Williams College Men's basketball and Ice Hockey Season Outlooks
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Maker has spent almost the bulk of his collegiate coaching career in Division I, but come November 15th his first Williams team will travel to Keene State to open his first season at the helm of the Division III Ephs.
Maker knows that the season is long and the competition will be tough, but he does not know much about the teams his Ephs will face and the style of play the opponents will employ, but he sees that as an advantage for someone coming in from the outside. "The advantage of not knowing our competition is that we get to focus on our kids and getting better every day and making adjustments to our individual and team strengths," commented Maker.
Maker is not the only one embarking on this learning curve as his players have to learn a new system, new terms and in many cases new responsibilities. "There's a lot to learn for the players and the coaches," cautioned Maker. "We all feel like we're on a steep treadmill and are confident that we will improve and become more comfortable as the season progresses."
So far Maker likes what he has seen from his Ephs, some of whom he met for the first time in Boston's Logan Airport on the way to a summer tour of Italy and the first years he met on campus in late August. "I'm very fortunate to be at Williams with good players who are tremendous people – going to the gym each day is an absolute joy," Maker stated.
The Ephs went 3-1 on their summer trip to Italy and they got a chance to get to know coach Maker and one of his two assistants, Kevin App. "Our goals on the trip to Italy were to develop team chemistry, enjoy the culture and evaluate our players," Maker stated. "Having had an opportunity to reflect on this unbelievable experience, we feel our trip was a complete success."
Maker arrives at Williams with a reputation as being a coach who is close to his players and works hard at nurturing positive relationships throughout the team. "I'm extremely pleased with our team chemistry, character and work effort," noted Maker. "Our players have embraced our philosophy and are committed to learning our system and reaching their full potential on and off the court. This first week has been one of the more enjoyable weeks I've spent in coaching. To work with the young men we have here and to teach a game that I'm passionate about brings me total fulfillment."
"We simply want to put a good product on the floor that we can all be proud of – up tempo, unselfish, feisty and entertaining," said Maker in lining up his goals for the season. "Our staff and players fully recognize the responsibility we have to represent this great institution with excellence. I equate the history, tradition and pride of competing in the Little Three to the Big Five in Philly. Tradition and rivalries run deep and we want to make Williams alums proud of our efforts."
Maker takes over a Williams team that finished 17-8 last season and 4-5 in NESCAC. Lost to graduation are 1,000 point scorers Chris Rose and Chris Shalvoy and dependable inside presence Matt Weisbrot. Shalvoy led the Ephs in scoring a year ago with 12.7 points per game and he also had a team-high 101 assists. Rose, the third leading scorer, dropped in 11 points a game, while pulling down 4.6 rebounds a night. The steady Weisbrot contributed 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
In the recent past Williams has run the motion offense and this year the Ephs will run a hybrid offense. The Ephs will use "the John Beilein [currently head coach at Michigan] two-guard offense with some of Pete Carril's Princeton principles," said Maker. "This offense is basically a hybrid of the offenses I've seen and worked with over the years."
The Maker hybrid offense has more of a European flavor than the traditional U.S. style. "We don't use terms like point guard and shooting guard and our bigs have to be able to run, dribble, pass and shoot from the perimeter," said Maker.
"The offense works best when you have five athletic players committed to unselfish play who have good basketball IQs, because they have to make quick decisions and they have to be the right decisions," said Maker. "Our players need to be able to see and think the game. Simply put, we need five players playing as one."
Defensively, Maker’s teams will primarily play man-to-man. "Our man-to-man will involve some switching, and we’ll play some match up zone, as a secondary defense, to change the tempo of the game," stated Maker.
While Maker and his staff are still evaluating personnel and trying to come up with a core rotation that will allow the Ephs to have play at their best, there are three players that Maker knows will be playing the bulk of the minutes. Senior co-captain and guard Kevin Snyder, junior forward Blake Schultz and junior center Joe Geoghegan.
"Kevin Snyder has done a phenomenal job as a co-captain," said Maker. "He is an excellent leader, fierce competitor and from what I've seen does not have a weakness in his game. He's a big guard who is cerebral, can dribble, pass, shoot and he makes his teammates better. I look for Kevin to have a great senior season." Last season Snyder dropped in 10.1 points per game and added 2.4 rebounds.
