2013-14 Bucknell Men's Basketball Media Guide - Bucknell Athletics

2013-14 Season Outlook
Ryan Hill
Hass is another interesting option. He has the
potential to be a devastating scorer, as evidenced
by his 2,522 points at the high school level. Even in
a limited role last season he poured in 20 points in
47 total minutes. There is little question that Hass
can score at the Division I level, but the coaching
staff has been working hard to get him up to speed
at the defensive end. If he can continue to develop
in that area, Hass is another player who could be
in line for an increased role in 2013-14.
“Chris has made tremendous strides,” Paulsen
said. “He is a very talented offensive player. He
has the ability to shoot from deep, he can attack
the rim off the bounce, and he is athletic and has
become more consistent. Last year he was a pretty
good catch-and-shoot guy, and he has the potential
to be a great one. He’s become more mature in
his approach to the game. We want him to be the
happy-go-lucky goofy kid that he is, that’s what
makes him so special, but he’s making progress
on establishing a little bit of an alter ego when he
walks onto the floor. His biggest challenge is on
the defensive end, but I’ve been pleased with the
progress he’s made up to this point.”
With four 1,000-point scorers on last year’s
roster, Paulsen was confident in his team’s ability
to put the ball in the basket. So a much greater
percentage of his practice time was devoted to
defense and rebounding. It paid off, as the Bison
ranked No. 1 nationally in defensive rebounding
percentage and No. 4 in field-goal percentage
defense, and they conceded more than 70 points
in a game only twice all year.
“I’ve never coached defense more intensely
than I did last year, because I knew we could score,”
said Paulsen. “We probably could have been even
better offensively, but I wasn’t as worried about
that. If we could defend and rebound, I knew we
could be really good, and we were able to do those
things. This year we have nobody coming back
besides Cam who scored more than three points
per game, so this year the first week of practice we
spent more time on the offensive end than I ever
have. Now we are trying to catch up defensively.
It’s a fine line. We have to do some things to be
able to score, so offensively we are adding some
wrinkles and layers because our personnel is different
and our strengths are different. But we have
established a clear identity as a team in terms of
how we defend, and we don’t want to lose that.”
The challenge of replacing Muscala and
Willman in the frontcourt will obviously be enormous,
but Paulsen says he doesn’t want the heir
apparents to feel pressured to make up for all of
that production alone. The most experienced of
the returnees is graduate student Brian Fitzpatrick,
who is using his fifth year after sitting out in 2010-
11 following a transfer from Penn.
Fitzpatrick was typically the first big man to
come off the bench in each of the last two seasons,
and he had some big games in that reserve role,
most notably a 10-rebound performance with
Muscala in foul trouble in that key win at Lehigh
last season. The lefthander is a strong, physical
presence who likely will be thrust into a primary
role for the first time in his career.
“Fitzy had an unbelievable year for us two
years ago,” said Paulsen. “Last year his numbers
weren’t quite as strong, and I attribute a lot of that
to him being behind physically coming off the
wrist surgery that kept him out for the beginning
of preseason. Now his role is going to expand,
potentially as much as anyone in our program. To
some degree, how well he is able to expand his
role will be a factor in our team’s success. He’s got
versatility that hasn’t always been displayed based
on his role, but he’ll be able to display it now. At the
same time, he has to continue to embrace being
our best low-post scorer and being a dominant
rebounder. If he can do both of those things, he
will have a very good year and our team will have
a very good year. I don’t want him to think he has
to be Mike Muscala. I just want him to be the best
version of Brian Fitzpatrick that he can possibly be.
If he plays to his potential, he is really good. We just
need him to be focused on the two or three things
he can do at a high level.”
Sophomore Dom Hoffman played in 29
games off the bench a year ago, primarily in relief
of Willman at the power forward spot. He had a
10-point game at home against Lehigh, and he was
able to contribute while making the adjustment
to the size and quickness at the Division I level.
“Dom has really made some nice strides,”
Paulsen commented. “He is a tremendously skilled
forward. He is a smart player off the pick-and-roll
and is a good mid-range jump-shooter. He is a very
good passer and can help facilitate our offense. I
often said that Joe Willman was the smartest player
I have ever coached. On the offensive end of the
floor, Dom has a chance to catch and even exceed
Joe. Where Joe set himself apart is that he was
also one of the smartest defensive players I have
coached. Right now Dom has to make significant
strides defensively and on the glass. He’s done a
lot of work on his body and his conditioning level
is better. He’s going to have a ton of opportunity to
play, and I think he is poised to make some more
significant strides.”
