Women’s b-ball prepares for Wendy’s Classic

The Geneseo women’s basketball team will participate in the Wendy’s College Classic Tournament on Thursday Dec. 4 and Saturday Dec. 6 at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The Wendy’s Classic is a men’s and women’s tournament that involves eight Rochester-area schools. The teams attended a dinner on Sunday Nov. 30 and found out which teams they would be playing against. The tournament is in its 49th year—the largest and longest-running Division III tournament in the nation. Head coach Scott Hemer noted that he likes the team’s chances in the tournament and uses their success or failure as a benchmark for the rest of the season.

“We have gone with the theme this year of ‘play like a champion today,’” Hemer said. “We have a great opportunity to showcase our talent as well as play some great teams in our area. I hope our players are taking the mindset that these are just three games and we have to … give it our all each game.”

Geneseo has been in the finals of the Wendy’s Classic the past two seasons, losing to the University of Rochester in 2012 and last season to Roberts Wesleyan College. The Knights are the third seed in this year’s tournament—something that definitely plays in their favor.

The Wendy’s Classic is now one of the first events of the college basketball year, but this was not always the case. The tournament used to be played in the spring semester. Hemer noted that the tournament timing is perfect right where it is.

“I like playing the tournament now, it is a good measuring stick to wrap up the semester,” Hemer said. “It is definitely a challenge playing three games in six days, but I think it is good to get our feet wet this early in the season.”

The Knights have always prided themselves on the defensive side of the ball and, according to Hemer, have done “exceptionally well” at it. A prime example from this season is when they held Whitman College, ranked seventh in the nation, to just 52 points. On top of that, Whitman has a preseason All-American on its team in senior guard Heather Johns, who was held to only nine points. Johns has averaged 16.8 points per game so far this season.

Hemer emphasized that his team will have to maintain a similar focus to take home the tournament title. “Defense and rebounding, we hang our hat on those two things and that is what we aim for each game and it is certainly not going to change,” he said. “We have had some very good defensive efforts and although we have a long way to go in rebounding, our players will become more committed to it and we should just keep improving every day.”

From Dubai to Geneseo, basketball remains constant for freshman forward

Geneseo men’s basketball freshman forward Jordi Menkhorst is an international basketball player in a very literal sense. The 6-foot-5-inch Belgium-native, San Francisco-raised ball player knew from the tender age of eight just how prominent a role basketball would play in his life. It wasn’t until he was in high school in Dubai that Menkhorst realized his passion for basketball and its indefinite presence in his future. “I just enjoyed it,” Menkhorst said. “I used to play tennis and golf when I was younger, but I really enjoyed the team concept. I think we won that first game [in high school] and I think working together with others just gave me a really good feeling. Playing in front of the crowd, playing in front of my family; that was what made it special.”

Menkhorst may not remember much about his formal introduction to the game of basketball, but one thing is for sure: the fun he had on those San Francisco playgrounds is what continues to drive his passions today. “There’s this kid I remember,“ he said. “[His] name was Michael and he just asked me one day to start playing with him and I did for pretty much every recess after that.”

It was in Dubai at 17 years old that Menkhorst attended The Global Education Management Systems World Academy where he really created a name for himself. Scoring up to a whopping 24 points per game, Menkhorst understood the value of the game.

“When I lived in Dubai, my high school basketball coach [Greg Slosek] was an Oswego native,” Menkhorst said. “He was my high school basketball coach as well as my history teacher and when I started looking into universities, one day I spotted Geneseo.”

Menkhorst turned to Slosek for help. “I asked him for advice because he played in the SUNYAC himself,” he said. “He played for [SUNY] Brockport and [SUNY] Fredonia and he said Geneseo is a really good school from an both academic and athletic standpoint.”

With the Knights set to head into the semester break, expectations are high with players and coaches alike.

“I know we have high standards this year with getting where we want to go,” Menkhorst said. “I hope I can be a part of a very special team that goes far.”

Menkhorst follows professional basketball in his spare time. That is to be expected. His favorite player, however, is not as expected.

