GETTYSBURG, Pa. – With all five starters returning from its record-breaking 2007-08 squad, preseason expectations have soared for the Gettysburg College men’s basketball team.
The Bullets are ranked 11th nationally by
D3hoops.com and sixth by
The Sporting News, the highest national rankings in team history. Gettysburg is coming off a season in which it finished 24-5, setting a school record for victories, and advanced to the Centennial Conference championship game and the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament with the first two NCAA playoff victories in school history.
But according to head coach
George Petrie, the team has some unfinished business heading into the 2008-09 campaign.
“They don’t feel fulfilled because they came up short for the conference title,” said Petrie, who enters his 20th year on the bench. “That’s definitely something that they want to achieve. And having experienced the NCAA Tournament and reaching the Sweet 16 has increased their desire not only to repeat that success but also to do better.”
Such goals would certainly appear to be in reach for the Bullets, who bring back 97 percent of their scoring from a year ago. The team has the intangibles that Petrie feels are equally important.
“I think they have a pretty good focus and a good attitude,” said Petrie. “The group as a whole gets along very well – it’s a really cohesive roster.”
Leading the way will be the team’s four senior starters – guards
Dan Capkin (Wynnewood, Pa./Lower Merion),
Corey Dorsey (Frederick, Md./St. John’s at Prospect Hall), and
Chris Nevolo (Neshanic Station, N.J./Somerville) and forward
Joe Spierenburg (Chambersburg, Pa./St. Maria Goretti [Md.]).
“To lead and be consistent,” said Petrie on his expectations for his elder statesmen. “Each of them brings something valuable to the chemistry of the starting group. I think they acknowledge one another and that’s really an important aspect of their success.”
Returning as the team’s leading scorer from a year ago is Capkin, a
D3hoops.com Honorable Mention Preseason All-American. Last season he was a first team all-Centennial Conference and first-team NABC all-region pick who finished third in the conference in scoring, averaging 19.6 points per game. The 6-2 shooting guard also led the team with 75 three-pointers and shot 80.0% at the foul line. He came up big in the team’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win, scoring 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting as Gettysburg topped Salem State.
Three additional Bullets are back after double-digit scoring outputs in Dorsey, Spierenburg, and sophomore center
Andrew Powers (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown).
Dorsey, a 6-5 wing, put up 16.1 points per game while drilling 94 three-pointers and shooting 77.7% at the charity stripe. His brightest moment came in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, when he scored nine points in the final minute and canned a buzzer-beating trey in a dramatic comeback win over Elms. He was a first-team all-Centennial Conference and third-team NABC all-region choice.
In Spierenburg (6-8), Gettysburg owns one of the most intimidating defensive forces in Division III. Last season he swatted a school- and Centennial Conference-record 112 shots, a mark that ranked second in the nation. He also averaged 10.2 points per game and finished second on the team in rebounding (7.4 rpg) and third among the Bullets in assists (83).
Powers (6-6) is coming off a record-breaking season of his own. He set Gettysburg freshman records for points (433, 14.9 ppg) and rebounds (230, 7.9 rpg), finishing as the team’s third-leading scorer and top rebounder while dishing out a team-leading 86 assists. Powers was also crucial in the Bullets post-season success, scoring a season-high 32 points and pulling down 13 rebounds in the team’s first-round win over Salem State. He was named the ECAC South Region and
D3hoops.com Middle Atlantic Region Rookie of the Year.
Directing the Bullets from the point guard position will be Nevolo, who made 84 assists while turning the ball over just 69 times a year ago. He chipped in with 4.4 points per game and set a school record with his 92.5 (49-53) free-throw percentage.
The Bullets also return their sixth man from last season in sophomore
Kevin Kennedy (Gaithersburg, Md./Quince Orchard). A 6-5 forward, Kennedy averaged 4.1 points in 18.4 minutes per game and connected on 19 three-pointers. Junior point guard
Brendan Hager (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) will also provide depth after playing 10.1 minutes per game. A steady ball handler, Hager (6-1) distributed 34 assists while making only 18 turnovers.
Five other upperclassmen will give Petrie additional options. Returning to the backcourt are sophomore
Paul Crone (Braddock Heights, Md./Middletown) and junior
Andrew Bohan (Smithsburg, Md./Smithsburg) while sophomore forward
Kip Robson (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman) and sophomore centers
Chip Naddaff (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) and
Scott Peterson (Ramsey, N.J./Ramsey) will compete for playing time.
Also bolstering the roster will be a freshman class of seven, including guards
Steve Meehan (Narbeth, Pa./Lower Merion),
Brendan Trelease (Union, N.J./Roselle Catholic),
Cory Weissman (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial), and
Matt Wunderlich (West Chester, Pa./Haverford School); forwards
Tim Lang (Boothwyn, Pa./Garnet Valley), and Greg Minnick (Williamsport, Md./Williamsport); and center
Kyle Szajowski (Chatham, N.J./St. Patrick).
The Bullets will be tested early and often with an impressive non-conference schedule this season. Three traditionally strong teams (Elizabethtown, Rowan, SUNY Geneseo) will make the Gettysburg Days Inn Tip-Off Tournament as strong as it’s been, and the Bullets will also play York (Pa.) and Widener, a 2008 NCAA Tournament team, in the first semester. Gettysburg will also compete in the Albright College New Year’s Tournament, which will feature Brooklyn College and Juniata College.
The Centennial Conference schedule promises to be equally challenging as the Bullets compete with nine other teams for the conference title. Gettysburg found itself locked up in numerous tight games in CC play a year ago and won six league games by single digits, including a pair of overtime wins.
Gettysburg kicks off the season when it hosts the Days Inn Tournament Friday and Saturday, Nov. 21-22. The Bullets take on Elizabethtown at 6 p.m. in the first round while Rowan and SUNY Geneseo face off at 8 p.m.
