BY KEVIN FRIEDENBERG

In print | Published November 16, 2006

The men’s basketball team at Swarthmore boasts something that few intercollegiate programs can claim to have: a program that returns all five starting players from the previous season. This stacked lineup includes captain Chris Casey ’07, who was ranked sixth last year in the conference for steals, as well as big men Ian McCormick ’08 and Steve Wolf ’08, who ranked top ten in the conference in both points and rebounds. Guard Matt Kurman ’08 was in the top ten in the conference in assists last season, while Noam Fliegelman ’08 shot a red-hot 44 percent from behind the arc. Dillon McGrew ’07, Mark Rohde ’07 and Alan Walsh ’07 are also going to bear much of the load for the Garnet this season.

Assistant coach Matt Gustafson ’05 says that, besides this core group of veterans, the team has “a freshman class that has given the team a lot of depth. They are good athletes who give us defense that we lacked last year.” This team will also have to overcome chemistry issues that plagued the team during its 5-20 season in 2005-2006.

“We’re going from one of the least experienced teams in the conference to one of the most experienced teams. That will help us rack up some dubs [wins],” Wolf said. “We’re the best-kept secret of the league. We’re the G.O.A.T [greatest of all time],” Fliegelman said.

One thing is for sure: this year’s team has every bit as much talent as every other team in the conference. The Garnet begins its season against Wittenberg at the Equinox Classic on Friday, Nov. 17.

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