38th?!?!? Seriously?!?!?!
Ok, you know it and I know it. The men’s basketball team is not going to be as good as it was last season. The team that finished 24-3 was based almost entirely around its seniors and four out of the starting five have since graduated. The Bombers’ top scorer, Sean Burton is gone. Their top rebounder and shot blocker Jeff Bostic is gone. Their emotional leader Brendan Rogers is gone and their versatile power forward Sean Leahy is gone as well. That said, the d3hoops.com preseason poll ranking places Ithaca at No. 38 in the country. To me, that’s an insult. This team is far more solid than No. 38.
Junior Chris Cruz, the only returning member from last year’s starting five, is going to be a star in D-III this season. He’s a deep threat, quick on defense, and is a great athletic presence down low. If you need proof:
Senior Tom Brown will be taking over at center. Brown has ample experience starting, especially last season when Bostic went down with an injury. Brown is very determined on the boards and needs only slight improvements in his shot blocking abilities to get to where Ithaca will want its starting center to be.
Sophomore Jordan Marcus could be taking over at point guard. Burton leaves big shoes to fill but Marcus has shown flashes of brilliance in his limited time with the Blue and Gold. He is a streaky shooter but when he’s on, he’s on. He also needs to start using that muscular build to his advantage against some of the smaller guards he’ll be facing.
The other starting positions are still to be determined and nothing will be set in stone until opening tip off. But my point is this. This team is better than No. 38. I know they aren’t as good as they are last year but you don’t win 24 games without an incredibly strong bench. With four of the starting five graduating, that just means the players that gained experience with a lot of bench minutes last year will use that experience in a starting role. So, I don’t know what d3hoops.com based their ranking system on, but don’t be surprised to see the Bombers jump significantly higher as the season progresses.
Comments
Leave a Reply
Comments that do not abide by our Comments Policy may be deleted.