“My favorite basketball player is [guard] Stephen Curry from the [Golden State] Warriors … I think he’s an amazing player,” he said. “I also like [San Antonio Spurs forward] Tim Duncan in terms of what [he does] for the community as well for the game … a combination of Stephen Curry and Tim Duncan, for me, would be the perfect player.”

Menkhorst and the Knights will play in the Wendy’s College Classic on Friday Dec. 5 and Saturday Dec. 6 and play Medaille College on Monday Dec. 8 before going on the semester break.

Men’s basketball hopes to return to NCAAs

With the excitement of the upcoming season, the Geneseo men’s basketball team has been hard at work in hopes of furthering its success in the NCAA Tournament this season. “I think now that this group of guys have been a part of that … they want to strive and reach for that again,” head coach Steve Minton said. “You get that taste in your mouth—which they had—and know what it was like to sit around on selection day and wait and see if Geneseo came up on the board.”

Along with the Knights’ rigorous practices—at least 14 hours per week—the team has coupled on-court responsibility with making strides off the court toward a renewed sense of the authority each player holds in a game.

“Whether it’s, ‘I’m going to be responsible for stopping this guy from getting to the basket’ or … making good decisions and being responsible for one another and what we’re doing away from the basketball court,” Minton said.

This understanding of one player being responsible for the other four on and off the court is of great importance. Minton emphasized that this is a vital part of the team’s success.

“We want to make sure that we make that part of our culture and meet that criteria,” Minton said. “That will help us to have some success in the future.”

The team is confident that the season will be a good one. Since the 2012-2013 season, the Knights have been rapidly improving their game and getting farther and farther in the postseason.

The main goal, however, is to not only win the SUNYAC Tournament, but also to be successful at the NCAA Tournament.

“To win the SUNYAC Tournament and to get to the NCAA Tournament would be a big deal and obviously the biggest goal,” Minton said. “But we also want to keep improving so that our ultimate goal of winning the SUNYAC Tournament and getting to the NCAA Tournament can be seen for us down the road.”

Success for the Knights will go beyond teamwork and preparation.

“We want to get more shots than our opponent,” Minton said. “When you take away shot opportunities for them and create more shot opportunities for [us] … [we] can get better shots.”

Although key players in last season’s success graduated, Minton still has hope that the team can go above and beyond.

“I am very confident,” Minton said. “I like our group of guys, we’ve got a veteran group of seniors and I think that our strengths are our inside play and our perimeter shooting.”

The Knights still have a vast array of very seasoned players like senior forwards Gordon Lyons, Devon Anderson and James McKenna––all who racked up a lot of minutes in last season’s games.

Over the years, the Knights have improved incrementally in every aspect. A new and improved system of responsibility should do well in furthering their past successes.

Women’s basketball off to solid start

The Geneseo women’s basketball team kicked off the season on Saturday Nov. 15 and Sunday Nov. 16 in an exciting fashion. Their first game was part of the Damon’s/Hampton Inn Tip-Off Classic, hosted by Wilmington College of Ohio. The Knights defeated the national runner-up in the NCAA Tournament––ranked seventh as of Nov. 4––Whitman College on Sat. Nov 15 by a score of 64-52. The Knights advanced to the championship game, where they were handed their first loss by host Wilmington, 75-68.

The Knights are hoping to make it back to the SUNYAC Tournament Championship. They’ve made it there each of the last three seasons, winning the Championship in 2011. Geneseo is led by senior forward Shannon McGinnis, who is a returning SUNYAC All-Conference first-team selection. McGinnis averaged 15 points per game in the 2013-2014 season, as well as 9.5 rebounds per game. Her ability to rebound and score inside, as well as shoot from beyond the arc—shooting at a rate of .304—makes her a dangerous weapon against other teams.

In the middle for Geneseo is junior forward Allison McKenna. McKenna was a second-team All-Conference SUNYAC selection. Standing at 6 foot 2, McKenna is one of the most dominating forces in the conference. Averaging 11 points per game in the 2013-2014 season and 7.3 rebounds per game, she is a consistent threat in the low post.

