Men's Basketball 1-4, Freshmen Show Strong Promise
By Joey Richards
Sports Writer
Due in most part to a challenging preseason schedule, the Pomona-Pitzer men's basketball team has come out of the gates with a 1-4 record.
The team has already battled Division I UC Irvine and powerhouses Washington U. (St. Louis) and Louis and Clark, both of whom made it to the Division III Sweet Sixteen last season.
"Our preseason schedule is usually tougher than conference. We played UCI this year and the Australian National Team last year. These teams give us a chance to see what our weaknesses are and to prepare us for SCIAC," said guard Kamau Norman-Terrance '05.
The Hens opened up the season with a victory in the Lopata Classic in St. Louis on November 22 with a 59-46 win against MIT.
In the game 6'8" center Thomas Hollo '06 led the way with 11 points, sinking 7-8 from the charity stripe. Guard Gavin Cree '04 also hit double figures with 10 points, while guard Justin Smith '03 added nine.
Forward Alexander Lloyd '05 put in a solid effort with eight points and 13 rebounds.
The key statistic for the Sagehens was free-throw shooting, as they sank 19-22 for an 86% clip while MIT only made 9-19 (47%).
The victory against MIT advanced the Hens to the next day's tournament championship game to face host Washington University.
However, the Hens proved to be no match for the high-flying Bears, falling behind by 23 points at halftime en route to at 77-44 defeat.
Freshman forward Edward Wexler-Beron led all Sagehen scorers with 12. Lloyd added his second solid game of the tournament, with seven points, six boards, and three blocks, and was named to the all-tournament team.
The following weekend, the Sagehens took part in the David Wells Classic at cross-campus Claremont-McKenna-Scripps without Lloyd, who has been battling a knee injury.
In their opening game on November 29, P-P fell to upstate New York foe RPI, 71-56. The Sagehens fell behind early and trailed by 12 points at halftime, and could not make up the deficit in the second half.
Wexler-Beron came off of the bench to lead all P-P scorers with 14 points. Cree chipped in with 12. Forward Tyler Velten '04 led the 'Hens in rebounds with eight while adding two steals.
However, the Hens made just 5-23 three-point attempts and only 13-23 free-throws on the night.
The following evening, the Sagehens wrapped up the tournament with a 73-55 loss to Lewis and Clark College.
A pair of freshmen led the way for the Hens, as Wexler-Beron had 14 points and four boards and Hollo chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds, and two steals.
The Sagehens shot only 36% from the floor on the night while the visitors sank 53%. P-P also made only six trips to the free-throw line all night, and none were during the second half.
Finally, on December 7, the Sagehens tested themselves with a contest against the UC Irvine Anteaters, a team that is coming off of two consecutive 20-win seasons in Division I and two consecutive tournament appearances.
The game was not pretty, as P-P was obviously under-manned and out of their league, playing in front of 3,500 UCI fans.
"At first we were all wowed by the atmosphere. But you have to just come and see that they are just another team. We didn't step up to the challenge," said Norman-Terrance.
The Anteaters came out of the gates scoring the first 25 points of the game en route to a 50-10 halftime lead, and a 91-23 victory.
The Sagehens made only one of 22 shots in the first half, and finished 13% from the floor, compared to 51% for the home team.
Simply overpowered, the Hens committed 27 turnovers, had zero steals, and were out-rebounded 46-29.
One bright spot for the visiting Sagehens was Wexler-Beron, who scored six points and pulled down seven rebounds.
However, the game provided the Hens a glimpse at higher-level basketball, where fans actually buy season tickets, most of the games are televised, and players are drafted into the NBA halfway through college.
Conference games start in mid-January, and despite their 1-4 record, the Sagehens continue to improve to ready themselves for the season.
"We have been improving each day and have been practicing hard. Each day we come together more and more as a team," said Norman-Terrance.
One of the bright spots for the Sagehens has been the performance by freshmen Wexler-Beron and Hollo, who are 1-2 respectively in scoring for the Hens. Wexler-Beron is averaging 11.5 points per game on 51.4% shooting while Hollo is averaging 7.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest.
"We have limited numbers this year, so the freshmen have been getting their chances and thus far have been stepping up to the plate," said Norman-Terrance.
The Hens host Biola on Saturday, their last game before they break for Christmas. Game time is 7:30.
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