November 15, 2007
Men's Basketball Preview:
Newcomers Across The Board Will Make For Intriguing
07-08 Campaign
 

Senior Captain Ryan Middlemiss will lead the squad from the point (Gil Talbot Photo).

Nashua – For the second straight season it’s a new look almost completely across the board for the Daniel Webster men’s basketball program. But unlike in years past, the newest look has created something that hasn’t happened on the Nashua campus in some time – genuine anticipation about the program and expectations for significant improvement.

“We certainly have expectations,” said First Year Head Coach Jeremy Currier, who took the reins after serving as assistant coach last season. “But our expectations are basic,” Currier continued. “To improve every day with our system is our basic expectation. Our staff has worked extremely hard during the offseason to recruit young men with outstanding potential. Where they take that potential is something we look forward to finding out. There’s an incredible amount of work to do, but our stated goal is create a program that competes and challenges annually for a conference championship. It is our hope that our recruiting class will help us establish that goal. If we improve every day, the rest will take care of itself.”

Currier and his staff embarked on a furious recruiting season that has resulted in one of the youngest, but arguable one of the deepest squads in New England and perhaps the northeast.

Just two letter winners return from last year’s squad that posted a 6-18 overall mark including a 2-12 mark in Great Northeast Conference play. The program, forced to reinvent itself after a difficult winless 2005-06 campaign, also began to regain respect among its GNAC brethren. The team, made up of a number of newcomers, even got some post season experience, grabbing the eighth and final playoff seed, falling to (now departed) Western New England in the quarterfinals. No players, or coaches for that matter on the 2007-08 squad participated in that winless season.

A look at the roster:
The Eagles top returnee is also their sole captain. Senior Ryan Middlemiss (Methuen, Mass.) will guide the offense from the point, after leading the squad with 4.0 assists per game last season, while adding 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds. Fellow letter winner Ray McKie (Bronx, N.Y.) also returns after an outstanding freshman campaign in which he led the team with 15.8 ppg and garnered three GNAC “Rookie of the Week” selections.

From there, the roster becomes one of intrigue. Currier and his staff have brought in 18 newcomers who will vie for playing time. Notables include former New Hampshire Class L Player of the Year Steven Savage, who guided Salem High to the state title; junior guard Brian Inge, a transfer from Pfeiifer who also played at Division II West Virginia Wesleyan averaging 7.3 ppg in 2005-06; freshman guard Ahmad Hemingway (Staten Island, N.Y.); junior forward Joel Prince (Woodbridge, Va.), a transfer from Frederick CC; and freshmen guard Lawrence Green (Roosevelt, N.Y.) and forward Jason Marshall (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.), who both played at Bishop Loughlin.

Currier likes what he sees in the early going, particularly with the likes of Marshall, Inge and Prince.

“We have been very pleased with Jason, Joel and Brian’s progress in the preseason,” said Currier. “They have proven thus far that they have mental toughness to compete and each of them has been getting better in every drill. We have asked them to step it up on defense and they have answered that call.”

The Eagles have also significantly bulked up their Granite State ties. Anyone who has followed the Salem High Blue Devils won’t need to drive far to see their former players. Along with Savage, two fellow Salem grads will be on the Eagle roster in guards Tahj Stokes and Chris Voukides. Three Manchester natives also dot the roster – freshman guard Arjok Guguai (Memorial), Loick Muyuka (West) and forward Lowell Zangri (West) will all don the Eagle red blue and white. Newcomer Chris Hanson (Salem, Mass.) also hails locally.

The schedule:
If the roster is not the most intriguing aspect of the Eagles’ 2007-08 season, then the Eagles’ schedule should offer equal interest. DWC got its first taste of action on November 9th when they traveled to Charleston, S.C. to face the Citadel in an exhibition tune up. Despite a lopsided 131-79 final, the Eagles could walk away knowing they put up nearly 80 points against a longtime Division I member and saw quality performances from Inge (24 points, 7-11 fg, 4-10 3pt, 6-7 ft), Hanson (19 pts), and Hemingway (11 pts). Important minutes were gained as feet got wet and nerves were loosened.

“The Citadel was a great trip for us,” said Currier. “I believe that you can learn a lot about the identity of a team when they are faced with adversity. Our guys did not finger point, did not give up, and ignored the scoreboard. They played hard for 40 minutes. You can win with that type of heart. I was very impressed with our guys down south as we showed great mental toughness. We’ll need that kind of toughness against our conference opponents.”

DWC will open the regular season with its first ever tip off tournament – the freshly minted Best Western Tip Off - courtesy of the Best Western Granite Inn of Nashua, located just two miles from the College campus. The Inn will host all three visiting teams, which includes the Eagles’ opening opponent Green Mountain of Poultney, Vt. on Friday, November 16 at 7:30. The Mass. College of Liberal Arts (formerly North Adams State) and Centenary College of Hackettstown, N.J., will square off at 5:30. A consolation and championship follow at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Saturday, November 17th.

The Eagles aren’t through with Division I yet either. In one of the (if not the) most anticipated athletic matchups in Eagles history, DWC will travel north to face Ivy League member Dartmouth College at historic Leede Arena on December 15th at 7:00 p.m. It will mark DWC’s first regular season game against a Division I member in the College’s history.

Along with the Dartmouth tilt, the 07-08 campaign includes some other interesting twists. The Eagles will face three new conference foes in Mount Ida, Lasell and Saint Joseph’s Maine - before promptly bidding them and the entire GNAC adieu as they depart for the newly formed New England Collegiate Conference for 2008-09.

The 07-08 schedule will offer just one preview of a future NECC rival when Newbury College comes to town in the regular season home finale February 21st.
Home opponents include, in order, CCC member Anna Maria as well as GNAC foes Johnson & Wales, Emmanuel, Mount Ida, another hotly anticipated match up (and expected standing room only crowd) with defending GNAC champion and cross town archrival Rivier (January 15th), along with Emerson, Lasell, Albertus Magnus, Norwich and Saint Joseph’s (Maine).

Road opponents include (in order) MASCAC member Framingham State, GNAC foes St. Joseph’s (Maine), Dartmouth, Albertus Magnus, Norwich, Emerson, Mount Ida and Suffolk, CCC member Nichols, GNAC member Lasell and a rematch at Rivier.

Appropriately it would seem, the Eagles and Raiders will meet for the final time as league opponents in the regular season finale on February 23rd.