The most impressive part about McKenna’s game is her shot-blocking ability. McKenna averaged a SUNYAC-best 2.2 blocks per game last season, which broke her own school record for blocks in a season by two with 61. She also became the Knights’ career leader in rejections with 120 at the end of her sophomore season. McKenna ranked 10th in the conference in rebounds with 7.3 rebounds per game and 19th in points with 11 points per game.

In the backcourt is junior guard Dana Cohan, who is a third-team All-SUNYAC selection. Cohen averaged 10.1 points per game for Geneseo in the 2013-2014 season and also was third in the conference with 4.1 assists per game. She also shot almost 40 percent from beyond the arc.

The Knights will have their work cut out for them, as many of the other teams in the conference have returning players and depth off the bench. Geneseo has help from the likes of senior center Katie Peterson, who can shoot the threes, as well as sophomore guards Bridgit Ryan and Kayleigh Cavanaugh, who will contribute from long range as well.

Geneseo has the experience of winning in the conference, which will be a huge factor down the stretch—the team finished 13-5 in the SUNYAC last season. The Knights will look to make it back to the NCAA Tournament. Geneseo will play its next game at home versus Juniata College on Saturday Nov. 22 at 2 p.m.

Four-game win streak for women’s hoops

The Geneseo women’s basketball team earned its fourth consecutive victory in a 69-62 win over SUNY Cortland on Tuesday Feb. 18. The team now sits at third in the conference as it heads into the final weekend of the regular season, tied with SUNY Oneonta – the Knights’ opponent on Friday Feb. 21. Junior co-captain Shannon McGinnis can take a lot of the credit for this streak, averaging 16.5 points per game. Other traits of the team, not only on the statistics sheet, are also aiding in the Knights’ success.

“All three of our captains – [McGinnis], senior Biz Reinhardt and junior Katie Peterson – have their own strengths and weaknesses, and the nice part is that one’s strengths tend to be another’s weakness, so they do a nice job of complimenting each other,” head coach Scott Hemer said. He went on to say that the success at the end of the season reflects the players each finding their roles.

If the season ended right now, or even if they dropped to fourth after Feb. 22, the Knights would earn a first-round playoff game at home. There is also the chance that Geneseo could hold second seed in the playoffs, but the Knights would need events to go their way for this to happen.

To Geneseo’s benefit, the first and second-placed teams – Buffalo State College and SUNY Plattsburgh, tied at 13-3 in the conference – play each other in the final weekend of the regular season. If one of them drops its last two games and Geneseo sweeps the weekend, the team could slide into first or second place and receive a first-round bye.

Regardless of where the Knights end up, their four-game win streak is a great way to head into the post-season. They have won each of the past four games by at least seven points and have won seven out of their last eight games.

Hemer didn’t express too much concern about seeding.

“I think that, about a month ago, we got away from our team goals in terms of looking at the big picture, and now we’re just trying to take it one game at a time,” he said.

Lyons reaches major career milestones

Of course he wasn’t counting. Junior forward Gordon Lyons let the game play out instead. Then, his friends and family erupted in cheer after a layup, and he knew. He had joined the club. Lyons became the 24th player in Geneseo history to score 1,000 career points for the men’s basketball team. He joins teammate senior co-captain Connor Fedge, who reached the milestone on Jan. 28 – a rare feat in a single season.

“It’s just an honor to be part of the club… to just be part of that discussion is an honor,” Lyons said.

The Amherst, N.Y. native scored the 1,000th point on Feb. 15 on his second home court, of sorts, at Buffalo State College. Lyons scored 28 points and grabbed 16 boards to record his 14th double-double of the season in an 81-67 victory.

High numbers are something consistent in Lyons’ stats. He became the 10th player in the program’s history to collect over 600 rebounds. He leads the conference in shooting percentage (.641) and rebounds per game (11.2), good for top national rankings, too. Lyons also ranks fifth in the SUNYAC with 18.8 points per game, after the 65-53 loss to SUNY Cortland on Tuesday Feb. 19. For his recent efforts, Lyons was named SUNYAC men’s basketball player of the week.

