PROVIDENCE, R.I. – When the book is written on the current period of Bucknell basketball history, it will show last season to be an aberration. The Bison went 7-23, having to deal with a coaching change and the loss of the Patriot League’s best defender, Stephen Tyree, for the season due to a torn ACL. A repeat of that is highly unlikely, and while the Bison went 1-2 in the World Vision Invitational, there were reasons to believe they are ready for a bounce-back season.
Tyree is back, and his contribution won’t be seen in the numbers as there isn’t one thing he does very well offensively. The guys who will put up numbers that stand out are guys like Darryl Shazier, who looks like the perfect point guard for this system, along with senior frontcourt anchor Patrick Behan and sophomore guard Bryan Cohen. Having Tyree back should only make everyone better, as he’ll anchor the defense and remains the heart and soul of the team.
Shazier had a terrific weekend in handing out 14 assists with just two turnovers in three games and adding 11 points per game. He was a steady hand even against the press that Providence put on Saturday night, helping to neutralize it a night after the Friars used it to force 21 turnovers in a rout. After leading the Patriot League in assists last season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he did it again this season.
Cohen drew praise from opposing coaches all weekend long. A Patriot League All-Rookie selection last season, he not only scored but also handled the ball well in their offense and made a lot happen. He averaged over 15 points per game in the three games and made nine of 14 three-point attempts. It’s fair to say a sophomore slump is likely not in the cards for him.
Behan was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder last season, ranking sixth and eighth, respectively, in the Patriot League in those two categories. He didn’t put up great numbers this weekend as he battled flu-like symptoms all week, but he never stopped competing and grabbed a team-high 18 rebounds in the three games. His numbers should go up once he’s healthy again.
There are plenty of good complementary pieces, especially among a group of freshmen who played a lot of minutes. Joe Willman started all three games and showed some potential, as did big man Mike Muscala and shooter Bryson Johnson. Johnson scored 21 points in the event opener on Friday night, but also had some defensive lapses and then struggled on Saturday before bouncing back Sunday. Muscala isn’t there yet physically, but he’ll add more size to this team.
“I think they’re good, they’ve worked all, they belong out there and they can really add,” head coach Dave Paulsen said of the freshmen. “But they’re also going to be up and down – none of the three were good all three nights.”
Opposing coaches, to a man, all said they love the offense the Bison run and how well they run it. When they run it well, as was often the case this weekend, the Bison will have a chance to win. They handled the ball well, passed it well even in traffic, and have capable shooters, especially in adding Johnson. A couple of times, a pass was deflected but still found the intended Bison recipient for a basket. Against Providence, the Bison controlled the game until the final minutes, when the Friars made a number of defensive stops to take home the win.
The difficulty for the Bison is that they are still a fairly young team, especially up front. Only Tyree and Behan are seniors, and the three freshmen all look ready to get a lot of minutes. But this team never stopped working last year despite the difficulties, and they believe in their ability. Paulsen said the locker room was full of disappointment after Saturday’s tough loss to Providence, and was pleased with that since it indicated to him that they believe they can win a game like that.
The Bison should have a chance in the Patriot League, where everyone’s pick to win has been a Holy Cross team that isn’t a slam dunk. If the Bison find their stride by the time league play arrives, they could challenge the Crusaders and should at least post a .500 mark. The non-league slate will give them a chance to do that, as it’s not loaded with tough games like those of past seasons when Pat Flannery challenged a veteran club. The Bison do have to go to Boston University, La Salle and Notre Dame and host Cornell and Richmond, but they have winnable games mixed in. They also start Patriot League play with two straight at home.
Paulsen was ultimately satisfied that the team got something out of the weekend. When looking ahead to Sunday’s game, he summed up what he might ultimately take out of the trip.
“We could come here and go 3-0, and we have not arrived – we have to embrace the process,” Paulsen said. “Conceivably, we could come out here and go 0-3 and have a chance to be a really good team at the end of the year.”
The Bison went out 1-2, but they have a chance to be a good team at the end of the year. That would make last season the aberration that it looked like all along.
