Photo by: Clark Boinis
Season Preview: Hungry For More
11/3/2023 1:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The calendar has officially flipped to November, which means that college basketball season is right around the corner. After finishing third in the Patriot League standings last season, Lehigh men's basketball is hungry for more ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
Lehigh was picked to finish in second place in this year's Patriot League preseason poll. Junior guards Keith Higgins Jr. and Tyler Whitney-Sidney both earned spots on the league's Preseason All-League team, solidifying the Mountain Hawks as a team to watch in the Patriot League this year.
Dr. Brett Reed, now entering his 17th season at the helm of Lehigh men's basketball, is no stranger to winning basketball. Teams under Coach Reed's leadership have twice advanced to the NCAA Tournament and have posted a winning record in 11 seasons. However, despite entering the season with high-expectations, Reed says that his approach never falters.
"There really isn't any difference in my approach based on external expectations or perceptions of our program," said Reed. "The reality, is every single year we try to build our team towards championship contention. That's where our aspirations lie, and our program has developed a reasonable level of strength. We continue to have very high expectations of ourselves and strive towards excellence in all we do."
Higgins and Whitney-Sidney return a bulk of the scoring from last year's team, combined accounting for 40% (28.0 ppg) of all Mountain Hawk points in 2022-23. After both took massive leaps in their development as players last season, Reed now expects the pair to take on more prominent leadership roles within the team.
"Over the course of their two years of college basketball, they have improved greatly," said Reed on Higgins and Whitney-Sidney. "They've improved their confidence, they've improved their productivity, and now they're entering a time where their influence on others becomes more magnified. I would expect each of them to grow in their leadership capacity and not only continue the positive steps of their basketball productivity, but now become more mindful about how to lead others and set an example for others to rise to."
Higgins and Whitney-Sidney will be joined by a number of players in a backcourt that Reed believes is the deepest he's had in years. Senior Jalin Sinclair returns after leading the team in assists a year ago. Junior Ben Knostman also provides valuable experience from the point guard position, having started 16 games last season for the brown and white. Senior Jayshen Saigal also returns as a smart, heady, and reliable practice contributor.
"We have more scoring, we have more ball-handling, and we have more decision-making," said Reed. "It starts with Keith and Tyler because they're experienced. But we're really fortunate to also return a little bit of experience in both Jalin Sinclair and Ben Knostman who split time for us at the point guard position last year. They advanced throughout the course of the year and are in a much more solid place this year. That is really promising for our program."
In addition to the veteran leadership that the upperclassmen guards will look to provide, several first-year student-athletes are slated to step into legitimate roles on this year's Lehigh team. Cam Gillus, Nasir Whitlock and Joshua Ingram could all see significant playing time in the backcourt. In addition, sophomore Brendan Reed returns for additional practice depth for the Mountain Hawks.
"One of the biggest things that adds to our depth is the inclusion of three first-years on the perimeter who should all be able to make a fairly significant impact," said Reed. "The combination of Cam Gillus, Nasir Whitlock and Joshua Ingram all provide dynamic playmaking ability, all are advanced for first-years with their basketball IQ, and all currently are stepping into pretty sizable roles thus far in this preseason."
As far as the frontcourt is concerned, Lehigh will rely on a combination of veteran experience and several younger players that are expected to increase their contributions this winter. One name that Reed believes has a chance to shine when given the opportunity is Canadian big man Dominic Parolin, who started 11 games for Lehigh during his junior season last year.
"Last year, Dominic was really one of our only experienced players along the frontcourt, and he ended up providing fairly consistent productivity for us," said Reed. "His game has continued to evolve where he's extended his range and has become more of a perimeter threat. He's much more confident and comfortable in that role, and because he's gained a great deal of game experience, I think he's reading situations and his basketball IQ is improving as well."
Another veteran in Lehigh's frontcourt is senior JT Tan, who is expected to take on an expanded role after dealing with injuries throughout the first few years of his career.
"JT is in the best position to contribute as he's ever been," said Reed. "He's got good footwork around the basket and soft hands."
Sophomore Henri Adiassa is Lehigh's other 'true center' who gained valuable experience as a reserve big last year.
"You add the experience that Henri Adiassa gained [last season], and now instead of being a first-year, he's approaching this as a sophomore," said Reed. "The game is slowing down, and he's becoming a little more fluid in what we're trying to accomplish."
