W&L Men's Basketball Game Notes - Week 10
Generals’ Hoops Report
Games this week:
Game 19: W&L (12-6, 4-5) vs. Emory & Henry
(2-17, 0-10) • Wed./7:00 pm
Game 20: W&L (12-6, 4-5) vs. No. 2 Guilford
(18-1, 9-1) • Sat./3:00 pm
For PDF version of this week's notes, Click Here!!
The Head General
Adam Hutchinson (Amherst ‘93) is in his seventh
season as the head coach at Washington and Lee. Hutchinson
has led W&L to a 67-104 (.392) record, including
back-to-back-to-back seasons with double-digit wins for the first
time since 1988-1991, as well as back-to-back-to-back-to-back
seasons with 10+ wins for the first time since 1987-1991.
Hutchinson was honored as the 2008 ODAC Coach of the Year after
leading the Generals to a 15-11 record. Last season, Hutchinson led
W&L to a 16-13 mark and the Generals advanced to the title game
of the ODAC Tournament for the first time since 1989. In his
12 seasons as a head coach, Hutchinson is 100-171 (.369)
overall.
Century Mark
With the Generals’ 18-point victory over Randolph, head coach
Adam Hutchinson notched the 100th victory in his career. He
currently holds a career record of 100-171 and his record at
W&L stands at 67-104, including 43-30 over the last three
seasons. His 67 wins currently place him fourth all-time in wins at
Washington and Lee. Verne Canfield, who coached at W&L for 31
years heads the list with 460 wins all-time.
Last time out • W&L 64, Randolph 46
(1/30/10)
Washington and Lee shot 20-for-26 from the foul line and committed
just nine turnovers in defeating Randolph College, 64-46, on
Saturday afternoon Lynchburg, Va. The win was the 100th in the
career of Head Coach Adam Hutchinson, who is now 100-171 (.369)
over 12 years as a head coach at Stevens, Case Western and W&L.
He is 67-104 (.392) in his seven seasons with the Generals. The
Generals trailed 11-9 with 8:37 left in the first half, but used a
13-2 run over the next 6:02 to assume a 22-13 lead with 2:35
remaining en route to a 24-20 lead at halftime. The WildCats closed
to within two points on several occasions over the opening seven
minutes and change of the second stanza, but a 13-3 run over the
next 5:30 gave W&L a 12-point lead (49-37) with 6:44 to play.
Sophomore guard Kyle Bond scored six points and first-year guard
Jeremy Adkins added five markers during the Generals’
decisive run. Randolph closed to within eight points (51-43) with
3:50 left, but the Generals ended the game with another 13-3 run
for the 18-point win. Senior forwards Ben Goetsch and Zac White,
and junior guard Jason Cimino all scored 11 points to lead W&L.
Goetsch had eight rebounds and White notched seven boards, while
Cimino also registered seven assists and five rebounds. First-year
guard Hans Harris chipped in a career-high nine points.Randolph
shot just 32.7 percent (17-52) from the floor and committed 17
turnovers. The WildCats were paced by first-year guard Colton Hunt,
who recorded 15 points and five rebounds.
Scouting Emory & Henry
The Wasps and Generals are squaring off for the 96th time, with the
Generals holding a 57-38 advantage in the all-time series. W&L
took a 77-72 decision from E&H earlier this season. The Wasps
enter the week with an overall record of 2-17 and 0-10 mark in
league play. E&H has dropped nine-straight contests with its
last win being a 73-70 victory over LaGrange on Dec. 29, 2009. Most
recently, E&H fell 94-88 to Bridgewater as the Eagles shot 50.0
percent from the field and connected on 25-37 free throws to post
the six-point victory. The Wasps were led by senior guard J.D.
Dyson’s game-high 28 points, while first-year guard Jordan
Short added 17 points and junior forward Terrance Grigg chipped in
12 markers. On the season, E&H is led by Grigg, who is
averaging 17.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Dyson is adding
14.2 points, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Grigg’s
point total is good for seventh in the league and Dyson is third in
assists, while junior guard Bobby Stafford is second in the league
with 4.11 assists per game. As a team, the Wasps are yielding an
ODAC-high 87.3 points per game and sport a -9.4 rebounding margin
on the season.
