Lehigh University Athletics
Photo by: Justin Lafleur
Growth and Development Abundant Early in Preseason Practice
10/15/2021 1:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Just over two weeks into preseason practice, the Lehigh men's basketball team continues to grow as not only individual players, but most importantly, a collective team. The Mountain Hawks return the majority of their roster from last season's COVID-shortened campaign, which saw a number of highlight moments, but not the success the program is accustomed to. Lehigh is out to change that in 2021-22.Â
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"Big picture, we're seeing growth and development [this preseason]," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "We're trying to establish ourselves and some of the things that are going to be important for us to be able to win. Obviously, not having a preseason to speak of last year, this is a far cry. So the expectations are higher. Our guys need to be able to learn what we're doing and apply it on a consistent basis. We're starting to develop some of those habits."
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Lehigh began last season in thrilling fashion, with a last-second overtime victory over Lafayette which saw Marques Wilson hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer. The season also featured back-to-back victories at Holy Cross on consecutive days and a hard-fought win at eventual league finalist Loyola.
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There's a belief within the program that these Mountain Hawks are capable of big things. Look no further than Wilson returning to Lehigh for graduate school and his fifth year of eligibility.
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"Now, we have guys who have actually done it at the college level," Reed continued. "They haven't done it as well as we'd like them to do, but at least they have some experience to be able to draw from. Now, there's more of a fresh start and an opportunity for them to show what they really are as players."
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Not only is talent abundant, but also plenty of chemistry.
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"I'm seeing a lot of cohesiveness," said junior Evan Taylor, who had three double-doubles in a four-game stretch last season. "It feels great to get right back at it with a lot of our old teammates. We know how to play with one another. Now, we just have to integrate with new freshmen, who have done such a great job listening and continuing to learn every single day. They've been a pleasure to work with."
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That freshmen class includes Burke Chebuhar, Keith Higgins Jr., Ben Knostman and Tyler Whitney-Sidney. Showing them the way are plenty of veteran players with experience, who are continuing to grow as leaders.
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"We've got some guys who've done a good job of showing leadership out on the court," said Reed. "We want to continue to see that leadership grow. We want to see a team that's really unified and a team that's focused on trying to bring the spirit and energy we need to see every single day. We've got a lot of guys who are made of the right things and have the right character elements. Now, it's just a matter of having that leadership emerge within our program."
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The Mountain Hawks should be a fun team to watch – sacrificing for the betterment of the team – while wearing the Brown and White and representing Lehigh University with tremendous pride.
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"I think our identity is going to be toughness in terms of having a lot of guys who are really willing to work hard," said Taylor. "We're excited to be here and we really want to prove ourselves this year. Our team is a lot of fun to be around and a joy to work with every day."
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The Mountain Hawks open their season on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at Rutgers with the home opener set for Saturday, Nov. 13 against NJIT.
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Season tickets are now on sale; click here to purchase.
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Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
ÂGallery: (10-15-2021) 2021 Men's Basketball Preseason Practice
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"Big picture, we're seeing growth and development [this preseason]," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "We're trying to establish ourselves and some of the things that are going to be important for us to be able to win. Obviously, not having a preseason to speak of last year, this is a far cry. So the expectations are higher. Our guys need to be able to learn what we're doing and apply it on a consistent basis. We're starting to develop some of those habits."
Â
Lehigh began last season in thrilling fashion, with a last-second overtime victory over Lafayette which saw Marques Wilson hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer. The season also featured back-to-back victories at Holy Cross on consecutive days and a hard-fought win at eventual league finalist Loyola.
Â
There's a belief within the program that these Mountain Hawks are capable of big things. Look no further than Wilson returning to Lehigh for graduate school and his fifth year of eligibility.
"We've got enough guys now who have played college basketball," said Reed. "They have seen a variety of different seasons and I think they're really focused and ready to attack this year. Two years ago, we were a little bit inexperienced and a lot of new roles needed to be formed.Here's what Marques Wilson (@_M_W_II) had to say before today's first practice of 2021-22! pic.twitter.com/Fl8hclTy84
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) September 29, 2021
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"Now, we have guys who have actually done it at the college level," Reed continued. "They haven't done it as well as we'd like them to do, but at least they have some experience to be able to draw from. Now, there's more of a fresh start and an opportunity for them to show what they really are as players."
Â
Not only is talent abundant, but also plenty of chemistry.
Â
"I'm seeing a lot of cohesiveness," said junior Evan Taylor, who had three double-doubles in a four-game stretch last season. "It feels great to get right back at it with a lot of our old teammates. We know how to play with one another. Now, we just have to integrate with new freshmen, who have done such a great job listening and continuing to learn every single day. They've been a pleasure to work with."
Â
That freshmen class includes Burke Chebuhar, Keith Higgins Jr., Ben Knostman and Tyler Whitney-Sidney. Showing them the way are plenty of veteran players with experience, who are continuing to grow as leaders.
Â
"We've got some guys who've done a good job of showing leadership out on the court," said Reed. "We want to continue to see that leadership grow. We want to see a team that's really unified and a team that's focused on trying to bring the spirit and energy we need to see every single day. We've got a lot of guys who are made of the right things and have the right character elements. Now, it's just a matter of having that leadership emerge within our program."
Â
The Mountain Hawks should be a fun team to watch – sacrificing for the betterment of the team – while wearing the Brown and White and representing Lehigh University with tremendous pride.
Â
"I think our identity is going to be toughness in terms of having a lot of guys who are really willing to work hard," said Taylor. "We're excited to be here and we really want to prove ourselves this year. Our team is a lot of fun to be around and a joy to work with every day."
Â
The Mountain Hawks open their season on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at Rutgers with the home opener set for Saturday, Nov. 13 against NJIT.
Â
Season tickets are now on sale; click here to purchase.
Â
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Â
We caught up with head coach @BrettReed before practice yesterday about how preseason practice is going so far! pic.twitter.com/QjW9iisbtq
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) October 13, 2021
Also caught up with Evan Taylor about how practice has been going now a couple weeks in! pic.twitter.com/4uj598rXrU
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) October 13, 2021
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