College ball wasn’t always so easy for Lyons. He recalled freshman year of college, facing an adjustment after high school. Just 17 years old at the time, Lyons felt the intimidation, noting how the players were much quicker, stronger and all-around more skilled in this competitive Division III league.

It wasn’t an easy climb for Lyons, who started his sophomore year with a “kick in the butt,” he said. In a practice before the first game, Lyons and head coach Steve Minton chatted about expectations. That was the point when Minton raised the bar for Lyons.

“In that moment, I don’t know what switched on, but I just started playing better,” Lyons said. “I don’t know what he said or what that did, but that it kind of turned it around and woke me up a little.”

Since then, Lyons’ hard work has paid off – both on and off the court. The accounting major with a 3.76 grade point average was named a 2013-2014 Capital One Academic All-America Division III men’s basketball team honoree by the College Sports Information Directors of America on Tuesday Feb. 18.

Lyons is one of two juniors voted to the team, in addition to 13 seniors, who have earned a minimum 3.3 cumulative GPA while acting as a starter or key reserve on the team.

“I’ve always tried to be a hard-worker and tried to incorporate that in all aspects of life, whether it’s school or sports or any job I’ve been given,” Lyons said. “I really don’t like to let people down so I try to work hard and give my best effort.”

Editor’s Note:

The Knights host their final regular-season games on Friday and Saturday Feb. 21 and 22, respectively.

Minton said he believes that this year’s team “has the opportunity to leave their mark.”

“They are going to have to kind of recognize that and work together to form some kind of legacy if you will,” he said.

Geneseo is guaranteed third seed in the final SUNYAC standings, but no higher than second. Two wins and two losses by SUNY Plattsburgh would allow the Knights to move into second place. Playoffs begin Tuesday Feb. 25.

“You get to a point where you can’t make a mistake now because, as confident as you might be, you lose, you go home,” Minton said.

Men's hoops fights for top seed

The Geneseo men’s basketball team had the opportunity to share first place with SUNY Brockport – if only it had won. The Knights fell to the No. 15-ranked Golden Eagles on Tuesday Feb. 11 in a tight 66-62 loss. It was an even battle for much of the game, but when it came down to the wire, Geneseo was unable to secure the lead despite numerous attempts in the final minute.

While the loss dampened the significant win over SUNY Plattsburgh on Saturday Feb. 8, according to guard sophomore Connor Keenan, there’s still time for the Knights.

Five conference games remain in the regular season, providing enough opportunities for the Knights to move out of second place. Geneseo’s final foes include SUNY Fredonia, Buffalo State College, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Oneonta and SUNY New Paltz.

It’s a tight race for the top spots, though, as Plattsburgh is alongside Geneseo with a 10-3 conference record. Although the Knights topped the Cardinals on Saturday Feb. 8 to propel into second place, the two schools remain neck-and-neck as Plattsburgh took an earlier game against Geneseo in the North Country.

The second-place spot could be a game changer for the tied schools when it comes to SUNYAC playoffs. The opening day on Feb. 25 feature two games: The third and sixth seed, as well as the fourth and fifth, face off, while the first two seeds earn byes.

One of those two spots – that could be Geneseo’s fate.

Head coach Steve Minton said, in a press release, that he is confident in the team’s ability to put itself in a “position to win every time.”

Junior Gordon Lyons and co-captain senior Connor Fedge are stepping up to that challenge. Lyons scored 25 points and a career-high 17 boards in Tuesday’s loss to earn his 13th double-double of the season. The Amherst, N.Y. native tallied 12 points against SUNY Potsdam on Feb. 7 and another 17 against Plattsburgh.

Fedge has consistently supported the offense, as well. He has scored double-digit points in all but two games this season.

With just five games left in the season, the Knights are looking to secure, at the very least, a home playoff game.

