2011-12 Hamilton College men's basketball preview
The Hamilton College men's basketball program has a new head coach and a new conference for the 2011-12 season. Adam Stockwell (Le Moyne, 1996) will lead the Continentals into the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) for the first time. Stockwell comes to Hamilton after spending the past two seasons at SUNY Oswego, where he led the Lakers to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2011, and was named the SUNYAC, National Association of Basketball Coaches Division III East District, and Basketball Coaches Association of New York Division III men's basketball coach of the year.
Hamilton finished 16-10 overall last year, going 9-5 in the Liberty League, and the Continentals will be looking to improve upon that finish this year in the NESCAC. Hamilton returns eight players from the 2010-11 roster, and will add six freshman to the mix.
Leading Hamilton on the court will be 6-foot 7-inch Pat Sullivan '12 (Madison, N.J.), the 2010-11 Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year. The versatile big-man averaged 17.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game last year, and is already a member of Hamilton's 1,000-point club. Sullivan shot almost 52 percent from the floor in 2010-11, and has lead the team in scoring two years in a row. He is part of a two-man senior class that also includes Ephraim McDowell '12 (Boston, Mass.). McDowell garnered Liberty League Honorable Mention honors in 2010-11, averaging 11 points per game. The sharpshooter has drained 139 three-pointers in his career, and needs just 14 more to move into 5th place on Hamilton's career leaders list.
Ken Click '13 (Stony Point, N.Y.) and Greg Newton '14 (Barrington, R.I.) are also key returners for the Continentals. The 6-foot 8-inch Click led Hamilton on defense in 2010-11 with 35 shots blocked, and chipped in 6.7 points per game as well. Newton ran the point and dished out almost three assists per game to go along with 6.6 points. The team's second leading rebounder, Matt Dean '14 (Franklin, Mass.) averaged just over six points per game last year, and was named to the 2011 Liberty League All-Rookie Team.
Reserve guard Hans Schulte '13 (High Falls, N.Y.) chipped in 4.3 points per game last year, and Eric Benvenuti '13 (Concord, Mass.) and Marlon Bascombe '14 (Newark, N.J.) also played considerable minutes off the bench. All three will look to contribute even more in 2011-12. Hamilton also welcomes in a talented freshman class that will add both skill and depth to the team.
Hamilton opens the season at home, hosting the Hamilton Tip-Off Tournament on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18-19. The Continentals take on Bridgewater State, which played in the 2011 NCAA tournament, on Friday night at 8 p.m. Hamilton also hosts the Hamilton Thanksgiving Tournament on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 26-27, featuring Berkeley College (N.Y.), SUNY Cobleskill and Farmingdale State College. The Continentals play their first-ever NESCAC game on January 6, 2012, against Bowdoin College at Margaret Bundy Scott Field House.
