Midshipmen hoping to keep streaks alive against archrivals
Ed DeChellis has a logical explanation for whytheroadteamhaswonsixstraightgames in the Army-Navy men’s basketball series.
“I think the reason is that there is a lot of noise on campus about the game and there is a lot of pressure on the home team,” Navy’s eighth-year coach said.
That may be true on the men’s side, but the recent Army-Navy history on the women’s side is even more surprising. Navy has a five-game winning streak against Army, sweeping the season series in both 2017 and 2018 while also capturing a matchup in the Patriot League Tournament two seasons ago.
“Seniors tend to play big in this game. Maybe we’ve just had better seniors the last couple seasons,” said Navy coach Stefanie Pemper, who had Sarita Condie and Justice Swett leading the way in 2017 then Hannah Fenske and Taylor Dunham doing so in 2018.
DeChellis and Pemper hope both trends continue on Saturday when the Army-Navy basketball doubleheader is held in West Point. Navy’s men are seeking a fourth straight win at raucous Christl Arena while the women are looking to extend their hex over the archrival to six consecutive contests.
Army (8-10 overall, 3-2 in Patriot League) brings a much more experienced club to the men’s matchup with four returning starters and several other players that were valuable contributors a year ago. Point guard Tommy Funk, wing guard Jordan Fox, swingman Jacob Kessler and center Matt Wilson started all 30 games last season while Alex King saw significant action as the sixth man.
“Army is a very veteran team, a really solid basketball team,” DeChellis said. “Youturn on the tape and they have a strong inside game that is complemented by good perimeter shooting.”
Meanwhile, Navy (6-10, 3-2) will have numerous key players making their ArmyNavy game debut, including freshman starter John Carter Jr. Five other members of the regular rotation have never experienced the rivalry.
TV:
Radio:
“We have several youngsters who are good players, but haven’t been in this game before. They haven’t played in this atmosphere,” DeChellis said. “So it’s going to take some time for them to get their legs under them. We need those young guys to be ready emotionally and to play under control.” Navy will have its hands full with the 6-foot-9, 245-pound Wilson, whois averaging team-highs of 14.2 points and 8.2 rebounds. Junior forward Evan Wieck (6-8, 235) will get the initial defensive assignment on Wilson with backups Luke Loehr and Richard Njoku helping out.
“Wilson is a really strong kid who posts up hard and can score with his back to the basket,” DeChellis said. “He’s a load, but you have to fight him in there and push him out of the paint.”
Funk is both playmaker and scorer for the Black Knights, averaging 11.9 points and a team-best 6.2 assists. The 6-foot junior captain is coming off a 25-point outburst against Colgate, making 9 of 12 field goals to lead Army to a 91-81 victory.
“I think the guy who makes the whole team go is Funk. He’s a really dynamic player who makes everyone else better,” DeChellis said. “(Funk) is very effective at getting into the seams and creating for others. Our guards need to find a way to keep Funk in front of them.”
Fortunately, Navy has one of the top defensive point guards in the Patriot League in Hasan Abdullah, who ranks third in the Patriot League with1.8 steals per game.
Navy is coming off a gutsy road game at Lafayette, making 9 of 12 free throws in the final three minutes to pull out an 85-77 triumph. Carter, a 6-foot-4 wing, scored a career-high 18 points while the Midshipmen tied a season-high by draining nine 3pointers.
“John Carter was big for us in that game. He found his rhythm and made some shots,” DeChellis said. “We took turns in the second half making big baskets. Hopefully, we gain some confidence from seeing the ball go through the net.”