Something Old, Something New
Zeglinski shines with assist from Torres, Newcomers, in Hawks’ route of Marist.
(West Hartford, CT) – It was only a year, but to Joe Zeglinski, it felt like a lifetime.
“It was really hard, sitting out that long and just watching,” said the red-shirt junior in what may have been the understatement of the year, referring to the season he lost to torn ligaments in his left ankle.
Two years ago, the University of Hartford Hawks came within one game of the first NCAA tournament appearance in school history, with Zeglinski playing a starring role, averaging over 16 points per game and knocking down a school record 103 three-pointers en route to becoming only the second sophomore in school history to be named 1st Team All-Conference (the first being former NBA All-Star Vin Baker).
A year later, a dejected Zeglinski would watch helplessly from the sidelines as the Hawks plummeted to last place, struggling through a 7-26 campaign, including 2-14 in conference games.
As painful as it was to watch an outmanned and out-gunned Hawks team struggle through the season, it was even harder to watch Zeglinsk – one of the fiercest competitors in the country – confined to a medical boot, squirming anxiously on sidelines with a dejected and downtrodden look on his face.
“It hurt me to watch it,” he reflected, “We want to forget about last year, put it behind us, not talk about it any more.”
For Zeglinski and the Hawks, Wednesday was an opportunity to turn the page and put their past behind them, as Hartford annihilated the Marist Red Foxes 75-38 in their home opener.
From the opening tip, the Hawks dominated, hitting the Red Foxes with a haymaker in the opening minutes by drilling three-straight 3’s, and never looked back, at one point pushing their lead past 40 points. And it was Zeglinski who was at the center of it, as he poured in a game high 22 points on 8-11 shooting, including 6-8 from behind the arc.
“Having Joe back is huge, he’s a great player, he changes the game,” said point guard Andres Torres.
After struggling in the Haws season opening loss to Quinnipiac, Zeglinski awoke in the Hawks second game, drilling seven three’s and scoring 23 points in the Hawks near upset against Baylor.
And against Marist, he was unconscious: Zeglinski finished the night with 22 points, but he could have scored 40, as no one on the court could stop him. Zeglinski hit three’s from NBA range over a swarm of defenders, and looked to be playing with more confidence than ever. Even more encouraging than his outside shooting, was the step-back jumper off of his left ankle, and a drive to the basket in which he plowed through what looked like the entire Red Foxes roster before muscling his way to the hoop for an acrobatic bucket.
But to head coach Dan Leibovitz, the most encouraging sign from Zeglinski was his effort on the defensive end.
“Joe is playing the best defense of his life, he’s improved his game on the defensive end,” raved Leibovitz.
And what should be scary for the rest of the America East is that Zeglinski still isn’t anywhere close to one-hundred percent: He’s still wearing a cumbersome brace on his left ankle, and still a half step slower, and flying a little bit lower, than he was before the injury.
Which begs the question; if Zeglinski can do this while still hobbled and trying to shake off the cob-webs accumulated from a year of watching from the sidelines, what can he do once he’s regained his running back’s speed and 37 inch vertical leap, and had an entire non-conference schedule to adjusted back into the flow of the game?
But what’s most encouraging for the Hawks is that Zeglinski isn’t doing it alone anymore; junior Andres Torres has emerged as a game changing playmaker, and first year junior college transfers Milton Burton and Joel Barkers have given the Hawks firepower in two area’s that crippled them last season: an athletic wing, and physicality in the post.
Torres keyed the Hawks offense Wednesday, blowing by Marist defenders and leaving them in his dust as he dished out seven assists without a turnover.
After being benched for the first half of the season opener, Torres has played out of his mind dishing out 23 assists on the season while only committing two turnovers. After struggling to find a true point guard during his tenure at Hartford, Leibovitz appears to have a game changer in Torres.
“It’s happening because when he turns one over in practice, we go crazy,” Leibovitz said. “We act like the world is coming to an end.”
The fastest player on the Hawks (and quite possibly fastest in the league), Torres has emerged as a game changing playmaker at the point guard position, as he seems to have finally harnessed his sprinter’s speed, and is excelling at attacking the paint and drawing the defense before kicking off to the open man.
Equally encouraging for the Hawks has been the play of Burton and Barkers. Junior college transfers generally take a while to adjust to the division I game, but the Hawks’ duo has hit the ground running: Last season Hartford was murdered in the paint, as the Hawks were the worst rebounding team in the conference and struggled to score from the low post. Barkers appears to be exactly what the Hawks have lacked; through three games the junior is averaging 17.3 points per game and shooting almost sixty-percent. More importantly, he’s clearing room on the low blocks. Against Marist, Barkers plowed over defenders and barreled his way to 15 points on 7-10 shooting.
Burton has given the Hawk the “X-Factor” that they were lacking last season. A high-flier with top-level athleticism, Burton scored 12 points, dished out four assists, and in general was a tornado of energy on the offensive and defensive ends.
But maybe the most encouraging sign from Wednesday night was the effort and results on the defensive end; after watching his zone defense get picked apart nightly last season, Leibovitz has switched to a man-to-man scheme, and it has provided immediate results, as the Hawks held Marist to under 25 percent from the floor and forced 16 turnovers.
“That’s what University of Hartford basketball is going to be. We’re going to defend, we’re going to take care of the ball. Those are the percentages I’ve been taught all my life, that put you in a position to be successful. … They’ve bought in, and this game validates everything we’ve been teaching.”
And with Zeglinski returning to his 1st Team All-Conference form, and the development of Torres in the point, Barkers in the post, and Burton on the wing, the Hawks – an afterthought at the start of the season – may make some serious noise in the America East Conference.
