Unbeaten and No. 1, Scots open second portion of NCAC play
Brian Questel
January 5, 2011
287
The night the College of Woosters mens basketball team vaulted to the top of the Div. III mens basketball poll, it took a last-second 3-pointer to keep the Scots there. They are still No. 1 with a bullet, although there are days where the Scots have to wonder if that projectile is coming or going.
So far, Wooster has had the Teflon resiliency of a Reagan or Clinton presidency, improving its record to 13-0 with wins over John Carroll and Wilmington in the Mose Hole Classic and a 79-77 victory over Baruch in the title game of the Embry-Riddle Bahama House/Best Western Aku Tiki Shootout in Daytona Beach, Fla., Jan. 3. That was one of the three last-second wins the Scots have had in the seven games theyve won in being elevated to No. 1.
They will go for a record-tying 14th win Saturday (Jan. 8) when Wooster travels to Crawfordsville, Ind., for a key showdown to open the 2011 portion of North Coast Athletic Conference play. Wabash College, led by Wooster native Mac Petty, is currently ranked seventh in the nation and is 12-0. Two other 12-0 teams, Williams and Virginia Wesleyan, are ranked 2-3 right behind Wooster.
Wabash and Wooster are both 4-0 in NCAC play, but the Little Giants played Denison Wednesday. A Wabash win there would mean someones first loss, and that showdown is why Scot coach Steve Moore worked on a tough non-league schedule.
Weve had some close calls and its good to pull games like that out, said Moore. But, weve looked at films of some of those games and realized if we would have played tougher defense, it wouldnt have come down to the end. Im pleased our players kept their poise and came through and got some victories.
Anytime you beat John Carroll (89-76) its a good victory. That is a good program and they have a very good team again this year. Wilmington is much better than its record. They didnt play real well and lost to Spalding the night before, but we knew they were a much better team and they certainly played much better against us (86-79).
We played a couple good teams (in Florida). William Carey has a of lot talent and is very athletic, and Baruch was very solid. They played real well.
While pleased to be unbeaten, Moore knows Woosters stay at the top depends on learning from those close calls.
We realize we must be more consistent on defense, said Moore. We watched the film against Baruch and we played good defense for a good part of the game. However, there were a lot of possessions where we gave up open shots or second shots, or we were beaten off the dribble one-on-one. We have to improve. Our defense has to be more consistent. It has to be that way against Wabash.
I think a lot of that is mental. We play good defense when we play with intensity and have great concentration. When we lose that concentration and dont have the real good intensity we need, then we become average defensively and teams get open shots on us and get easy baskets. We have to be consistent with our intensity and concentration.
In real tough situations we have to do it for 40 minutes, added Moore. We have to play every single possession. If we let down here or there, it can make a difference in the game.
Franks has been the Scots go-to player, averaging 18.5 points a game for an offense that is netting 79.5 a game. A preseason All-American choice, he hasnt disappointed.
Ian has had an excellent season to date, praised Moore. Once again, hes made clutch shots for us and come through time and time again already. Not only has he scored, but hes handled the ball well and played good defense.
Our other seniors, Bryan Wickliffe (8.5 ppg) and Nathan Balch (12.6 ppg) were expected to have good senior years and use their experience, and they are having good years. Justin Hallowell is having a very good year as well. He shot so well as a freshman that last year he was a marked man and his shooting percentage was down. He worked hard over the summer and made himself more versatile – he can put the ball on the floor and hes rebounded better. Hes not a surprise, but hes certainly much improved over his sophomore year.
One of the key changes on a veteran team from a year ago was having Matt Fegan replace the graduated Brandon Johnson. Fegan is averaging 8.6 points and less than two turnovers a game, giving the Scots steady play at the point guard position.
Matt Fagan stepped into starting guard position and hes developed into a good leader at the point position, said Moore. Justin Warren off the bench is giving us good minutes, just as he did last year as a defensive role player. Hes assumed that role again, but hes improved his ball handling and is a better player than last year.
Two sophomores, Josh Claytor and Jake Mays, needed to improve their play (from last season) and they have. We have a freshman, Ryan Snyder, who is getting consistent playing time. Hes not scoring a lot of points, but hes giving us good minutes and we have confidence in him on both ends of the court.
Weve had real unselfish play. We have a good team concept and were playing good team basketball.
Halfway through the season, thats what Moore and the Scots want to continue as they set their sights on another NCAC crown.