Last time against Emory & Henry • W&L 77,
E&H 72 • 11/28/09
Senior forward Zac White recorded a career-high 27 points as
Washington and Lee rallied from a 14-point second half deficit to
defeat Emory & Henry, 77-72, at the King Center. The game was
closely contested through most of the first half, but Emory &
Henry took a seven-point lead, 36-29, going into the half after
recording an 8-1 run in the final two minutes. Junior forward
Thomas Larmier hit a three pointer while junior guard Josh Rigney
added five points during that run, adding to the Wasps 57.7 percent
(15-for-26) shooting from the field in the first half. The Wasps
opened up the second half on a 10-3 run to build their largest lead
of the game, 14, at 46-32 at the 17:41 mark. However, the Generals
chipped away at the lead with White leading the scoring, notching
14 points over the next 8:36 to pull the Generals to within two
points. A jumper from first-year guard Hans Harris tied the game at
55-55 with 8:04 remaining, and Harris would add the go-ahead jumper
at 7:24 to put the Generals up for good at 57-55. With the win, the
Generals recorded their fifth victory at the King Center since
1990. White went 9-for-15 (60.0 percent) from the field and
8-for-11 (72.7 percent) from the line, including 20 points in the
second half, en-route to posting his career high in points. Fellow
senior forward Ben Goetsch added his first double-double of the
season with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Emory & Henry was paced
by senior guard JD Dyson, who notched 17 points and six assists,
while junior forward Terrance Grigg added 15 points and 11
rebounds.
Scouting Guilford
The Quakers and Generals are meeting for the 42nd time with the
Quakers holding a 26-15 advantage in the all-time series. The two
teams split a pair of meetings last season, including an 82-76
double-overtime victory for W&L in the quarterfinal round of
last season’s ODAC Tournament. The Quakers enter this week
with an overall record of 18-2, and ODAC-mark of 9-1 and they are
currently riding a 14-game winning streak. Guilford is currently
ranked No. 2 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 and by all accounts will
ascend to the No. 1 spot when the poll is released later this week.
Most recently, the Quakers defeated then-No.9 Randolph-Macon,
82-73, on Saturday. GC outscored the Yellow Jackets 48-33 in the
second half after falling behind by six points at the break. Senior
center Tyler Sanborn led GC with 26 points and 13 rebounds and
senior guards Rhett Bonner and Clay Henson added 22 and 13 points,
respectively, while both Bonner and Henson handed out four assists.
On the season, Sanborn leads the way with 19.9 points and a
league-leading 13.7 rebounds per game. Henson is averaging 18.5
points per game and Bonner is chipping in 14.7 points per game.
Henson leads the league with 58 three-point field goals made and
Bonner is second in the league with a 43.8 percent (39-89) mark
from beyond the arc.
Last time against Guilford • W&L 82, Guilford 76
(2OT) • 2/27/09
Senior guard Isaiah Goodman scored a career-high 24 points in
leading eighth-seeded Washington and Lee to an upset of top-seeded
and 19th-ranked Guilford, 82-76 in double-overtime, in the
quarterfinals of the ODAC Tournament at the Salem Civic Center.
W&L’s upset of the top-seed marked just the second time
that a No. 8 seed defeated the No. 1 seed in the ODAC Tournament.
W&L held a slim 30-28 lead at half despite shooting just 36.7
percent (11-30) and being outrebounded, 23-15, in the opening half.
The Generals forced the Quakers into 12 first-half turnovers,
and connected on five three-pointers in the opening period in
holding a two-point edge at the break. The Generals held a slight
lead for much of the second period and following a free throw from
senior guard Chris McHugh to put W&L up 61-55 with 1:42
remaining, the Quakers ran off seven-straight points to take a
62-61 lead on a free throw from guard Rhett Bonner with 20 seconds
remaining. Forward Zac White was fouled with six seconds showing on
the clock and tied the game at 62-62 by splitting a pair of free
throws to force overtime. In the first overtime period, Goodman
gave W&L a 69-66 lead on a three-pointer with 34 seconds left.