"Joe Geoghegan will be the hub of our offense," said Maker. "With his girth, toughness, intelligence and skill he will be able to control the block and step out on the perimeter to shoot." Geoghegan led the Ephs in rebounds last winter with 8.9 a game and he also scored 12.6 a game.
"The first thing that pops into your mind about Blake Schultz is that he has a tremendous amount of athleticism," commented Maker. "He's also tough and has a skill set that should enable him to be one of the better players in the NESCAC." Shultz tallied 9.5 points and 5.2 rebounds a game in 2007-08.
Maker and his staff are still trying to fit the proper pieces of the puzzle around returning starters Snyder, Geoghegan and Schultz.
Senior co-captain Michael Kearney and Tommas Golia will bring much needed experience to the backcourt. Also, senior forward Grant Meyer gives the Ephs much needed quickness in the frontcourt.
In addition to Geoghegan and Schultz, there’s plenty of depth and ability in the junior class. Wing-guard William Hardy will use his intelligence and vision to set up his teammates for open shots. Alex Rubin proved on the Italian trip that his long range jump shot is a valuable weapon. Look for versatile forward Ethan Timmins-Schiffman to earn meaningful minutes with his unique skill set. Also, smart and feisty lead guard Mike Moorstein compliments the backcourt, and power forward Charlie Cates, with his bulk and leaping ability, will help control the glass.
Talented sophomores, Harlan Dodson and Troy Whittington, will add length and athleticism.
Finally, first year varsity players, Jordan Mickens, James Wang, Brian Emmerson, Marcus Wells, and Ben Atkinson will look to push the upper classmen and compete for playing time.
Mike Maker's first game as the head coach of the Ephs will be on Saturday, November 15th at Keene State in New Hampshire at 3:00 p.m.
"I have great respect for the NESCAC overall and the quality of competition and I know there is good coaching in this league,” Maker said.
The Eph home opener will be Friday, November 21st when they face Southern Vermont at 8:00 p.m.
Williams College Men's Ice Hockey Season Outlook
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass - Williams head coach Bill Kangas enters his 20th year at the helm of the Ephs with high expectations, but is cautioning himself and his players to be patient. "We need to build the right approach – every practice and every game requires our best effort, every time we step on the ice," said Kangas. "We want our players to give everything they have, but to be patient because it will take time to build this team up. If you have a good shift make the next one better, if you have a bad shift don't let it become two bad shifts in a row, make the next one better.
"Guys are playing in practice with an edge in a spirited and positive way and that is something we can build on," he said. "Our practices have been competitive, the intensity has been good and just six days in we're putting lines together."
As a member of NESCAC, 19 of the Ephs 24-game regular season schedule interlocks with games vs. ECAC East teams and all of those games are important. "You can't take a night off in this league with 19 games that count in the standings," he said. "Every league game is equally important. We need to carry our confidence from the ECAC East games into the NESCAC games and get the same results there to make progress on getting into the playoffs and having a first round home game. Right now our goal is to get to the semifinals, because we haven't been there for a while."
A year ago the Ephs were 6-1-3 vs. ECAC East teams, best among NESCAC teams, but that success did not translate to the ice in games vs. NESCAC teams.
Kangas lost four outstanding leaders to graduation in forwards Brandon Jackmuff, Steve Bruch, Greg Schultz and Will Bruce. Jackmuff, currently playing professionally in Germany was the Ephs' leading scorer last winter with 12 goals and 13 assists. Bruch notched four goals and assisted on 11 while Schultz had two goals and five assists. Bruce added five goals (four game-winners) and one assist last season.
This quartet was responsible for 23 goals and 30 assists last season, which translates to 32 percent of goals scored and 27 percent of the assists. "The biggest thing we lost with this group was their experience and leadership on and off the ice," noted Kangas. "In college to be successful you need strong senior leadership. Those guys will be missed."
Getting off to a good start this winter is viewed as a key to a successful season by Kangas. "Last year we started off 0-2 so everyone here knows we want a better start," noted Kangas. "The returning players remember that 0-2 start and they're anxious to correct that this season — we’re working on trying to establish a mindset that is emotionally and mentally tough.
"Philosophically we've made some adjustments in our game that we believe will make us better. We're trying to mesh experience and youth because overall we're pretty young as a team.
