UR men’s basketball fans were able to get their first glimpse at this year’s squad last Saturday when the Yellow Jackets took on Oswego State in a home exhibition contest.
The ’Jackets, who are ranked 7th nationally in the D3Hoops.com Men’s Top 25, fell to the #18 Lakers, but the preseason loss was not on my mind when I left the Palestra after the game. All I could think about was two things: last year’s magical season and the promise that 2011-2012 holds for the ’Jackets.
Who can forget all that went down last season? UR was forced to hire current head coach Luke Flockerzi in May 2010 after long-time head coach Mike Neer retired after 34-years on the job.
The coaching change initially sent the ’Jackets’ program into a tornado. Five returners quit and three key recruits decided not to enroll. On top of that, UR was picked seventh in the 2010-2011 UAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
But Flockerzi and his coaching staff (Ryan Mee, Jeff Juron and Adrian Smalls, all of whom are UR alumni) orchestrated one of the best and perhaps most unexpected seasons in UR basketball history, as the ’Jackets finished 22-6 (12-2 UAA) en route to winning the UAA Championship and advancing to the Sweet 16 of the Division III NCAA Basketball Tournament before losing to Middlebury.
But now, after an eight-month hiatus, basketball is back in Rochester. This year’s team has a chance to have as much success as the 1990 men’s team that won the National Championship. That’s right, expectations of a national championship come with the territory when you are ranked 7th in the preseason Top 25.
Saturday’s exhibition gave a good taste of what to expect this season, namely a dynamic offense.
All-American junior point guard John DiBartolomeo (17.7 PPG, 5.7 APG) looked even more poised on the court than he did last year, if that is at all possible. The reigning UAA Player of the Year hit a number of impressive mid-range jumpers- his signature shot – and a beautiful reverse layup late in the second half.
I was equally impressed with the rest of the starting lineup: junior center Rob Reid (7.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG), sophomore forward Nate Vernon (9.7 PPG) and senior forwards Nate Novosel (13.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG) and Chris Dende (11.4 PPG). Those four and DiBartolomeo give UR several potent scoring threats and will make for one of the top starting lineups in the nation.
Two freshman guards, Tyler Seidman and Kevin Sheehy, did an admirable job holding down the point when DiBartolomeo was on the bench. Seidman hit a contested three pointer just before the end of the first half and Sheehy, who shot 4-4 from the free throw line, exemplified a burst of quickness comparable to that of DiBartolomeo’s. Both of the rookies should see significant playing time this year.
The biggest issue for the ’Jackets was their defense, which was inconsistent throughout the game. At times, the defense dominated. But on many occasions, UR failed to secure defensive rebounds, giving Oswego second chance scoring opportunities. Senior Marcus Williams, a 6’9 center, was the first man off the bench and did help UR on the defense boards.
The regular season will officially begin for UR in a little over a week (Home vs. Plattsburgh State on 11/18 at 8pm). We all saw what the ’Jackets could do last year when there was uncertainty. Now, let’s see what they can do when anything but uncertainty exists.
Mulberg covers UR basketball for Campus Times’ official basketball blog, The Jackets’ Nest. Follow him on twitter at @nmulb.