Bonner converted a layup for the Quakers on the next possession to
cut it to a one-point General lead with 13 seconds left, but
W&L senior forward Ben Heller split a pair of free-throws with
12 seconds left to put W&L up 70-68. Guilford senior forward
George Neville tied the game at 70-70 and forced second overtime
when he hit a lay-up with five seconds remaining.
Bonner opened the overtime period with a layup to give the Quakers
a 72-70 lead at the 4:15 mark, but McHugh hit his fifth
three-pointer on the ensuing possession to put the Generals up for
good, 73-72, at the 3:57 mark. W&L closed out the game
connecting on 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch. McHugh scored 18
points for the Generals on 5-of-11 shooting from three-point
territory. Heller added 14 points and seven rebounds, while White
scored eight points, grabbed five boards and blocked four shots.
Bonner led Guilford with a game-high 28 points, including 10-of-11
at the charity stripe. Neville added 16 points and 12 rebounds,
center Tyler Sanborn added 11 points and 21 rebounds. Guard Clay
Henson chipped in 14 points.
STRONG START = STRONG FINISH
W&L is 41-7 (.854) in its last 48 games when leading at the
break and has compiled a 75-29 (.721) record over the past 11 years
when it leads at the break. W&L has won a total of 98 games
during that stretch, meaning that the Generals have led at halftime
in just over 75 percent of their wins during the last 11 years.
Hit on 20
Entering this season, senior forward Ben Goetsch had never recorded
a 20-point game, with 19 being his career high. However, Goetsch
has already posted games of 29 points, 27 points, 23 points, 21
points (on two occasions) and 20 points this season and W&L has
already had an individual reach at least 20 points on nine
different occasions, eclipsing the six 20-point games from a season
ago. However, Goetsch is in the midst of his longest sub-20-point
scoring streak, having not reached 20 points since Jan. 13, when he
notched 21 points in an overtime win over Lynchburg -- a span of
five games.
Outrebounded
In the Generals’ eight-point win over then-No. 9
Randolph-Macon last week, W&L was outrebounded 39-29, yet
managed to pull off the upset. Over the last two seasons, W&L
has been outrebounded by at least 10 boards on seven occasions.
Whats interesting is that over the last two seasons, the Generals
have posted three wins over ranked teams and, in each of the those
victories, W&L lost the rebounding battle by at least 10
boards. Last season, W&L defeated then-No. 18 Roanoke, 68-66,
despite the Maroons holding a 34-23 advantage on the boards. In the
quarterfinal round of the ODAC Tournament, then-No. 19 Guilford
outrebounded the Generals, 52-38, but W&L pulled out an 82-76
double-overtime win.
Forcing the issue
If Washington and Lee can’t win the rebounding battle when it
defeats a Top 25 team, it has made up for that in amping up the
defensive intensity and forcing its opponents into more miscues
than it commits. W&L has averaged 12.0 turnovers in its last
three wins over ranked teams, while the Generals have forced their
opponent into an average of 18.7 giveaways per game. On Wednesday,
the Generals committed 12 turnovers and forced R-MC into 17.
Home sweet home
Washington and Lee returns home to play its next three games in the
friendly confines of the Warner Center following five-straight
games on the road. W&L posted a 3-2 record on what was its
longest road trip since a five-game road swing to open the 1997-98
season. The Generals have posted a 6-3 record at the Warner Center
thus far, and are 30-19 at home over the last four seasons.
Stat stuffer
Senior forward Zac White is perhaps the most versatile player on
the Generals’ roster and the numbers back that up. White, who
is second on the team in scoring (12.4 ppg) and rebounding (5.3
rpg), is also the only General to average at least one block, one
assist and one steal per game. White currently leads the team in
blocks (32), steals (24) and is third in assists (18).
