4, compared to an away record of 2-8. The team hopes to continue the advantage in the Scott Field House but also feels it is key to improve their road record in order to take another step forward in the NESCAC this season.
Adrianna Pulford ’15, one of two seniors on the team, believes that the chemistry from continuity can overcome the relative inexperience. “I think our team has great chemistry and that goes incredibly far, especially in basketball,” she said. “We have great depth and a lot of experience (nine returners on a team of twelve) which will be incredibly important, especially during NESCAC play. Additionally, many of our players are dynamic and can play multiple positions which will help considering our low numbers.”
Coach Michelle Collins enters her third season as head women’s basketball coach, looking to improve and get back to a record over .500 this season. Collins is losing two senior starters this season, but is looking to get a significant impact from an incoming first-year class that could be the team’s X-factor this season. The team will look to top the NESCAC standings heading into the conference tournament.
The Continentals will face a very tough conference schedule this year, facing off against two powerhouse teams late in the season. On Jan. 9, the Continentals will travel to Amherst to take on the Lord Jeffs, who went an impressive 26-4 and won all 13 home games in the 2013-14 season. On Feb. 5, the Continentals will take on Tufts, who came in fourth place in the Division III National Tournament in the 2013-14 season.
The women’s team starts its season with a tournament (the Betty Abgott Invitational) at Buffalo State College on Nov. 15. The Continentals will have their home opener on Nov. 19 against SUNY Brockport at the Scott Field House.
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