BIG MEN ON CAMPUS
Skidmore opens against former Blue Streaks’ Coach Kevin Hopkins and grad Nick Chudy
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> When any team takes the floor for the first time for the winter season it’s always necessary to have a roster handy. For everyone in the Williamson Center Saturday afternoon for the 4 p.m. contest against visiting Muhlenberg College there will be some familiar faces and a lot of people looking up the names that match several of the new big men on the Thoroughbred’s roster.
“I don’t have a player below 6-2, that’s pretty good,” Skidmore men’s basketball Coach Joe Burke said. “I mean, we’re huge.
“We’re bigger than most division one teams, which is great…if you can play.”
Skidmore returns five of its top six scorers including returning seniors Dakep Yiljep, Jack Byrne, Chase Ta, Charlie Williams and All-America selection and Liberty League Player of the Year Edvinas Rupkus.
It is part of their job on and off the court to bring along 6-foot 7-inch freshman Harrison Eichelberger, 6-10 center Greg Skoric, 6-5 guard/forward Adam DeFranc and 6-8 forward Ryan Murunge.
“I attach my seniors to the freshman and it’s their job because they know me and know what I expect to help bring
them along in a positive, confident way, yet being critical and understanding that this is another level,” Burke said. “This isn’t high school, so they’ve got to be tough on them, but they also got to be able to go home and pat them on the butt and be like, O.K. we can talk about this, we’ll get through it together, but we’re not going to take it easy on you type of thing.”
While Burke has asked his seniors to manage the newcomers, he will have to manage the entire roster for Saturday’s opener and the season. “It’s a little bit about chemistry because of the infusion of three guys that can really play the game joining guys that were experienced and doing really well,” Burke said. “But we’re trying to get to the Final Four and we’re trying to win a national championship, so it’s my job to try and put that team on the court.”
Expect the Williamson Center to be packed Saturday afternoon, not only for fans rooting for the Thoroughbreds, but expect to see quite a few Muhlenberg Mules fans there to see second-year coach and former Saratoga Springs basketball player and eventual coach Matt Hopkins. His roster also includes another familiar Blue Streak in 6-foot 2-inch freshman guard Nick Chudy.
“When he got the job, he always said, ‘You know Coach, I’d love to bring my team up, I’d love to,” Burke said. “I love that stuff. I’m all for it.
“I certainly was open to it and it just so happened that our women’s team was working on a scheduled game. I know it would mean it means a lot to him to bring his team back to where he was from a. So I said, you know, we had an open date and I said, let’s do it.”
Don’t expect any homecourt advantages for Skidmore Saturday afternoon as the Mules, during Hopkins’ first-year averaged 75.1 points per game with its fastpaced offense and shattered the school record for threepointers made in a season (671) and just missed out for a post-season berth in the Centennial Conference.
Both coaches will be focused on scoring points and making in-game line-up decisions in the opener for both squads.
“We expect to win, but this isn’t going to be clean and I know that going in,” Burke said. “I think a lot’s going to depend on how well our upperclassmen are able to compensate for some of the mistakes that will be made by the younger guys and I think my gut tells me that we’re ready to handle that.