The Lehigh men's basketball team looks different in 2019-20, but expectations remain the same – competing for a championship.
These Mountain Hawks feature a strong mix of veteran starters, returnees who have enjoyed success at the collegiate level and talented freshmen.
More important than any individual student-athlete is the collective team, which has already meshed well this preseason.
"It's been fun to take this journey with this group of young men thus far," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "They've had a great attitude and worked really hard. They've been a joy to be in the gym with because they're coachable and they don't have a fixed mindset, but rather an open, growth mindset.
"Our returning players have done a good job mentoring, supporting and working with our newcomers. That combination of youthful enthusiasm, as well as grounded production, makes us optimistic and excited heading into the year."
GUARDS
Leading the Mountain Hawks' returnees is senior guard Jordan Cohen, a third team All-Patriot League honoree last season. He averaged 13.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest, while dishing 113 assists.
Cohen's breakout moment came when he eclipsed 30 points in back-to-back games, vs. Boston University and at Lafayette, earning Patriot League Player of the Week.
Jordan Cohen absolutely TOOK OVER down the stretch at Lafayette last night. Scored 21 of Lehigh's final 30 points, all in an eight-minute stretch of game action in one of the most dominant stretches of basketball you may ever see anywhere at any level 🔥🏀🔥 pic.twitter.com/fAtcbdP5iT
"This is a young man who's had a lot of college experience and has played at a high level," said Reed. "Being a senior, we anticipate he's going to step into a prominent role for our team and we believe he has the talent to significantly impact this season."
A pair of freshmen look to contribute in the backcourt in Jake Betlow out of Fair Hills, New Jersey and Andrei Arion out of Bucharest, Romania.
"Jake and Andrei both bring a different style to the position," said Reed. "Jake is an athletic, electric, shooting type of guard while Andrei brings a European flare to his game and strong court vision for the position."
WINGS
Lehigh features a lot of versatility between its positions, with guards being able to move to the wing and vice versa.
A veteran among the Mountain Hawks' wings is junior Marques Wilson, who as a freshman, started the final 10 games of the regular season. He was a key reason for Lehigh ending that regular season on an eight-game winning streak and in that run, Wilson scored a career-high 28 points at Colgate on 9-of-10 shooting.
"Marques has demonstrated some really strong spurts for our program," said Reed. "At times, he's shown he can be one of the top guards in the league. He comes into the season with a reasonable amount of experience, a strong body, a good skill set and also possesses a high basketball IQ. I would look for him to continue taking steps forward with his game and hopefully be somebody we rely heavily on throughout the course of the season."
Two other freshmen enter with strong potential on the wing in Reed Fenton from Latrobe, Pennsylvania and Evan Taylor out of Glenn Ellyn, Illinois.
"Reed is a rangy athlete who is not only explosive and elevates quickly, but also has a skill set that's really solid," said Reed. "He can shoot the ball from the perimeter, gets off his mid-range shot very well and has demonstrated a knack for getting deflections due to his length and athleticism. Thus far in practice, he has done an excellent job defensively and he's shown he's a competitor.
"Evan is one of our taller and longer wings we've had in our recent history," Reed continued. "With his 6-foot-6 frame, he can impact the game in a variety of ways. He has defensive range and length, and very good feet to be a strong lockdown candidate for our defense. He rebounds the ball well for a perimeter position and scores in a variety of ways because he's so multidimensional. He has an ability to finish at the rim, get to his mid-range and also shoot the perimeter 3-point shot with pretty solid accuracy."
Another versatile player is sophomore Jeameril Wilson, who can play (and be successful) both inside and out.
Last season, Wilson played in all 31 games and averaged 4.8 points and 2.6 rebounds. He was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week in early November while later in the year, he scored a career-high 17 points at American. He didn't shoot a lot of 3-pointers last season, but when he did, he sunk 9-of-18.
"Jeameril could float between positions as well," said Reed. "We saw that last year when he moved out on the perimeter at times. This allowed him to use his athleticism and size to create some matchup advantages and give us a little bit more athleticism on the perimeter. He has the ability to slide between the four and the wing at multiple points throughout the season."
The same versatility could be said for freshman Jakob Alamudun out of Huntington, California.
"Jakob is a strong, powerful forward who also had experiences playing as a primary ball handler at the high school level," said Reed. "He's got a knack for scoring and creates mismatch problems for the defense. He's probably in the best shape of his life and has attacked this preseason and established himself."
Also providing support at the wing is senior walk-on David Roelke.
