Wheaton (Mass.) 2011-12 men's basketball preview

The 2011-12 Wheaton College men's basketball team enters the season with a very balanced mix of upperclassmen and newcomers. While the Lyons welcome six new faces to the program, they also return 11 student-athletes – including four seniors – from last season's team.

"It's been a good three weeks of practice," said Walmsley, who begins his 15th season at the helm of the program. "The strength of our team right now is our upperclassmen. We have four seniors and five juniors, so even though we have a large freshman class, they are learning from guys who have been around. With four seniors on the squad this year, there is no shortage of leadership on the court."

Gone is four-time All-NEWMAC selection Anthony Coppola and his 1,863 career points, so while Walmsley's team doesn't feature a dynamic scorer, he feels confident his team will score efficiently by committee.

"The last few years, we featured one really talented all-league player, and we ran our offense through him," explained Walmsley. "This year, the guys know that in order for us to be successful, it's going to be a complete team effort. We're not going to play five games and have the same guy lead us in scoring in all five. Because we don't have that one go-to guy, it's could be a different leading scorer every night, and I think our guys have bought into the team concept. We're going to have to do all of the little things right. Our effort and our defense have to be great. If we can do those two things, the offense will come off the defense. We'll get points by getting offensive rebounds, creating turnovers, and sharing the ball." 

Guards
Senior co-captain Brendan Degnan (Narragansett, R.I./Bishop Hendricken) started all 23 games he played in last season and finished third in scoring at 10.1 ppg. He reached double-figures in scoring 13 times also finished second on the team with 56 assists.

"Brendan was an all-league player as a sophomore," said Walmsley. "He's a hybrid guard for us, having been an All-NEWMAC selection at point guard. We moved him over to the two last year, and he might be the best scorer we have right now. He's a slasher who attacks the rim fearlessly. He's a long and lanky guard who can finish with both hands."

Sophomore Will Bayliss (Manchester, N.H./Tilton Academy) returns after a freshman campaign which saw him start every game except the season-opener (23 straight) and average 7.0 ppg. More importantly, he dished out a team-high 68 assists (2.8 apg).

"Will brings a lot of intensity to the court," said Walmsley. "He really sets the tone for us. He's a very good defender. He's very quick and tough. Will is also a good distributer of the basketball. He averaged around 13 points per game in the final few games of the season, so he finished strong for us. Both he and Brendan have motors which would allow them to play all-day long."

Sophomore Brian Grossman (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury) played in all 24 games last season (three starts) and went for 6.0 ppg. A tenacious defender, Grossman placed second in steals with 28. "Brian gets things done by playing hard. He's probably our best three-point shooter," said Walmsley.

Junior Scott Faucher (Lebanon, N.H./Kimball Union) averaged a shade over 20 minutes off the bench last season, averaging 2.9 ppg and more than one assist per contest. "Scott's very solid. He can shoot three's and is a very good ball-handler," said Walmsley. "He is a terrific complement to Will Bayliss."

Freshman Eddie Capstick (Worcester, Mass./Marianapolis Prep) is a 6-3 guard who Walmsley said "gives us some length in the backcourt and another solid shooter." Classmate Jaycob Morales (Lawrence, Mass./Central Catholic) "is a very good defender who plays with great energy," said Walmsley.

According to Walmsley, junior Mike Bell (Greenfield, Mass./Deerfield Academy), along with freshmen Mike Cannon (New York, N.Y./Hyde School) and Trey Tucker (Danville, Calif./Winchendon School), will add size and depth to the Wheaton backcourt.

Forwards    
Senior co-captain Anthony Weeks (Fitchburg, Mass./Worcester Academy) returns after missing the second half of the 2010-11 season due to injury. His injury could not have come at a worse time for Walmsley, as Weeks was averaging 10.7 ppg and 5.2 rpg at the time and had just been named Tournament MVP of the Red & Black Classic.

"Anthony is one of two three-year starters for me, so he knows the system," said Walmsley. "We lost Anthony to injury early last year and he's moving over to the four spot this year. He gives us good offensive rebounding as well as another floor general. He has a high basketball IQ."

Senior Shawn Daily (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Mount Saint Michael Academy) started the final 19 games of last season and led the Lyons in both rebounding (6.1 rpg) and blocked shots (32). Classmate Bruno Naylor (Santa Monica, Calif./Northfield Mount Hermon School) played in all 24 games a year ago and averaged 2.9 ppg and 2.0 rpg. "Bruno Naylor has been around for three years and gives us some depth," added Walmsley. "Shawn is a big body down low for us who's a terrific interior defender," said Walmsley.

Junior Brian Johnson (Roxbury, Mass./Brimmer and May) started nine of the 22 games he played in last season and averaged 4.2 ppg and 2.1 rpg. "Brian has been a little banged up, but when he's healthy, he provides us with another solid front court player," said Walmsley.

Junior Mike Hall (Lynnfield, Mass./St. John's) appeared in all 24 games last season and finished second on the team with 22 blocks. The tallest player on the team at 6-10, Hall averaged 3.1 ppg and 3.1 rpg while averaging 13 minutes per game. "Mike Hall showed a lot of promise early in camp," said Walmsley. "He may be our most improved player."

Perhaps the wild card for Wheaton this season is Cliften Desravines (Somerville, Mass./Taft School), a 6-6 junior who was averaging 6.4 ppg and 5.4 rpg before suffering a season-ending injury just five games into the season. "We're trying to manage his playing time in practice, but he gives us some athleticism," explained Walmsley.

A pair of freshman – Ryan Clinesmith (New York, N.Y./The Hill School) and Sergio Colon (Clinton, Mass./Clinton) – will compete for time up front and provide depth as they continue to adjust to the collegiate game.

Schedule
The Lyons open the season on Tuesday, Nov. 15 with a home contest against Salve Regina University, marking the first of two games with Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) foes in 2011-12. They follow that up with a pair of games at the Emmanuel Tip-Off Tournament and eight more non-conference games before NEWMNAC play begins.

"We need to get off to a good start in non-conference play because our league is so good," said Walmsley. "It's a tough schedule. We play three NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago in Salve Regina, Bridgewater State and Rhode Island College, so we'll be tested heading into conference play."

Wheaton opens NEWMAC play with road games at MIT, Clark, and WPI before welcoming Springfield to town for its first home NEWMAC game on Jan. 18.

"Division III basketball in New England is extremely competitive," said Walmsley. "There's not one team on our schedule that you can point to and say 'There's a win.' Everybody has really good players."  

Outlook
"We want high character guys," said Walmsley. "We want guys who understand that they are here for academics first. With that, we also want competitive guys who really care about basketball. I think we have those pieces in place here at Wheaton.

"I didn't set goals for our team," he added. "I told them I want effort. We need maximum effort, guys to be in shape, and high character guys that play with passion. If we have all of those things, the wins will take care of themselves. Our immediate goal is to get off to a better start, so we're preparing for Salve Regina. It's an opportunity for us to open the season with a win at home."