Gettysburg 2011-12 men's basketball preview
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – It's no secret the 2011-12 season will present significant changes following the graduation of the program's all-time leading scorer in Andrew Powers '11.
However, with an experienced group of upperclassmen, along with a promising freshman class, 23rd-year head coach George Petrie and the Bullets are excited about the prospects of the upcoming season.
"The kids know we're entering the post-Powers era," said Petrie, who with a career record of 312-252 enters the season nine wins shy of the program record for coaching victories. "He was a great player and had a great career but it's up to us to generate a new chemistry and a new cohesive unit."
The Bullets, who were picked to finish sixth in the Centennial Conference preseason poll, will miss Powers, who averaged exactly 20 points last season, as well as Kevin Kennedy '11, a two-year starting forward who scored 8.4 points per game and led the team with 38 3-pointers a year ago. But the Orange & Blue return five players who started at some point last season and eight players who saw significant action for a squad that went 14-12 and reached the Centennial Conference playoffs.
"Overall I think we'll have better speed and quickness," said Petrie. "We have experienced older players, and I think our younger players have a good basketball IQ. I think there's a built-in camaraderie among the players.
"We're going to be more balanced," added Petrie. "There's not going to be that dominant player."
Returning as the Bullets leading scorer from last season is junior swingman Alex Zurn (6-4). Though he missed the second semester, he started the first eight games of the year and averaged 12.0 points per game on 54.8 percent shooting. One of the most athletic players in the Centennial Conference, Zurn, who also started throughout his freshman season, led the Bullets with 14 blocked shots.
Gettysburg returns three other players who started in the backcourt last season in senior Brendan Trelease (6-3) and juniors Derek Brooks (6-2) and Larry Geedey (5-11).
One of the team's top outside shooting threats, Trelease, a tri-captain, averaged 5.5 points per game last season in his second year as a starter, playing in 25 games and making 23 starts. He was second among the Bullets with 25 3-pointers.
Brooks, who can play either guard position, played in 24 games and started nine times last year, averaging 5.2 points per game. An efficient ball-handler, he finished with a 1.34 assist-to-turnover ratio, and he was also second on the team with 32 steals.
Geedey, a point guard, made 19 appearances and 13 starts while posting 4.7 points per night in 2010-11.
A versatile freshman backcourt of Joe Emerusabe (6-4), Sean Gordon (6-0), JoJo Savaglio (6-4), Mark Siden (5-9), and Mark Staub (6-1) will also vie for playing time.
Senior tri-captain Cory Weissman (5-11) also returns for his fourth year on the team. An incredible inspiration to his teammates, he continues to recover from a stroke suffered during the spring of his freshman year caused by an arteriovenous malformation (AVM).
In the frontcourt, the Bullets bring back senior tri-captain Tim Lang (6-7), who appeared in 25 games and made 17 starts last season while scoring 3.8 points per game. He will be joined by junior Benjamin Constable (6-7), an imposing physical presence from New Zealand. An NAIA Division II transfer, he played in 20 games off the bench and came on strong late in the season. Other returning big men are junior Christian Bors (6-6), who played in the first eight games of the season, and sophomore Connor Poston (6-5), who saw action in 19 games off the bench. Freshman Christian Healy (6-5) will provide an additional option in the post.
"I think it's going to be a season-long process," summed Petrie. "Will we be better in December than we were in November? We will be better in January than we were in December? Will be better in February than were in January? I feel confident that's going to happen. It's just going to have its own timeline."
