2010 Player Highlights: Ben Montgomery, Arni Lehto, Patrick Gichuiri, and Devin Dee

In our last installment of the MIT Hoops Blog's 2009-2010 season highlights, we focus on four young players who were instrumental in providing depth to the MIT basketball program this past season. Freshman forward Ben Montgomery appeared in all 27 games this season for the Engineers and was one of the team's hardest workers. He could always be counted on to give everything he had on the court, leading the team in charges taken, as is evident from the highlight clip below.

Sophomore guard/forward Arni Lehto was a steady contributor to the team whenever he was called on. There were several games throughout the year where he was utilized in the rotation and responded with solid play. Freshmen Patrick Gichuiri and Devin Dee also played well whenever Coach Larry Anderson called on them. Highlights for all three players can be found below.

Ben Montgomery Highlights


Arni Lehto, Patrick Gichuiri, and Devin Dee Highlights

2010 Player Highlights: Patrick Sissman and Eric Zuk

For this installment of the MIT Hoops Blog's 2010 Player Highlights, we focus on two of this year's squad's captains: senior guard Patrick Sissman and junior guard/forward Eric Zuk. Both players' contributions to the program are not measurable with just statistics, as they broght vital intangibles to the squad, including leadership, toughness, and a team-first mentality. Both players are showcased in the combined highlight reel below.

2010 Player Highlights: Billy Bender

After being a big contributor on last year's record-breaking MIT squad, Billy Bender continued his superb play this season. Playing well off the bench early in the year, Bender was brought into the starting lineup midway through the season and he did not miss a beat. Although his primary role was as a defensive stopper, usually guarding the other teams best perimeter/wing player, Bender still put up solid numbers offesnively, averaging 7.8 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game. That included two games, at Emerson (12/1/09) and versus WPI (1/13/10), in which he led the team in scoring, while also leading the team in rebounding on numerous occasions, including a 12 rebound performance at home against Wheaton (1/23/10). Below are highlights of Bender from this past season.

2010 Player Highlights: Jimmy Burke

MIT freshman guard Jimmy Burke had a stellar year for the Engineers. Although he battled injury during several stretches of the season, Burke flourished in his role as the team's 6th man, coming in and knocking down big shots and making clutch plays in many games this season. For the season, Burke was the team's 3rd leading scorer at 9.2 ppg, while leading the team in three-point field goals made (2.3 per game) and three-point field goal percentage (40%).

Below are abbreviated and extended versions of his highlights for the 2009-2010 season.

Extended Highlights


Abbreviated Highlights

2010 Player Highlights: Will Tashman

MIT freshman forward Will Tashman was a constant presence in the MIT lineup this past season. His work on both ends of the court was a factor the team relied on throughout the year, playing a major role in the team's success. However, as the season progressed, those watching the team began to realize that Tashman was just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential. His continued development during the season earned him the team's Most Improved Player award. After averaging 8.7 ppg and 7.2 rpg as a freshman, while leading the team in FG% at 56.8%, Tashman is poised for a breakout year as a sophomore.

An intensely passionate and competitive player, Tashman is also very gifted, with a very broad basketball skill set. Tashman is very strong inside, making him a strong presence defensively, on the boards, and offensively in the post. He also has a solid shooting stroke, which makes him effective in his mid-range game and even from behind the arc. Glimpses of all facets of his game can be seen in the highlight clips below.

Extended Highlights


Abbreviated Highlights

Announcement of Next Year's Captains Highlight Annual Team Banquet

On Friday, April 9, nearly 50 people connected with the MIT men's basketball community joined together at the MIT Faculty Club to celebrate the past season. The annual banquet featured speaker Dana Mead, who is the current chairman of the Institute's board of trustees, and concluded with the presentation of team awards and announcement of next year's captains.

Director of Athletics Julie Soriero opened and closed the evening, while Mead Wyman '62, captain Billy Johnson, and assistant coach Indran Ratnathicam '98 also provided remarks. Wyman delivered an insightful speech with an alumni perspective and Ratnathicam, who was also a former player under head coach Larry Anderson, focused his talking points on leadership.

