Men's basketball overcomes early-season doubt to finish 7-7 against Ivy rivals

Coming off two consecutive 7-7 Ivy League campaigns and facing the loss of four senior starters, the men’s basketball team entered the 2008-2009 season with a bleak outlook.

To make matters worse, junior transfer Brian Grimes tore his ACL five minutes into the team’s first practice. Grimes was expected to fill the role of departed three-time all-Ivy League performer John Baumann. With Grimes out for the season, the Lions were forced to rely on a number of inexperienced players.

Nevertheless, the Light Blue managed a third straight .500 league record and finished the campaign with a 12-16 overall record.

Columbia struggled in nonconference play early in the season and even lost in the championship game of the fourth annual Tyler Ugolyn Columbia Classic, marking the Lions’ first loss in the tournament. Yet despite the poor start, the Light Blue was competitive in every game, including tough battles against the ACC’s Virginia Tech and the Big East’s Seton Hall.

The Lions also struggled in the opening games of Ivy League competition, dropping their first two contests to eventual Ancient Eight champion Cornell, including a tough 83-72 loss in Ithaca. But Columbia went on a run after that and picked up wins in six of its next seven games, including a victory over Harvard in which Kevin Bulger hit a runner with only 4.2 seconds remaining in regulation time.

In the seven-game run, Columbia held its opponents to 56.4 points per contest, nearly six points below the team’s season average, while improving its league record to 6-3.

Starters Patrick Foley (foot) and Asenso Ampim (ankle) were out with injuries for the final six games of the season.

The undermanned Lions came into the final weekend against Penn and Princeton in search of a third consecutive .500 season, and the possibility of improving on their record from the past two seasons. Against Princeton, they were able to erase a four-point halftime deficit en route to a 14-point win.
While Columbia remained in control against Penn throughout the majority of the season finale, the Lions were left heartbroken as Quaker guard Kevin Egee hit a 30-foot 3-pointer as time expired, giving Penn a 51-50 victory. The loss left the Light Blue sorely disappointed not to have finished over .500 in the league.
Nevertheless, the 7-7 conference record was quite impressive considering the losses of last year’s seniors and coach Joe Jones’ decision to give extensive court time to underclassman and senior Jason Miller, who rarely played in his first three years here. Furthermore, four potential starters (Foley, Ampim, Niko Scott, and Joe Bova) missed a combined 32 games due to injury, noticeably hurting Columbia chances of winning, especially during the final stretch of the season.

Miller stepped up countless times this year. The forward averaged 9.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 53 percent from the field en route to earning second team all-Ivy League accolades. His presence down low will be missed next season.

Despite sitting out nine games due to injury, Foley led the Lions in scoring (10.8 points per game) and assists (2.5 per game).

Additionally, freshman Noruwa Agho emerged as a offensive threat. The guard ranked third on the team in scoring (9.1 points per game) and 3-point shooting (35.7 percent), first in steals (1.3 per game), and second in minutes (27.7 per game). His ability to hit long-range shots and drive to the hoop makes him someone worth watching next year.

Prospects for next season are bright. Even with the loss of Miller, who is graduating, five players who played 20-plus minutes per game apiece will return. With that, the return of a healthy Grimes, and the addition of 7-foot transfer Max Craig from Loyola Marymount, Columbia will be a potential contender for the 2009-2010 Ivy League crown.