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Skidmore's Tanner Brooks throws in three for the Thoroughbreds during Saturday's matchup against Union. Ed Burke 1/26/13
Skidmore's Aldin Medunjanin shoots over Union's Joe Mason during Saturday's Liberty League matchup. Ed Burke 1/26/13
SARATOGA SPRINGS ? Before the start of the 2012-13 season, uncertainty reigned around the Skidmore men?s basketball program.
The Thoroughbreds were coming off a second straight Liberty League championship, but lost eight seniors to graduation, including the 2011-12 team?s top five scorers. As a result, nine of the 2012-13 squad?s 15 players were newcomers to the team when practices started in the fall.
However, Skidmore has played its way into tournament contention despite its youth. With just two regular-season games to go, the Thoroughbreds are tied for fourth in the Liberty League, and in a conference where only four teams advance to play for the league title, those last two contests are huge.
?It?s ?win or go home? for us,? freshman guard Aldin Medunjanin said. ?We know we need to win these next two. This is basically our whole season, that?s what it comes down to.?
?It?s crunch time now,? fellow freshman Tanner Brooks added. ?We have to come to play.?
Medunjanin and Brooks have formed a high-octane backcourt in their first seasons at Skidmore. The first-year Thoroughbreds have combined for 29 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game, and their contributions have played large parts in lifting the young team to a 14-9 overall record.
?I?m thrilled, to be honest with you,? head coach Joe Burke said when asked about his freshman class. ?We don?t settle here, but I had some question marks coming in. When you lose that much, that?s going to be the case.
?We have nine new guys, and I?ve been very pleased. Obviously, the contributions from the freshmen that happened right away have been huge. We certainly have some talented players, and it?s exciting.?
Skidmore will need to shake off a rough stretch heading into Friday?s home finale against Vassar. After a mid-season stretch that saw the Thoroughbreds win six straight games, the team has dropped four of its last five and is tied with Clarkson at 8-6 in Liberty League play.
?We?ve slipped up the past few games,? Brooks said. ?We have no more room for error.? Continued...
?Every game is big, but the bottom line is it?s the end of the season and our goal coming in is to be playing our best basketball,? Burke said. ?If we can do that this weekend, I?m confident we?ll do well. Whether that puts us in the playoffs, what seed that gets us, I don?t know.?
R.P.I., which Skidmore will play Saturday afternoon in Troy, sits third at 9-5 in league play. By winning out, Skidmore would assure itself a spot in the conference tournament. Even in a scenario where Clarkson and R.P.I. also finish at 10-6, forcing a three-way tie for third, the Thoroughbreds would advance by virtue of a 3-1 combined record against the two other teams.
To get to that point, both Medunjanin and Brooks agree that the Thoroughbreds need to focus on playing top-notch defense.
?At times, we?ve played defense for 20 or 25 seconds and then let up second-chance points,? Medunjanin said. ?Just getting stops on defense and not letting the other teams get second-chance opportunities (will be important).?
?We?re at our best when we?re playing good defense and getting out in transition, getting easy buckets? Brooks said. ?If we come out and play defense, I think we?ll be in the playoffs.?
Meanwhile, Burke, who would be gunning for a third consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III Championship tournament if the team qualifies for postseason play, made it clear that the team is mature beyond its years.
?The mindset has been good and consistent all year,? he said. ?We may physically be freshmen and sophomores, but mentally, I don?t think that way.
?The bottom line is, we don?t go to the Liberty League tournament just to be there. We go there to win the thing. If we play well this weekend, develop some momentum, and get in, I think we?ve got just as good a shot as everyone else.?
Source: http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2013/02/14/sports/doc511d7ba36fff2351599076.txt
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