"I'm looking for the guys who want to lay it on the line every practice and every game and do whatever it takes to make their teammates and the team better," said Kangas.
"It all starts in the net," Kangas points out. "You need good goaltending to have a winning team." Right now Kangas has four goalies on the roster and he may just keep them all. "I know four is a lot, but we have an opportunity here to make a lot of progress for the future. All four of our goalies are competing hard," said Kangas. "It's been very competitive so far. We may be a goalie by committee team."
Experienced veterans Marc Pulde and Rick Redmond made progress throughout the year in 2007-08. Pulde, a junior, played the most minutes logging 1,214 between the pipes. He allowed 71 goals and recorded a .909 save percentage, while posting a 3.51 goals against average. Redmond, a senior, played in seven contests last winter and totaled 311 minutes. He allowed 23 goals, recorded a .879 save percentage and allowed 4.44 goals a game.
Backing up Pulde and Redmond are sophomore Rob Wilechansky and first year Ryan Purdy. Purdy arrives on campus as the New England Prep School League Goalie of the Year.
Along the blue line Kangas will rely on seniors Chris Fahey (captain) and David Ramsay to set the tone. "We've got a good group back with Ramsay and Fahey as the leaders," he said. Ramsay (2g, 6a) is an offensive defender while Fahey (2 assists) is more of a true defender. "Chris is a guy we're going to count on for penalty killing and to shut down a player – he has great reach and knows how to use his stick… he uses his size and reach to his advantage.
"We're working a lot on communication in the back because you play defense as a team and you need players who can read the ice and balance the game in your favor," stated Kangas. "The more the players communicate the better they can function as a group. Already we're working on one-on-one battles in practice."
Behind Ramsay and Fahey are sophomore Brian Malchoff (5g, 8a) and two standout rookies with a lot of experience under their belts. "Brian is a good solid defender, but he can also rush the puck forward through the neutral zone and get up on the attack."
Kangas is excited about his new arrivals on defense. "Ryan Scott understands gap control and uses his stick well and he comes to Williams off a USHL junior championship season with the Omaha Lancers," said Kangas. "He's a kid who knows how to win." Justin Troiani was the Player of the Year in the Ontario Provincial League where he was an offensive minded defender who is multi-dimensional.
Another first year to watch is New England Prep School League standout Stephen Maier who was the captain at Hotchkiss. Maier is more of a traditional defenseman.
"We have depth on defense and we have some guys who have definite strengths that will allow us to match up better," commented Kangas.
Up front Kangas will look to forward Alex Smigelski who, though only a junior, has been accorded captain's status. "I think Alex is ready to have a breakout year as a leader and a player," said Kangas. Smigelski was second on the team a year ago in goals scored (9) and assists (12).
Ryan Young, a sophomore, who had a strong debut season last winter when he finished third on the team in points (16) on 7 goals and 9 assists should add firepower. Sophomore Matt Masucci (3g, 6a) is also expected to contribute in the offensive zone. "You can just see how Ryan and Matt have matured from last season and how they're moving around with an increased level of confidence."
Junior forward Andrew Lepore and Malchoff who finished fifth and sixth on the Ephs in scoring last season return, giving Kangas four of his top six scorers from last season to build an attack around. Lepore tallied four goals and recorded 11 assists, while Malchoff had 13 points on 5 goals and 8 assists.
"Seniors Matt Draheim (4g, 5a) and Brett Haraguchi (4g, 5a) are both playing very hard right now which is great for our younger players to see and feel as they're showing everyone that actions speak louder than words," Kangas pointed out.
Kangas feels Lepore and Octavian Jordan (2g, 4a) are ready to emerge on the offensive end. "These guys came on strong at the end of the year and have the ability to step it up a notch," he stated.
"We're pretty balanced as we have some scoring back, solid goaltending and some good defenders," said Kangas looking ahead to the season. "Everyone has to understand and embrace their role – be patient – we won't score on every shift and we won't stop the other team every time, either… look long term. Work hard at getting better and better every time we hit the ice whether it is in practice or a game."
"This year we want to play up-tempo, but under control," commented Kangas. "We're looking for 60 minutes of intense and consistent hockey. When you compete at your best you put yourself in a position to win."
The Ephs will open the season on November 21st at 7:00 PM when they host NESCAC foe Tufts.
