With limitless depth, men's basketball is bent on a repeat title

True — the men's basketball team will be without Nate Walton '01, last year's star player, and C.J. Chapman '01, a steady contributor, but compared to last year when the team lost the coach and six possible starters before the season's first game, this season is already looking pretty good.

Although Walton is a loss, losing just him pales in comparison to the six possible starters and head coach that the team lost last year.

"I think that, without a doubt, we are ahead of where we were at this point last year," head coach John Thompson '88 said. "I don't necessarily think that that's ahead of the game because we were so far behind last year, but just comparing the progress of the team to where we stood last year, we are ahead of that."

The Tigers return seven players who have started 10 or more games and also 70 percent of last season's scoring. Although the Tigers don't have last season's star, they have more depth than last season and also something that last season's team did not — the Ivy League Championship and participation in the NCAA Tournament.

Although the group is better off, Walton's leadership and intangible contributions — not to mention the fact that he led the team in almost every major category — will be missed most.

"We're going to find the numbers to replace him," Thompson said. "They're not an issue — just the understanding and leadership that he brought to the team will be hard to replace."

As of now, Walton's replacement in the field of intangibles will likely be senior point guard Ahmed El Nokali. A consistent starter since the end of his freshman season, the team's co-captain will be the core around which the rest of the team will be built.

"Ahmed's going to have to show some of the younger guys and make plays when plays are needed," Thompson said. "Not one particular person can replace what we lost in Nate."

Besides El Nokali, the starting lineup is up in the air. No less than eight upperclassmen and several promising freshmen could see considerable playing time, and Thompson will probably rely on those who are playing the best at any given time to accompany El Nokali.

"Who starts doesn't really matter to me, especially with the composition of the team this year," Thompson said. "Whoever starts Friday night doesn't mean who's starting Saturday. We have a good, strong core group."

The core of the group, by position, is summarized below.

At guard, the other starters will likely be sophomore Ed Persia and junior Kyle Wente.

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Persia started all but three games last season and then successfully managed the offense in this year's preseason game against EA Sports.

Wente should get considerable time at guard, but could also move up to forward if needed. Last season, he started in 16 of the 27 games and averaged 7.9 points a game.

At forward, the team will likely rotate between sophomore Andre Logan, senior co-captain Mike Bechtold, and senior Ray Robins.

Having taken the year off from school, Robins might be a little rusty, but Thompson argues that the absence has brought a hardness to him and will serve as a strength rather than a weakness.

Logan started most of the second half of the season and looked especially strong against Penn State in a December tournament when he scored 19 points in Madison Square Garden. On the defensive end, he led the team in blocked shots and was fourth in steals.

Bechtold's health will be an issue.

He has missed considerable time due to injury over his first three seasons and Thompson is limiting the practice time of "the player in an old man's body."

At center, both sophomore Konrad Wysocki and senior Chris Krug will receive minutes. Although Krug has been absent from the team for the last two years, he returns with his experience and the "understanding of what the team is trying to do."

Wysocki, the returning Ivy Rookie of the year, will likely play the most minutes at center. His competitive nature and proclivity for getting excited will bring a needed addition to the otherwise very calm and composed team.

Supporting the upperclassmen will be a fairly strong freshman class. Although the team lost out on a couple top recruits late in the recruiting process, the freshmen that ended up at Old Nassau are just what the team needs.

"We have a lot of size in our freshman class, and we think that we'll have more options in certain choices," Thompson said. "It will be good for a coach to know that your tallest body isn't 6'7."