...while depth helps roughen men's lineup

If there was one word that could describe this year's men's basketball team, it would be "options." Coming off a season where they finished 10-16 overall and a disappoiniting 3-11 in the Ivy League, the Blue this year recognized the need to make some crucial adjustments.

Enter two 6'10" centers, Neil Yanke, MC '01, and Tom Kritzer, PC '01. "These guys will definitely be getting their feet wet early," Coach Dick Kuchen said. "As the season progresses, we will see how they fit into the team."

The arrival of these two players adds tremendous depth and height to the team, and will enable last year's starting center, captain Emerson Whitley, SY '98, to move from center back to forward, where he played his first two years at Yale. There is a huge hole left by two graduated starting forwards from last year, Daniel Okonkwo, BR '97, and Jim Rosneck, ES '97. Whitley will help fill this gap and also allow the Blue to have a taller and stronger presence in the middle on both offense and defense."

It's much more of a natural position for me," Whitley said. "I'm excited about the change and I'm sure that we will be a stronger team because of it."

Another gap has been left by the early departure of small forward Teddy Miller, SM '99, who left the team earlier this year after deciding that he could not keep the level of commitment necessary to be an asset to the team. Having lost a player who started 11 of last year's 26 games, the Bulldogs will have to try a number of different lineups to see what works best to compensate for the loss.

They plan to try the bigger lineup with Whitley at forward and either the experienced Chris Lanigan, SY '98, or one of the two 6'10" freshmen at the center spot. Another option is a smaller lineup with three guards on the court.

If neither of these lineups works out well for the team, there is a large group of players who can also enter into the equation. John Kirkowski, MC '00, won the John C. Cobb award last year as Yale's top freshman after playing in 17 games, including one start. Another forward, Ted Smith, CC '00, played in 16 games last year and will also see plenty of action.

The flexibility of the lineup will be an advantage for the Bulldogs. "I think it will be a definite advantage because most of the players are used to moving around and we have been playing with each other for a while now," Whitley said. "The coach can put out different lineups against different teams which will allow us to maximize the depth of our team."

There is substantial experience returning in the backcourt this year for the Elis. Gabe Hunteron, JE '98, will continue his strong play and start for the fourth year in a row. He led the team in assists (3.7 apg) and finished third in scoring (9.3 ppg) last year, so the Bulldogs will look to him for much of their offensive spark. His numbers fell slightly last year, but while he works to get them back up, his experience and leadership will be invaluable to the rest of the team.

Matt Ricketts, TD '98, and Charlie Petit, DC '99, are also expected to bring in their strength from the three-point range and keep their opponents guessing. Although Petit will miss the first few games of the season due to a broken thumb, his 40-percent success rate with three-pointers will be very valuable to the team upon his return. Petit started as the third guard against the Diamond Club on Thurs., Nov. 6, and may start there again when he recovers from his injury and makes his way back onto the court.

Ricketts was bothered by an injury to his back last year, but if healthy this year, he will make a significant contribution. "I have very high expectations for Petit and Ricketts," Kuchen commented. "We're hoping that they'll be consistent shooters and that when they don't have the open shot they'll make good interior passes and kick it out to other open players."

The Bulldogs will have a chance to test all their options when they open their season on Sat., Nov. 15 against Connecticut, ranked 13th in the country.

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