Saturday, October 30, 2010

Catching Up with the Captains

It has been several months since the MIT 2010-2011 captains were announced at last year's season ending banquet, and sophomore guard Mitchell Kates and senior forward Eric Zuk have both spent that time preparing in very different ways for the upcoming season. The blog recently sat down with the two captains to catch-up with them on how they spent their summer, where they see this years team going, and how the new group of freshman look, among other topics.

mitbasketballblogger (MBB): What have you guys been up to this summer?

Mitchell Kates (MK): In addition to a lot of GTL, this summer I played in the Jersey Shore Basketball League and worked on getting stronger. I put on 10 pounds from last season and gained some explosiveness. Aside from basketball, I worked for a start-up that develops extracurricular software for universities.

Eric Zuk (EZ): I worked at UBS investment bank this summer, working in sales and trading. Got a good look at what life will be like after college, which definitely gave me a better appreciation for playing college basketball. I'll take two-a-day practices over a desk job any day of the week.


MBB: Wow, sounds like a packed summer, must be nice to back with your team. Speaking of which how do the new guys look?

MK: The freshman are really transitioning well from the high school to college mindset. Practices in college are a lot more strenuous and physical. The freshman, over the course of the first two weeks, have already made some noticeable improvements. It is important that the upperclassmen help the freshmen throughout the season, especially when the "grind" of practices later in the season starts to wear them down mentally and physically. Josh Dunaway, despite a broken nose earlier in the week, has given great effort in practice. Nick Davis and Tim Donegan have also stepped up as a freshman and they should both give us a great contribution. We also have some other really solid contributors in Will Dickson, Mike Attanasio, Will Watkins, and John Thompson.

EZ: The incoming freshmen are going to provide great depth for us this year. In my four years here, I don't think we've had a team with this many talented players, who at the same time have the right attitude about accepting their roles on the team. With so many new guys it's certainly a process to get everyone on the page, but practices so far have been competitive and efficient. Hopefully the days of only 9 guys suiting up are officially behind us.


MBB: In addition to those new faces, talk a bit about the new coaches on this years staff.

MK: We have two new coaches, Bill [Johnson] and Rob [DiBernardo]. Bill is a great coach because he was in our shoes last year so he has a great perspective on the inner workings of the team. Rob is also a tremendous coach. Rob brings great energy into every practice. Rob gets you to feel enthusiastic about whatever point he is commenting on. It is always exciting to hear what he has to say.

EZ: Rob's been a great addition to the staff. He brings incredible enthusiasm to practice everyday, which really picks up the energy of our practices. He's helped me a lot with my jump shot, and overall has done a great job of evaluating our individual tendencies and offering advice on them. After having Bill as a teammate, he's done a great job of adjusting to a coach's role. He's established a great relationship with the freshmen, as he's someone who's had a lot of success in the program but is still giving back. Having Bill on the staff keeps a lot of the continuity that has been established the past few years.


MBB: Sounds like both coaches will really help out. With all the returning players and the solid incoming class, what are your expectations for the coming year?

MK: This year's team has all of the tools to be a championship team; we just need to stay healthy and clicking on all cylinders. The addition of Jamie will give us a great perimeter threat. Will Tashman has also made huge improvements since the end of last season. Last year we were on the wrong side of several upsets to finish the season. I think we can look to those games for motivation this year.

EZ: With the progress we've made as a program the past few years, we're poised to make a deep run into the tournament. We certainly feel like there is a lot of momentum behind our program, coming from our past successes, the incoming freshmen class, and the support we've had from the MIT community. We've got the necessary pieces, we've just gotta put it together come November, and be able to keep improving every day throughout the season.


MBB: Looks like the ceiling is pretty high on this year's team. People around the country also seem to be noticing, MIT was ranked for the first time in the D3Hoops.com preseason poll this year (#15). Are there any big games this year that you have circled on the calender, to solidify your place in the Top 25?

MK: There are always games that we look forward to but Coach will not be very happy unless I say that our next game is our most important one.

EZ: Emmanuel, first game of the year. After 4 weeks of beating up on each other in practice, it will be exciting to get out and play someone else. Emmanuel always comes ready to play.


