Men's Basketball Looks to Start Strong in L.E.C. Play

As of Wednesday night, November 30^th, the Plymouth State Men's basketball team's record stood at 2-2. Through these four games, the Panthers had defeated Elms and Rivier, while they lost a tough one to Castleton and Amherst.

Despite being a relatively young team, seniors Jesse Sabolis (Stoughton ,Mass.) and Brian Chergey (Bow, N.H.) are in the top three in points per game for the Panthers (Chergey with 11.0 ppg, Sabolis with 13.8 ppg). Both of these players are also shooting better the 50% from the field and have also added many intangibles that do not go down on the stat sheet. The third senior on the team, Kyle Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.), has also played well for the Panthers this year, as he is second on the team in steals. Head Coach Andrew Novick stated that these three seniors have been "important contributors" so far this season, and they will be crucial to the play of the team for the rest of the season.

A number of the underclassmen have been playing extremely well thus far, as sophomore Petey Skevas (Wethersfield, Conn.) is second on the team in points (with 13.2 points per game) and is also 27 of 28 from the free throw line this year. Anyone who follows basketball at any level knows how crucial free throw shots can be in a tight game, and for the Panthers, having Skevas around will allow them to close games within a handful of points. Other non-seniors that have played well throughout the first couple of games this year include junior Stephan Roberts (Kissimmee, Fla.), who leads the team in steals and blocks, while sophomore center Mark MacGregor (Rochester, N.H.) is the team's leading rebounder. Having various players lead the team in different categories is very beneficial to the Panthers, as opponents aren't able to focus on trying to stop one specific player. As Coach Novick stated, "Having 9 players currently averaging more than 10 minutes per game, we are relying on a number of players to contribute in scoring and rebounding."  The leading scorers so far this season in each individual game include Matt Coultier (Milton, N.H.) (20 points against Rivier), Skevas (15 against Amherst and 24 against Elms), and Chergey (22 against Castleton). This flexibility will bode well for the Panthers as the season moves along, especially when they start playing teams within their conference.

The Panthers have their first conference game against Rhode Island College, who was 6-0 this season as of Wednesday. This will be a huge game for the Panthers, as they will see early on what one of the Little East Conference's best team has to offer. Winning this game will not only give the Panthers their first conference win early in the season, but it will also give them a lot of momentum that they will be able to carry heading into next week's games. As Coach Novick said in regards to the season so far, "It has been an exciting start to the season. I'm pleased with how hard we are competing." This team is going to be a great team to follow as the year goes on, and the Panthers will appreciate it if you come down to Foley Gym at 3:00 P.M. tomorrow afternoon. As Coach Novick said, "Hopefully, we will feed off the enthusiasm of our home crowd."