The beginning of the season for men’s basketball has gone as expected. It is a team full of young talent, and has looked spectacular at times and lowly at others. Through the completion of three early season tournaments, it finds itself 4-4 and improving steadily.
The Cards started their season in the Courtyard by Marriott Tip-Off Tournament. In their season opener, they took down the University of New England 68-63. Nick Pelletier ’08 led all scorers with 19 points while pulling down 11 rebounds. In the championship game the Cards fell to Bridgewater State College 80-76. Captain Jared Ashe ’07 put in an excellent all-around effort with 18 points, 8 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 steals. Ashe and Pelletier were named to the all-tournament team.
The Cards then hosted Williams College in the first Little Three contest of the year on Nov. 22. Playing without their captain, the Cards lost 72-50. The game provided valuable experience against a tough conference opponent that the team will face again in January.
The following weekend, the Cards headed to Danbury, Conn. for the Western Connecticut State University Tournament. In their first-round match up against SUNY Farmingdale, the Cards fought back valiantly from a 17-point first round deficit and cut the lead to 6 with 14:20 remaining. Farmingdale responded with a 25-13 run and pulled out an 82-70 victory. Pelletier led the team with 18 points while Blake Curry ’07 put up 13 points and collected 4 rebounds. In the consolation game, junior Jimmy Shepherd’s five three-pointers helped lead the Cards to a 68-47 victory over Mitchell College.
The Cards returned home to face Eastern Connecticut State University on Wednesday Nov. 30 and Shepherd’s hot hand played an important role again. Late in the second half he hit three three-pointers in a two- minute-and-fifteen-second span that sparked a 16-3 Cardinal run. Shepherd finished with 23 points in just 21 minutes of play. Ashe, Pelletier, and Curry all contributed double digit points as well.
This past weekend the Cards hosted the Inn at Middletown Invitational. In the first round, they defeated Mitchell College for the second time in six days. Shepherd scored 23, to top 20 points in consecutive games, while Ashe and Pelletier dropped 15 and 14 respectively. In the championship game, Hamilton College handed the Cards a 77-58 loss. Hamilton used a quick start to build a lead they would never relinquish. Curry led the Cards with 17 points. Ashe and Shepherd were named to the all-tournament team, the second such honor for Ashe this season.
The first eight games have seen the Cards get consistent production from the holdovers from last year’s squad. Meanwhile, the freshmen and returners who did not see the floor a great deal last year have played important minutes in the early season tournaments.
Captain Ashe’s numbers so far show an impressive effort on both ends of the floor. Playing 31 minutes per game, he has shot 47 percent from the field for 12.1 points a game. He leads the team in rebounds (7.0) and assists (3.9) per game. His aggressive defense has created 13 steals and 5 blocks.
“Like I said during the preseason, it was such a quick turnaround for a few key guys from fall sports that things were a little sloppy early on,” said Ashe. “But this team has a lot of heart and puts in tons of work. I think we can really make a nice run come conference season, and what’s even better is no one respects this team right now in the league. We need to embrace that, and make sure we earn every NESCAC team’s respect by the end of the year.”
Shepherd’s constant practice during the fall has shown through in his shooting thus far. At 47 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from three-point land, Shepherd is averaging 15 points again. Many of his 27 three-pointers have come at crucial moments. He is optimistic about what the season holds ahead.
“So far this season we have had our ups and downs, but we are a young team and I believe we are improving. We have really come together as of late, and we are getting nice contributions out of a lot of people. This Tuesday we have a chance to get over .500 headed into the break.” Shepherd is also quick to point out the contributions of the 6th Man of Freeman Gym. “Also, I am amazed at how great our fans have been. It feels great to play with such a lively and supportive crowd. It truly makes a difference down the stretch of close games.”
Coming into the season the Cards needed someone to step up on the inside and Curry has risen to the occasion. He has provided athletic defense with 13 blocks, while chipping in with 8.3 points per game. Pelletier has also contributed inside, pulling down a team leading 51 rebounds.
The Cards play their last home game of the semester tonight against Emmanuel College. Tip-off is at 8:00.
Leave a Reply