MBB: Looks like everyone is looking forward to the first game of the year. Good luck on the season and hopefully we will have a chance to talk again once the season starts.

Note: MIT opens their season on November 16 against Emmanuel College in Rockwell Cage. Tip is set for 7:00 PM.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

MIT Ranked Preseason #15 by D3Hoops.com


D3Hoops.com has just released their 2010-2011 preseason rankings and MIT checks in at #15. MIT jumped onto the national scene two seasons ago, with their hot run to win the NEWMAC tournament championship, which was followed by their upset victory over Rhode Island College in the NCAA tournament. Last year, the Engineers continued that hot streak, winning 21 of their first 22 games against division III opponents, including their first 16 games against DIII foes. That success led to MIT being ranked 11 consecutive weeks in the D3Hoops.com Top 25, to as high as #8, before falling just out of the rankings in the final poll.

MIT returns nearly all their players from a team that went 22-5 and only had 2 regular season losses to division III opponents. Leading the way are returning starters Mitchell Kates (co-captain), Eric Zuk (co-captain), Will Tashman, and Noel Hollingsworth. Kates did an exemplary job leading the team from the point guard position. He led the NEWMAC in steals and assists, in addition to averaging over 13 points per game. He was named the D3Hoops.com Northeast region rookie of the year last season for his efforts. Will Tashman led the NEWMAC in FG% last season, in addition to filling up the stat sheet with over 9 points and 7 rebounds per game. Noel Hollingsworth led the NEWMAC in scoring and rebounding, in his first year with the Engineers, and was named NEWMAC player of the year. He was also named 2nd-team All-American by the NABC, as well as a Preseason All-American this season by the DIII News. Eric Zuk is the sole senior on this season's roster and will provide much needed experience with the young squad. In addition to those four, MIT gets back red-shirt sophomore Jamie Karraker, who missed last season with an injury. As a freshman, Karraker averaged 11 points per game, mainly behind strong shooting from 3 (42%). MIT also brings in a deep class of freshman to further bolster the squad.

MIT opens their season on November 16 against Emmanuel College in Rockwell Cage. Tip is set for 7:00 PM.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Fomer Player News: Alan Ho Ties the Knot

Former MIT guard Alan Ho ('08) was married on October 10, 2010 in a beautiful ceremony in Kapalua, Hawaii. Grace and Alan Ho just returned from their honeymoon and we wish them happiness in all their future endeavors!


Nice catch Alan!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Beaver Madness Kicks Off Season



Hundreds of Tech fans poured into Rockwell Cage last Friday night to get a glimpse of what's in store for the 2010-2011 MIT basketball season. The standing-room-only crowd was first entertained by musical groups, hip-hop dance performances, a team comedy skit, a mini-hoop dunk contest between fans, and an intense Knockout competition between students, Professors, and varsity coaches. After the women's intra-squad scrimmage, the men's team took the court with high-flying dunks, a barrage of 3s from well beyond the arc, and a glimpse into the talent the Engineers have this season.


(Volleyball Head Coach Paul Dill competes against
SID Mindy Brauer in the Skills Challenge)

(Nick Davis '14 from Omaha, Nebraska tries to get
past Utah native Will Watkins '14)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Former MIT Assistant Gunnar Hagstrom Signs with Cyprus Team


Gunnar Hagstrom, who helped the Engineers capture their first NEWMAC regular season and tournament championships, as well as back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure as assistant coach, has signed with the Lefkosia Devils in the North Cyprus Professional League. Lefkosia (also known as Nicosia) is the capital and largest city on the island of Cyprus, with a population of over 313,000. Hagstrom will be playing point guard for the Devils.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

DIII News Tabs MIT Preseason #18, MIT Basketball Schedule Released

The DIII News has released their annual preseason rankings, and MIT has made the list for the first time, checking in at #18. After finishing the year 22-5 last season, and only losing two players to graduation, MIT is poised to make another strong statement this season.

Click Here for Full Rankings

Also, MIT has released their 2010-2011 season schedule. MIT will again face Harvard during the winter break, and hope to improve on last year's performance.

2010-2011 MIT Basketball Schedule