Basketball to close out season

After winning a total of 25 Ivy League games in their four-year careers, it’s all about numbers 26 and 27 for the class of 2010 and the rest of the Columbia basketball team.

To win, the Lions will need contributions from a whole range of players. But this weekend, the focus will once again be on the seniors, and for good reason. As the celebrated trio of Pat Foley, Kevin Bulger, and Niko Scott prepares to travel to Yale and then to Brown this weekend to close out the 2009-2010 season, a lot hangs in the balance.

Columbia, (10-16, 4-8), has gone through its fair share of ups and downs this year, suffering injuries to key players—including Foley, who is unlikely to play this weekend after partially separating his shooting shoulder in the third game of the conference schedule. Faced with a brutal opening lineup to their Ancient Eight slate, the Light Blue dropped three straight lopsided decisions to start 0-3 in Ivy play. To add to Foley’s injury, crucial big men Brian Grimes and Asenso Ampim have spent significant time on the sideline in shirt and tie thanks to banged-up knees, backs, and calves.

Through it all, with two wins this weekend, Columbia will finish fourth in the Ivy League. That would be the fourth year in a row that the Light Blue have finished fourth or better in conference, a feat that hasn’t been done since the class of 1979 bid adieu to Morningside Heights. With the two victories, the senior class would match the class of 1994 for most career Ivy wins and eclipse their two preceding classes of 2008 and 2009 for total wins—each of those years compiled 53 W’s while Bulger, Scott, and Foley will have 54 if they top both Yale and Brown this weekend.

“It’s been a long time since the program has finished in the top half of the league four years in a row,” explained head coach Joe Jones. “I know it’s not what we wanted, but it’s a real positive thing for the program.”

To do so the Lions will need to put together two complete performances. On Friday in New Haven they will have a chance to avenge an embarrassing home loss from Feb. 6, when the Bulldogs came to town and handed the Lions a 79-65 decision. In that game, head coach Joe Jones’ squad was outrebounded by 19. Both coach and players were livid afterwards, saying they were outworked on their home floor.

“We got physically dominated in this game the first time around, and I think our guys are well aware of that,” commented Jones. “They’re ready to go.”

Over a month later, that game still resonates with the Light Blue. And while the Lions have certainly not gone undefeated since, their play after that loss to Yale demonstrates the pride the Lions take in their identity as a hard-working team. The very next Friday, Columbia seriously scared a Princeton squad that had yet to lose in conference play, and the next night they pulled out a gutsy 66-62 win at Penn’s famous venue, the Palestra.

But when the Lions step onto the Bulldogs’ renowned court, the historic Payne Whitney Gymnasium, rebounding will again be the focus. After being dominated on the glass 46-27, in their last game, Columbia will have to avoid giving their opponents second-chance points. Yale is simply too talented to get two or three opportunities to score in a single possession.

“It’s just one of those things, where, at this time in the year, you just hope that you can go in and rebound the ball better,” Jones said. “You can do drills, but I just think that’s something that we’ve got to be focused on­—that and when the ball goes up be ready to compete and rebound the ball better.”

Mike Sands could spell trouble for the Light Blue if the Bulldogs are not kept off the glass. Sands, Yale’s primary post player, is coming off consecutive double-doubles and is developing into a major threat down low.

Another concern for Jones’ squad will once again be Yale’s senior star, Alex Zampier. The dynamic guard is averaging over 17 points per game—he added 18 against the Lions in February despite being forced into 4—for—13 shooting by Bulger, Columbia’s go—to defender.

Don’t expect the Lions to change their defensive strategy, though. “In the past we’ve just played good team defense, and we’ve been good. It’s not my philosophy to try to trap him or deny him,” Jones pointed out. “We have to play Columbia brand defense.”

The next night, Brown and its own star, 6—foot—8 forward Matt Mullery, will welcome Columbia to Providence for the Bears’ Senior Night. That should mean a particularly fired-up Mullery, which is not an enticing prospect for Jones.

“He’s going to be extra hyped and ready to go. He’s a handful and they run their whole offense through him, and he’s a good player.”

The problem with guarding Mullery, Jones explained, is that he is surrounded by dangerous shooters that can knock down open shots should the Lions leave them alone. That means the Light Blue will need to be extra careful in choosing when to double down on the big man inside.

“When we can guard him with one-and-a-half guys, two guys, we want to do that. When we do that, and they kick it out we have to be able to rotate because they have guys who can drain shots,” Jones said.

Despite the talent that both Brown and Yale will bring to the court this weekend, the most important factor in determining Columbia’s success may be in its own locker room. In both contests earlier this season, the Lions started out slow. Against the Bears, the Lions pulled off a 15-point, come-from-behind win only to dig themselves into a hole against the Bulldogs that they could not fight their way out of.

Jones is optimistic that this weekend will be different. “I think right now we’re playing with a lot of energy, and I’ve really talked with our seniors about playing with some energy about ourselves.”

And so, despite all of the struggles the Light Blue has faced this year, if Columbia can find its rhythm from the start, it can look back with pride on a season that has been anything but predictable.