Four score
Junior guard Jason Cimino, who is averaging 3.9 assists per
contest, has recorded four or more helpers on 11 occasions this
season and has already racked up 70 assists, far surpassing the 34
dimes he dropped as a sophomore. When Cimino passes out at least
four helpers, the Generals have posted a record of 8-3.
Brick layers
Many of the W&L men’s basketball players may want to
condsider a second career as a mason, as the Generals have proven
quite adept at brick laying this winter. Currently, the Generals
rank dead last in the ODAC in field goal percentage (.411),
three-point percentage (.283), next to last in free-throw
percentage (.652), and, as a result of that inability to put the
ball in the basket, the Generals are the lowest scoring team in the
league at 63.7 points per game.
Tinkering
Coach Hutchinson has been experimenting with his starting lineup
over the past several games in an attempt to inject some energy
into the league’s most anemic offense (63.7 ppg). Over the
team’s first 12 games of the season, the Generals featured
just two different starting lineups. However, Hutchinson has
trotted out a different starting five in three of the last six
games. On the season, W&L has featured five different starting
lineups and nine different players have started in at least one
contest. Only senior forward Ben Goetsch has been in the starting
five in every game. Additionally, Hutchinson as started four
different first-years and has had at least two first-years in the
starting lineup in each of the last four games.
First-year Starters
As noted above, there have been at least two first-years in the
starting lineup in each of the last four games and their
performances have warranted coach Hutchinson’s faith in them.
First-year guard Jeremy Adkins notched a career-high 14 points in a
65-57 upset of then-No. 9 Randolph-Macon and first-year forward
Hans Harris notched a career-high nine points in an 18-point win
over Randolph.
Butter fingers
Following a six-game stretch in which the Generals averaged 20.8
turnovers per game and posted a 2-4 record, W&L has averaged
just 10.5 turnovers over its last two games - both wins - while
forcing 17 miscues by its opponent in each of the last two
contests. On the season, the Generals are fourth in the ODAC in
turnover margin (+ 1.17).
Off the Pine
Senior forward Zac White, who started most of last season and had
been in the starting lineup in each of W&L’s first 14
contests, found himself coming off the bench in two of the Generals
last four contests. White, who is averaging 12.4 points per game,
seems to have regained his scoring touch with the move. White has
recorded games of 13 points, 15 points, 10 points and 11 points
since the move, this after he averaged 8.3 points and reached
double figures in scoring on just one occasion in W&L’s
previous four games. Since becoming a regular member of the
rotation as a sophomore, White has started in 37 contests and he
has come off the bench in 35 contests. Over the past three seasons,
White averages 9.8 points per game when he starts and 6.0 points
per game when he is summoned off the bench.
Five Alive
Junior guard Jason Cimino has put together a career year thus far.
Cimino has already notched new single-game career-highs in points
(17), steals (6) and tied his assist mark (7). He has also upped
his per game average in nearly every stastic across the board and
is on pace to record more points and assists this season than he
did in his first two campaigns combined. He currently ranks in the
Top 5 in the ODAC in assist/turnover ratio (1st, 1.8), free-throw
percentage (5th, .884) and assists per game (5th, 3.9). Here is a
brief look at Cimino’s career averages compared to his
2009-10 output.
Year(s)
GP PPG APG
A/TO RPG
SPG FT%
2007-2009 54
2.8 1.6
1.1 1.7
0.7 .672
2009-2010 18
6.2 3.9
1.8 2.4
1.3 .884
Dog days of winter
Over the past three full seasons, the Generals have notched an
overall record of 42-38 (.525) , but just a 9-19 (.321) mark in the
month of February. Last season, the Generals entered the month of
February with a 12-6 record and posted a 4-6 mark, including three
wins in the ODAC Tournament, en route to finishing 16-13. Two
seasons ago W&L’s ledger stood at 11-5 entering February
and it finished 15-11. W&L will look to buck the trend of the
February swoon as they once again enter the final full month of the
season with record of 12-6.
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