W&L Men's Basketball Notes - Week 12
Generals’ Hoops Report
Games this week:
GM 23: W&L (15-7, 7-6) vs. No. 1 Guilford (20-2, 11-2) •
Mon./7:00 pm
Gm 24: W&L (15-7, 7-6) vs. Roanoke (3-11, 6-17) •
Wed./7:00 pm
Gm 25: W&L (15-7, 7-6) at No. 16 Eastern Mennonite (18-3, 11-2)
• Sat./7:00 pm
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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 70-105 (.400) record, including four-consecutive seasons with
double-digit 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 11 seasons as
a head coach, Hutchinson is 103-171 (.376) overall.
Last time out • W&L 75, Bridgewater 71 •
2/13/10
Washington and Lee withstood a late Bridgewater rally as the
Generals pulled out a 75-71 victory over the Eagles at Nininger
Hall on Saturday afternoon. Holding a four-point advantage at the
break (35-31), W&L opened the second half on a 16-7 run to
assume a 51-38 lead at the 11:47 mark following a dunk from
first-year forward J.D. Ey. The Generals still held a 13-point
advantage (63-50) with 4:14 to play before BC (9-12, 6-8) went on a
14-4 run over the next 2:31 to pull within three points at 67-64
with 1:43 remaining. Bridgewater senior guard Dominic Trawick and
senior forward Jake Johnson scored 12 of BC’s 14 points
during the run. However, the Generals composed themselves and
responded by connecting on 8-10 free throws down the stretch to
secure the win and earn a split of the regular-season series with
the Eagles. For the game, W&L attempted 39 (26-39) free throws
to just 15 (5-15) for the Eagles. Senior forward Ben Goetsch led
W&L with 18 points, while adding six rebounds. Ey finished with
career-highs in points (14) and rebounds (9), while first-year
guard Jeremy Adkins chipped in 14 points and junior guard Jason
Cimino totaled five points, six assists and four steals.
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 begin the week
with an overall record of 20-2, including an 11-2 mark in league
play. Guilford is also currently the Top-Ranked team in Division
III according to D3hoops.com. GC rebounded from a 27-point loss to
No. 16 Eastern Mennonite on Wednesday to defeat Lynchburg, 91-74 on
Saturday. Senior guard Clay Henson led Guilford with a game-high 30
points on 10-21 shooting, including 8-12 from beyond the arc.
Senior center Tyler Sanborn addd 23 points and 16 rebounds and
senior guard Rhett Bonner chipped in16 points, including 4-6
three-point shooting. For the game, GC shot 60.9 percent (14-23)
from distance and outrebounded the Hornets, 41-26. On the season,
the Quakers are led by the troika of Sanborn, Henson and Bonner.
Combined, the trio accounts for 64.7 percent of Guilford’s
offense as Sanborn ranks third in the ODAC in scoring (20.2 ppg),
Henson is fifth (17.9 ppg) and Bonner is 13th (14.7 ppg). Sanborn
also leads the league with 13.9 rebounds per game.
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
Guilford, 82-76 in double-overtime, in the quarterfinals of the
ODAC Tournament at the Salem Civic Center. W&L held a slim
30-28 lead at half and following a free throw from senior guard
Chris McHugh that 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 a 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 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. McHugh scored 18 points
for the Generals and 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. Neville
added 16 points and 12 rebounds, center Tyler Sanborn added 11
points and 21 rebounds. Guard Clay Henson chipped in 14 points.
Scouting Roanoke
The Maroons and Generals are squaring off for the 116th time, with
Roanoke holding a 78-37 advantage in the all-time series. The two
teams spilt a pair of contests a year ago, and RC eked out a 60-59
win over W&L in Salem earlier this season. Roanoke enters the
week with an overall record of 6-17 and an ODAC mark of 3-11. The
Maroons have dropped eight consecutive games, with their last win
being the aforementioned one-point victory over W&L. Most
recently, the Maroons dropped a 123-73 contest to No. 16 EMU on
Saturday. EMU shot 60.3 percent (44-73) from the field, including
62.5 percent (15-24) from long range in running away with the
50-point victory. RC was led by senior forward Kendrick Chittock,
who talled 18 points. Junior guard Parrish Walker added 17 points
and four assists and first-year guard Kwasi Amponsah chipped in 11
points. Junior guard Melvin Felix (11.1 ppg) leads four Maroons
averaging at least 10.0 points per game. Junior guard Matt Crizer
(10.8 ppg), Chittock (10.7 ppg) and Walker (10.6 ppg) round out
RC’s top scorers. Chittock is also grabbing 6.5 rebounds per
game. As a team, Roanoke is allowing 85.3 points per game, which is
10th in the ODAC. Additionaly, the Maroons’ scoring margin of
-13.3 is 11th in the ODAC.
