The men’s basketball team started off the season with a 7–0 record, rolling over teams by an average score differential of over 30 points. For anyone who has watched them play, their absurd offensive production is spurred by the team’s lockdown of their defense and subsequent ability to push the ball in transition and put up quick open shots. But how did this team come about?
Pre-pandemic, the Cardinals went just 3–7 in the NESCAC during their 2019-20 campaign and were unable to play together for the entire year afterwards. With uncertainty and limitations due to COVID-19, Coach Joe Reilly and Assistant Coach Derek Spanellis had to reimagine ways to construct team chemistry and work ethic. Creating a cohesive group was difficult, as some students were taking gap semesters while others were on campus. Seniors Sam Peek and Antone Walker touted the coaches’ introduction of weekly Zoom calls, which brought the team together and provided a venue to talk about their goals and daily lives.
“Team Zoom calls became regular,” Peek wrote in an email to The Argus. “We would talk about our goals, our personal lives, and sometimes we would just talk and enjoy each other’s company. Guys off campus and on campus were sharing workouts and finding ways to compete with each other.”
Peek has thus far stepped up as Wesleyan’s leading scorer, with 18.4 points a game on an incredible 49.8% shooting percentage from the field and 37.3% from three. Walker, who recently scored his 1,000th Wesleyan career point, a feat that inscribes his name in both the Wesleyan history books and upon the walls of the Silloway Gymnasium, similarly acknowledged the chemistry that Peek noted.
“This is the closest team I have ever been on, and these are the guys I always want to be around and hang out with on and off the court,” Walker wrote in an email to The Argus.
Along with these two seniors, first year Nicky Johnson has stepped up big to lead the team in steals (1.5 per game) and assists (4.1 per game) while shooting over 50% from the field and 41.7% from three. Junior starters Gabe Ravetz and Preston Maccoux continue to stretch the floor, leading the team in three pointers made and both averaging over 10.0 points a game.
Looking towards the NESCAC (which is where the real competition is), Wesleyan has continued to put up impressive offensive numbers, leading the conference in points per game with 77.5. They’ve matched that offense with the fourth-best defense, averaging just 68.0 points against per game. As of now, the Cards sit in second place (5–1), just half a game back from Middlebury (6–1). However, this Saturday, Feb. 5, Wesleyan will go on the road to play Middlebury for the top position in the NESCAC. But that won’t be all for the Cards, who will then travel down to Williamstown, Mass. on Monday, Feb. 7 to play Williams, who are directly behind them in the standings. Earlier this season, Wesleyan played Williams and were up by seven going into the half, but eventually fell 60–69.
“I think our main focus is on defense, effort and grit,” Walker wrote. “NESCAC teams are so talented that under-looked aspects of the game can easily be and have been the distinguishing factors between a win and loss. Diving on the floor for loose balls, taking charges, and rebounding can be the difference maker in a game.”
Playing back-to-back road games against the two other NESCAC powerhouses will be a good test of the team’s grit before they return home to finish off their season against Colby and Bowdoin. If Wesleyan can pull off two away wins, they will lead the NESCAC standings as the playoffs approach. According to Peek, winning is the team’s expectation.
“This year just feels different. From the starters to the end of the bench, guys have 100% bought in because of how special this team is,” Peek wrote. “We expect to win the NESCAC championship and make a huge run in the tournament.”
Walker agreed with Peek’s sentiment.
“We expect to be the best team in the NESCAC every year,” Walker wrote. “We even expected to go undefeated this year before our first loss. Everyone on our team is extremely talented and buys into what the team needs.”
The team certainly does not lack faith nor determination as the season continues and the pressure builds. With their eyes on the NESCAC trophy and NCAA tournament runs, the Cards will look to cap off a historic season with some silverware.
Eli Seaver can be reached at eseaver@wesleyan.edu.