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Volume CXXXII, Number 11 |
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Men's bball reloads for '03 campaign
BOBBY DESAULNIERS
STAFF WRITER
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| Danny Ginn '03, the Polar Bears' leading scorer, looks for an outlet. (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient) |
With the win over University of Southern Maine last Monday, the Bowdoin Men's Basketball Team improved to 3-1 on the season. Led by seniors Braden Clement and Danny Ginn, who scored a combined 31 points, the Bears put up another win.
The early results of the team's work have been impressive. The Bears opened against Wheaton this season. Although the match was tight through the last minutes of the game, Bowdoin dropped its opening day game 82-78.
Determined not to make it a habit, the Bears rose to the challenge in the final minutes of their bout with Salve Regina. The Bears took this game by one point, hence proving that, down to the wire, the Bears can gel and pull out a win. The effort was, again, helped by guards Clement and Ginn, who scored 15 and 22 points, respectively.
The Bears' next two victories against the University of New England and the University of Southern Maine did not require clutch play in the closing seconds. An impressive showing against USM provided the young team with a confidence boost. In these two games, sophomore center Mark Yakavonis compiled an average of 14 points per game. Each win is a stepping stone for the team with almost as many first years as there are upperclassmen.
Let's take a trip back in time. Last season with two games remaining, the Bears had a chance to win the NESCAC outright and secure home-court advantage. But, in these games against formidable NESCAC opponents Amherst and Trinity, the Bears lost both games.
In the last minutes of these games, the team was outplayed and the NESCAC title, along with home-court advantage, slipped through their hands. At the NESCAC tournament, the Bears lost the opening game to Amherst, ending their season with three losses and a bitter taste that lingered until Midnight Madness, which marked the start of a news season.
As a team that relied heavily on its seniors last season, the Bears could have easily labeled this year as a "rebuilding" year and took their losses in stride. However, just the opposite has happened thus far. The five remaining seniors and the one junior on the team stepped up to leadership roles to direct the team to three early wins.
Junior forward T.J. McLeod said, "This year we have come together as a team very quickly. We really didn't have much of a choice. The upperclassmen have worked to emphasize chemistry through encouragement and instilling confidence in the younger players. We are not a team who will every accept anything but wins."
Remember those high school sports shirts that, on the back, said, "We don't rebuild, we reload"? The Bears, with an arsenal of young bullets, is merely reloading. The Bear's next game is home this Saturday against Mount Ida at 1:00 p.m. Come on over to Morrell Gymnasium and wear your Superfan shirts to support men's basketball.
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