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By
Jon Teitel
jonteitel@hotmail.com
October, 2004
2004-05
Yale Basketball Preview
The Veterans: The
Bulldogs have a nice mix of upperclassmen (three seniors in the starting
lineup) and underclassmen (two sophomores in the starting lineup).
The Youngsters: One
of Yale’s five freshmen might feel out of place this season: Taylor Schall will feel awkward not playing for Dartmouth, where two of his
high school teammates are playing this season (Leon Pattman and
Johnathan Ball). Fans will be seeing double this year in New Haven, as
two of Yale’s recruits are twin brothers Caleb and Nick Holmes.
The Departed: The
Bulldogs lost five players to graduation, including the versatile Matt Minoff, but the player who will be missed the most is Josh Hill. Hill
was killed in a car accident on May 27, and his teammates will be
playing with heavy hearts this year.
The Strengths and
weaknesses: Yale has players both tall (two standing over 6’9”) and
small (two standing under 6’1”). Yale is a well-balanced team: their
strength is in numbers, but their weakness is the lack of a go-to guy.
The Star: Three
seniors will help lead the Bulldogs this year. Edwin Draughan was 2nd-team
All-Ivy last season, and was among the conference leaders in assists and
steals. Dominick Martin led the team in rebounding, and finished in the
top-10 in the country in field-goal percentage (60.3 FG%). The final
member of the trio is Alex Gamboa, who is the team’s best three-point
shooter.
The Schedule: Yale
only plays three teams from last year’s NCAA Tournament, but they will
all pose a big challenge for the Bulldogs (Princeton, Boston College,
and Wake Forest). The Bulldogs will face an early test with nine of
their first ten games on the road, but get a breather towards the end of
the season with six of their final nine Ivy League games at home.
The Imports: Yale has
two players each from Connecticut, Kansas, North Carolina, and
California, but nobody from outside the United States.
The Coach: James
Jones is the leading man for Yale, and his main claim to fame is that
his brother Joe is the coach of Columbia.
The Prediction: You
can never count out a team with a group of talented seniors. If the
team plays over its head in honor of their deceased teammate Hill, then
they might pose a threat to the Tigers and Quakers, but a more realistic
expectation is a winning record.
Learn
more about the author Jon Teitel and how to contact him here
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