The Wooster menís basketball team began the season ranked No. 9 in Div. III. Halfway through the month of January, the team has fallen out of the national Top 25 poll. Against the nationís toughest schedule, however, rankings donít tell the whole story.
Coming into the season, head coach Steve Moore knew the team would be challenged in the early going. Moore had designed the teamís toughest schedule in school history ó and it showed.
In the first month of the season, the Scots played the nationís No. 2, No. 4 and No. 6 ranked teams. The Scots lost all three of these games. This included a humbling 31-point loss in the Al Van Wie Tournament to the University of St. Thomas. It was the teamís worst loss in almost 23 years.
After winning seven of its last eight games, the Scots have gotten off to a 10-4 start. At most schools, this would unquestionably be a successful start. With the type of program Moore has built and the expectations he has set, however, it is rather pedestrian. From 2002 to 2007, the most losses the Scots had during the regular season in any year was three. These six seasons were characterized by six NCAA Tournament trips and two trips to the Final Four.
The Scots have met early season expectations, but they have not exceeded them. The Scots have beaten the teams they were supposed to, but they have not sprung any upsets. The Scots have looked good, if not looked unbeatable.
This may be in due part to perimeter shooting. The team was upset by Albion College 57-55 in the season opener after shooting just 33 percent from the field.† The team has averted two early upsets in December against Kenyon College and on Wednesday against Allegheny. despite shooting just 37 percent from the field. In Wednesdayís 69-68 win over the Gators, the Scots made just 16 percent of their three-point shots. On the season, the team is shooting 45 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point range.
Last year, the team relied on perimeter shooting. The team shot 47 percent from the field and 43 percent from three-point range. While the team lacked a strong post game, they made up for it with an exceptional perimeter game. Forward Justin Hallowell í12 and guard Nathan Balch í11 excelled from the behind the arc and knocked down 50 percent of their shots, averaging around 14 and 13 points respectively. This year, Hallowell is shooting 40 percent from behind the arc, while Balch has hit 36 percent of his shots from downtown. While the perimeter duo has played well, they are slightly off the high marks from last year.
Mooreís previous teams have enjoyed a considerable edge in perimeter shooting. Despite an inexperienced squad last year, the teamís perimeter game carried it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. If the team plans on making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, it will rely on strong perimeter play.
Guard Ian Franks í11 has again established himself as the Scotsí go-to scorer. Franks single-handedly willed the team to victory against Kenyon, scoring seven points in the gameís last minute as well as dishing out the game winning assist. Furthermore, leading the team in scoring, Franks is second on the team in assists and third on the team in rebounding.
In addition to the comeback of point guard Brandon Johnson í10 this season, the emergence of Justin Warnes í12 is one of the most interesting storylines so far. Warnes spent all of last season on the junior varsity squad. This year, Warnes has† emerged as a defensive stopper, taking over the duties held last year by perimeter player Marty Bidwell í09. Warnes is hardly a scoring threat by any means ó he has scored 14 points in 14 games. Warnes has earned his minutes by having to play more defense than Amy Winehouseís publicist.
With the improvement of forward Bryan Wickliffe í11, as well as the contributions of newcomers Josh Claytor í13 and Jake Mays í13, the team has benefited from increased depth in the post. The Scots have enjoyed the rebounding edge in 10 of their 13 games this season. This could provide a huge boost down the stretch this season, especially as the team continues to improve its perimeter shooting.
Through the first part of the season, the Scots have looked solid, but not quite spectacular. After playing arguably the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation, the team will look to find its groove against the rest of the NCAC, where the Scots have historically feasted. In the last seven seasons, the Scots have posted a 103-9 record against its conference opponents in the regular season.
While the Scots were not able to pull any upsets against any of the three top 10 teams it played , it is positioned right where it needs to be in mid-January ó atop the NCAC standings. As the team continues to make adjustments the rest of the way, preseason expectations remain the same ó that the team will be there at the end of February as well.