Big Green Bring Experience to the Court in 2009-10

11/13/2009 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

By: Dartmouth

(Game notes for the season opener at Boston College)

While the media does not seem to have much faith in Dartmouth's 2009-10 LAB experiment, head coach Terry Dunn is not fazed by it.

That's Life After Barnett, by the way.

Last year the Big Green relied heavily upon Alex Barnett, and with good reason. The 6-6 forward led the conference in scoring at 19.4 points per game, plus paced the squad in virtually every statistical category including shooting accuracy, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. It was no surprise when he was named the Ivy League Player of the Year, just the second Dartmouth player to earn the accolade since it was instituted in 1975.

“You know, you just don't replace an Alex Barnett,” Coach Dunn said. “He was extremely talented, and at times he put us on his shoulders. But he also had a supporting cast that has all mostly returned.

“Without Alex, the players will have more of an opportunity to step up their performance and move to the next level. It will take a team effort to replace what he brought to the court. Certainly we will have to generate points in other ways, but the pressure won't be on any one individual to do it all.”

One can understand the media's skepticism about the success level of the Big Green this season, as they tabbed Dartmouth for eighth place in the Preseason Ivy League Media Poll. But Coach Dunn is focusing on 10 returning players that accounted for nearly 35 points per game and excellent depth, particularly in the backcourt.

“Polls are simply other people's opinions,” dismissed Dunn. “Nobody can determine your destiny other than yourself. But we can take those preseason polls and use them to motivate everyone to prove our ability and talent on the court.”

The ongoing LAB experiment will have a catalyst in point guard Jabari Trotter. The sophomore from California started every game of his freshman campaign, averaging over 26 minutes a game and scoring in double figures in six of the first nine contests. He finished the year second on the team with seven points a game and 45 total assists, and showed good range from the outside by draining 20 trifectas. His job will be not only to run the offense, but also get the offense to run — transition baskets will be more of a priority this season with an entire roster that can get up and down the floor.

“Jabari started off his rookie season with a bang then hit a bit of a wall,” noted Coach Dunn. “But he showed tremendous growth and will be a much improved player this year, especially in his decision-making and ability to run the floor.”

The Big Green has another experienced veteran at the point in senior co-captain Robby Pride, who played nearly 20 minutes a game last year. His frenetic and physical play tend to exasperate his opponents, forcing mistakes and careless play as evidenced by the 24 steals he picked up. Pride is interchangeable between the point and shooting guard with his ability to knock down the three when needed. And with his career 80 percent rate from the free throw line, he likely will have the ball in his hands late in games to help protect a lead.

Over at shooting guard, senior Marlon Sanders brings even more veteran service to the lineup. His strength on offense is finding the seams in a defense and slashing to the basket, which helped him shoot 46 percent from the floor a year ago. With Sanders on the floor, the Big Green will be a team that minimizes mistakes as he rarely turns the ball over or makes an ill-advised pass, making him another option at the point. Defensively, he is considered Dartmouth's top one-on-one defender with quick hands and, more importantly, footwork straight from the textbook.

The top shooting threat from long range is junior Ronnie Dixon who has considerable offensive potential that is continuing to emerge. Some of his best work last season came against the better opponents, such as 13 points at Providence, 18 versus Quinnipiac and 26 total in the two games against Cornell. In those four games he hit 10-of-16 behind the arc, and he finished the year connecting at nearly a 40 percent clip from downtown. Dixon also began to finish at the hoop toward the end of the season, which could keep defenders honest and give him more room to get his shot off from the outside

With such game-tested experience throughout the guards, Coach Dunn will have the luxury of adding his new ingredients — a pair of freshmen in Garrett Brown from Angleton, Texas, and R.J. Griffin from Middletown, Del. — to the mix slowly. Brown is a combo guard with the innate ability to score and is a plus passer. Griffin, meanwhile, got an extra year of seasoning with a post-grad year at The Hun School and has shown a good shooting stroke. And at 6-4, Griffin has the length to be a strong defender in the Ivy league.

One player that will help light the burners and create some fast-break opportunities is sophomore David Rufful at the wing. He has terrific instincts for the game that are most noticeable on the defensive end of the court; Rufful led the Ivy League in steals during the conference portion of the schedule as a freshman. Twice named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week, he joined the starting lineup in the second league contest, and the Green went on to win seven of their next 11 games. Rufful shot just 38.3 percent on his field goal attempts, but as his playing time increased, so did his shooting accuracy and his confidence to make plays in high-pressure situations.

“David not only brings scoring ability to the three, but a certain toughness as well,” complimented Coach Dunn. “He has the highest basketball I.Q. on the squad which comes through in his cleverness in anticipating the action. On nights when he isn't shooting as well, he can find other ways to score and contribute, and he makes others around him better.”

