2010-11 Men's Basketball Preview
2010-11 EMORY MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
The 2010-11 edition of the Emory men’s basketball team
looks to continue and improve upon the strides made from last year
that saw the Eagles finish with the program’s first winning
campaign since 2004-05, which included the most victories in
University Athletic Association action since 2000-01.
There is an air of optimism surrounding Emory basketball as
fourth-year head coach Jason Zimmerman welcomes back 11 vets
from last year’s squad, including three starters, that
fashioned an overall mark of 15-10, 7-7 in the UAA. A
further look at the roster reveals that 60.7 percent of the scoring
and 64.2 percent of the rebounding totals from a year ago are back
in the fold as are 74.6 percent of the assists and 71.0 percent of
made three-point field goals.
“I think that a big strength for us is our experience,”
Zimmerman said. “We have a lot of guys who have played
considerable minutes in our league, both as starters and coming off
the bench. It is a grueling year and the more experience you
have going through that process, on and off the court, the better
off you will be in those high-intensity league games come January
and February.”
In addition to the battle-readiness of his team, two other areas
where Zimmerman looks for continued reliability will be valuing the
basketball and shooting. The Eagles paced the UAA and stood
13th nationally in fewest turnovers per game with a
school-record low of 11.5 miscues per outing while its keen 39.5
percent mark from three-point range topped the conference and
placed 18th nationally.
“We did take very good care of the basketball last season,
and considering that we play fast and have a quick tempo, that is
exciting for us,” Zimmerman said. “We ended up shooting
the ball well and ranked among the top 20 teams in three-point
percentage, and while we would like to shoot the ball better from
two-point range, all-in-all we were pretty good in the shooting
department.”
Given that the above strengths bolster the hopes surrounding this
year’s unit, Zimmerman is well aware of some aspects of the
game that he would like to see his charges shore up, one of which
is becoming more stingy on the defensive end of the floor.
“We have to be better on the defensive end, especially in
field goal percentage defense,” Zimmerman said
matter-of-factly. “We have to contest shots better and
make our opponents take more difficult shots. Once you get
into league play, teams are very detailed in what they run, and the
coaching staff and players have to do a better job of putting an
emphasis on it and executing a defensive game plan
better.”
Being aggressive and effective on the boards, the trademark of many
successful teams, is something that Zimmerman is aiming to improve
upon. No. 7 in the UAA in rebound margin last season, the
Eagles were 8-2 when enjoying an edge on the glass, 7-7 when the
opposition snatched more boards.
“Without question, we have to gang-rebound,” Zimmerman
started. “Our guards have to rebound, our bigs have to
rebound and so forth. At the same time, we have been fairly
successful, rebounding wise, given the size of our team by making a
group effort.”
Given that Zimmerman’s desire to make it tougher to score for
the opposition and battling on the boards are things that can be
measured, the Emory coaching staff will also be looking to see who
can fill the roles left by three graduating seniors, both in terms
of production as well as the intangible characteristics they
brought to the team.
“We lose three strong seniors from a year ago in Chad Hixon,
Daniel Curtin and Anthony Fernandez, all of whom had great
personalities and who played some outstanding basketball throughout
their careers,” Zimmerman said. “We are going to
have to find our roles quickly without those three individuals on
our team. That concerns me as a coach.”
The following is a positional breakdown of the 2010-11 Emory
basketball team
BACKCOURT
Junior Austin Claunch headlines the returnees in
the Eagles’ backcourt. Claunch enjoyed a banner 2009-10
campaign that saw him land First Team All-UAA honors after ranking
among the league’s top 10 performers in six statistical
categories. The heady 5-foot-9 point guard was a workhouse
for Emory, starting all 25 games and averaging a league-high 36.0
minutes per game. Claunch ran the Emory offense with
precision, with his 6.0 assists per-game average topping the club
and ranking him 10th nationally. Along with his
solid decision-making skills, he tossed in a team-best 12.6 points
per outing, good for 10th place in the
conference. Claunch’s ability to continue to
perform at a high level will be a key ingredient in the
team’s success this year.
“Austin gets the ball to where it needs to go, and when it
needs to get there,” Zimmerman said. “To have a
player like that makes you look better as a coach and makes our
team flow better. Guys like playing with him and know that if
they run, that they will get the ball in the right spots. He
has the trust of his teammates.”
Junior Alex Gulotta and sophomore Alex
Greven promise to give the backcourt some scoring punch as
they see increased minutes this season.