Geneseo travels to Fredonia on Friday Feb. 14 to take on the Blue Devils (3-11). Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.

Women’s hoops looks to playoffs with confidence

Although the playoffs are well within the Geneseo women’s basketball team’s reach, the Knights need to stay focused on the five games remaining in the regular season.

In each of the next four games, Geneseo faces a playoff hopeful team. Its schedule is the following: away against SUNY Fredonia, Buffalo State College and SUNY Cortland, then home against SUNY Oneonta and SUNY New Paltz.

The first and second-seeded teams in the SUNYAC receive a bye, while the third seed plays home against the sixth, and the fourth seed is home against the fifth. As it stands as of Thursday Feb. 13, Buffalo and Plattsburgh would receive a bye, Geneseo would be seeded fourth and play Fredonia in Schrader Gymnasium and Oneonta, at third, would play home against Fredonia.

Cortland, currently in seventh place, shares the same conference record as Fredonia, so much remains to be seen here.

Friday’s game against Fredonia would be a look at Geneseo’s first-round game, giving the coaching staff a good look at what’s potentially in store.

Head coach Scott Hemer said he thinks the freshmen have improved the deeper the team has gotten into the season.

“I don’t think we have to worry about any injuries or let-downs from them,” he said. “You’re going to have some people who are beat up, but you’re going to have that every season.”

The Knights won a critical game Tuesday Feb. 11 against SUNY Brockport, taking down the Golden Eagles 59-43. Center sophomore Allison McKenna scored 14 points while forward junior Shannon McGinnis scored 17.

At this point in the season, a bye may be out of the Knights’ reach, but that doesn’t seem to faze Hemer.

“A bye is certainly an advantage … but we haven’t necessarily played any better at home versus away this year,” he said. “For us, it’s not really much of a factor; we’re trying to focus on things that we can control.”

The Knights head to Fredonia on Friday Feb. 14 in pursuit of the playoffs. Hemer said that, at this point in the season, there isn’t anyone in the conference Geneseo couldn’t compete with.

Senior Connor Fedge earns 1,000 career points for men’s hoops

The night of Jan. 28 is one that co-captain senior Connor Fedge will likely remember for the rest of his life. In the game against SUNY Oswego, Fedge scored his 1,000th career point for the Geneseo men’s basketball team. Thus far, Fedge is averaging 16.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists while playing 30.9 minutes per game this season. Fedge is currently eighth in SUNYAC in scoring and first in free throw percentage at 89.3 percent.

“[Fedge] is a very focused and hardworking individual,” head coach Steve Minton said. “This shows both on the court where he is a very successful and talented basketball player and also in the classroom where he carries a very high GPA while majoring in psychology and minoring in biology.”

Fedge has contributed to the team since day one. As a freshman, he saw action in 25 games while averaging 5.9 points, usually coming off the bench. Over his career with the team he has averaged 10.8 points per game.

“He just wants the team to be successful. He feels that when the team is successful, he is successful,” Minton added.

This season has become a special one for the entire team, as well, as the Knights currently sit in third place in conference standings.

“Every member of the team makes a contribution, and both players and coaches truly care for each other on and off the court,” Fedge said.

Even amidst the hype of this milestone, Fedge remained modest.

“While it is definitely a good personal accomplishment and something that I am proud of, it brings me more pride to know that I was able to make a considerable contribution across my four years here,” he said.

All this being said, Fedge also thrives on Geneseo’s lacrosse team, too. Fedge is a lockdown defensive midfielder, who is known to impact a game.

“I can’t thank both [Minton and men’s lacrosse head coach Jim Lyons] enough for allowing me to be a member of both teams and maximize my four years in Geneseo,” he said.

Men’s basketball on 8-game hot streak

While Geneseo experiences a frozen vortex, the men’s basketball team has been red hot, winning its last eight games. The team now sits just one game out of first place in the SUNYAC conference behind SUNY Brockport. One player can’t be singled out for the team’s success; multiple players on the team are statistically ranked in the conference. Forward junior Gordon Lyons is first at rebounds per game (10.9) and field goal percentage (.686) and is fifth in points per game (19.5). Guard senior Connor Fedge is first at free throw percentage (.892), ninth at points per game (16.3) and 11th at assists per game (3.0). Guard senior Thomas Decker ranks seventh in the conference at assists with 3.5 per game.

