Dartmouth Big Green (9-19 overall, 5-9 league)
Projected starting five:
So. G Alex Mitola
Sr. G Tyler Melville
Jr. F John Golden
So. F Connor Boehm
Jr. F Gabas Maldunas
Important departures:
F Jvonte Brooks (7.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.2 apg) (football) is the only starter gone from last season’s team.
Returning:
75.8 percent of scoring and 60.1 percent of rebounding
Additions:
Fr. F Wesley Dickinson
Fr. G Mike Fleming
Fr. C Cole Harrison
Fr. F Eli Harrison
Fr. F Ikemefuna Ngwudo
Schedule Highlights:
The Big Green will have an unusual eight home games in non-league play, including their first three games of the season that features a matchup with Northeast contender Bryant. Later, they play four in a row at home, including America East contenders Vermont and Hartford. Road trips include stops at Illinois and St. John’s. After their Ivy opener at Harvard, the next five league games are at home and the next four are on the road.
Projected finish and outlook:
Dartmouth had some growing pains last season, as they showed promise at times and looked like a young team trying to figure it out at other times. With another good recruiting class in the mix, they could be primed for a leap this year, although with just one senior it could be another year with growing pains. Mitola came in and settled the point last year, while the perimeter has some good depth now. The frontcourt will have a good starting point with potential all-Ivy forward Maldunas joined by Golden and Boehm, and if someone among the freshmen emerges they will absorb the unexpected departure of Jvonte Brooks without much trouble, although this team will need to rebound better. Paul Cormier has improved the talent base nicely since returning to Hanover, and they aren’t far from contending. While they have room to improve defensively, there is more room for growth at the offensive end as they were at or near the bottom in more of those categories last season. This year will be a crucial one for where the heralded recruiting classes in recent years are headed.
