This has been a great season for the men’s basketball team. The Continentals started the season on fire with a 15-game win streak. Hamilton finished the regular season with a 22–2 record. This included two particularly impressive home wins.
The first of these two wins was a hard-fought 76–70 victory against 14th-ranked Wesleyan University. Kena Gilmour ’20, who was feted with first-team all-NESCAC honors this week, led all scorers with 20 points, nine of which came from the free throw line. Gilmour ’20 filled out the stat sheet with four rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks. Peter Hoffman ’19, who was named to the all-conference second team, had 12 points in the first half and was a presence by the basket with four blocks. Tim Doyle ’19 and Michael Grassey ’19 contributed nine points. Hoffman’s buzzer beater before the end of the first half gave the Continentals the momentum needed to carry them to victory.
The second headline victory was over fifth-ranked Middlebury College. Gilmour ’20 had an incredible day on the court. He dominated offensively with 29 points and led Hamilton in rebounds with six boards. Gilmour ’20 was efficient from all over the court, he was ten of 15 from the field, including four of four from three point range, and five of five from the free throw line. Doyle ’19 added in 19 points. Hoffmann ’19 and Grassey ’19 both added 11 points. Andrew Groll ’19 also contributed with nine points before eventually fouling out of the game. The Continentals controlled the ball the whole game and only committed 11 turnovers, while they forced the Panthers to commit 17.
I spoke with Head Coach Adam Stockwell, recently named NESCAC Coach of the Year, about the two wins. “In both of these wins, our defense was outstanding and allowed us to generate easier scoring opportunities,” he said. “Obviously, both teams are very strong and talented, but we showed that we can compete with some of the best teams in the country in all aspects of the game. The best part of each these wins is that Middlebury and Wesleyan are incredibly strong rebounding teams, yet we held our own in this category and took away one of their strengths.”
Hamilton’s men’s basketball team went into the NESCAC playoffs as the third seed in the conference and the 15th-ranked team in the nation, according to D3hoops.com, and number one in the Northeast Region.
The Continentals faced off against Tufts University in the NESCAC Quarterfinals. Hamilton hosted the Jumbos on Saturday, Feb. 17 and controlled the game throughout. Gilmour ’20 tied career highs with a dominant 29 points and 12 rebounds. Hoffmann ’19 also had a whale of a game; he tallied 25 points, five assists, and tied a career high with 11 rebounds. Grassey ’19 also had a double-double, with ten points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Spencer Kendall ’21 and Groll ’19 both contributed with nine and eight points, respectively. The Continentals controlled the boards and finished the game with 50 rebounds, compared to the 39 for the Jumbos.
This past weekend, the Continentals faced off against the Williams College Ephs in the NESCAC Semifinals. The Ephs were ranked eighth in the nation and beat the Continentals earlier in the regular season. Gilmour ’20 led the way for the Continentals across all categories. He had 20 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Hoffmann ’19 tied Gilmour ’20 with 20 points, while also filling out the stat sheet with five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. Groll ’19 had an impressive day down-low with 12 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks. Doyle ’19 had eight points and Grassey ’19 had eight rebounds, along with three assists and four points. It was an intense game from the first jump ball. The Ephs had a slim four point lead at the half, the score was 37–33.
The Continentals got off to a fast start in the second half and went on a twelve to three run and took their first lead of the game, 45–44. Vince Conn ’20 hit a huge three-point shot as the Continentals extended their lead to 50–47. Groll sank a layup to put Hamilton back in the lead, 52–51; unfortunately, this was the last time Hamilton would be up. The Ephs went on several runs, but the Continentals did not let them pull away. Gilmour ’20 and Hoffmann ’19 combined for nine straight points as they fought back, and the score with one minute remaining was 70–68 Williams. Hamilton played stellar defense for the entire length of the shot clock, but a long heave from the Ephs before the buzzer extended their lead to 73–68. The Continentals fought for the final minute, but eventually lost 76–73.
Despite the loss, Hamilton’s season is not over. This Monday, the bracket for the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship was released. As such, this Friday, the Continentals will face off against the Golden Flyers of Nazareth College in the first round of the playoffs. The game will be played at 3 PM at York College (PA). The Golden Flyers went 20–7 this season and play in the Empire Eight Conference.
Coach Stockwell shared what he believes to be Hamilton’s keys to success: “Heading into the NCAAs, we need to make sure we are focused defensively because every team at this time of year knows how to win games. We also need to ensure that we are capturing as many possessions as possible and limiting mistakes on either end of the court. This is an area where our guys have improved over the season but want to keep improving. Without question, our trademark has been a fast paced and balanced offensive attack this year which needs to be part of our performance this weekend.”
If the Continentals win this Friday, they will play the winner of the matchup between York College and Yeshiva University. York College went 23–4 this season, while Yeshiva went 18–10. Coach Stockwell went on to say: “This has been a special season that we are working to make last as long as possible. The driving reason for this season has been the leadership of our upperclassmen and specifically, our three seniors.” Make sure to tune in and follow the men’s basketball run through the bracket.
