Releases
Date Posted:11/20/2002, 8:00AM
2002-03 Men's Basketball Preview
BRUNSWICK, Maine ?
The Bowdoin College men?s basketball team
will enter the 2002-03 season with
new faces abound. After the graduation of five
seniors last spring, the Polar Bears
essentially lost half of
their roster from a team that posted a strong
16-9 record last winter.
But an influx of talented first-years, combined with the development of a key class of four sophomores, have produced a sense of anticipation in a program that has averaged 16 wins per season since 1995.
?I?m very happy with how hard we?ve been working so far,? says head coach Tim Gilbride, the winningest coach in Bowdoin history (17 seasons, 228-180). ?We?ve gotten some outstanding leadership from our seniors that we hope will continue.?
Returning to pace the
Polar Bears will be offensive stalwart Braden
Clement (Skowhegan, Maine). The
senior guard will be the focal point of the
offense after a junior campaign that saw him
place second on
the squad at 11 points/game. Clement was at
his best in NESCAC games, shooting 52%
from the field
and 45% from three-point range in averaging
14.6 points/game against conference foes.
Classmates
Danny Ginn (Windham, Maine) and Michael
Harding (Hanover, Mass.) both will look to
improve on their
output from the guard/forward position this
winter, as both will likely see more time in
?02-?03. Senior
post Matt Fleck (Brooklyn, N.Y.) will also step
in the frontcourt spotlight with more court time
this year.
?In Braden and Danny, we think we have two of the top shooters in the conference,? says Gilbride. ?Obviously we?re going to be counting on them to give us some points this year.?
The lone junior on the team is T.J. McLeod (Gorham, Maine), who offered glimpses of offensive potential last season. McLeod will undoubtedly get more opportunities to produce this year for the Polar Bears.
A key to the team?s success could be the progression of four sophomores on the squad. Guards Sean Walker (Skowhegan, Maine) will fight for more time, while Corey Gildart (Bangor, Maine) will attempt to become part of the rotation this winter. In the front-court, 6-7 Mark Yakavonis (Barrington, R.I.) saw significant time as a rookie last year, averaging 16 minutes per game, while the Polar Bears hope 6-11 Jim McDonald (Denver, Colo.) will take advantage of his height in the post.
?Mark finished very
strong last year, and we?re hoping that he
takes off from that point,? according to
Gilbride. ?He has gained a lot of confidence,
especially on the offensive end, and he?ll get
more chances
this year. Sean has a good shot and Corey
can handle the ball. Jim is playing with more
confidence and
seems to be stronger this year, and we?ll
definitely use T.J.?s athleticism.?
Five freshman will all compete for time in 2002-03 and will likely get their opportunity to contribute to the squad. Guards Mario Lopez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Eli Maitland (Acton, Mass.) join forwards Kyle Petrie (Iowa City, Iowa), Teddy Ligon (Medford, Mass.) and Nick Ordway (South Portland, Maine) to form a solid crop as the future of Bowdoin basketball.
?We?ll definitely use our young players this season,? says Gilbride. ?Of the first-years, Kyle is very versatile and will see action. Teddy is very athletic and as he adjusts to the college game, he?ll continue to improve abd Nick is a very smart player. They?ll all get a chance to contribute.?
The Polar Bears will
open their season against daunting
competition this weekend at the
UMass-Dartmouth Tournament. The
always-tough NESCAC season will see the
Polar Bears take trips to
Williams, Middlebury and Tufts, and host
Trinity and Amherst on back-to-back days
(Jan. 17-18).
?Our league is so competitive,? says Gilbride. ?We have to realize that because it?s so competitive, any game can be a win or a loss. Our goal is to finish as high as we can in the standings to set things up for the post-season tournament and go from there.?
232