Last time against Roanoke • RC 61, W&L 59 •
1/16/10
Junior guard Parrish Walker hit 1-of-2 free throws with just over
five seconds remaining to lift Roanoke College to a 60-59 victory
over Washington and Lee at the Bast Center. The Generals knotted
the game at 59-59 when junior guard Jason Cimino drilled a
three-pointer with 16 seconds remaining. Senior forward Zac White
then tried to draw a charge on Walker well away from the basket in
the final seconds, but was called for the blocking foul, which set
up Walker’s game-winning charity toss. W&L was unable to
get off a shot on the final possession as Roanoke won for just the
second time in its last nine games. W&L committed 20 turnovers
and shot just 39.7 percent (23-58) from the field, including
3-of-14 (.214) from the three-point arc. Neither team led by more
than five points in the opening stanza and Roanoke carried a 26-23
lead into the break. The Maroons used an 11-2 run midway through
the second half to stretch out to an 11-point lead (47-36) with
8:45 remaining in the game. Roanoke maintained a seven-point lead
(58-51) with 1:59 left in the contest, but the Generals cut it to a
58-56 game just 53 seconds later on a dunk by first-year forward
J.D. Ey and a three-pointer by White. After RC first-year guard
Kwasi Amponsah hit 1-of-2 free throws and sophomore forward Michael
McGeough missed the front end of a one-and-one, Cimino sunk the
three-pointer than set up the game’s ending moments. Senior
forward Ben Goetsch led W&L with 16 points and eight rebounds,
while White had 12 points and six boards. Senior forward Andrew
Payne chipped in nine points and six rebounds. Walker and junior
guard Matt Crizer led Roanoke with 11 points each.
Scouting Eastern Mennonite
W&L and EMU are playing for the 77th time and the Generals hold
a 49-27 advantage in the all-time series. EMU has won the last two
games in the series, including an 83-48 win in Lexington earlier
this season. The Royals enter the week with an overall record of
18-3, a league-mark of 11-2 and they are currently ranked No. 16 in
the latest Division III Top 25 poll. Most recently, EMU scored a
season-high 123 points in defeating Roanoke, 123-73 on Saturday.
Six Royals scored in double figures and EMU shot 60.3 percent
(44-73) from the field, including 62.5 percent (15-24) from
three-point range. Junior guard George Johnson led EMU with 23
points and he was joined in double figures by junior forwards Orie
Pancione (18), Todd Phillips (16), D.J. Hinson (15), Eli Crawford
(15) and senior guard Austin Twine (13). Phillips leads EMU with
18.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while Johnson is averaging
15.8 points and 3.0 assists per game. Hinson is averaging 15.5
points per game and Crawford is chipping in 11.4 points per game
for a team that averages 90.9 points per game, which is good for
second in the country.
Last time against Eastern Mennonite • EMU 83, W&L
48 • 1/16/10
Eastern Mennonite junior forward D.J. Hinson erupted for 34 points
and the 24th-ranked Royals built a 19-point halftime lead in
defeating Washington and Lee, 83-48, at the Warner Center. Hinson
connected on 12-of-15 shots from the field, including 7-of-9 from
beyond the arc, and added five rebounds. The loss snapped a modest
four-game winning streak for W&L. The Royals held a 25-19 lead
at the 8:50 mark of the first half before outscoring the Generals,
19-6, the remainder of the first period to take a 44-25 lead at the
break. EMU’s scoring run continued into the second half as it
outscored W&L, 31-10, over the first 12:26 of the second half
to take a 75-35 lead with 7:34 to play. The Generals shot just 32.7
percent (17-52) from the floor and turned the ball over 23 times,
while EMU shot 54.5 percent (30-55) from the field and outrebounded
W&L, 37-32. Senior forward Zac White led W&L with nine
points and added three rebounds. Senior forward Ben Goetsch added
seven points and four rebounds. Junior forward Todd Phillips added
15 points and three steals for Eastern Mennonite and senior guard
Austin Twine chipped in eight points and five boards.
