2019-20 Season Review
Signature wins: The Haverford College men's basketball team made its first Centennial Conference Tournament appearance since the 2010-11 season on its way to matching its best finish in Centennial Conference history. Along the way, the Fords also recorded the second most wins in school history. Each of those victories was special in its own way as the 16-10 record was the Fords' first winning mark in nine years.
Some of the notable results include a season-opening 77-72 win against Lebanon Valley to get the season off on a strong note. Haverford closed the month of November by dominating the overtime period against Ursinus in the Centennial Conference opener to the tune of a 94-88 win. The Fords capped the fall semester with a 68-62 victory over a Muhlenberg team that was receiving votes in the national polls entering that final competition of the 2019 calendar year.
During the months of January and February, the Fords completed sweeps against every team that placed fifth through ninth in the Centennial Conference standings with 2-0 marks over the likes of Ursinus, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Washington College, and Gettysburg. It was the 74-59 win at Washington College that officially punched the Fords ticket to the Centennial Conference Tournament.
Season Notes: Haverford has now improved its win total under each of head coach Patrick Doherty's first three seasons, making the playoffs for the first time since the 2010-11 season with 16-10 (11-7 CC) record … Those 16 wins rank second in school history to only to the 1976-77 team (18-8 record) … Haverford's 10-3 record on its home court was the highest home win total in program history … Haverford started its season with nine straight home wins, the second longest home winning streak in program history … The Fords won seven straight games overall from November 23 through January 3, tying for the third-longest winning streak in program history … Haverford's six straight Centennial Conference victories to start the year was the fourth-longest conference winning streak in school history … The Fords sweeps against five of their conference foes marked the first time in a long time in some cases: Dickinson (first sweep since 2009-10 season), Franklin & Marshall (first road win since 1977 and first-ever sweep), Gettysburg (first two sweeps in series history during last two seasons), Ursinus (first sweep since 1997-98), Washington College (12th season sweep in series history) … Haverford's 11-7 record in Centennial Conference play was just one victory shy of the school record set during the 2004-05 and 2006-07 seasons … Haverford earned the three seed in the Centennial Conference Tournament for its highest finish in the conference standings since the Centennial Conference went to a single division starting with the 2003-04 season … Haverford's seven players named to the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll was the most of any men's basketball team in the conference.
Team Awards
- First-team All-Centennial Conference: Jesse Turkson
- Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll: Jack Cork, Stephen Flanders, Justin Heidig, Jonathan Lang, Josh Love, Grayson Roth, Michael Wiper
- Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team: Grayson Roth
- Centennial Conference Player of the Week: Jesse Turkson (12/17 & 1/14)
Looking ahead: Haverford's six member senior class certainly left its mark on the program as it led the Fords to a historic season. Each member of that class was a starter at some point during their career, including three who were regulars in the starting lineup during this year's postseason pursuit. Nevertheless, one of Haverford's greatest strengths was its ability to get contributions from multiple players as nine different players led the team in scoring at least once this season while 11 total had at least one game where they scored 10 or more points. Jesse Turkson headlines those returners as a first-team All-CC performer who was second in the conference in rebounding and seventh in scoring. Jackson Ryan was also a regular starter this past year while first-year Ryan Trotter got the starting nod for the Centennial Conference semifinal game. Nate Torres was third on the team in scoring off the bench while Josh Love's points per 40 minutes ranked among the best in the conference. Add in several others who played significant minutes this year and there are plenty of options to keep the Fords moving forward in the years to come.
2019-20 Season Preview
The Haverford College men's basketball team has improved its win total during both of head coach Patrick Doherty's first two seasons. The Fords won 10 games during the 2018-19 campaign for the program's first double-digit win campaign since 2010-11. Haverford will have to replace a pair of 1,000 point scorers, but has a six-member senior class that will look to lead Haverford's charge up the Centennial Conference standings.
Six different returning players have started at least 19 games for the Fords over their college careers. Five of those players will be entering their senior season looking to leave a lasting impact on the program. Nevertheless, it is junior Jesse Turkson who is the top returning scorer for the Fords as he averaged 10.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Turkson led the Fords and ranked third in the conference with a 55.9% shooting mark from the floor last season while doing a little bit of everything as he also led the team in steals and assists.
Seniors Joe Hartman and Joe Wujciak saw the most time in the starting lineup from their class last season, averaging 6.5 and 5.2 points per game, respectively. Hartman already ranks 17th in program history with 87 three-pointers made through his first three seasons while Wujciak was in the starting lineup for 14 of his 17 appearances last year, seeing an average of nearly 23 minutes per night during that time.
A strong presence in the paint for the Fords will be senior Jack Cork who finished fourth on last year's team with 7.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He made 53.8% of his shots from the field and ranks 13th in school history in blocked shots. He averaged just under one rejection per game a season ago. Jonathan Lang, Grayson Roth, and Michael Wiper give the Fords a number of other options with height to work into the rotation. Lang averaged 12.6 points per game as a sophomore when he started 20 of his 23 appearances and ranks 13th in school history with 93 three-pointers made. Roth and Wiper also averaged just under 10 minutes per night a season ago as strong options off the bench.
Sophomores Stephen Flanders and Josh Love will also look to make a bigger impact on the team with a year of experience under their belts. Love showed great flashes of his potential in 13 games, highlighted by a 14-point effort against Muhlenberg where he went 5-of-8 from the field. Flanders appeared in nine games during his rookie season. Joining the team later in the season will be junior Josh Radin who is currently studying abroad. Radin brings another three-point option that opponents will have to defend against this year.
In addition to the 10 returning players, the Fords will also mix in six new players (four first-years and two transfers) into the team. Sophomore transfer Jackson Ryan joined the Fords from WPI where he played seven games for a team that advanced to the NEWMAC Championship. Fellow sophomore transfer Justin Heidig did not play last winter but joins the Fords from local Penncrest High School after leading that team to back-to-back district championships.
The first-year class continues the emphasis on guard play with Charlie Mamlin, Dhruv Mehrotra, and Ryan Trotter joining forward Nate Torres on the 2019-20 roster. Each member of the incoming first-year class comes from winning traditions at the high school ranks and will look to continue that success on the college stage.
The Fords will play a total of 13 home games throughout the regular season. Men's basketball went 10-15 overall last season (6-12 CC). Those results included the team's first win against Dickinson since 2013 in addition to the first-ever season sweep of Gettysburg and a second consecutive season sweep of McDaniel in Centennial Conference play.