2012-2013 Men's Basketball Preview

The Plymouth State men's basketball team kicks off a new season this weekend, looking to rebound after a 9-16 season and a 1^st round exit in the LEC tournament. The Panthers will travel to Bridgewater State University for the BSU Tip-Off classic to face the host Bears on Friday at 5:30. If Plymouth wins, they'll face the winner of Becker College and Springfield College in a championship game matchup Saturday at 3:00 p.m.

After playing four more road games, the Panthers will finally make their home debut on December 4^th against Tufts University at Foley Gymnasium.  The team will play a total of 25 regular season contests, including 14 games within the Little East Conference. The winner of the LEC tournament wins an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Coach Andrew Novick hopes that a combination of nine returning veterans and seven new comers will be able to come together and bring their strong preseason play into the regular season. "The guys have been playing with great enthusiasm," said Novick. "They're communicating better on the floor, and they're competing harder in drills. They're bonding as a team and we're headed in the right direction."

Among the returning players, the Panthers will rely heavily on junior Mark MacGregor. The second year center, who started 20 of his first 25 games, echoed his coach's thoughts: "We have a lot of talent this year, but the key is we all have to play together." He continued: "Coach Novick has drilled into us that the only way we can be successful this year is if we do three things: play hard, play smart, and play together, and I think the whole team is buying into that philosophy."

MacGregor burst onto the scene last year thanks in part to his role as an enforcer and a defensive presence. However, he too hopes to make big strides this season: "I fee like I've come back stronger and have a better understanding of what I need to do to be effective. I've improved on my touch around the basket as well, and just want to do anything it takes to win games."

Also leading the way for Plymouth will be junior guard Petey Skevas, who lead the team in scoring and assists a year ago. Senior Kevin Eisenberg and junior Alex Burt, who returns after missing a year, will join Skevas in the backcourt. Eisenberg saw little action last season following his transfer from Castleton State College, but looks to be a key contributor heading into the season. Other veterans who should see big minutes this season are seniors Matt Cloutier and Stephan Roberts, as well as junior Sheldon Benson.

MacGregor will be joined in the frontcourt by incoming freshman forward Uche Nwokeji, who is expected to be the Panthers' top newcomer. First year players Nick Moll and Dante Ramos will also be looking to provide an important spark at forward off of the bench.

The team has set high expectations for themselves, and MacGregor believes they have a coach in Novick who can do the job: "Now that we're all comfortable in coach's system, we can start on a lot more things that we can do with our team, and the capabilities of this team can be endless."

After having just one winning season in the past six years, Plymouth has a strong core of returning players and exciting newcomers that should translate to success. Provided they can play hard, play smart, and play together, hopes for a return to the postseason are as strong as ever.

You can follow live scoring updates from every basketball home came by following The Clock's twitter at: @ClockNewspaper. Also, look for recaps on all Plymouth State sporting events by visiting theclockonline.com