MEN'S BASKETBALL

This article appeared in the Times Argus on Nov. 13, 2007, and was written by Pete Hartt. 

NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich men's basketball team is pinning its hopes on a couple of new faces and a trio of veterans, and the most veteran face of the team, 15-year coach Paul Booth. "It's real simple this year because we are young," Booth said. "We have to improve through the season and we have to be playing our best basketball in February."

While the "R" word, as in rebuilding, may not be appropriate based solely on 2007 graduates, as the cumulative losses over the past three successful seasons have the Cadets in a bit of a reconstruction phase.

The foundation will be 6-foot, 2-inch returning guards Jerrold Williams and Jamel Bedford, and forwards Derrick Montiero and Mike Filipek, while the future may lie in a couple of Texas freshmen, Jaren Jeffcoat and Chris Gaither. Jeffcoat, the son of former Dallas Cowboys star Jim Jeffcoat, is a 6' 3" forward who is likely to step directly into the starting lineup, while Gaither, a smallish point guard, is expected to contribute off the bench. Also expected to get freshman minutes is 6'5" forward/center Dan Williams.

"We've lost a tremendous amount of production to graduation over the past three years," Booth said. "It will be a little harder this year because in the past three years we would come in knowing our strengths and weaknesses."

Renee Cheatham and Scott Dupont are the two most recent losses and take with them almost 24 points a game (Cheatham led the team with 18.8 ppg) and 13 rebounds per game. Replacing those statistics will be the early chore for Booth and the early responsibility for Bedford and Williams.

Williams is the leading returning scorer having hit for 13.3 ppg last season. Bedford was also strong offensively at nearly 10 ppg, with Montiero and Filipek combining for another 10 ppg. The rebounding load may be even more spread out with four returnees averaging better than 3.7 rpg.

"We are asking Jerrold and Jamel to step into the spotlight," Booth said. "That will be a transition. We will start at least one freshman (Jeffcoat) and two or three more will play."

The likely starting lineup is Jeffcoat along with Williams, Bedford, Montiero and Filipek. Montiero is an undersized forward at 6' but has enough jumping ability to carry the load. Filipek averaged 5.3 points and 4 rebounds per game and will be the tallest player in the starting lineup.

"The last two or three years we have had very high expectations for the team," Booth said. "And it is hard and there is pressure to meet them. In some ways this is easier, we don't know that this team has those expectations."

What Booth does know is that the team has to find an identity through a schedule littered with solid teams and strong competition.

"The league is more competitive than ever," Booth said. "The Great Northeast Athletic Conference offers people a chance to see high level Division III play every night, the league has parity.

"I know we will compete every night. We've had to adjust, and not only our style of play, to meet the strengths of our team. Given the athletes we have, I think we can get up and down the floor, but we may have to be a little more structured on offense. Defensively we are going from playing almost all man-to-man to playing multiple defenses."

The Norwich men's basketball team opens its 2007-08 schedule Friday at the Wheaton College Tipoff Tournament. The team's first home game is the opening round of the Ed Hockenbury Classic on Dec. 1 against Johnson State College at 6 p.m. The two tournament games (Dec. 1 and 2), are the Cadets only home games in 2007.

"We had an awful lot of success the last few years that was judged on wins and losses," Booth said. "I don't know if we can judge this year's team like that. This season will be a process."