New-look Mountain Hawks open preseason practice
9/27/2019 11:54:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball team will look significantly different on the floor this season, but with a number of core foundational pieces still in place. With several accomplished returnees leading the way, they look to lead the way for a freshman class of six. The team began preseason practice on Tuesday in Stabler Arena as the Mountain Hawks' program continues to have high expectations for itself heading into 2019-20.
"The start of practice is always an exciting time," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "I love building teams and I love having the opportunity to have these guys work together and start to learn and grow. We have to be really sharp because every practice matters. We only have so many times to get together before our first contest when we'll be tested. We want to make sure we make every rep meaningful."
This group has already developed chemistry, beginning in the summer when most of the roster, including the freshmen, was on campus for the first summer session. Senior Jordan Cohen leads the way among returnees after a third-team All-Patriot League season in 2018-19. Cohen averaged 13.6 points and 3.9 rebounds while adding a team-high 113 assists. Among his highlights was eclipsing 30 points in back-to-back games – vs. Boston University and at Lafayette.
Cohen is also a two-time Academic All-Patriot League honoree, also garnering Academic All-District recognition last season – representing the Mountain Hawks well on and off the court.
"There is a unique profile for this team because there's a variety of different experience levels," said Reed. "We have some guys who have played in a lot of games. We have others who have gotten their feet wet, have gained college experience and now have the confidence to really step forward. And then we have guys who have never played or competed at the college level. It's going to be really important for young guys to learn, and for returning guys to provide mentoring and leadership."
Along with Cohen, another key returnee is junior center James Karnik, who got better and better as last season progressed. Karnik averaged 9.3 points and 6.1 boards on the year, 11.4 and 6.6 in Patriot League play.
"I see my role as someone who's competing and giving my all at all times," said Karnik. "People will be looking up to me vocally – defensively offensively. I want to a person who others can look to during hard moments and when things get tough."
Just two years removed from his first collegiate preseason, Karnik has some advice for first-year players Jakob Alamudun, Andrei Arion, Jake Betlow, Reed Fenton, Evan Taylor and Scott Vollmer.
"Stay engaged and keep an open mind," said Karnik. "You're going to get a lot of new concepts thrown at you and a lot of new information. Keep an open mind, keep learning and be willing to fix your mistakes."
Along with Cohen and Karnik, the Mountain Hawks feature other returnees who have enjoyed tastes of success and could see increased roles in 2019-20. Those include people like junior Marques Wilson and sophomores Jeameril Wilson and Nic Lynch.
No matter who's on the floor for Lehigh men's basketball in a given year, the program wants to stay true to its values.
"It's really important for us to continue living into our values, the areas we think are really important," said Reed. "Ultimately, we value toughness, we value teamwork, we value really being committed and we value being a family. Those things should be on display anytime we hit the floor.
"We'll be very intentional with all our drills and with all our minutes we use in practice," Reed continued. "We'll also be very intentional with our messaging. That consistency, not only from my voice, but also from our assistant coaches who will do a great job, to the leaders of our team, hopefully it continues to echo through and through where we develop the right mindset and the right habits for this year."
Already, Reed is seeing a theme with this group that will serve them well through the rigors of a college basketball season.
"The biggest thing that seems to rise up about our team is they are really coachable," he said. "At this stage, they've had a growth mindset, they've looked to learn, they've looked to improve and they've embraced each other. There are a lot of newcomers in our program and people entering into new roles. Everyone's been really accepting and right now, they are harmonizing pretty well trying to figure out the best way to blend all those talents."
Those talents will be on display when the Mountain Hawks hit the floor for their season opener set for Tuesday, Nov. 5 at home vs. Monmouth. Opening tipoff in Stabler Arena is set for 7 p.m.
Check back to Lehighsports.com, and our social media pages, over the coming weeks for ticket information.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Gallery: (9/27/2019) Men's Basketball Begins Practice
"The start of practice is always an exciting time," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "I love building teams and I love having the opportunity to have these guys work together and start to learn and grow. We have to be really sharp because every practice matters. We only have so many times to get together before our first contest when we'll be tested. We want to make sure we make every rep meaningful."
Bringing the the energy on day ☝🏼 pic.twitter.com/TL7WmAJYxw
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) September 24, 2019
This group has already developed chemistry, beginning in the summer when most of the roster, including the freshmen, was on campus for the first summer session. Senior Jordan Cohen leads the way among returnees after a third-team All-Patriot League season in 2018-19. Cohen averaged 13.6 points and 3.9 rebounds while adding a team-high 113 assists. Among his highlights was eclipsing 30 points in back-to-back games – vs. Boston University and at Lafayette.
Cohen is also a two-time Academic All-Patriot League honoree, also garnering Academic All-District recognition last season – representing the Mountain Hawks well on and off the court.
"There is a unique profile for this team because there's a variety of different experience levels," said Reed. "We have some guys who have played in a lot of games. We have others who have gotten their feet wet, have gained college experience and now have the confidence to really step forward. And then we have guys who have never played or competed at the college level. It's going to be really important for young guys to learn, and for returning guys to provide mentoring and leadership."
Along with Cohen, another key returnee is junior center James Karnik, who got better and better as last season progressed. Karnik averaged 9.3 points and 6.1 boards on the year, 11.4 and 6.6 in Patriot League play.
"I see my role as someone who's competing and giving my all at all times," said Karnik. "People will be looking up to me vocally – defensively offensively. I want to a person who others can look to during hard moments and when things get tough."
Just two years removed from his first collegiate preseason, Karnik has some advice for first-year players Jakob Alamudun, Andrei Arion, Jake Betlow, Reed Fenton, Evan Taylor and Scott Vollmer.
"Stay engaged and keep an open mind," said Karnik. "You're going to get a lot of new concepts thrown at you and a lot of new information. Keep an open mind, keep learning and be willing to fix your mistakes."
Along with Cohen and Karnik, the Mountain Hawks feature other returnees who have enjoyed tastes of success and could see increased roles in 2019-20. Those include people like junior Marques Wilson and sophomores Jeameril Wilson and Nic Lynch.
No matter who's on the floor for Lehigh men's basketball in a given year, the program wants to stay true to its values.
"It's really important for us to continue living into our values, the areas we think are really important," said Reed. "Ultimately, we value toughness, we value teamwork, we value really being committed and we value being a family. Those things should be on display anytime we hit the floor.
"We'll be very intentional with all our drills and with all our minutes we use in practice," Reed continued. "We'll also be very intentional with our messaging. That consistency, not only from my voice, but also from our assistant coaches who will do a great job, to the leaders of our team, hopefully it continues to echo through and through where we develop the right mindset and the right habits for this year."
Already, Reed is seeing a theme with this group that will serve them well through the rigors of a college basketball season.
"The biggest thing that seems to rise up about our team is they are really coachable," he said. "At this stage, they've had a growth mindset, they've looked to learn, they've looked to improve and they've embraced each other. There are a lot of newcomers in our program and people entering into new roles. Everyone's been really accepting and right now, they are harmonizing pretty well trying to figure out the best way to blend all those talents."
Coach @BrettReed's message to the team following practice # 1️⃣ on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/DQ3w9SuPRX
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) September 26, 2019
Those talents will be on display when the Mountain Hawks hit the floor for their season opener set for Tuesday, Nov. 5 at home vs. Monmouth. Opening tipoff in Stabler Arena is set for 7 p.m.
Check back to Lehighsports.com, and our social media pages, over the coming weeks for ticket information.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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