WORCESTER, Mass. – There’s still more than a month to go in the season, but Lehigh has already matched or eclipsed last season’s output in a couple of areas. And while they’re at it, the Mountain Hawks are playing at a much higher level than they were at this time last year, suggesting there’s more where that came from.
The Mountain Hawks’ 78-60 win at Holy Cross accomplished several things. It snapped a 13-game losing streak to the Crusaders at the Hart Center going back to 1998. It gave them a 5-2 mark in the Patriot League, which matched their league win total of last season. They also close the month with a 7-2 record, their most successful month since they went 8-1 four years earlier. Most of all, they close the month on a high note and playing well.
In contrast, last season the Mountain Hawks started fast before fading. They had the best non-league record in school history, but a 5-9 mark in league play wasn’t what anyone could have expected when league play began. Head coach Brett Reed felt they peaked in non-league play and basically ran out of gas, and watching this season’s team can see a positive difference.
“I think it’s really important that we’re playing better basketball at this time of the year,” said Reed, now in his third year as head coach. “This year, we were starting to play better basketball as we headed into January. Now, hopefully in February that continues and we continue to have some momentum, which is important for our program, and it’s nice to get the balance that we have with senior leadership and the energy of young guys to boost us forward.”
As Reed mentioned, Lehigh has a good balance of personnel leading them to this point. Marquis Hall has seemingly been there forever, as the four-year starting point guard has been among the league’s best players since he entered the league. Along with classmates Zahir Carrington and Dave Buchberger, the three senior starters for the Mountain Hawks have played like senior leaders in league play, combining to average over 32 points and 14 rebounds per game after averaging 24.3 points and 12.1 rebounds in non-league play.
“We came here with the intentions of winning a Patriot League championship, and we know every game is important,” said Hall, who has continued to put his name all over the school’s and league’s record books. “We come out here trying to give our best every night so we can get homecourt.”
Hall ran away with the league’s Rookie of the Year award three seasons ago and has continued his ascent since then. Recently, he surpassed 1,300 career points and 500 career assists, making him the first player in Patriot League history to do that. The current league leader in assists this season, he is fourth all-time in the Patriot League in that category, and while topping all-time leader Jave Meade will be almost impossible, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he comes in second.
Helping him in that quest, as well as the larger quest for a league title, are two players at the opposite stage of their careers. The Mountain Hawks balance out the three senior starters with freshmen C.J. McCollum and Gabe Knutson, and both have wasted little time making an impact. McCollum looks to be well on his way to doing what Hall did three years ago, while Knutson has been a solid inside player even before he busted out on Sunday with a career-high 31 points on 11-15 shooting from the field.
“They’ve helped a lot,” Hall said of the freshman duo. “They take pressure off myself and (Zahir), because they can score on any given night. It adds a whole new dynamic to our team because everybody needs to be accounted for offensively.”
McCollum is third in the league in scoring and has the kind of length and athleticism rarely seen in the Patriot League. He’s not only scoring, but shooting over 41 percent from long range as well. Reed saw his potential in recruiting him, but even he has been a little pleasantly surprised at how quickly he has adapted to the college game. It didn’t take long for Hall to see his potential, either.
“As soon as he came in, he shot it right away offensively,” Hall said of McCollum. “He gets his shot at will. He’s long and athletic, and some people underestimate him, but he can get his shot off and it goes in.”
This year’s non-league slate had a marked contrast to last season. The Mountain Hawks started with two straight losses and had to endure a three-game losing streak later on. Only one of the losses came at home, a 71-52 setback to America East contender Stony Brook. By late December, things seemed to be coming together, as a 66-55 win over Marist started a six-game winning streak. Included were two wins on the road, and they have undoubtedly helped lead to the Mountain Hawks being .500 on the road in the first half of Patriot League play.
Around that time, the players were on campus during the break with a chance to focus on basketball. Hall added that the team bonded a lot during that time, and once they got a couple of wins things took on a life of their own. Clearly, this team benefited from having a stretch where they could just focus on basketball.
While a good month is now behind the Mountain Hawks, they are ready to keep this going. The veterans learned from peaking too early last season, and with the senior starters it shows as they have picked up their play in the last month. The young players have apparently already caught on and are only getting better. The momentum Reed spoke of is evident as the Mountain Hawks head into February looking like their best is still yet to come.