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 103-171 and his record at
W&L stands at 70-104, including 46-31 over the last three
seasons. His 70 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.
STRONG START = STRONG FINISH
W&L is 44-7 (.863) in its last 51 games when leading at the
break and has compiled a 78-29 (.729) record over the past 11 years
when it leads at the break. W&L has won a total of 101 games
during that stretch, meaning that the Generals have led at halftime
in 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 posted games of 29 points, 27 points, 24 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. W&L is currently 5-2 when he scores 20 points of more.
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
nine games.
Four Score
Junior guard Jason Cimino, who is averaging 3.8 assists per
contest, has recorded four or more helpers on 13 occasions this
season and has already racked up 83 assists, far surpassing the 34
dimes he dropped as a sophomore and with 10 more assists he will
equal his total from his first two seasons combined. This season,
when Cimino passes out at least four helpers, the Generals have
posted a record of 10-3.
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 10.0 turnovers over its last five games (posting a 4-1 record)
while forcing an average of 16.0 miscues by its opponent. On the
season, the Generals are third in the ODAC in turnover margin (+
1.81).
Defensive Prowess
The Generals are currently allowing a league-low 61.6 points per
game, and as of the latest NCAA Division III rankings the Generals
were 19th in the country in points allowed with a total of 61.4
ppg. William Patterson leads Div. III with 53.9 points allowed per
game. Additionally, W&L tops the ODAC and ranks 36th in Div.
III in three-point field goal defense. Opponents are connecting on
just 30.1 percent (101-335) of their attempts from long range this
season. W&L’s defense will be tested this week as they
are set to take on the ODAC’s two highest scoring teams in
Eastern Mennonite (90.9 ppg) and Guilford (81.6 ppg)
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 (12.2 ppg) and third in rebounding
(5.1 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 (48), is second in steals (27), and is third in assists
(22).
Four or more score
In the Generals’ win over E&H last week, W&L had four
different players reach double-figures in scoring for the
first time this season. Last season, W&L had four players
record 10+ points on five different occasions, posting a 5-0 record
in those contests. Prior to last week’s game, that last time
that four different Generals registered 10 or more points was in a
77-67 win over Bridgewater in the semifinal round of the ODAC
Tournament on Feb. 28, 2009.
70 Points
W&L has won three of its last four contests and in each of the
wins, the Generals have scored at least 70 points. Quite an
accomplishment when one considers that W&L is the ODAC’s
lowest-scoring team at 64.6 points per game. Prior to those three
wins, W&L had scored 70 or more points just three times in the
season’s first 17 games. Over the last four seasons the
Generals are 37-6 when scoring at least 70 points.
Sharing the Load
W&L has shared the responsibilty of the scoring this season.
When at least three players notch 10 points, W&L is a
remarkable 10-1. Conversely, when two or fewer W&L players
record at least 10 points, the Generals are just 4-6. The Generals
have had 50 double-digit scoring perfomances this season,
accomplished by eight different players. Last season, W&L
posted a 10-7 record in games in which three or more players scored
at least 10 points and the Generals had 11 different players manage
the feat a total of 72 times.
Add ‘em up
On the year, first-year guard Jeremy Adkins is averaging a modest
6.2 points per game on 43.4 percent (46-106) shooting from the
floor. However, since entering the starting lineup against
Randolph-Macon on Jan. 27, he has averaged 11.7 points on 46.8
percent (29-62) shooting, including a career-high 15 points against
the No. 17 Yellow Jackets on Feb. 8. In six starts, he has
registered at least 10 points in four of those contests and he also
grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in the Generals win over
E&H on Feb. 3.
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) and steals (6) and tied his assist mark (7). He has also upped
his per game average in nearly every statistic 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, 1.7), free-throw
percentage (3rd, .881) and assists per game (4th, 3.7). 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 22
6.5 3.8
1.7
2.5 1.4 .881
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 has played better this February
however, posting a 3-1 record thus far with three regular season
games remaining.
