Greek, if only I had that sort of influence!! Maybe it was Toad
.
On another note, here's a shot at an x-factor player for every NESCAC team -- someone with big upside who could make a much bigger impact this year, and will be needed to for their teams to reach their goals.
Amherst - Charlie Randle, all 7'1 of him. The issue for Amherst is that Randle, a very highly touted recruit, needs to be utilizing all that size (and good coordination for that size) close to the rim on both ends of the floor, and there is a huge logjam of bigs surrounding him. But he should be a guy who can dominate the paint as he gets stronger and more experienced.
Bates - Devin Harris. The prognosis for a Stephon Baxter-less Bates is bleak no matter what, but Harris, if he can bulk up and learn to avoid foul trouble, could provide the presence on the glass and defensively that has been completely missing since Omar Sarr left the team.
Bowdoin - Justus Bardauskas. While I usually would not pick first year, Bowdoin desperately needs a physical, athletic presence on the interior and incoming big man Bardauskas, while a bit raw, has a ton of athleticism. Of course, the biggest x-factor for Bowdoin is whether McGowan is back to 100 percent.
Colby - Ben Kaczmarek. Colby should have two capable perimeter scorers in Poulton and Green, but needs two more potent outside threats for its system to work. I imagine at least one will come from a huge group of incoming guards, but among returning players, Kaczmarek looks like the best bet to become a high-volume three point shooter.
Conn College - Ben Rice. Not sure if he was banged up or what but struggled as a junior after showing a lot of promise as a soph. Has the length and athleticism to make a big leap. But as with Bowdoin, the biggest x-factor is injury related, as Conn really needs Schainfeld at 100 percent by conference play to compete for a top-three spot in the league.
Hamilton - Owen Kane. Hamilton loses a lot of size and will be very small. Kane has the length, athleticism and shooting ability to step up in a big way as a starter, and Hamilton really needs him to be a third-option type guy next year.
Middlebury - Edward Witherington. Great athleticism for his size and showed ability to shoot 3's with a nice outside stroke. Midd desperately needs better outside shooting from its front court, and as the only 4/5 man with any sort of outside game, he will need to be a much bigger scorer next year. Honorable mention to Tristan Joseph who was a layup-line all-star and could infuse some badly needed explosiveness to the Midd perimeter attack.
Trinity - Jarrel Okorougo - showed the potential to be a menace defensively, going to the hole, and on the glass as a wing; how much his shooting improves will determine his ultimate upside.
Tufts - James Morakis, Scott Gyimesi, and Josh Bernstein. This is a cheat as I could not decide between the three of them. All showed a lot of promise as first-years and all of them will need to take a big step up for Tufts to return to the NCAA tourney after losing its top four perimeter guys. Bernstein and Gyimesi looked like they have the potential to be a physically overpowering duo on both ends up front, and Morakis will be needed to create offense at guard and replace much of Aronson's role as an on-ball creator.
Wesleyan - Shane Regan. Wesleyan loses a ton of perimeter scoring and to be in the mix for the league title, Regan likely has to move from a sixth man role to a top three option (ideally top two) on offense. He showed that ability late in the year last season.
Williams - Hudson Hansen. Rare explosiveness for his size and great feel for the game. Showed the ability to be a two-way terror if he can bulk up, learn to avoid foul trouble, and extend the range on his shot a bit.
