|
| Kyran Mitchell averages 16.8 points per game for Washington & Jefferson, which has won a program-record 24 games. Washington & Jefferson athletics photo |
By Joe Sager
D3sports.com
Graduation took away most of Washington & Jefferson’s experience from last year.
What it left the Presidents with was plenty of questions.
Turns out, one of the biggest is where to put the Presidents’ Athletic Conference tournament championship trophy.
The youthful squad excelled this season. It finished atop the PAC standings during the regular season and captured the PAC tournament title to earn the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 1994. The Presidents (24-4) visit Elmhurst (22-6) to open tournament play.
“Early in the year, we weren’t really sure what to expect. We graduated all of our experience,” W&J coach Ethan Stewart-Smith said. “Kyran Mitchell, Okikiola Agbale and Alex Skowron returned the most experience, but we weren’t real sure how all these sophomores would grow up.”
The first half of the year, we were able to sneak up on some teams. Once we got back from our break, got off to good start and beat some good teams, I told these that that we’re not going to sneak up on anyone now. We can’t have an off night.”
Washington & Jefferson’s young players rose to the occasion. The Presidents won 14 of their last 16, including their last 12.
“Coming from a team last year where most of the people playing were all seniors, it’s been a good adjustment,” said Mitchell, a junior captain. “We wouldn’t be here without our sophomores stepping up and really taking commanding roles on the team and throughout the PAC.”
Four sophomores – Nick Gearhart, J.R. Mazza, Isaiah Langston and Michael Bigley – join Mitchell in the starting lineup. Sophomores Kaden DiVito and Beckett Connolly are part of the rotation off the bench, too.
“After last season ended, we knew how many seniors and starters we were losing. In our meetings with the coaches and together, as a team, we talked about it’d take some work over the summer to get to where we wanted to be to have the same type of success this year,” Gearhart said. “I think it’s a testament to the work we’ve all put in and the type of guys we are take those roles and flow right into them.
“It’s awesome being in the same class as a lot of the guys and being able to be friends and grow off the court together, knowing we have a couple years left to keep doing great things. I don’t want to look past what we have the rest of this season, but this experience will carry over and help us the next couple years, if we can get back to this tournament. It’ll help us know how to win and what we need to do.”
The team leans on veterans, too. Agbale, a senior post player, battled injuries this season. He got healthy at the right time. He came off the bench to score a season- and game-high 18 points to help the Presidents defeat Chatham, 68-63, for the PAC tournament title. He was named the PAC tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
“I am so happy for him,” Stewart-Smith said. “You saw a senior that wasn’t ready for his career to end. He produced at high level when we needed it the most. We’re going to need him more, too. I think he has worked for this for four years and he’s ready for it.”
The squad looks forward to the matchup with the Bluejays.
“They are a really versatile, physical skilled team. If we need to play in them in the half court, we are willing to. We prefer to get them sped up, so we’re not guarding them – especially their big guys in the paint – for 30 seconds at a clip,” Stewart-Smith said. “They are willing to play fast, too. I think that’ll be a fun part – who can kind of dictate the terms of this game, as far as tempo is concerned.”
The Presidents like to play at a high tempo on both ends of the floor. They rank 10th nationally in scoring offense at 87.2 points per game. However, they proved they can grind out wins after not topping 68 points with their last two victories.
“We want to get teams to get up and down the floor and play our style. When teams try to slow us down, we are able to defend at a high level. That’s a nice security blanket to have,” Stewart-Smith said. “We do a lot of full-court pressure and force turnovers or speed offenses up. It is so hard to score and defend in the half court. I give a ton of credit to assistant coach Evan Bonnaure. Our defensive style is something he has taught and implemented. Our defense really sets the tone for the group. That’s drives our pace and creates opportunities on the offensive side.”
Washington & Jefferson will adapt as it needs to against Elmhurst.
“I think our defense being as versatile as it is makes us a dangerous team,” Gearhart said. “We can start in a press and get up and down the floor and get turnovers. When it gets down to a half-court game, we can get stops as well.”
“We’re looking forward to the matchup,” Mitchell added. “Our play style is very unique. We play a lot of people and play fast; we’re hoping that’s to our advantage. Our coach said before the PAC championship game that we don’t need to be perfect; we just need to be good enough. That’s something that really stuck with me. None of the games go exactly how we want them to go, but we have to adapt and change. We will be better off for that.”
On its trek from western Pennsylvania to Illinois, the team stopped in Indiana on Wednesday for a practice at Purdue. Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter was a W&J assistant coach the last time the Presidents reached the NCAA Tournament in 1994.
“It’s very cool we have that connection there and were able to get a practice in on the way to Chicago,” Stewart-Smith said.
“It’s great to be practicing and playing in March. We have a young group, but we’re ready for this big stage and excited to keep on playing.”