Statesmen and Herons Open Season
16 November 2018 Statesmen and Herons Open Season
The Hobart and William Smith basketball teams are back for the season. Hobarts 109th varsity season begins on Friday, Nov. 16 when the Statesmen take on Stevens in the first round of the Franklin & Marshall tipoff tournament. On Saturday Nov. 10, the William Smith basketball team opened its 48th season at SUNY Geneseo. The Herons will be back on the court on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at the University of Rochester. Tipoff at the Palestra is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Hobart returns all five starters from last seasons 21-5 team. The Statesmen went 16-2 in conference play to finish atop the league standings and entered the Liberty League Tournament as the No. 1 seed. Hobart was upset in the tournament semifinals and was left out of the 64-team NCAA tournament field.
Head Coach Tim Sweeney has compiled a 67-37 (.644) record through his first four seasons at Hobart. The 19th man to lead the Statesmen, he ranks sixth in career wins (two behind No. 5 Izzi Metz 98) and second in career winning percentage behind only his mentor and predecessor Mike Neer. Colin Dougherty 18 and Jamal Lucas 18 will lead the Statesmen this season.
In Saturdays William Smith game against SUNY Geneseo, the host Knights closed the game with a 67-63 win, but several Herons stood out as valuable players in the close game. Forward Mia Morrison 18 scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Herons on Saturday. Juliana Gamboa 21 joined Morrison in double figures, finishing with 14 points. Guard Stavriana Dimitrakopoulou 21 made three 3-pointers and finished with nine points. Forward Amy Dooley 22 grabbed a team-high six rebounds and scored six points in her collegiate debut.
Head Coach Lindsay Sharman begins her 14th season with the Herons with a roster that returns four of five starters plus three other veteran players with experience in the starting lineup from last season. She also added five members of the Class of 2022, giving William Smith an infusion of talent and depth.