The 6-foot-1 Gulotta came off the bench in all 25 games last season
averaged 12.5 minutes and 5.6 points per effort. He
kept opponents off balance with his long-range shooting and paced
the UAA with a 50.7 percent average from three-point range while
turning in 11 contests of two or more treys.
The rangy, 6-foot-3 Greven also saw action in 25 games, two as a
starter, and averaged 19.5 minutes and 8.5 points per game.
Greven also displayed a smooth outside shooting stroke, converting
39.3 percent (35-of-89) from beyond the arc, good for a ninth-place
tie among UAA players.
“Both of these players filled their roles well last year and
they are going to have bigger roles this season,” Zimmerman
said. “With their improvement, we are looking for them
to fill both Chad’s and Daniel’s roles with more
minutes while keeping their productivity up.”
The continued development and improvement of junior Justin
Resnick will certainly bolster the fortunes of the
team’s guard play. Resnick, 6-foot-2, saw spot
duty in 17 games last season and demonstrated a propensity
for hitting clutch shots.
“Between changing his body and how he looks, along with
working out and improving him game, Justin had a great
offseason,” Zimmerman said.
Senior Marcus Patterson, 6-foot-1, a four-year
member of the program adds experience and his knowledge of the
team’s system comes in handy when called upon.
“Marcus has been great as a leader and in practice and we are
looking for him to take some significant steps,” Zimmerman
summarized.
Sophomore Nash Oh is a newcomer to the squad after
playing the 2009-10 season with Washington University.
Zimmerman will look to him for quality minutes in a back-up
at both the point and 2-guard spots.
Adding depth to the position will be junior Chris
Cohen and freshman Joey Friess.
FRONTCOURT
Senior Julien Williams, 6-foot-2, has started 61
of 72 games his first three years in the program and is coming off
a campaign that saw him average a career-best 8.5 points (tying for
third on the squad) and 4.7 rebounds per contest.
Williams is an explosive player whose strength and athleticism
enables him to be effective up front.
“Julien has seen a lot of action during his career and has
really grown in playing every play and his focus,” Zimmerman
stated. “His move to the 4-spot last season was a great
asset for our team and helped him play well. We are looking
forward to him taking more leadership in those details that will
make him more effective at the position.”
Junior Corey Spraggins, 6-foot-5, should be
a key contributor after starting 24 of 25 games a year ago, and
averaging 18.5 minutes, 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per
outing. Spraggins is a hard-nosed competitor who
isn’t afraid to mix it up underneath against the
opposition. His ability to defend, rebound and hit open shots
will be key this year.
Sophomore Michael Friedberg, 6-foot-6, was a
productive reserve as a rookie and most likely will assume more
responsibilities this season. A versatile player, he
averaged 5.6 points and 3.4 boards in 18.5 minutes of action and
ended up leading the club in blocked shots. Over the last
five games of ’09-10, he shot 51.5 percent from the floor and
picked up a pair of double-figure scoring contests including a
season-high 17-point performance in the season finale vs.
Rochester.
“Michael is a talented young man and can actually play a
guard spot as well,” Zimmerman said. “He has a
good skill level and can cause some mismatches for our
opponents. Defensively, he is a presence in the lane and has
a talent for blocking and altering shots. “
A pair of talented sophomores, Ryan Peters and
Ollie Carleton, both 6-foot-4, will battle for
playing time as well. Both have good offensive ability according to
Zimmerman and should benefit from having a year of action under
their belts.
“The coaching staff is looking forward to Ryan’s and
Ollie’s improvement and to their helping the team,”
Zimmerman said. “Both of these guys can really shoot it
which will help create mismatches. What will be important is
that they help us rebound.”
Highly regarded freshman Jake Davis, 6-foot-5, out
of Cincinnati, Ohio, has a bright future and figures to play a
prominent role.
With a solid cast of players to call upon, Zimmerman is eager to
see if this year’s squad can meet the challenges of
2010-11.
“We talk a lot about getting better everyday,” stated
Zimmerman, who along with assistant coaches Chris Murphy and Ben
Wright were named the 2009-10 UAA Co-Coaching Staff of the
Year. “That is our expectation – to get better
everyday as we move forward. Obviously, we get judged by wins
and losses, but there is more to it than that. “
“On the court, it is becoming the best players that we can be
individually and collectively – playing our roles,”
Zimmerman continued. “It is holding each other
accountable. It’s living our code – helping a
teammate. It’s the chemistry type things that you
can’t take for granted and have to work on. If we can do
that, then we are going to win a lot of games.”
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