Basketball begins with win
Ethan Lenoff
Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Sports
Following a disappointing 3-11 in conference and 8-17 overall finish last season, Skidmore's men's basketball team is looking to rebound this year.
A poll conducted on the Liberty League's Web site placed Skidmore sixth out of eight teams, ahead of only Union and Vassar.
Nonetheless, with Skidmore returning its three top scorers from a season ago, Jeff Altimar '11, Jon Douglas '10 and Terron Victoria '12, and with sophomores Kyle Clark and John Mantas, bit players a year ago, expecting to see extended playing time, a top-four finish is not out of the question for the Thoroughbreds.
The team has also added two first year players, Kevin Dahill and Sakhile Sithole. Head Coach Luke Flockerzi is looking to both players to make an impact right away. "Sakhile and Kevin both work very hard and have made our program better already. We are expecting both to make immediate contributions at the post," Flockerzi said.
Flockerzi's prediction proved accurate as Sithole's 17 points led the Thoroughbreds in scoring in its season opener, an 83-72 win over SUNY Cobleskill on Nov. 17.
The bleachers in the Sports and Recreation Center's Big Gym were not filled to capacity, but a decent crowd still showed up, mixed with both Skidmore and Cobleskill fans.
The Skidmore fans got to watch the Thoroughbreds open up the game on a 10-2 run. Skidmore continued its domination and did not let up, leading to a 41-29 halftime lead.
Skidmore's supremacy continued in the second half, and while Cobleskill made a noble effort to mount a run, it could not sustain any momentum against Skidmore's swarming defense. The Thoroughbreds went on to win 83-72 in their season opener, getting off to a 1-0 start for the second season in a row. Sophomore Gerard O'Shea had a very impressive night, accumulating 9 points, 10 assists, 5 steals and 0 turnovers.
Skidmore's place in the Liberty League standing figures to improve not only this year, but in years to come, as Hamilton, the league champion from a season ago, will leave the Liberty League to join the NESCAC.
Also, Bard and RIT will join the Liberty League, and Skidmore will look to feast on these newcomers.
Flockerzi is not stressed over where exactly the team falls in the Liberty League. "I measure our team's success by whether or not we are able to get better everyday and reach our potential as a group," Flockerzi said. "If we can achieve our potential through hard work, we will be able to achieve a lot with the talent we have on our team."
Skidmore next faces NYU in the NYU tournament this Saturday, Nov. 21, and the next home game will be next Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. against Southern Vermont. Skidmore fans are encouraged to attend and watch their team continue to succeed.
A poll conducted on the Liberty League's Web site placed Skidmore sixth out of eight teams, ahead of only Union and Vassar.
Nonetheless, with Skidmore returning its three top scorers from a season ago, Jeff Altimar '11, Jon Douglas '10 and Terron Victoria '12, and with sophomores Kyle Clark and John Mantas, bit players a year ago, expecting to see extended playing time, a top-four finish is not out of the question for the Thoroughbreds.
The team has also added two first year players, Kevin Dahill and Sakhile Sithole. Head Coach Luke Flockerzi is looking to both players to make an impact right away. "Sakhile and Kevin both work very hard and have made our program better already. We are expecting both to make immediate contributions at the post," Flockerzi said.
Flockerzi's prediction proved accurate as Sithole's 17 points led the Thoroughbreds in scoring in its season opener, an 83-72 win over SUNY Cobleskill on Nov. 17.
The bleachers in the Sports and Recreation Center's Big Gym were not filled to capacity, but a decent crowd still showed up, mixed with both Skidmore and Cobleskill fans.
The Skidmore fans got to watch the Thoroughbreds open up the game on a 10-2 run. Skidmore continued its domination and did not let up, leading to a 41-29 halftime lead.
Skidmore's supremacy continued in the second half, and while Cobleskill made a noble effort to mount a run, it could not sustain any momentum against Skidmore's swarming defense. The Thoroughbreds went on to win 83-72 in their season opener, getting off to a 1-0 start for the second season in a row. Sophomore Gerard O'Shea had a very impressive night, accumulating 9 points, 10 assists, 5 steals and 0 turnovers.
Skidmore's place in the Liberty League standing figures to improve not only this year, but in years to come, as Hamilton, the league champion from a season ago, will leave the Liberty League to join the NESCAC.
Also, Bard and RIT will join the Liberty League, and Skidmore will look to feast on these newcomers.
Flockerzi is not stressed over where exactly the team falls in the Liberty League. "I measure our team's success by whether or not we are able to get better everyday and reach our potential as a group," Flockerzi said. "If we can achieve our potential through hard work, we will be able to achieve a lot with the talent we have on our team."
Skidmore next faces NYU in the NYU tournament this Saturday, Nov. 21, and the next home game will be next Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. against Southern Vermont. Skidmore fans are encouraged to attend and watch their team continue to succeed.
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