Men's Basketball Ready to Put On a Show

Author: Matt Ross

In the four years under Head Coach Jeffrey Brown, Middlebury men's basketball has reinvented itself with solid recruiting and year-round dedication — all leading up to a season that will showcase unprecedented talent and a new, up-tempo offense. One glance at this year's roster and the apparent lack of senior leadership leaves one gasping for air like a John Versoza '04 crossover. What one may not know is that co-captain Eric Bundonis '03 is quite simply the glue that holds this band of brothers together.
Despite having only one senior, experience should mark the latest edition of Middlebury men's basketball. The squad returns all but two letter-winners this year, with talented and experienced juniors and sophomores led by co-captain Dave Coratti '04. All six juniors and six sophomores saw playing time last year. Furthermore, previously injured and currently nasty Kevin Maguire '05, transfer Mike Keenan '05 and diaper dandy Sam Daly '06 all bring talent and energy to the team.
To take advantage of its speed and ballhandling ability, the team will dazzle fans with a fun-and-gun style of play based on fast breaks and full-court presses. Versoza and Koby Altman '04 will move the ball downcourt where they can take it to the house, dump to Mike Salek '05 and Bundonis for the three, or dish to Chris Matthieson '04, Clark Read '05 and Maguire for the finish.
As Coratti says, "This new style should allow us to showcase our creativity and versatility and establish ourselves as the most talented Middlebury team to date."
Dedication to off-season workouts should work to the team's advantage, having spent the summer and fall both on the court and in the weight room. As a testament to this commitment, 6'5" Nate Anderson '04 has beefed up to a hefty 175 pounds and is ready to (in his own words) "blow up" this year.
As Anderson says, "This team is a full-year commitment at Middlebury. Success isn't achieved from November to February, it comes from the work we put in from March to October."
This year's squad hopes to build on a solid 2001-2002 season that included an 11-13 record and a narrowly-missed return to the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) playoffs. According to Bundonis, anything short of a NESCAC tournament berth would be disappointing for the team.
"Our primary goal this season is to advance as far in the NESCAC tournament as we possibly can," Bundonis said.
With the talent, drive and experience that this year's team has it will be hard to keep them from succeeding. Whatever the result of the season, this will definitely be the most exciting Middlebury basketball team in years.