Courtesy of LehighSports.com
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – With last season in the rearview mirror and the 2014-15 campaign around the corner, the summer is a critical time period for the Lehigh men’s basketball team. Lehighsports.com caught up with head coach Brett Reed to look back to last season and what lies ahead.
Looking back to last season
Entering 2013-14, there were several unknowns. The Mountain Hawks lost over 5,000 points and 2,000 rebounds including a trio of 1,000 point scorers, but still featured senior All-Patriot League point guard Mackey McKnight. After two straight 20-win seasons and national postseason appearances, there was great anticipation for such a young and talented squad.
The season featured its highs and lows, but in the end, served as a positive step forward for the program in its goal to compete for championships year in and year out. Tim Kempton was named Patriot League Rookie of the Year, finishing second on the team with 13.5 points per game and led the way in rebounds (7.1). Austin Price also earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team. The Mountain Hawks handed eventual regular season champion Boston University its first-ever Patriot League loss at home while cruising to a victory over 20-win Quinnipiac.
“This past year was unique,” said Reed. “Having lost six of our top seven performers from the year prior, it created an environment of youth and inexperience, with a lot of growth needing to take place. Through the course of the year, we were able to give a number of younger players opportunities to command new roles and adjust to new experiences at the college level. Those experiences will prove invaluable as this program moves into the future.”
As you might expect from a young team, the Mountain Hawks had their fair share of ups and downs. Lehigh had a five-game winning streak in December, went on to lose five straight (close) games in January, but bounced back with four straight wins to get right back into the Patriot League race. Lehigh dropped a slim 65-63 final to eventual league champion American while beating regular season champ Boston University and falling by just one to the Terriers in the other meeting (67-66).
The team fell short of its ultimate goal of a championship, so no one is satisfied. However, the Mountain Hawks hope the 2013-14 season helped create the foundation for a championship caliber team moving forward.
“Consistently competing for championships is a goal we have set and a benchmark that represents the success our program has enjoyed over the past decade,” said Reed. “In order to take those steps and compete at that level, some of our players needed to work through experiences, and learn on the fly, as they did this past year.
“We saw the emergence of some new talent to Lehigh fans,” Reed continued. “They’re working hard even as we speak to improve their skills and their talent level.”
A 12-month commitment
Championships aren’t always won and lost during the season. The players work year-round. Even when the season ends, the Mountain Hawks continue to work on the court, in the weight room and in the classroom.
Reed is seeing great development of several players. One highlight is Kempton.
“Tim has continued to evolve, not only as a basketball player but also as a person,” said Reed. “His performance in the classroom this last semester was terrific. Tim Kempton had a GPA over 3.5 for the spring semester, which indicates tremendous focus for someone who’s in his freshman year.”
Standing 6-feet-10-inches tall, Kempton has worked hard to add bulk to his frame.
“Tim has been very mindful of not only his workouts, but also his nutrition,” said Reed. “His percent body fat has decreased and his muscle mass has increased which has resulted into a stronger, more explosive athlete. Many of our players are undergoing a similar type of transformation because this might be their first full year of experience with weight training and individualized skill development that we can provide them at Lehigh.”
“We are excited to have a chance to interact with these players once again at the end of this month and really measure some of their gains while they were working independently away from campus.”
The importance of summer
Several players will be back on campus for the second summer session in less than one month. They will get a lot accomplished, including taking summer courses and honing their games.
“They can work with our strength and conditioning coaches,” said Reed. “They’ll have programing to work on with not only their strength, but also their speed development. Our coaches are allowed to work with them directly to improve their skills on the court this summer as well. They’ll also be getting together, working on their own and playing pickup – those types of things that won’t be supervised by us.”
Rising seniors Corey Schaefer and Stefan Cvrkalj won’t be on campus due to valuable internship opportunities near home.
“Some of our players have an opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom and get hands-on work experience that will only bolster their marketability as they move forward in their career endeavors,” said Reed.
Reed is focused on developing the entire person, so is making a concerted effort to help the student-athletes in other ways. Those who are returning for the second summer session will have some growth opportunities they might not usually enjoy. Going into the summer, Reed sat down with his players to talk about their personal and professional aspirations, trying to match up resources that can help them reach their goals off the court.