Cooling Down
Senior forward Ben Goetsch may be starting to let the effects of
the long season wear on him. Though he is currently ranked in the
Top 10 in the ODAC in both scoring (16.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.4
rpg), he has seen some noticable fall-off in the second half of the
season. Through the season’s first 10 games, Goetsch was
averaging 17.6 ppg, 10.0 rpg and was shooting 51.5 percent from the
field. However, over W&L’s last 10 contests he is
averaging just 14.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game and has seen
his shooting percentage dip to 49.1 percent. The fall-off in
production has not affected the Generals too much as they have seen
increased production such players as first-year guards Jeremy
Adkins and Hans Harris, first-year forward J.D. Ey and senior
forward Andrew Payne, and they posted an 8-2 record over the
season’s first 10 games and have gone 7-3 in their last 10
contests.
Dialing long Distance
The Generals are averaging 4.3 three pointers made per game as a
team and are on pace to connect on 107 trifectas for the season. If
that pace holds up, then that would be W&L’s fewest
three’s made in a season since the 2005-06 season when the
Generals made only 87 three’s en route to finishing 4-19.
Last season W&L made 156 three pointers, the most since it
connected on 175 in the 1991-92 campaign.
They are “Free” after all
Junior guard Jason Cimino is currently hitting on 88.1 percent
(52-59) of his free throws this season, which is good for third in
the ODAC. Before going 5-of-7 from the charity stripe in
W&L’s 75-71 win over Bridgewater, Cimino had connected on
17 consecutive foul shots dating back to Jan. 20 at Methodist. He
is on track to finish the season as the most prolific W&L free
throw shooter over the course of an entire season. John Mumper
‘08 currently holds the single-season free-throw percentage
mark at 87.0 percent (47-54).
S.W.A.T TEAM
Senior forward Zac White has become W&L’s very own SWAT
team. White, who is second in the ODAC and 26th in Div. III in
blocked shots (2.18 per game), has 48 blocks on the season, which
is more than Hampden-Sydney (40), Emory & Henry (36) and
Randolph (29) have as a team and it is just three fewer than the 51
blocks that Lynchburg has as a team this season. In fact, White
tied the W&L single-game block record when he rejected a
career-high seven shots against Lynchburg in Wednesday’s
71-62 win. White is currently fourth all-time at W&L with 97
career blocks.
EYE ON THE PRIZE
First-year forward J.D. Ey has been playing some of his best ball
of late. Ey, who was recently reinserted into the starting lineup
after coming off the bench for eight games, posted career-highs in
points (14) and rebounds (9) in W&L’s win over
Bridgewater. Over the past three games (2 starts), Ey has averaged
8.7 points and 8.3 boards. For the year, Ey is second on the team
with 5.4 rebounds per game and is also averaging 6.0 points per
game. He is also 10th in the ODAC in offensive rebounds with
43.
.500 or Bust
The Generals have already assured themselves of finishing with a
winning record, but if W&L can win at least one of its final
three regular-season games, the Generals will finish the season
with an ODAC record of 8-8. This would mark the first time that
Washington and Lee has finished the regular season with at least a
.500 record in league play since 2006-07 (11-7) and just the second
time since 1989-90 (8-8). Since the 1976-77 season, the Generals
have finished ODAC-play with a .500 or better record on 14
occasions. Additionally, with at least two more wins (regular or
postseason) the Generals will reach 17 wins, which would be the
most wins in a single season since the 1988-89 team finished 20-7.
With their recent success, the men’s basketball has crept to
the .500 mark as a program all-time. The Generals’ all-time
record currently stands at 1,080-1,080-1 (.500).
ROAD WARRIORS
Washington and Lee is currently 7-3 on the road this season,
including 5-2 in league play with one road game remaining, the
Generals have guaranteed themselves a winning road ledger for the
first time since posting a 6-4 road record during the 1986-87
season. The seven road wins are the most since W&L won eight
games away from the Warner Center during the 1977-78 season. The
Generals will attempt to tie that mark when they travel to No. 16
Eastern Mennonite on Saturday. W&L is 17-18 all-time on
EMU’s home court, though the Generals have won three straight
in Harrisonburg and are 5-2 in their last seven games there.