Junior Cory Starkey, sophomore Matt Banas
and freshmen D.J. MacLeay and Ben Oberfeld are
also battling for time up front. Starkey has been
extremely dedicated to improving his game over
the last two seasons, and he could be in line for
a more prominent role if he continues to develop
throughout the preseason.
“I would have similar comments about Cory
as I would about Joshea Singleton,” said Paulsen.
“Cory is relentless in his work ethic, he is a tremendously
supportive teammate, he is an absolute
joy to be around, and he is playing much better.
He’s worked tirelessly on his body and is stronger
and more athletic than when he got here. He’s
improved his ability to score around the basket,
and he’s also extended his range out to the 3-point
arc. He’s good off the bounce, so he gives us some
versatility at the four spot to be able to score inside
or outside, and to guard bigger bodies and smaller,
quicker players who often populate the four-spot
in our league.”
Banas joined the Bison as a recruited walk-on
last season, and Paulsen has been impressed with
his development over the last year.
“Matt has worked extremely hard and has
made huge improvements,” noted Paulsen. “He
is stronger and more athletic and consistent. He’s
put himself into the equation, which is a tribute to
his work ethic and his improvement.”
MacLeay and Oberfeld enter the program
with good strength and toughness. Adapting to
the speed of the college game is their biggest
challenge.
“D.J. is tough, strong and competitive,”
Paulsen said. “When he gets his legs under him,
he is a very good pick-and-pop jump shooter. And
when he gets his legs under him, he has a good
low-post game and is a good rebounder. Right
now the pace of the game is a huge adjustment
for him. So he finds himself having to rush his
mechanics to get a shot off. In practice he’s had
some days when he’s looked phenomenal and
some days not so much, which is very typical of a
freshman at this stage. He is a dedicated, serious
guy. I don’t think there is any question he is going
to be a very good player, it’s just a matter of when.
“Ben Oberfeld is a very big, strong physical
presence,” added Paulsen. “He has a high basketball
IQ, especially on the defensive end. He has very
good feel defensively. He is a good rebounder. The
offensive part of his game lags a little bit behind
the defensive side at this point, but he’s been
working very hard. And again, the adjustment
to the pace of the game is something that he’s
going through.”
With Boston University and Loyola Maryland
joining the Patriot League this year, four extra conference
games and an additional layer of Patriot
League Tournament games have been added to
the schedule. League play will now begin on Jan. 2
— the Bison host American in the PL opener — and
there is no longer a full week off at the midpoint
of the conference calendar.
All 10 teams will qualify for the Patriot League
Tournament, with the bottom four seeds meeting
at home sites in opening-round games on Monday,
March 3. The winners of those games will then
move into the quarterfinals two nights later.
Paulsen knows that the league is wide open
this season, and a play or two could make a huge
difference. Ironically, even though losing highquality
talent and personalities like Muscala,
Johnson and Willman stings, Paulsen thinks the
team as a whole will come to appreciate its accomplishments
more this year than in the past.
“Last year when we beat Lafayette to win the
championship, I felt relief more than joy, and that’s
not right,” Paulsen admitted. “I guess that’s part of
the deal in our league, and I’d rather be in that situation
every year where you are trying to win with a
really good team. I had a ton of fun coaching that
team every day, but in a twisted way, expectations
will be different. We were so focused last year on
the pot at the end of the rainbow that we didn’t
always stop to enjoy our successes. This year I think
there will be more of a sense of accomplishment,
and we won’t get caught up in our successes, but
I hope we will enjoy them a little more.
“We took everyone’s best shot for three years,
and this year I’m sure everyone is going to want
a piece of us, but we are not going to be the preseason
favorites. That’s okay. Let’s figure out who
we are in the non-conference schedule, and then
let’s try to be really good in January and February
and March. What we can’t do is get hung up if we
lose a game here or if a guy doesn’t play well there.
Do we respond and get better, or do we wallow
in despair If we can respond to mini bouts of
adversity, then we can be very good.”
2013-14 Bucknell Men’s Basketball • 28 • www.BucknellBison.com