birth of a new life for the Rensselaer men’s basketball team. After limping through the pre-conference schedule with a 2-8 record, last Friday marked the start of Liberty League competition, which could not be a more welcome sight for the struggling Red Hawks.
Conference play gave RPI the chance to eliminate its excessive turnover margin, revive its anemic offense, and perhaps most importantly, motivate seven seniors facing their final season.
“Spring training is over,” Head Coach Mike Griffin said. “I did not need to tell them what’s at stake.”
And while January 13 marked the Red Hawks’ coveted New Year, it saw similar results as RPI fell 77-65 to Hamilton. Clinton, N.Y., has not been a friendly nesting spot for the Red Hawks, who have ended their last two campaigns with losses in Scott Field House to Hamilton.
“Sometimes it’s better to play there early and get it out of the way,” Griffin said of playing in Clinton. “We get a look at the conference’s best team and know where we need to be.”
All the Red Hawks seemed intent on doing early was watching as the Continentals jumped out to a 45-30 halftime lead after shooting 57 percent from the field.
RPI missed a golden opportunity to steal a game from Hamilton, who was without sophomore center Giorgi Chavleishvili and junior forward and former Liberty League Rookie of the Year Tsakane Ngobeni. The two sat out two games while the NCAA investigated possible recruiting violations.
The Continentals, however, are loaded with weapons, and with their big men out, senior guards Phil Valenti and Tim Welchons stepped up to lead the way tallying 15 and 14 points, respectively.
“We played a talented team,” Griffin said. “Hopefully we’ll see them again at the end of the season when it counts the most.”
Rensselaer continued its season-long struggle with ball control and shooting. RPI committed 17 turnovers and shot just under 42 percent for the game. Griffin noted the performance was an improvement but still unacceptable.
Through 12 games this season, Rensselaer has a turnover to assist margin of -56, compared to just -3 in 25 games last season.
Senior forward Tom Schneider offered Rensselaer’s lone highlight of the game, scoring 20 points and corralling nine rebounds in the night.
Despite the tough loss to Hamilton, Rensselaer still managed to return to Troy 2-1 in league play and 4-9 overall after squeezing out a win versus Hobart 75-72 and defeating Vassar 90-83 in double overtime Tuesday in Troy. Against the Statesmen, the Red Hawks shot over 50 percent for the first time all season and managed 20 assists to 15 turnovers.
“It was a solid win,” Griffin said. “You always want to at least split on the road.”
Rensselaer’s improved shooting percentage can be attributed to a combination of better shot selection and simply hitting the open shots. Griffin credited most of the win to his players’ ability to finally start taking care of the basketball.
Another double-double performance from Schneider, who posted 24 points and 10 rebounds, and some clutch shooting from senior guard Paul Halas certainly did not hurt the Red Hawks’ attack.
Halas, who finished with 12 points, went 4-5 from deep—two of which came in the final three minutes to thrust RPI in front. Schneider would all but clinch the game with a three-ball with just 21 seconds remaining that put RPI up 73-69.
Colby Feane led the Statesmen with 17 points off 4-6 from three-point land in the loss. Joe Virgilio, who also hit four bombs, and Adam Frederic scored 14 apiece, in a losing effort for Hobart.
“Paul hit some clutch shots,” Griffin said. “He’s really starting to play well.”
As for Schneider, who was named Liberty League Co-Forward of the Week, Griffin has come to expect such feats from his forward.
“He has a chance to be player of the year, and that is the kind of performance he’ll need to do it,” Griffin said. “He’s our horse so we’re going to ride him.”
Griffin admitted that he has to be careful not to ride his horse into the ground. Schneider played 69 minutes this weekend, including all 40 in the Hobart contest. Schneider has played fewer minutes leading up to this weekend, as Griffin started bringing his star off the bench in hopes of finding some chemistry.
Despite Griffin’s concern about overworking Schneider, he was still forced to play the Nashua, N.H., native 40 minutes in the Red Hawks’ double overtime comeback.
Schneider’s 26 points and 21 rebounds were game highs and led RPI’s rally from a 12-point halftime deficit. The Red Hawks left no doubt in the second overtime extending their lead to nine on several occasions.
Matt Zepernick added 21 points for Rensselaer while Halas and Joe Johnson posted 13 and 11 points, repsectively.
The addition of senior Dave Easily, who tallied two points and two rebounds in 14 minutes against Vassar, will aid the RPI backcourt in league play. The Bay City, Texas native has returned to the court after nearly a two year hiatus.
Easily was a crucial contributor to the 2004 Red Hawk squad that fell a game shy of the NCAA Tournament. His last appearance was against St. Lawrence in the 2004 Liberty League semifinals where he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
“He will bolster the backcourt,” Griffin said. “He has been out awhile so it will take him awhile to get his game legs under him again. Even practice cannot simulate game speed.”
This weekend, Rensselaer will try and emulate Griffin’s recipe for conference success: split on the road and win at home. The Red Hawks will face Clarkson Friday evening at 8 pm at Robison Gym and a young and surprisingly undefeated St. Lawrence squad Saturday at 4 pm.
“It’s going to be a real scramble for the third and fourth spots,” Griffin said of the Liberty League playoff race. “We have to take care of our court.”
