Lafayette Leopards (19-15 overall, 10-4 league)
Projected starting five:
Jr. G Seth Hinrichs
Jr. G Joey Ptasinski
So. G Bryce Scott
Jr. F Dan Trist
Jr. F Alan Flannigan
Important departures:
Two starters are gone from last season: G Tony Johnson (13.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.9 spg) and C Levi Giese (6.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.8 bpg).
Returning:
70.1 percent of scoring and 73.3 percent of rebounding
Additions:
Fr. G Monty Boykins
Fr. F Michael Hoffman
Fr. G Nick Lindner
Fr. G Jake Newman
Schedule Highlights:
The Leopards have four non-league home games, headlined by a visit from Northeast contender Robert Morris. They open the season at Villanova and later head to Ivy League contender Princeton and Northeast contender Wagner. In league play, the Leopards have a chance for a nice start as three of the first four are at home. The flip side is that three of their final four come on the road.
Projected finish and outlook:
Down the stretch last season, Lafayette was arguably the best team in the league as they were simply on a tear before losing to Bucknell in the league title game. A big part of that is gone with Johnson’s departure, as he was not only their best player but also the heart and soul of the team. But they still have a solid backcourt with Hinrichs, Ptasinski and Scott leading the way. Hinrichs shot 45.6 percent from long range and was quietly fifth in the league in scoring last season. With Trust returning up front this team has a solid core and has size up front with four players who stand 6’9″ or taller, although three of the four are sophomores. The Leopards have a lot of role players back as well. What’s surprising about the run they had last season is that they were by far the worst defensive team in the league in allowing opponents to shoot over 46 percent from the field, and they were also out-rebounded by four per game. An improvement there would go a long way towards taking the next step. With just two seniors, this team is set up well for another year after this, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Leopards were playing for the league title in March once more.
