Basketball Tigers Hope to Reverse the Curse
by: Jarrod Ficklin ‘11
The Hampden-Sydney Basketball team has, at times, seemed cursed over the course of the 2009-2010 season. At the beginning of the season, the Tigers knew they had a tough road ahead, but the Tigers were up to the challenge. The Tigers (6-9) have certainly competed but have lost four games against Top 17 teams—Guilford, St. Mary’s, Randolph-Macon, and Virginia Wesleyan—by a combined 9 points.
The Tigers started off the season with a bang. After losing the season opener at Division I High Point University, the Tigers rolled through their next four games. However, since starting the season out 4-1 averaging 84 points per game, the Tigers have gone 2-8 while only averaging 69.5 points per game. Despite averaging less than 70 points per game, the Tigers have continued to play great defense, only giving up 70.6 points per game in the disappointing ten game stretch, further proving how tight each game has been.
Five of those eight losses came to teams ranked in the Top 18, the first of which being a home loss against #6 Guilford on December 9th. The Tigers, down 68-70 with about one minute remaining, played lock-down defense and deflected a pass with two seconds left on the shot clock; however, Guilford’s Rhett Bonner banked in three from near the 28 foot line with no time on the shot clock and extended the lead back to 5 with one minute left, a feat that subsequently provided the dagger to Hampden-Sydney’s hopes. After sinking their free throws in the final minute, Guilford secured a 77-72 victory. The Tigers fell to Averett on the road in their next contest, but then bounced back with an impressive 83-56 win over John Jay at home.
Guilford’s five-point win is now considered a blow out considering how close the other Tiger games have been. In the championship game of the Weenie Miller Holiday Hoops Tournament, the Tigers battled #17 St. Mary’s. Down by two, Alex Franz of St. Mary’s hit the eventual game winning three with 12 seconds left to take a 70-69 lead—St. Mary’s first lead of the second half—providing another heartbreaker for the Tigers.
The heartbreaks continued as the Tigers dropped an away game at #18 Eastern Mennonite and even deeper at home on January 6th against archrival and #1 Randolph-Macon. The Tigers held a 16 point lead with just over twelve minutes remaining in the ball game. However, the top ranked team in the nation would not go down without a fight; the Yellow Jackets battled back and found themselves down 68-66 in the final minute of play. Randolph-Macon called a timeout and drew up a play for Adam Desgain who eventually came through in the clutch and hit the game winning three with 4 seconds left giving the Jackets a 69-68 victory.
The Tigers got back in the win column with an 89-75 victory over Emory & Henry; however, their next game was on the road at #8 Virginia Wesleyan. The Marlins held a 67-57 lead with just under three minutes remaining, but Lane Medlin’s three-pointer with 30 seconds left capped off a 7-0 Tiger run. The Tigers caused a turnover on the Marlins’ next possession and called a timeout down 67-64. However, the Marlins held tight on defense and eventually secured a 69-67 victory. The Tigers then dropped their next road contest at Bridgewater 69-64.
The Tigers certainly have the talent to stay with some of the best teams in the nation. Senior Captain Turner King has continued to be one of the most talented scorers in Hampden-Sydney history considering he is averaging around 17 points per game while shooting 44% from three point range. Phenom Harrison George has certainly made an immediate impact for the Tigers. The freshman is averaging 13 points per game—nearly 16 points per game in ODAC play—and is the team’s leading rebounder averaging 6.8 boards per game. Sophomore sensation Ben Jessee is also averaging double figures at 12.7 points per game. Ben has also increased his versatility this year by becoming the team’s leading assist man while also boasting a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. Freshman Randall Ward has been groomed into the starting point guard position and is averaging around 6 points per game while freshman Alex Potapov’s minutes and production have increased since Colin O’Neill went down with a fractured wrist. 
In order to improve their record, this group of talented Tigers will have to be more mentally tough on the road. The Tigers are 1-0 at neutral sites this year. At home this year, the Tigers are 5-3 and are averaging 80 points per game while only giving up 71 points per game. However, on the road the Tigers are 0-6 and are only averaging 64.6 points per game while giving up 76.5 points per game.
As the Tigers try to pick up the intensity in the ODAC, they will certainly need support from all Tiger fans. Be sure to make it out to the Tigers upcoming home contests. The Tigers host Washington & Lee on January 23rd at 2:00 and Randolph on January 27th at 7:00. Be sure to circle your calendars for “Garnet Effect” on January 30th as the Tigers host the #1 team in the conference Eastern Mennonite at 2:00 pm.
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