Lyons to play to backcourt's strength
BY PETER GOBIS SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
Monday, November 15, 2010 1:23 PM EST
Anthony Coppola (10) led the Wheaton College men’s basketball team in scoring least season at 17.0 ppg. (Staff file photo by Keith Nordstrom)
NORTON - Scoring points doesn't seem to befuddle the Wheaton College men's basketball team. It's just a matter of fetching the ball off the backboard and not being careless with it.
If the Lyons are to have a successful season, coach Brian Walmsley has two areas of concern - rebounding and taking care of the ball.
"Rebounding the basketball is No. 1 and turnovers is No. 2," said Walmsley, whose Lyons were outrebounded by an average 35-32 margin last year, while yielding 78 more offensive rebounds to foes than gathered. In addition, the Lyons averaged 17 turnovers a game.
Wheaton begins its 2010-11 season Tuesday in its Haas Athletic Center with a non-league game against Great Northeast Athletic Conference power Emerson College.
The Lyons have two of the premier guards in the NEWMAC in senior captain Anthony Coppola of Watertown and junior guard Brendan Degnan of Narragansett, R.I. Thereafter, a lot of playing time has to be won among a half-dozen players needed to make prime-time contributions, not just as reserves.
"No question, our strength is in the backcourt," said Walmsley, entering his 14th season at Wheaton. "We have two all-league guys back, but we have to play very efficiently to win. It'll be a challenge to develop."
Coppola averaged 17.3 points per game last season, hitting 49 three-pointers, being a 47 percent shooter from the floor, an 80 percent shooter at the free throw line. Degnan was Wheaton's leading scorer in seven games, average 12 points, while also contributing a team-high 86 assists.
"The personnel that we have, we have the potential to be a better offensive rebounding team," said Walmsley. "We have some guys who are quicker off their feet."
Cliften Desravines, a 6-6 sophomore jumping jack from Somerville (3.7 ppg, 3.3 rebounds), 6-6 junior Shawn Daily of Mt. Vernon, N.Y., 6-10 Mike Hall of Lynnfield and 6-3 sophomore swingman Brian Johnson of Roxbury will be key players.
Wheaton finished at 10-15 last season, 6-6 in the NEWMAC, while having just a 4-7 record at home and never won more than three games in a row. Wheaton also lost six games by margins of five points or less.
The Lyons also lost its No. 3 and 4 scorers, Jaxon Leo (10.4) and Ben Stehle (8.8) to graduation.
"We're such a small team and guard-oriented," said Walmsley of the necessity to play good defense, to box out for rebounding position and protect the ball. "We rely on the three-point shot so much (the Lyons made 171 with a 35 percent accuracy rate)."
Only two freshmen are on the roster, both guards. Junior Anthony Weeks (7.6 ppg, 3.7 rebounds), a 6-2 guard from Fitchburg, and 6-5 junior Bruno Naylor (2.4 ppg) of Los Angeles could also make impacts.
The Lyons split NEWMAC games with WPI and took a game from MIT, two of the traditional league powers last season. "If we could beat those teams, then lose to others just shows the inconsistencies," added Walmsley. "We have to get off to a better start, to get some non-league wins.
"I think that we'll be okay, but we talk about those two issues (rebounding and turnovers) every single day."
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