A 6-17 record, an 11-game losing streak to end the season, and an 0-9 NESCAC record: based on last year’s results, it would appear that the men’s basketball team would be headed for another dreadful year. But with the return of every varsity player from a year ago and the reemergence of the prolific Rob Kelly ’07, the Cards are poised for the biggest turnaround year of any Wesleyan sport.
A large reason why the Cards were unable to rack up any conference wins last year was the lack of a true center down low. With Kelly taking the year off from Wesleyan, the Cardinals could do very little to stop teams from taking advantage of the Cards’ lack of size. The return of Kelly should shore up the team’s deficiencies in the paint, as Kelly will figure prominently into the team’s offensive and defensive schemes.
During the 2004-2005 season that saw the Cardinals advance to the NESCAC Tournament, Kelly was one of the top low-post threats in the conference, as he averaged 16 points and just under ten rebounds per game. With Kelly returning to a team that has every starter returning, the squad has erased all memory of last year’s disappointing season.
“The first game can’t come soon enough,” said co-captain Jimmy Shepherd ’07. “I think everyone has had a sour feeling for the duration of the off-season, and we have been very focused in the preseason on making the necessary steps to ensure that once the games start, we won’t ever have that feeling again.”
In addition to Kelly, the team returns two key veteran guards to the starting lineup in co-captains Shepherd and Jared Ashe ’07. After averaging just under three points per game his sophomore season, Shepherd emerged as one of the team’s top weapons last year as he finished second on the team with 12.5 points per game.
As one of the top three point-scoring threats in the conference, Shepherd swished home 69 shots from down town last season, the second highest total in Wesleyan history. With Kelly expected to command several double teams down low, Shepherd should see several more open looks this year from the outside, and will once again be counted on for his outside shooting touch.
Ashe, who also captained the men’s soccer team this fall, returns to the starting lineup for the fourth consecutive year. Ashe’s outstanding court vision and knack for penetrating the lane resulted in his total of over 11 points and 4.5 assists per game last year, both career highs.
Perhaps the player who will benefit the most from the return of Kelly is Nick Pelletier ’08, who led the team in scoring with just under 13 points and seven rebounds per game. Oftentimes, Pelletier was forced to play center against players that had a considerable height and size advantage over him, but Kelly’s return allows Pelletier to return to working the blocks against other power forwards.
One newcomer who will see several quality minutes at point guard this season is Jeremy Kaminer ’10, a first year player out of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. With several players, including Shepherd, asked to play the point at times last year, Kaminer’s presence gives more stability at the point and will let Sheppard concentrate on putting points on the board.
For the Cardinals to succeed this season, however, Pelletier points to more than individual skills our standouts. Instead, he insists the team must develop a new winning attitude that they lacked for much of last year.
“As much as we want to forget about last year, it gave everyone an opportunity to gain some experience and to grow up in a hurry,” he said. “This year we have the talent to do some good things, but unless we develop that cockiness, swagger, whatever it is we’re only going to be a typical underachieving Wesleyan team.”
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