“I’m taking steps to reach out to a lot of the other assets on campus to build collaborative relationships so these guys can have really meaningful experiences that during the course of our season, we can’t always take advantage of because we’re so busy,” said Reed.
“During the summer, we really hope that not only can they do well academically – that they perform well on the basketball floor and really develop – but we’re also trying to be very focused on helping them develop in some of the other very important aspects of their lives,” Reed continued. “Opportunities to work directly with our career counseling center, opportunities to work with leadership development, peak performance training and even academic support should build their toolbox of skills and abilities to make them even stronger as they move into life after basketball and life after college.”
Point Guard Position
The biggest question with the Mountain Hawks heading into next season will be the point guard position. Lehigh loses the program’s all-time leader in assists (McKnight), who also tallied 1,327 career points.
“Mackey’s career numbers indicate the type of impact he had,” said Reed. “Since his freshman year, he was a starter, and had the opportunity to grow a great deal and gain invaluable collegiate basketball experience. We’ll miss his contributions on the floor.”
Lehigh’s last two point guards have been four-year starters who stand number one and two on the program’s all-time career assists list (McKnight and Marquis Hall). The Mountain Hawks welcome a freshman point guard this fall, Kahron Ross, while also featuring returnees with point guard experience.
“We have some pretty strong candidates who can help our program, but it will be a transition,” said Reed. “I think Kahron may be primed to command the point guard position. He’s a talented player who can get where he wants on the floor through his penetration ability. He’s a good passer, he’s a pretty good finisher and can make the perimeter shot. He comes from very successful high school experiences, having been very well-coached by Wes Swift at Jonesboro High School.
Ross’ teams competed for multiple state championships and won a state title this past year as Kahron was named MVP of the state tournament.
There will be competition at the point guard position as rising sophomore Miles Simelton served as the backup point guard in 2013-14. In addition, rising senior Corey Schaefer also has experience at the position as a freshman and sophomore, shifting seamlessly to shooting guard last year.
“Corey is someone who has played point guard for us and played so effectively at various points throughout his career. Due to necessity, he was moved off the ball last year,” said Reed. “Miles has also gained some experience at point guard, which has allowed him to transition his game from high school to college and from being a principle scorer to being a playmaker at the collegiate level. Because Miles has athletic and scoring abilities, he will also be looked to potentially play off-the-ball at another guard position as well.”
Roster updates
The Mountain Hawks will officially welcome transfer Khalid McCaskill to the program after he was around the team, but battled injuries, in the spring.
“Khalid McCaskill was a walk-on at UCLA,” said Reed. “With a coaching change, that opportunity was no longer available for him, so he reached out to our program. Being from the metropolitan New York area, the proximity to home made sense. He was also looking for a high academic school, which Lehigh certainly fits. We invited him to be a walk-on for our program as well.”
Rising senior Conroy Baltimore has been reinstated and will compete in the fall semester.
“Conroy’s performance in the classroom has improved, as was expected, and he will bring experience and some maturity to what is still a relatively young team,” said Reed.
In addition, Shane Whitfield transferred to Campbell following his freshman season at Lehigh.
Along with Ross (mentioned above), the Mountain Hawks will also welcome Brandon Alston and Tyler Jenkins to the program this fall. Also of note, recently-graduated Anthony D’Orazio, who was injured all of 2013-14, will use his final year of eligibility at Rider next season.
Looking ahead
The team saw its fair share of bright spots last season and looks to improve its consistency moving forward.
“I thought at times, our team showed very strong defensive resolve and unity, particularly in a home win against Loyola and also our contest against Bucknell,” said Reed. “That’s the type of defensive focus that we’ll need moving forward. At various points throughout the year, we were able to show some offensive promise. We witnessed some of that promise in wins against Rider, even league wins against Navy and Lafayette and Boston University, where we got a good balance from interior scoring and utilized the three-point line.
“A big component of our success will be the continued growth and development of some of these young players so their offensive consistency continues to improve, which is the expectation of younger players who gain experience,” Reed continued. “Now they’ll be more ready for those opportunities that present themselves.
Leave a Reply