Head coach Steve Minton also noted the play of forward junior Devon Anderson, saying, “He has really stepped up his play. He has scored for us. He has rebounded for us. He has been a big part of our success of late.”

Lyons plays upwards of 30 minutes per game – another SUNYAC ranking at seventh –  which means he is involved with much of the gaming scheme. Being as dominant as he is, one might think this scheme is simple, but Minton said otherwise.

“It’s actually more difficult than you think,” he said. “You could think it could be simple: Come down, do this, get the ball to Gordon and play from there. But that’s not how it is.”

During the current seven-game win streak, the Knights have won by double digits in five of the games. Regarding how the team is scoring seemingly at will, Minton said, “Since we have so many different weapons, it’s not necessarily a style of play as it is when one guy gets keyed on another guy is getting good shots.”

In the game against SUNY Oswego, it was much of the same for the Knights. After the first half, Lyons led the way with 12 points, forward junior James McKenna added 11 and Anderson scored another eight. The Lakers came out strong in the beginning of the second half, but the Knights were just too much to handle as they cruised to victory, 81-73.

Fedge led the Knights with 20 points and scored his 1000th career point at Geneseo. Lyons finished the game with 16 points and 13 rebounds, Anderson finished with 16 points and five rebounds off the bench and McKenna added 14 points.

The Knights face Brockport on the road in a battle for first place in the conference at 8 p.m. on Saturday Feb. 1.

Women's hoops blows by RIT

The Geneseo women’s basketball team has gotten off to a hot start this season. The third-seeded Knights’ record remains without blemish after they defeated the Rochester Institute of Technology on Tuesday Dec. 3 at the Wendy’s College Classic. The tournament is in its 48th iteration and looks to give area teams a chance to compete against one another, as many of the teams play in different conferences. Head coach Scott Hemer said that he likes to use this tournament as a “measuring stick” to see what the team needs to do to get ready for conference play.

Against RIT, the Knights looked ready as ever.

From the get-go, Geneseo was clearly the dominant team against the Tigers. The Knights’ up-tempo style of play proved to be too much for RIT, as the Tigers had seven turnovers, five of which were steals by Geneseo.

“We jumped all over them,” Hemer said. “We looked like the team the coaching staff envisions them being.”

Following a 23-7 scoring run, the Knights went into halftime up 49-25 – the first time all season the Knights closed out the first half with the lead. Hemer said the Knights have struggled keeping the pace of play for all 40 minutes, which explains why, even being up by 22 at one point, he was still expecting more from his team.

Twenty of those first-half points belonged to junior Shannon McGinnis, who had a career night with 30 points and 10 rebounds. Through the first four games, she averages 20.5 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game, good for a double-double each time.

Sophomore Dana Cohen also played a vital role in the game, supplying a career-high nine assists. She averages 4.8 assists per game, the most on the team.

Despite the big win, Hemer does not appear satisfied. Not to say that he is upset, but he said there are always things to improve.

“I am a perfectionist, and I have high expectations,” he said. “If they didn’t have the talent level, it would be a different story.”

With the victory, Geneseo advances to the semifinal game against defending Wendy’s Classic champions University of Rochester at 6 p.m. on Thursday Dec. 5 at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester. The No. 2 seed this year, Rochester defeated SUNY Brockport on Tuesday Dec. 3 with a score of 56-46.

St. John Fisher hands men's basketball first loss

The Geneseo men’s basketball team took on St. John Fisher College Wednesday Dec. 4 in the first round of the 48th annual Wendy’s College Classic tournament. The fifth-seeded Cardinals, who don’t have a single senior on the roster, entered the game with a 1-1 record. Geneseo, at the fourth seed, looked to build off the win against Medaille College Nov. 25.

