Despite the overarching theme of what the team has lost around Elon University men’s basketball , there’s a wealth of productive guard play returning in the 2014-2015 season.
Three guards who started at least 10 games a year ago and two freshmen who could be looked to for big roles will join an Elon team that lost four 1,000-point scorers to graduation.
Three-point specialist junior Tanner Samson leads the pack after averaging 9.4 points per game. He sank the third-most 3-pointers in school history (79) and shot 43.4 percent from long range.
Joining him at the off-guard position is senior Kevin Blake, known for his treacherous takes to the rim despite his short stature (listed at a generous 6 feet, 3 inches). Elon went 7-3 in the 10 games Blake started last season.
Senior Austin Hamilton will assume the point guard position after averaging 6.2 points per game while making 21 starts a year ago.
“We have a lot of quickness at guard, I think more than we had last year,” said senior forward Ryan Winters. “We’re deep. We have a lot of guards that will be able to play this year, including some of the freshmen. We’re going to be able to pressure the ball, get up in people’s faces and make them make mistakes.”
Hamilton said he feels more of a leadership role now that he’s a senior and a captain, but the experience with playing point guard gives him some familiarity with it. There’s also lots of chemistry among the three returners.
Samson, Blake and Hamilton each ranked among Elon’s top five in steals last season, combining for 67.
“On the defensive end, we’ll definitely pressure the ball more,” Hamilton said. “We’ll look to trap, full-court, half-court. We’ve got so many athletes that can fly around and get steals and run-out dunks.”
Elon also returns sophomore guard Luke Eddy, who appeared in 22 games last year. His 23-point performance against Canisius College Nov. 19 was the highlight of his campaign.
New to the Phoenix are freshmen Dmitri Thompson and Elijah Bryant, both of whom come off impressive prep careers. Elon head coach Matt Matheny said both will be seeing considerable playing time early in the season.
“The depth on this team is a great thing to have,” Blake said. “Having a lot of bodies is always great. Competing for a spot is always great. You know you’re going to have someone play their best in practice because they’re competing with someone.”
As for how Matheny will manage the depth, he’s not quite sure yet.
“I’m not sure how it’s going to play out,” Matheny said. “It’s a good challenge to have. I do think we have great depth in our guards. College basketball is a guard game. I think we have a lot of weapons.”
On the contrary, Elon has a lot of work to do in the frontcourt. The Phoenix returns three forwards, Winters, junior Tony Sabato and sophomore Brian Dawkins, but they combine for just one start.
Elon’s guards will have to drive more often and contend for rebounds on every play.
“We don’t have Jesse Branson,” Matheny said, referencing Elon’s all-time leading rebounder. “We have to rebound as a team. Guards have to stick their nose in. Guard rebounds ignite the break. This team will have to rely on guard rebounds.”
The Phoenix is sticking to its motion offense with an emphasis on increasing its speed, thanks to the depth it has. Don’t be surprised to see some three-guard sets, even with the two freshmen, on the court at any given time.
“We can really run this year,” Samson said. “With a lot of subs on the bench and a lot of good players that can play a lot of minutes, we’ll be running as hard as we can. Pushing the ball will be a lot of fun.”