Who, if anyone, will lead the Elis' next era?

The jury is still out as Jones' young team scrambles for consistency and leadership.

The Bulldogs (1-3, 0-0 Ivy) were embarassed last night. Last week they only lost to Ohio State by 20, showing they could run with bigger teams. But on Thurs., Nov. 30, they lost 83-47 to Colorado State. Down 24 at halftime, Yale never even had a prayer. Two players who saw very limited time last year—Tom Kritzer, PC '01, and Ime Archibong, TD '03—led Yale in scoring. Four games into the young season, questions of leadership and direction are becoming more urgent. No obvious answers are in sight.

Where they left off

The win over their Cambridge rivals propelled the Bulldogs to a 3-0 start in the conference for the first time in two decades. Later, they punctuated their season with a home victory over powerhouse Princeton for the second straight year. Despite their struggles down the stretch and a disappointing 7-20 overall finish, their 5-9 league record was a three-game improvement over the year before.

First-year coach James Jones had instilled discipline and infused the team with hope. With 6'11" Captain Neil Yanke, MC '01, defending and rebounding like Dikembe Mutumbo and feisty sophomore Chris Leanza, SY '03, pestering opposing point guards and draining threes, the Elis believed they had the complements to surround their star, Onaje Woodbine, BK '02, whose silky smooth drives and sharp touch generated a team-leading 16.8 points per game (PPG) in Ivy play. 2000-2001 promised the return of this threesome, a promising freshman class, and the legitimate chance that Yale could contend for a spot in the league's elite level.

In September, however, Woodbine dropped a bombshell that hit even harder than Williams' ferocious jam. Woodbine's decision to quit the team made the team's forecast as uncertain as the recount in Florida. "I was pretty surprised because he was one of the best players last year and I was expecting that he would help the team get better," said guard Matt Minoff, BR '04, the freshman entrusted by the coaching staff to fill Woodbine's shoes.

Jones, however, is sick of dwelling on the loss of his star. He believes that it is time to focus on the players still in the program, not on the hoopster who left. "This subject has been beaten like a dead horse," he complained. The media does not agree; the Bulldogs were picked to finish last in the Ivies in a preseason poll, due mostly to the hole in Yale's backcourt. To stop the pundits from torturing that horse, Jones and the returning players—including a lineup that starts two sophomores and two freshmen—must show that they know how to bring in the wins.

Who will take up the ball?

Yanke provides the Bulldogs with one of its best defensive and rebounding centers since Dudley. He led the team in rebounds (7.7 in Ivy play) and blocked shots (43 overall), placing second and third in the league respectively in those two categories. The senior from Akron, Ohio has the size and athletic ability to disrupt shots and clean the glass consistently. He demonstrated that dominance with two 15-rebound games and one seven-block effort. With Yanke swatting shots behind them, Yale's guards are able to cheat the passing lanes and play in shooters' faces. "I think he's the best big man in the league," Leanza said. "He is a huge presence inside. Not too many teams have a 6'11" player."

Unfortunately for Yale, Yanke's offensive play sometimes resembles Dudley's as well. He shows flashes of excellence, registering 29 points at Brown, but failed to lead the team in scoring each of the last nine games he played. He averaged a solid 9.6 PPG but shot only 37.4 percent overall, a very low percentage for someone who takes most of his shots from so close. There were too many times when he fumbled passes from Leanza or clanked lay-ups. Yanke suffered from injuries towards the end of the year and in his last nine games, he averaged only 7.0 PPG on 33.8 percent shooting.

After a difficult 1-9 night against Ohio State on Fri., Nov. 19, and their defensive stud center, Ken Johnson '01, a healthy and better-conditioned Yanke has shown signs of improvement. "It is a little early in the season to tell how much he is going to improve, but to date, he has done a little bit better than last year," Jones said.

Against Cleveland St. and Long Island University, he shot 15-23 (65.2 percent) for 32 points and 14 rebounds, including a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double in Yale's win over LIU. If Yanke continues to shoot in the 55-60 percent range, he will be the best center in the league and Yale will have a chance to contend. If he shoots 40 percent, the Elis will have a tough time disproving the pundits.

The other returning starter is fellow Ohioan Leanza, the point guard who excited fans and energized his teammates with a scrappy style of play that resulted in as many dives for loose balls as three-point shots made (a team-leading 51). Although a tad undersized even at a generous 6'1", Leanza takes games to different levels with his quickness, toughness, and court vision. He was Ivy League Rookie of the Week three times and led the Elis in assists (87) and free throw percentage (.782). His offensive game picked up throughout the season as he gained experience. He averaged 14.6 PPG in his last 11 games, culminating in a 33-point game at Columbia, a season-high for any Eli.

"Coming in and playing a lot of minutes was tough," Leanza said, who now finds himself in the role of a veteran on the young squad. "Knowing what I need to do on the court to be successful is the biggest change from last year to this year."

Many will play

To replace Woodbine at the shooting guard spot, Jones has been using three options: Minoff, Isaiah Cavaco, JE '01, and Ime Archibong, TD '03. Minoff has been given first crack at the job. At 6'5", he gives the Elis a better matchup against some of the taller off-guards in the Ivies, such as Brown's 6'5" Earl Hunt '03. Last year, teams were able to post-up Woodbine and Leanza. "Matt is a better shooter and defender than Onaje was," said Jones, describing the Cherry Hill (N.J.) East High School star who led his team in three- pointers and set a school record for steals. Despite his reputation as a marksman, Minoff has struggled in his first three games, shooting one for 10 from the floor.

Minoff's early troubles have opened the gate for Archibong, best remembered by fans for his 360-degree dunk last season. He has proved to be a multi-dimensional player, averaging 8.7 PPG and 5.0 RPG. He can get to the basket off the dribble, a skill sorely missing on this year's squad. Cavaco, on the other hand, has not fully rebounded from the knee injuries that relegated him to only five games last year. Limited mobility has made Jones wary of playing him too many minutes. If healthy, however, Cavaco could add needed depth to the team. Two years ago, as a sophomore, he started 23 games and led the team in assists (72) and three-pointers (36).

The forward spot is up for grabs, with six players competing for playing time. So far T.J. McHugh, MC '03, (7.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.0 APG) and Joe Vitelli, MC '04 (6.7, 3.0, 3.3) have manned the starting spots and put forth solid performances. Bill Parkhurst, CC '03, who started 11 games last year, averaging 3.3 PPG, and center Kritzer (5.0 PPG) add bulk behind them. The wild cards in the group may be Scott Gaffield, JE '04, a 6'6" Canadian who averaged 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists in high school, and Josh Hill, TC '04, another 6'6" forward who was the runner-up Mr. Basketball in Delaware last season.

The presence of Vitelli, Minoff, Hill, Gaffield and forward Justin Simon, CC '04, underscore the importance of Jones' first recruiting class. While Jones expects all of his talented freshmen to play, the adjustment to college basketball might prove difficult. "It has actually has been (a tough adjustment)," Minoff said. "A lot of the guys are much quicker than you have seen before."

Despite the loss of their leading scorer, Jones does not anticipate changing the team's style. He still wants to play an inside-outside game, relying on Yanke first and his shooters second. Jones has been pleased with the play of his troops so far, emphasizing their solid assist to turnover ratio (52 to 51) and competitive play in losses to OSU and Cleveland State.

There are signs of hope. Jones' relentless optimism and demand for hard work has produced a focused team that is keen on playing smart and protecting the ball. If Yanke can shoot well and the freshmen mature, the Elis may be able to escape the harrowing predictions of the experts.

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