Senior Burke Chebuhar returns for his third year with the Mountain Hawks and despite seeing limited playing time, Reed expects him to provide depth off the bench this season. Other players in the frontcourt group for Lehigh include 6-foot 11-inch sophomore Tommy Conniff and first-year Jake Pike out of Houston, Texas.
After playing in only 17 games last year, sophomore Bube Momah is also primed to contribute at a high-level. Despite playing limited minutes in his first season with Lehigh, Coach Reed has seen significant improvement from the 6-foot 8-inch 235 pound forward both on and off the court this preseason.
"Bube has had a very productive preseason for us, and what he may lack in game experience he makes up for in having a college-ready body and some unique skills," said Reed. "He can legitimately be a reliable scoring threat for us moving forward. I think he's hungry for the opportunity to step into an available role in a pretty significant way."
The Mountain Hawks will face 11 opponents in their non-league schedule, including matchups against Penn State, North Carolina, Providence and Boston College. Lehigh's players will get the chance to compete against some of the best the nation has to offer, an opportunity that Coach Reed says will help the team learn more about themselves and what the team is made of come time for Patriot League play.
"We're playing against a number of very good opponents, including some very noteworthy teams from major conferences. I think in each case, this is a way for us to learn more about ourselves, sometimes within hostile environments and under intense pressure against some of the best players in the country," said Reed. "Not only is that exciting for me, it's also exciting for our student-athletes because they want to compete against the best."
Lehigh is set to host Cornell in its first game of the 2023-24 season on Monday, marking the first home season-opener with fans for the Mountain Hawks since the 2019-20 season. Coach Reed and his team are excited about the chance to open the year in front of the Lehigh faithful for the first time in four years.
"In the few opportunities we have to be at home during our non-league schedule, it becomes critically important that the support is there for our student-athletes," said Reed. "They are excited about being able to compete, and there's nothing more special than being able to do that for our community, our students, and our university because our guys take so much pride in representing Lehigh and all that it stands for."
Monday's game begins at 7:30 p.m. from Stabler Arena as part of a doubleheader with Lehigh women's basketball, who will open their season against East Stroudsburg at 5 p.m. Tickets to both games as well as season ticket packages can be found at Lehigh Ticket Services Central.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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Lehigh was picked to finish in second place in this year's Patriot League preseason poll. Junior guards Keith Higgins Jr. and Tyler Whitney-Sidney both earned spots on the league's Preseason All-League team, solidifying the Mountain Hawks as a team to watch in the Patriot League this year.
Dr. Brett Reed, now entering his 17th season at the helm of Lehigh men's basketball, is no stranger to winning basketball. Teams under Coach Reed's leadership have twice advanced to the NCAA Tournament and have posted a winning record in 11 seasons. However, despite entering the season with high-expectations, Reed says that his approach never falters.
"There really isn't any difference in my approach based on external expectations or perceptions of our program," said Reed. "The reality, is every single year we try to build our team towards championship contention. That's where our aspirations lie, and our program has developed a reasonable level of strength. We continue to have very high expectations of ourselves and strive towards excellence in all we do."
Higgins and Whitney-Sidney return a bulk of the scoring from last year's team, combined accounting for 40% (28.0 ppg) of all Mountain Hawk points in 2022-23. After both took massive leaps in their development as players last season, Reed now expects the pair to take on more prominent leadership roles within the team.
"Over the course of their two years of college basketball, they have improved greatly," said Reed on Higgins and Whitney-Sidney. "They've improved their confidence, they've improved their productivity, and now they're entering a time where their influence on others becomes more magnified. I would expect each of them to grow in their leadership capacity and not only continue the positive steps of their basketball productivity, but now become more mindful about how to lead others and set an example for others to rise to."
Higgins and Whitney-Sidney will be joined by a number of players in a backcourt that Reed believes is the deepest he's had in years. Senior Jalin Sinclair returns after leading the team in assists a year ago. Junior Ben Knostman also provides valuable experience from the point guard position, having started 16 games last season for the brown and white. Senior Jayshen Saigal also returns as a smart, heady, and reliable practice contributor.
