Young team heads into season

Sarah Palermo Sports Editor

Four freshmen, four sophomores, five juniors and one lone senior have combined to form the 2005-2006 Vassar men’s basketball team. That may sound like a young and inexperienced team, but they are ready and working hard to prove themselves otherwise.

“This is the second strongest recruiting year for the program in my 15 years here,” said coach Mike Dutton. “We have four guys with high levels of experience and skill, who were recruited by multiple schools. I expect them to have a big impact.”

The talented class of 2009 includes Joe Davis, who was selected for the sixth team All-State Basketball team in the state of New York, and Lenny Holt, whose high school basketball team had an undefeated season of 20-0 his senior year.

Teammate Will Kieffer ’07 mentioned each of these freshmen in his reflections of the coming season.

“[Holt] is going to be a key guy. He has a good chance of seeing a lot of playing time,” said Kieffer. “[Davis] is coming along quite well, adjusting to playing here.”

Of course, raw talent won’t automatically result in wins for the Brewers. The players have to adjust to a new system, Dutton said, and that could take some time.

“We’re going to learn as we go,” he said. “The freshmen have to get used to a new coach, new teammates, and playing at the college level.”

Injuries have plagued the teams early attempts at cohesion. Several members, including Davis, Will Byrne ’06, Kyle Magnus ’08, Tyson Brazell ’08 and Larry Avitabile ’08, suffered ankle injuries in the pre-season, which affects their contribution as the team begins to form line-ups, Matt Nunn ’09 is out for the season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in practice.

Avitabile’s injury, and any subsequent absence from play, could affect the team adversely. The sophomore was a stand-out in his rookie season, named Liberty League Rookie of the Year, and joined the record books in seven different areas, including points per game and rebounds.

Unfortunately, Avitabile’s stunning performance last year has left him a marked man. Dutton expects the Brewer’s opponents always have him guarded by two defending players.
“We expect more of the same from him this year,” said Dutton. “Larry was a pleasant surprise last year. He had a special talent, and when a talent like that is going well, you don’t tinker with it.”

Last year was a gold-star year for the Brewer squad under the strength of Jud Winton ’05 and Seth Taft ’05, both four-year starters for the Brewers. The team finished the 2004-2005 season with their best record to date, placing sixth in the Liberty League.

Winton holds a place in the top ten of 12 different records at Vassar, and is the fifth leading scorer in the program’s history. He is currently continuing his basketball career in Ireland, where he plays semi-professional ball.

Taft also contributed greatly to the season and left with the record for second in assists per game, and fourth in career assists.

So, who is replacing these two stand-outs? Dutton pointed to Byrne, and said that if Byrne can continue to build on his improvements from last year, when he was the third-leading scorer, he will contribute great things to the team.

“[Byrne] really came into his own last year,” said Dutton. “He gained confidence and we were so happy to see him figure it out. Seniors have a lot on their plate, quite a burden. But he established himself as a starter last year, and we can only hope to see him improve further.”

The Brewers plan to use their first seven games to prepare for their conference play, which begins against Hobart on Jan. 13. Hoping to place in the top four in the Liberty League, and advance to the post-season playoffs, Dutton is optimistic. “I’m not one to predict, but I am upbeat. Our ultimate success lies in how hard we work to prepare.”

Kieffer, on the other hand doesn’t shy away from predictions.
“We have a good shot this season,” he reported. “We have a chance to play really well in conference games and lead VC to its first playoffs in the Liberty League.”