Mules’ basketball 2016-17 season preview
The Muhlenberg Mules women’s basketball team is coming off last year with a 25-3 regular season record, a Centennial Conference Championship, and a second-round appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament. This year, the Mules are to construct a similar season to last year’s as they start the season ranked number seventeen on D3hoops.com “Being ranked #17 pre-season by D3hoops.com is an nice honor for our team. It shows the people all over the country realize the quality and success of our team and program,” describes Head Coach Ron Rohn.
The Mules return with five of their top six players from last year’s squad. Rohn exclaimed, “We have great balance on this year’s team, and perhaps our deepest team ever.” The Mules return the bulk of their roster from last year’s squad, that is both strong in the frontcourt and backcourt. With seven players standing at six feet or taller, Rohn said, “we are by the tallest team in the Centennial Conference.” The frontcourt is led by Maggie Zerbe ’17 and Chelsea Gray ‘18, who each averaged over six rebounds per game last year. Rohn characterizes the backcourt as “outstanding” and stated that their starting backcourt is “as good a trio as you’ll find on the East Coast.” Preseason all-American pick and stat sheet stuffer Brandi Vallely ‘19 highlights the Mules’ backcourt coming off a year where she was second on the team in points per game, second in rebounds per game, and led the nation in assists with 9.4 per game. They also return sharpshooter Rachel Plotke ‘18, the team’s leading scorer from last year. She led the nation in three-point percentage (48%) and shot a robust 98.2% from the free throw line. Rounding out the tremendous trio for the Mules in the backcourt is Christina Manning ‘19, another double-digit scorer (10.1 ppg last season). Rohn claims that “This is a group that plays very well together and is very unselfish and team oriented. They will do what it takes to win.”
Apart from the talented, experienced, and balanced starting five, nine new faces join the Mules’ roster, eight freshmen and one transfer. Rohn shows high praise for the class of 2020 and tells Muhlenberg fans that they will “hear and see a lot from all of them over the next four years; they are a talented bunch.” The newcomer that will likely have the greatest impact for this year’s squad is Carnegie Mellon transfer Carley Hamilton. “She’s not fresh out of high school so she’s ready to go.” Off the bench, the Mules will return sophomores Sara Dilly, Amanda Morello, and Madison Mummey, each of who appeared in the majority of the team’s games last year.
The Mules non-conference schedule is highlighted by the season-opener against local rival Moravian and a January matchup against DeSales. Both teams are consistent winners and will challenge Muhlenberg. Despite being the favorites to win the Centennial Conference, conference play will be a test for the team. “In league play, everyone will be gunning for us, so we can’t afford a letdown against anyone. Johns Hopkins, Gettysburg, McDaniel, and Dickinson can all challenge for the top of the league, and in the Centennial there always seems to be a surprise team that nobody expected, then have a great year. It’s a very tough league night in and night out,” Rohn says.
With a deep and well-balanced squad, expect the Mules to have yet another successful season. They are looking to advance past the second round of the NCAA Tournament this season, which they are definitely capable of doing so. Rohn believes that they have the talent, but in order to replicate last season, the Mules must consistently play to their capabilities.
The Muhlenberg men’s basketball squad is looking to improve upon an 11-14 and seventh place conference finish from last year. With ten upperclassmen, the Mules are looking forward to an improved 2016-2017 season.
Head Coach Scott McClary stated, “I am really hoping for great years from all of our seniors. They have had major impacts on our program and we are all excited for their best year yet.” 6-4 guard Brandon LaRose ‘17 is looking to build off of a successful season last year. He was the leader in assists and total free throws for the Mules, as well as second in scoring (10.8 ppg). The other senior joining LaRose in the backcourt is three-point specialist Jon Schreer. He ranked eighth in the Centennial Conference in three-pointers and enters the season eighth all-time for three-pointers made in Muhlenberg history. Schreer averaged just under nine points per game last year and was second on the team in assists. The third senior on the Mules is 6’9” center John Hunter. Hunter is Muhlenberg’s top rim-protector as he comes into this year ranked seventh all-time in Muhlenberg history for blocked shots. He also crashes the boards, as he was second on the team in rebounds last year and had sixty offensive rebounds. Seven juniors make-up the Mules’ roster and Nick Rindock leads the bunch. The 6’4” hometown guard was the only player in the Centennial Conference last year to lead his team in points, rebounds, and three-point percentage; expect Rindock to fill the stat-sheet once again for the Mules. Owen McLeod is another junior that is expected to play major minutes. The guard led the team in steals last year and is capable of scoring in double figures on a consistent basis. He has made an impact for Muhlenberg ever since his freshman year and looks to have an even better junior year. Other than Rindock, the junior with the most starting experience is power forward JeanLee Baez. After transferring from Kutztown University, Baez started in 17 of the 23 games he appeared in last year for the Mules. He will join Hunter as a leading rebounder this year, and like McCleod, he is capable of scoring in double figures. Muhlenberg welcomes four newcomers and McClary is excited about all of them. University of Alabama transfer Wes Szajna should receive plenty of minutes for the team this season.
Like the Mule’s women’s squad, the men’s team opens up their season with non-conference rival Moravian. “We are very focused on that one”, exclaims McClary and the Mules are looking to avenge themselves from a 107-98 loss last year against the Greyhounds. Muhlenberg will host Keystone, Wilkes, and Merchant Marine in the annual Scotty Wood Tournament, which is one of the most popular athletic events at on campus. Most importantly, the Mules will focus on each Centennial Conference opponent on the schedule. “We play in one of the top Division III conferences in the nation, so every conference game is absolutely huge for us.” At the top of the Centennial Conference will be preseason #23 Franklin & Marshall as well as Swarthmore who is a borderline top 25 team.
McClary admits “Being that it is the beginning of the year, we are looking to improve in every single category.” However, McClary’s top priority is for the Mules to improve on the defensive end. “Historically, our teams have been very strong defensively, but we have not been where we want to be the past two seasons on that side of the ball. I am confident that we will see improvement this year.” Last year the Mules gave up 70.3 points per game to opponents, a total that is imperative to decrease in order to have a successful season. The Mules also must improve on taking care of the ball as they averaged 15 turnovers per game last year and had a low 0.8 assist/turnover ratio. Despite the need to make major strides McClary concluded, “It has been a fun pre-season so far and we all look forward to the next few weeks of competing before we settle in on roles.”
With great depth and experience, the Mules should improve from a seventh place Centennial Conference finish and should end up in the top half of the conference. LaRose, Hunter, and Schreer should finish their Muhlenberg careers on a high note, and Rindock should be among one of the top players in the Centennial Conference. Coach McClary is confident that Muhlenberg will vastly improve from last season, especially on the defensive end, and expects that this squad will continue to develop over the course of the year.