"We have more scoring, we have more ball-handling, and we have more decision-making," said Reed. "It starts with Keith and Tyler because they're experienced. But we're really fortunate to also return a little bit of experience in both Jalin Sinclair and Ben Knostman who split time for us at the point guard position last year. They advanced throughout the course of the year and are in a much more solid place this year. That is really promising for our program."
In addition to the veteran leadership that the upperclassmen guards will look to provide, several first-year student-athletes are slated to step into legitimate roles on this year's Lehigh team. Cam Gillus, Nasir Whitlock and Joshua Ingram could all see significant playing time in the backcourt. In addition, sophomore Brendan Reed returns for additional practice depth for the Mountain Hawks.
"One of the biggest things that adds to our depth is the inclusion of three first-years on the perimeter who should all be able to make a fairly significant impact," said Reed. "The combination of Cam Gillus, Nasir Whitlock and Joshua Ingram all provide dynamic playmaking ability, all are advanced for first-years with their basketball IQ, and all currently are stepping into pretty sizable roles thus far in this preseason."
As far as the frontcourt is concerned, Lehigh will rely on a combination of veteran experience and several younger players that are expected to increase their contributions this winter. One name that Reed believes has a chance to shine when given the opportunity is Canadian big man Dominic Parolin, who started 11 games for Lehigh during his junior season last year.
"Last year, Dominic was really one of our only experienced players along the frontcourt, and he ended up providing fairly consistent productivity for us," said Reed. "His game has continued to evolve where he's extended his range and has become more of a perimeter threat. He's much more confident and comfortable in that role, and because he's gained a great deal of game experience, I think he's reading situations and his basketball IQ is improving as well."
Another veteran in Lehigh's frontcourt is senior JT Tan, who is expected to take on an expanded role after dealing with injuries throughout the first few years of his career.
"JT is in the best position to contribute as he's ever been," said Reed. "He's got good footwork around the basket and soft hands."
Sophomore Henri Adiassa is Lehigh's other 'true center' who gained valuable experience as a reserve big last year.
"You add the experience that Henri Adiassa gained [last season], and now instead of being a first-year, he's approaching this as a sophomore," said Reed. "The game is slowing down, and he's becoming a little more fluid in what we're trying to accomplish."
Senior Burke Chebuhar returns for his third year with the Mountain Hawks and despite seeing limited playing time, Reed expects him to provide depth off the bench this season. Other players in the frontcourt group for Lehigh include 6-foot 11-inch sophomore Tommy Conniff and first-year Jake Pike out of Houston, Texas.
After playing in only 17 games last year, sophomore Bube Momah is also primed to contribute at a high-level. Despite playing limited minutes in his first season with Lehigh, Coach Reed has seen significant improvement from the 6-foot 8-inch 235 pound forward both on and off the court this preseason.
"Bube has had a very productive preseason for us, and what he may lack in game experience he makes up for in having a college-ready body and some unique skills," said Reed. "He can legitimately be a reliable scoring threat for us moving forward. I think he's hungry for the opportunity to step into an available role in a pretty significant way."
The Mountain Hawks will face 11 opponents in their non-league schedule, including matchups against Penn State, North Carolina, Providence and Boston College. Lehigh's players will get the chance to compete against some of the best the nation has to offer, an opportunity that Coach Reed says will help the team learn more about themselves and what the team is made of come time for Patriot League play.
"We're playing against a number of very good opponents, including some very noteworthy teams from major conferences. I think in each case, this is a way for us to learn more about ourselves, sometimes within hostile environments and under intense pressure against some of the best players in the country," said Reed. "Not only is that exciting for me, it's also exciting for our student-athletes because they want to compete against the best."
Lehigh is set to host Cornell in its first game of the 2023-24 season on Monday, marking the first home season-opener with fans for the Mountain Hawks since the 2019-20 season. Coach Reed and his team are excited about the chance to open the year in front of the Lehigh faithful for the first time in four years.
"In the few opportunities we have to be at home during our non-league schedule, it becomes critically important that the support is there for our student-athletes," said Reed. "They are excited about being able to compete, and there's nothing more special than being able to do that for our community, our students, and our university because our guys take so much pride in representing Lehigh and all that it stands for."
Monday's game begins at 7:30 p.m. from Stabler Arena as part of a doubleheader with Lehigh women's basketball, who will open their season against East Stroudsburg at 5 p.m. Tickets to both games as well as season ticket packages can be found at Lehigh Ticket Services Central.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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