Before winter break brought a four week break from games, the Hopkins men’s basketball team had an overall 4-5 record and a conference record of 2-2. Returning to practice on Dec. 29 was not ideal for the men, however it proved to be the right call, as the men hit the court on Jan. 3, exactly one month since their last game. Suffering a tough loss against Case Western provided the right incentive to spark a three game win streak, having two of those wins coming from conference matchups. The men were now 4-2 in conference and were showing potential as true conference contenders as they traveled to Carlisle, Pa. to take on the Red Devils of Dickinson College.
The Blue Jays controlled the game up until the midway point of the second half as Dickinson went on a 16-1 point run, putting Hopkins down by seven. The rest of the game would have three lead changes as both teams exchanged points back and forth, however Dickinson would pull away with two minutes left in the game, securing a ten-point victory over the Blue Jays.
Now holding a 4-3 record in the conference, the Blue Jays were determined to stay above .500, and that task proved to be challenging as the men next took the court at Ursinus College. Controlling the entire first half, the game appeared to be in favor of the Bears. However, the Blue Jays were unwilling to give in easily and came back halfway through the second period. With four seconds left in the game, Hopkins led 67-66, and the ball was in the hands of the Bears. After key blocks from senior Connor McIntyre and junior George Bugarinovic in the final seconds of the game, the Blue Jays would walk away with one more in the win column.
After a 91-63 blowout defeat against Washington College at home, the men’s basketball team only had two days to prepare for the rivalry game against Muhlenberg College. Last time these two teams met, Hopkins lost by a margin of 16 points; however, this wouldn’t be the most important aspect of this rematch. As both teams had an equal 6-3 conference record, this game would determine who would rise to fourth place overall and which team would fall to fifth.
Going into the game, the Blue Jays knew they had to improve their defense in order to control Muhlenberg’s Malique Killing who is currently leading the Centennial Conference in points per game. Senior Daniel Corbett and sophomore Austin Vasiliadis stepped up on defense holding Killing to one three-point shot and only seven attempts at the free throw line. The Blue Jays overall played great defense as no other Muhlenberg player scored in double digits.
Hopkins matched their defensive intensity on the offensive side of the court as five Blue Jays scored in double digits, securing an 11-point victory over the Mules and locking down fourth place in the conference. “We are playing as a balanced team. We are playing about 11 guys and six of them had nine points,” Head Coach Bill Nelson said.
After a rocky start to their season, the Blue Jays have started off 2014 with a 5-1 record in conference and are now 7-3 overall and hold the fourth place spot in the Centennial Conference. When asked if there was a specific player to which the success of the second half of the team could be attributed, Coach Nelson accredited the success to the team collectively. “Corbett and Vasiliadis each have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the league and have both shown great leadership,” Nelson said. “Gene Williams and Jimmy Hammer are two of the top three-point shooters in the conference and really make the defense play out on them, which opens up opportunities for Conner McIntyre and George Bugarinovic inside”.
Coach Nelson also recognized the improvement of his bench players as the biggest difference in the second half of the season. “Omar Randall, Luke Chambers and Niko Kotoulas are giving us solid minutes at both ends of the court and we haven't missed a beat with them out there. That's huge,” Nelson said.
With eight regular season games remaining, the Blue Jays cannot let up in their race to the conference championship. With four of their next eight games being matched up with top three teams, the Blue Jays have a difficult few weeks ahead of them. However, with the combined effort of the team including the improved performances from the bench, Hopkins has the opportunity to make it to the conference championship.
