2007-08 season preview

November 14, 2007

NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College men's basketball team has enjoyed a great deal of success over the last five seasons under 11th-year head coach Brian Walmsley, including posting four of the program's top six win totals while capturing back-to-back Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships during that stretch.

On a player level, the Lyons have witnessed nine all-conference selections and four 1,000-point scorers since the 2002-03 season. In fact, Wheaton has had at least one all-league pick in each of the nine years the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) has existed.

After posting an 11-15 overall record and 3-9 mark in the NEWMAC a season ago, Walmsley's 2007-08 Lyons don't have returning all-conference players or 1,000-point scorers, but they do have potential. All of Wheaton's frontcourt players are returners, and nine Lyons with college experience make up a large portion of the 14-member roster, leaving the remaining five slots to the freshman class.

Realizing that eight of the 14 players are underclassmen, Walmsley, third-year assistant coach Jon Gibbs and second-year man Bill Black are stressing the word "maturity" to this year's squad. "Our expectations might change from day to day because we're dealing with a large amount of young players," said Walmsley. "The big thing will be how quickly we can gel as a team and how that chemistry can form, as we talk about it on a daily basis. It's going to be a process, and the quicker that process can happen or the quicker the guys can figure it out, the more success we're going to have."

With just over a month of practice under their belts, Wheaton's coaching staff is excited about the energy level and intensity surrounding the team. "The freshmen have brought on a different personality, and other guys have caught on and gotten their personalities out a little bit more by seeing that," commented Walmsley. "We haven't played a game yet, but hopefully that emotion and enthusiasm will carry over to games where we can provide an exciting brand of basketball. And the big thing is getting that on a consistent basis being as young and inexperienced as we are."

Recording double-digit wins in each of his previous 10 seasons with the Lyons, Walmsley firmly believes the freshman class has pushed the upperclassmen and, in return, the upperclassmen have responded. Noting that many of the returners worked on their games during the offseason and many came into camp improved, Walmsley knows the scenario at hand is a win-win and one that could ultimately make Wheaton a better team.

"Whether the returners play or not, or the contribution comes in practice, or during four to five minutes in a game, or by challenging the freshmen," noted Walmsley, "the big difference this year is the amount of competition in practice has been tremendous. Nothing has been guaranteed to anybody, whether they're a returner or not, and that should help us reach our potential faster."

Losing a 1,400-point scorer due to graduation last year, the Lyons will need other players to step in and help fill that offensive void. Walmsley indicated that a well-balanced team is tough to guard and one that could have four or five scoring options at the end of a game versus just the one. He also believes the impact from the reserves has the potential to be more substantial than it was a season ago.

Wheaton's frontcourt is a veteran group that will be relied on for leadership and game experience. Senior captain and two-year starting center Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) is the most experienced player, coming off a season where he averaged 11.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. DiGiovanna, who has done an excellent job leading the youthful group, needs just 225 points to become the 12th Lyon to reach 1,000 points. He will be joined in the frontcourt by sophomore Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School), who averaged 7.6 points and 3.2 boards from his wing position last year. Playing the most minutes among returners, Leo will move to the four spot.

Reserve forwards are senior Jake Otto (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury), junior Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) and sophomores Jon Lecznar (Poland, ME/Poland Regional) and Ben Stehle (Newton, MA/Newton South). Michel and Otto will likely back up Leo in the four spot, while Lecznar and Stehle are vying for time at the center position. Each of the four turned in at least one start last season, combining to average 14.9 points and 9.3 boards.

Leaving a guard-laden group of eight backcourt players, Walmsley acknowledges the team's style of play will be a bit more wide open in that the Lyons have more of a perimeter-oriented team than they did last winter. Most likely creating advantages on offense, the flip side is that Wheaton might be mismatched on defense, but Walmsley is emphasizing that the guards will have to play bigger in order to compensate for a lack of size in most games.

Three returning guards are juniors Kristopher Pedra (Avon, CT/Avon), Mark Sullivan (West Roxbury, MA/Catholic Memorial) and Patrick Youreneff (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery). The trio is competing for minutes at the point and shooting guard positions. Youreneff is a true point guard, while Pedra and Sullivan are natural two guards. Walmsley has been impressed thus far with the improvement and work ethic of his returning cast.

New to the team is arguably Walmsley's most talented freshman class, as each of the five guards has been given playing opportunities throughout the preseason. Walmsley stated the group is a versatile bunch that can give the team options with regards to ball handling and shooting. The class is comprised of point guards Randy Casey (Medway, MA/Canterbury School) and Bud Gaffney (Berkley, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon School), wing player Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown), and combination players Bobby Perry (East Providence, RI/East Providence) and Ryan Sasso (Peabody, MA/Bishop Fenwick).

The team begins the regular season on Friday against Norwich University with its 13th tip-off tournament since 1990-91. Following a seven-game slate of non-league contests in New England, the Lyons head to Phoenix, Arizona, for a three-game tournament in late December. Wheaton opens its league schedule with a road meeting at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on January 9. The NEWMAC Tournament starts on February 27.

Like most coaches, Walmsley would like to look back at this year and see the same five players start each game and have that core set. "We're hoping they can buy into their roles," said Walmsley, "and by January we have a set rotation. It's a lot easier when coaches and players understand everyone's responsibilities. Right now we don't know because we don't have enough data."

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 11/15/07.
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Upcoming Schedule

15-Nov Sat Centenary (NJ) N 7:30pm
16-Nov Sun Plymouth St. Tip-Off A TBA
18-Nov Tue Salve Regina A 7:00pm