Rufful can expect fellow sophomore Josh Riddle, another cerebral player, to spell him at the wing when Riddle isn't playing the power forward. Like Rufful, he saw a fair amount of time on the court as a rookie, playing in 21 games while starting three. He may have attempted only 31 shots last year, but he has become much more aggressive on offense — due in part to the need for offense from new sources. At 6-8, Riddle will cause some serious match-up problems for the rest of the Ivy League, whether at the three due to his length or at the four thanks to his ball-handling skills. He is still growing into his body a bit, and with added strength will come more points in the post. While a solid shooter, his passing skills may be his strongest asset.

Battling for time at the four will be another sophomore, Herve Kouna. A raw physical talent, Kouna does not have many years of experience playing basketball, but he had his share of “Eureka!” moments of discovery as a rookie that showed just a few of the things he may be able to do. In just his second collegiate game, he gathered 12 rebounds at Providence. His best all-around game came at Cornell where, in 19 minutes, Kouna hit all three of his shots, grabbed six boards and blocked three shots. The lights are flickering and sometimes burn brightly; he just needs to continue to strive to keep them all on and replace any burnt out bulbs as the season progresses.

One player that could contribute at the two or the three is sophomore Kirk Crecco, who played sparingly in his freshman campaign. Crecco hit the weight room harder than anyone during the off-season and added 20 pounds to his frame. He is one of the team's more accurate shooters, although his shot never took off in his limited action last year. The added bulk should help him create more space, however, and make him more of a scoring threat.

Two more newcomers, Mbiyimoh Ghogomu from Friendswood, Texas, Josef Brown from Houston, will join the mix at the two forward positions. Ghogomu, besides having one of the coolest names in NCAA hoops (BEE-moh GO-guh-moo), is quite possibly the most athletic player on the team. Offensively he is a little raw, but his length and athleticism could certainly translate into a quality rebounder and defender early in his career. Brown has had to battle through injuries since arriving on campus, but when healthy has the potential to get up and down the floor quickly and be a serious shot-blocking threat.

Coach Dunn does not have that classic center to take up space in the post with back-to-the-basket moves, one reason why this year's Big Green squad will try to be more of a transition team. But he does have some players that can provide different skills to best mix and match the team's needs on the court in the moment. Not exactly a Frankenstein monster (to stick with the LAB theme), but a joint effort at the very least.

Junior Clive Weeden has the most experience in the blocks with the potential to be Dartmouth's best rebounder. Already adept on the offensive boards — more than half of his 120 career rebounds have come from his teammates' misses — Weeden will need to bring that rebounding focus to the other end of the court as well. He will get the opportunity to do more things offensively this year, and staying out of foul trouble will go a long way toward that goal.

One player everyone can root for is fifth-year senior and co-captain Jarrett Mathis. Not many college players have been cursed by injuries the way he has. With hamstring issues and knee surgeries behind him, Mathis is aiming for one healthy season to contribute to the team and the sport to which he has committed so much, if not in playing time, in rehab alone. Given the chance to display his skills, Mathis has not disappointed, like his six points and eight rebounds against Siena three years ago, or his four offensive boards at Kansas — half of Dartmouth's total.

If one freshman has an opportunity to contribute right off the bat, it is Matt LaBove out of Shrewsbury, Mass. The 6-9 rookie has the body type to be a quality center in the Ivy League, and he knows quite well how to use his size to his advantage. He brings a toughness to the court that will be welcomed, but learning to stay out of foul trouble, which is always a challenge for a young post player, will be the biggest determining factor in his playing time.

That makes 10 underclassmen on the roster out of the 15, yet Coach Dunn feels like this is one of his most experienced teams in this his sixth year at Dartmouth. “We have depth and experience everywhere, except maybe at center, which is amazing considering the youthfulness of this team. One of the great things about a young team is the sense of excitement and anticipation about the season. These guys are ready to go, but we've got to keep them grounded at the same time, kind of channel that exuberance into positive action on the court.”

By 'we' Coach Dunn is referring to himself and his brand new staff. Armed with three assistants — Mark Graupe, Michael Brown and Tim Lane — all in their first year at Dartmouth, the players and coaches will be feeling each other out during the early part of the season.

“Any time you have new staff, you get new ideas and enthusiasm,” Coach Dunn said. “They have the ability and insight to motivate and communicate with the kids.”

The strengths and weaknesses of the team will be exposed in short order as the Big Green open the season with two quick challenges on the road at Boston College and George Mason. The non-conference slate also features America East power Vermont in Leede Arena, a vastly improved Hartford squad, in-state rival New Hampshire and a televised game at Quinnipiac on Dec. 30 on NESN.

“Starting with Boston College and George Mason may be a tough way to start with a young squad,” stated Coach Dunn, “but we will learn very quickly where we are and where we need to go. Just because we are playing quality teams, however, does not mean we won't be expecting to win. We will take the court every game with the mindset of coming out on top.”

Mixing the ingredients of a winning formula is not an exact science. Chemistry is a funny thing when it comes to basketball. Side effects from any wonder potion can take the form of injuries or slow development. The beginning of a new season is when the results from the tests are unknown and a time for Coach Dunn to dabble in his science of coaching.

The enjoyment of discovery comes not from the end result so much as the process of getting there.

Enjoy the ride.