Following dinner and Mead's thoughtful oration, Anderson provided some reflections on the year's success before being joined by coaches Kevin Byrne and Brian Phillips for the distribution of the yearly hardware. As voted by the student-athletes on the basketball team, sophomore standout Noel Holingsworth was named Team MVP. Mitchell Kates was unanimously selected as Rookie of the Year; fellow rookie Will Tashman was cited as Most Improved; and junior Eric Zuk was tabbed with the Jack Barry Leadership Award.

Bob Ferrara '67, who has served as the cornerstone for the program's alumni efforts, provided announcements to the group throughout the evening and played an active role in organizing the event. As the evening neared its conclusion, Anderson left everyone with a sense of excitement about the program's bright future and announced the captains for the 2010-11 season as selected by the team: Eric Zuk and Mitchell Kates.

2010 Player Highlights: Mitchell Kates

It is not often that a true freshman is asked to be the on court leader of a team, but that is exactly what Coach Larry Anderson asked of Mitchell Kates this past season. With the graduation of point guard Bradley Gampel, during which Gampel set all-time MIT marks for assists and steals, and MIT all-time leading scorer and national Player of the Year, Jimmy Bartolotta, there were a lot of unanswered questions for the young Engineers entering the season. However, the team did not miss a beat in the early season and shot up to as high as a #8 national ranking, with Kates at the helm. In addition to the many intangibles he brings to the court, Kates put up exceptional numbers, averaging 13.2 points per game, 4.2 assists per game, and 2.1 steals per game, as well as leading the team in minutes played at 33.0 per game. For his efforts, Kates was named an All-NEWMAC performer (2nd-team), the NEWMAC Rookie of the Year, and the Northeast Region Rookie of the Year (by D3hoops.com).

As in previous weeks, there are both abbreviated and extended highlight clips provided.

Extended Highlights


Abbreviated Highlights

MIT Athletics Program Cracks Top 10 in National Rankings

MIT is known more for its high national rankings in the classroom, but in the most recent release of the the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Division III Director's Cup rankings, MIT moved up to the 9th position. In the past 3 years, MIT has steadily improved its ranking from 60 to 37 to 24, and all the way into the top 10 this month. The change reflects MIT's continued commitment to fielding competitive athletic programs. MIT's athletic director, Julie Soriero, said "When people think of MIT, they should think about achievement and excellence. That extends to academics, that extends to student activities, and that extends to athletics." Full releases from MIT and NACDA can be found at the links below.

Official MIT Release

Official NACDA Release

Johnson Leads MIT Basketball Vets to Dodgeball Championship

Billy Johnson enjoyed a huge week with his selection and performance in the 2010 NEBCA Senior All-Star Game, but the graduating captain also kept busy by bringing in another championship for the Engineers’ basketball team.

On Saturday, April 10, members of the MIT hoop squad participated in the inaugural MIT Recreation Sports Dodgeball Tournament. Using the familiar moniker of Sky Bearcats, which is the same name the team has used the past several years in the Watertown Summer Basketball League, Johnson, Arni Lehto, Will Tashman, Ben Montgomery, Noel Hollingsworth, and Mitchell Kates outlasted nine other teams in a double-elimination tournament en route to the campus crown.

The victory for Tech’s veterans was made sweeter as they knocked off the men’s basketball class of 2014 in the championship game.

2010 Player Highlights: Billy Johnson

Billy Johnson's decision to come back for his final year of collegiate eligibility turned out to be a good one. The 5th-year senior provided much needed leadership on a roster comprised mainly of freshman and sophomores, which helped guide the team to an Institute record 22 victories. In addition to his role as a team captain, Johnson played well on the court as well, surpassing many career milestones this year, including the 1000 point mark (becoming just the 23rd player to do so in MIT basketball history). He finished his career with 1053 points, good for 20th best all-time at MIT. In all, Johnson was a part of three 20-win seasons for the Engineers (05-06, 08-09, and 09-10), and the teams he has been a part of have won a total of 90 games (in games he has appeared in, the team has won 73 out 108).

Keeping with the same format as last week, there is an extended highlight clip that is 4:00 minutes long, and an abbreviated clip that is 2:00 minutes long.

Extended Clip


Abbreviated Clip