2009-10 season preview

NORTON, MA- For the first time in three years, Wheaton College men's basketball head coach Brian Walmsley enters a season with a veteran core, as all five 2008-09 starters return, with four of them being upperclassmen this winter.  The Lyons have been forced to rely on younger players to be the leaders on the floor the last couple of years, but with experience on their side in 2009-10, Walmsley is anticipating a promising season.

"It's always a more comfortable feeling when you have experienced players," said the 13th-year coach, who enters the season 16 wins short of 200.  "We're ahead of last year in the sense that we might not have to do as much teaching.  The upperclassmen pick things up quicker and they've been excellent leaders so far, which really goes a long way when pulling the younger guys along with them."

Winners in six of its first seven games last season, including posting a 16-point victory over eventual NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 qualifier Salem State College, Wheaton went 14-12.  Moving up three placements in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) from the previous year with a 6-6 record in league play, the Lyons earned the third seed in the conference tournament, where they dropped an opening-round game for just the second time in the NEWMAC's 11-year history.

Despite seeing a significant jump in the conference standings, Walmsley knows it wasn't enough for his returning upperclassmen.  "By the time guys are juniors and seniors, they've matured to the point where they only care about winning," said Walmsley.  "They see the big picture more than they did as freshmen and sophomores, since time is running out.  They realize the importance of doing the little things, and for the first time we're seeing it in practice.  They are concentrating more on defense, believing in defense, and are more unselfish on offense."

Walmsley is joined by fifth-year assistant coach Jon Gibbs, as the tandem is responsible for a smaller roster of 13 players, which includes nine underclassmen.  Wheaton is accustomed to playing an up-tempo brand of basketball, and Walmsley hopes to continue that with an even deeper bench than in years past, indicating that all 13 Lyons are quality basketball players who have made practices extremely competitive.

"At this time of year, they're all fighting for playing time," said Walmsley.  "Not only does it help that practices are more competitive but it makes us better.  There's little drop-off from the starting five to the second five.  They understand the style we're going to play and that they might not play as long as they once have, but they're going to get back in the game quicker.  We have guys that are pretty close to each other in terms of skill and ability."

Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) and Ben Stehle (Newton, MA/Newton South) make up the senior class, as each provides a great deal of experience and versatility.  A three-year starter with the ability to play on the wing or under the basket, Leo led the NEWMAC in free throw percentage last year after shooting 88.5 percent while pacing the squad in blocks.  He was second on the team in rebounding with 4.2 boards per game and fourth in scoring with 8.7 points per contest.  Stehle, who was the lone player to start all 26 games, provides the Lyons with a big-body presence underneath coupled with outside range.  He led the team with 5.8 rebounds per game while averaging 7.3 points.

Guards Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown) and Ryan Sasso (Peabody, MA/Bishop Fenwick) comprise the junior class.  Coppola, who garnered all-conference honors for the second straight year last winter, nearly became the first underclassman in program history to record 1,000 points, as he is just 17 away from the milestone.  Ranked seventh in program history in three-pointers, the long-range shooter is expected to be on the wing again after finishing third in the league in scoring with an average of 18.6 points.  He shot 45.9 and 74.8 percent from the field and free throw line, respectively, while tallying 52 assists and 33 steals.

Having played the point guard and wing positions his first two years and expected to remain in a combo role, Sasso will also be counted on to serve as Wheaton's defensive sparkplug, as Walmsley applauds his knack for strong defensive play.  Sasso was among the league leaders in assists (73) while leading the team in steals (36) and finishing second in scoring average with 10.0 points.  He was also among the conference's best in two shooting categories, finishing second in three-point field goal percentage (.429).

Wheaton's four sophomores all contributed a year ago, as Shawn Daily (Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Saint Michael Academy), Brendan Degnan (Narragansett, RI/Bishop Hendricken), Bruno Naylor (Los Angeles, CA/Northfield Mount Hermon School) and Anthony Weeks (Fitchburg, MA/Worcester Academy) each appeared in at least 18 games last winter.  Degnan is vying for starting time at point guard, Weeks is expected to compete for a starting slot on the wing, while Daily and Naylor should provide depth in the front court.

Moving into the starting lineup midway through his freshman campaign, Weeks made an immediate impact, finishing third in the league in free throw percentage (.841) while averaging 8.8 points and 3.4 boards in 24.5 minutes.  He also shot 45.1 percent from the field and 36.4 percent beyond the three-point arc.  Degnan, whom Walmsley labeled as Wheaton's most improved player, appeared in 24 games last winter.  He knocked down 78.6 percent of his free-throw attempts while coming in fourth on the team in steals.  Daily picked up two starts during 19 games in the front court, while Naylor made appearances in 18 contests.

Walmsley is excited about the addition of five talented freshmen, all of whom are expected to see time this winter.  Guards Scott Faucher (Lebanon, NH/Kimball Union Academy), Brian Johnson (Roxbury, MA/Brimmer and May School) and P.J. Walters (Hempstead, NY/Saint Dominic) join forward Cliften Desravines (Somerville, MA/Taft School) and center Mike Hall (Lynnfield, MA/Saint John's Prep).

Faucher, whose father is the head coach at Daniel Webster College and former head coach at Division I Dartmouth College, will see minutes running the point.  Johnson and Walters each bring a different dimension to the wing, with Johnson being able to guard multiple positions and Walters adding quickness to the team.  Desravines, a 6-6 forward who runs the floor well and possesses strong athleticism, will be looked upon to be active underneath, while the 6-10 Hall, who Walmsley indicates as being a very good shot blocker, provides the Lyons with their tallest target in 11 years.

Wheaton begins its 24-game regular season slate at Emerson College on Tuesday before hosting a four-team tip-off tournament the following weekend.  The Lyons then begin a seven-game stretch where six are on the road, including against 2009 NCAA Tournament teams Bridgewater State College, Elms College and Salem State during a four-game span.  Bridgewater State is ranked 11th in the D3hoops.com preseason national poll, while Elms and Salem State are both receiving votes.  Bridgewater State joined Salem State in advancing to last year's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

The Lyons then head to Florida to compete in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Holiday Festival, where they will see 2009 NCAA Tournament team State University of New York Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) on December 23.  Wheaton opens its league slate with a home game on January 6 against Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), which qualified for last year's NCAA Tournament after winning its sixth consecutive NEWMAC regular season title.  The Engineers are also receiving votes in the national poll. 

Wheaton travels to defending league tournament champion Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), also receiving national votes, on January 23.  The NEWMAC Tournament is set to begin on February 24.

"We wanted to beef up our schedule in order to better prepare for the NEWMACs," said Walmsley.  "We're experienced and have guys who have been through the grind, so we want to see what we have.  We might come out on the short end a few more times than we would like, but we feel we have enough good players where we can go out and compete against teams."