2009-10 Kalamazoo College Men's Basketball Preview
By Jessica Maas '10

The Kalamazoo College men’s basketball team is looking for some new go-to players.

With junior Ryan Clark the only returner among last year’s top five scorers, the Hornets are searching for some new guys to put the ball in the basket.

“That’s going to be one of the biggest challenges for us—finding out who our main scorers are going to be,” said eighth-year head coach Rob Passage.

The team adds nine new faces to the locker room, including eight freshmen and a sophomore transfer, and Passage likes what he’s seen thus far.

“I like them as a class, I think they all have a chance to contribute over time,” he said of the freshmen. “There’s a large learning curve between high school and college, so I think their turn in minutes may come more later in the season than early on.”

The Hornets are led by junior captain Tyler Stewart, who started in 19 contests last season and averaged 2.9 points.

“I thought last year he was what I would call a ‘glue’ guy for us,” said Passage. “He really did a nice job of taking care of all the little things that are important for us in the game. This year, in addition to his role as captain, I expect his contributions to the team to continue to grow.”

Besides the return of Clark, who averaged 9.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game last season, the presence of junior point guard A.J. Williams is also crucial for Kalamazoo. Williams started in 17 games last season, and averaged 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds for the Hornets.

“I think our biggest strength is that we are pretty balanced, both in our ability and experience,” Passage said. “I could also turn that around and say that it’s one of our weaknesses, because we’re going to be searching for our go-to guys. We really haven’t established those guys yet.”

He notes that juniors Drew Mitchell, Alex Lapka, and Harold Hermanson, along with sophomore Joe Prepolec all have the opportunity to step up for the team this year as well.

“What we’re looking for from everyone in the program this year is to take a larger step in their role,” he said.

Ultimately, Passage would like a winning season and to host a game in the MIAA tournament.

“I think each one of us has higher expectations than that, but those are good starting points as we move forward,” he said.

He said that he expects competition within the conference may be tighter than recent years.

“I think the MIAA is going to be a crazy league this year,” Passage said. “I think it may be more balanced this year than it has been in the last couple years. I think throughout the year people are going to see scores that maybe they’re not used to seeing.”

The Hornets open competition at home on Nov. 15 against Defiance. They will also be at home over Thanksgiving weekend, and will begin MIAA competition on Jan. 6 at Alma.