BY DANNY FRIEL

In print | Published December 4, 2008 — Updated December 05, 2008 10:06

The Garnet men’s basketball team posted its first win of the season over Thanksgiving break, edging out Arcadia University at home by a score of 65-63.

After jumping ahead to a 37-27 lead at halftime, Swarthmore held off a surging Arcadia squad in the second half to seal the victory. The Garnet was down 55-59 with less than five minutes to play, but defeated the Knights, who fell to 2-3 with the loss.

The Garnet offense was spearheaded by the strength of co-captain Matt Allen ’10’s twenty-point contribution, as well as double-digit efforts from co-captain Raul Ordonez ’09 and Sam Lacy ’11.
Ordonez also led the team with eleven rebounds, and Lacy had four shots blocked to his credit.
Swarthmore improves to 1-2 with the win, but has yet to face a Centennial Conference opponent.
After posting a conference record of 2-16 last season, the team is prepared to make the necessary improvements to become a force to be reckoned with. Ordonez looks to a large freshman class to help make this transition.

“In many ways, it feels like a brand-new team,” Ordonez says of this year’s revamped roster. “At this moment we have a 12-man team of which half are freshmen who really need to contribute,” he added.

Indeed, there are six first-years on the squad this year. Among them is Michael Giannangeli ’12, who also recognizes the need for the newcomers to assimilate quickly. “We are still trying to get used to the college level and playing together for the first time. Playing a few non-conference games is good to work that stuff out, especially when we get a win out of one of the games,” he said.

Giannangeli has also benefited from the advice of Swarthmore alumnus and former player Matt Kurman ’08, who warned Giannangeli that although his first year may be “tumultuous [due to the relative inexperience of the team],” hard work and perseverance ensure that “good things will happen.” Giannangeli cites reaching the postseason as an objective goal for the team this year. “We want to improve every game and put ourselves in a position to contend for the playoffs at the end of the season,” he said of early-season preparations.

Danny Walker ’10 cites motivation from within the team as an important factor in playing well and winning games.

“The intensity level on the court and on the bench is high, and it’s tough,” Walker said, noting that the team will “compete everyday” at practice in preparation for the vigor of intercollegiate gameplay. Walker also noted that the newcomers “work harder than ever. They’re making big leaps in terms of jumping from high school straight to the collegiate level.”

Meanwhile, as the lone senior on the roster, Ordonez looks to mobilize his teammates, old and new.
“Even our returners are going to need to step up and play a more primary role than they needed to in the past,” Ordonez said, adding that youth combined with small numbers will require a concentrated effort in order to be successful.

Building team chemistry is a key factor in maintaining success in the sport of basketball. With such a large number of fresh faces this year, the early season is a crucial integration period. Early-season outcomes often set the tone for the rest of the season, so it is a vital intention for the players to start off on the right track and then take advantage of opportunities for improvement. “We’ve stuck together through these tough first games, all of us are getting a better feel out for our personal roles, and we’re all focused on playing solid team basketball,” Walker said.
The Garnet will test their abilities within the Centennial Conference by hosting rivals McDaniel College and Johns Hopkins University this week. Saturday’s 3:00 pm game against Hopkins will be a part of a double-header, as the Swarthmore women’s team will host the Blue Jays prior to the men’s match at 1:00 pm.

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