In the first half, co-captain senior Connor Fedge had five points in as many minutes off the bench while fellow senior Matt Curry made a much bigger impact, scoring 11 points to put the Knights up 38-33 at the half.

Geneseo came out of the locker room very strong, going on a 13-7 run to start the second half – a run that brought juniors Andy Drescher and Gordon Lyons into double figures and gave the Knights an 11-point lead.

St. John Fisher was able to climb back in it, however, and with just over 10 minutes to play, the Cardinals took the lead 55-54 on a 3-pointer from junior Stefan Bock.

From there, the game went back and forth until sophomore Tyler Hart made a jump shot for St. John Fisher as he was fouled. After completing the three-point play, the Cardinals were up 71-69 with 4:04 left.

After that, St. John Fisher was in control. The team went on a 16-10 run to end the game at a score of 87-79. Guard for St. John Fisher junior Adam Ambielli was the leading scorer for either team with 21, and his Cardinals will play SUNY Brockport in the semifinals on Friday Dec 6.

Despite the loss, the Knights still have games to play in the tournament. Geneseo will head to the Rochester Institute of Technology on Friday Dec. 6 to take on the Tigers. After that game, the team will play either Hobart College or Nazareth College on Saturday Dec. 7.

“From that Friday game to that Saturday game, you have to completely change who you’re scouting,” Fedge said.

Luckily for the Knights, one of their biggest strengths is their depth. Nine out of 14 players on the roster are either juniors or seniors.

Geneseo had four players score in double figures: Curry, Drescher, Lyons and co-captain senior Thomas Decker. Fedge finished with eight.

After the Wendy’s tournament, the Knights will play Alfred State on Monday Dec. 9 and then spend three weeks following without a game.

“[The players] try to get together while we’re still on campus during finals week,” Fedge said, “It’s actually a nice break to study and to get together and work out and shoot and play.”

Winter break will also allow Fedge to heal more from a stress fracture in his foot that sidelined him for the first two games of the season. In January 2014, SUNYAC play starts and games will become even more important.

Men's basketball has high hopes for season

Coming off of a 17-10 season, the men’s basketball team is looking strong. Four out of five starters return, and the team only lost two seniors to graduation. “We’re pretty balanced,” head coach Steve Minton said. “I think that we’re pretty deep, and I think that the depth, in particularly at the guard spots, will play in our favor.”

That depth will be important, even in the early part of the season. The Knights have six games before the end of the semester, including the Wendy’s College Classic in Rochester.

“If we meet [our] standards … we’ll find ourselves in a position to be SUNYAC champions,” Minton said. “I would think and hope and expect us to be one of the better teams in the conference this year because of our returning guys, our experience and the skill set that each guy brings.”

Minton’s expectations are well based. Against eventual SUNYAC champion SUNY Cortland in the 2012-2013 season, the Knights went 1-1 in two very closely fought games. That experience will play a key role this season.

“The experience of winning a quarterfinal game in the SUNYAC tournament and getting to the semifinals two years in a row sets a tone for [this team] to recognize the importance of every game and the importance of every little part of the season,” Minton added.

One of the Knights’ goals will be to replace the experience and the leadership of Ryan Riefenhauser ‘13, who started every game for Geneseo the past three seasons. Although Riefenhauser did not put up record-setting numbers, with 9.1 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game in his senior season, his leadership on and off the court is something that really stood out.

“[Riefenhauser] is one of the best leaders I’ve ever coached,” Minton said. “We have had some seniors step up. [Seniors] Connor Fedge and Thomas Decker have done an outstanding job.”

As the captains this year, Fedge and Decker will try to take over that leadership role along with the two other seniors on the roster, Jordan Jones and Matt Curry.

Despite losing Riefenhauser, Minton knows the current seniors are ready to take on this season and lead the team to a SUNYAC title.

“[We need to] put ourselves in a position to just win three games in a row at the end of the season when the tournament comes around,” Minton said. “I certainly think that we can do that.”