The winters are harsh in Troy. It’s a fact of life, one men’s basketball Head Coach Mike Griffin has come to understand in his 22-year career at Rensselaer. But this winter is proving to be particularly cruel for Griffin and his team, and it’s only December.
The Red Hawks fell to 1-5 this past week, extending their losing streak to five, after a 67-62 loss to Kings Point on Wednesday, November 30; an 83-69 rout at the hands of Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday; and a tough 69-65 loss to undefeated Middlebury on Tuesday in Robison Gymnasium.
“This is the worst start of my career,” Griffin said prior to Tuesday’s contest against the Panthers. “I don’t care about the record, that’s not what bothers me. It is the fact that we are just not playing well.”
Turnovers and poor shooting have plagued the Red Hawk offense this season. RPI committed 24, 22, and 18 turnovers in the Kings Point, Mount St. Mary’s, and Middlebury games, respectively. Rensselaer also is sporting a horrendous assist-turnover ratio of 1:2 while averaging 36 percent from the field.
“That has to be the worst in the nation,” Griffin said of his team’s assist-turnover ratio. “We are making bad decisions, which is unacceptable, especially with a veteran team.”
These mental mishaps have been particularly costly. Against Kings Point, after rallying from 10 down at the half, RPI had two passes stolen directly under their own basket, leading to consecutive Mariner lay-ups. The steals sparked an 8-0 run for the home team—a deficit from which Rensselaer would never recover.
Several errant passes also initiated a 22-2 first-half run for Mount St. Mary’s. RPI took an early lead, but handed the hot shooting Blue Knights numerous scoring opportunities. Mount St. Mary’s would hit six of their 15 three-pointers over that stretch. The Blue Knights shot 44 percent from beyond the arc and 48 percent overall while the Red Hawks managed only 40 percent overall and 21 percent from deep.
“We couldn’t throw the ball in the Hudson, and it was right outside the gym,” Griffin said of RPI’s dismal shooting performance against the Blue Knights. “We cannot afford to be giving up possessions without at least getting a look at the basket, especially when we are shooting so poorly.”
Ten first half turnovers cost the Red Hawks early against Middlebury as the Red Hawks fell behind by as many as 15 in the game’s opening session. RPI, who reduced the margin to just two with 7:51 to play in the game, was left to play catch-up the rest of the way. RPI closed the gap to just three several times late, but allowed the Panthers to grab three offensive rebounds off missed free-throws—all of which led to points for Middlebury. The Panthers, who also beat Union this weekend, are now 6-0 and off to their best start in school history.
“It’s a bunch of little things that are killing us,” Griffin said after the Middlebury game. “Until we fix them we won’t beat anybody. We are just a bad team right now.”
Senior forward Tom Schneider has continued to deliver solid numbers for RPI, posting double-doubles in each contest, including an outstanding 30-point, 18-rebound showing against Middlebury. The Nashua, N.H., native, however, has also committed 15 turnovers in three games. Classmate and forward Matt Zepernick has also struggled, hitting just two shots combined in contests against the Mariners and Blue Knights. The three-year starter did come alive somewhat against the Panthers, posting 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting.
“We are desperate for a win,” Griffin admitted. “Guys are putting a lot of pressure on themselves and trying a little too hard to make things happen.”
Two bright spots, dim as they may be, have been the play of senior center Russell Herman and sophomore forward Graham Gordon. Herman has provided RPI’s lone consistent scoring threat on the block, and Gordon, who scored 17 points against Mount St. Mary’s, is the only Red Hawk shooting better than 50 percent.
“If everyone was playing as well as Russell, we’d be doing much better,” Griffin said. “We have to find ways to get him the ball.”
Unfortunately, foul trouble has limited Herman’s minutes at times this season, and Gordon, who suffered a knee injury in practice Sunday evening, will likely miss all of this week. The severity of his injury has yet to be determined, and he could miss a substantial portion of the season.
For Griffin and the Red Hawks, the end of the semester cannot come soon enough. RPI has one game left this year, against Wentworth Institute of Technology on Saturday in Boston. Rensselaer has four games remaining on their schedule before opening Liberty League play at Hamilton on Friday, January 13.
“We will get a chance to retool over break,” Griffin said. “We need to find ways to improve before January 13. Hopefully we’ll be a much better team by then.”