"David has done a great job in the classroom and he's had a wonderful spirit and energy this year," said Reed. "He's a good shooter and hard worker, who is able to support us in practice and help make his teammates better."
FORWARDS/CENTERS
Senior Ed Porter returns as a forward who could also slide to center if the Mountain Hawks play a small lineup. Porter made his season debut last January, after returning from injury vs. American, and made his presence felt. Providing energy off the bench, he also produced. In 16 games last season, Porter missed just three total shots, hitting 13-of-16 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line.
"Ed is returning from shoulder surgery as he was hobbled throughout most of this last season," said Reed. "We always welcome his great energy. Ed is the type of player who really impacts the game in a lot of subtle ways. He's an excellent communicator and plays very hard. He's been an efficient scorer for us in the touches he's gotten. He helps solidify our depth in the front court, whether it's playing forward or potentially sliding to the post in a smaller lineup."
Junior James Karnik leads the way at center after continually improving over his first two seasons. Starting from day one as a Mountain Hawk, Karnik averaged 7.1 points and 6.5 rebounds as a freshman, then 9.3 points and 6.1 boards as a sophomore (including 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in Patriot League play).
"James returns with two very solid, productive years of experience under his belt," said Reed. "He's always brought his lunch pale and plays with great passion and energy. As he's progressed, he's also improved his skill level and his ability to be a scoring threat. He should take on more of a prominent role now that he's an upperclassman."
Another returnee at center is sophomore Nic Lynch, who posted three double-doubles last season, and was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week following his first two collegiate games. When all was said and done, Lynch averaged 3.8 points and 3.3 boards during his rookie campaign.
"Nic showed unbelievable flashes and has great promise," said Reed. "There were times when he was really dominant. Now that he has a year of college experience under his belt, our hope is he'll be able to continue taking strides and impacting the game, partially with his physical dominance and size for his position, but also with his scoring touch."
Freshman Scott Vollmer out of Wilton, Connecticut looks to provide depth at center.
"Scott adds support for our program, primarily in practice and a backup role," said Reed. "He's a young man who's adjusting to the college game, but has shown significant improvements even since the start of our first practice."
Despite not being able to see the floor, senior center Jack Lieb has still played an important role in the program.
"Jack will not be available for us in practice or games, but he has really made his presence felt with his mentoring and leadership of teammates," said Reed. "I'm really proud of Jack because he has dealt with injuries, but has done so with a great deal of character and determination, enough so that his teammates helped make him a co-captain this year (along with Cohen and Karnik)."
Lehigh's 2019-20 captains - Cohen, Lieb and Karnik
OUTLOOK
With a new season naturally brings new excitement.
So far, a theme with the 2019-20 Mountain Hawks has been energy. Whether it's returnees seeing increased roles and responsibilities, or freshmen looking to make strong first impressions, this group has already left it all on the court.
"I believe we feature greater length and athleticism than what we've had over the last couple years," said Reed. "That should help us defensively. Our team has shown a pretty strong commitment to a lot of the intangible elements of the game that will help us be successful, like finishing the possession with a defensive rebound, hustling for a loose ball or sliding over and helping a teammate when needed. They've done so with great energy and they've been a fun group to be around."
An obvious question is who replaces the scoring lost, most notably Lance Tejada (14.5 points per game), Kyle Leufroy (13.8) and Pat Andree (12.9).
"We have players who've shown they can score the basketball," said Reed. "It's our hope that each of our guys will continue to take a step forward and be able to take on a more prominent scoring load as we advance throughout the season. We believe our mixture of upperclassmen who have court experience, younger guys who have been productive in their first year or two of college basketball, and newcomers who are hungry and demonstrate a pretty solid baseline talent should make for an interesting and enjoyable year."
The newcomers have come in with a strong mindset and mentality, which has already enhanced the team culture and dynamic.
"The freshmen have been really eager to fit in," said Reed. "By fitting in, I mean they have embraced a lot of the values we like to see. They work hard, they've been coachable and they've been good teammates. Each of them will contribute in their own ways. Some will be in practice, some will be as rotational players and some will be guys we may count on a great deal. The good thing is, I believe they're all ready to help the team in any way that might be needed as we progress."
As the Mountain Hawks progress, they have every expectation to learn, grow and compete, aiming to be in championship contention come March.
"Lehigh basketball has been recognized as an upper-echelon team in the Patriot League, year in and year out," said Reed. "We don't have any plans on changing that. We have some new faces, but I believe this team – if they continue to demonstrate the energy level, positive attitude and commitment to a lot of the small things that touch winning – may end up surprising some people."
