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November 12, 2017
Graham Sims' 2017/18 Lafayette team might begin the season with a starting five that contains only one player who started the last game of the season before.
The only sure thing is center Samuel Davis. The 6'11" junior is not known for his scoring, but he is an elite rim protector. He's on pace to end his career as the Patriot League's all-time leading shot blocker.
Davis made the All-Conference first team, and so did forward Otis Hall. Sophomore Otis was the team's leading rebounder last year (7.7 RPG), but he might find himself coming off the bench this season.
His classmate Daniel Warnock, the Patriot League's Freshman of the Year, will probably be Sims' choice to start at small forward. He's the team's leading returning scorer (11.2 PPG last season).
Ordinarily Hall and Warnock would both be automatic starters, but the presence of redshirt freshman Todd DeHaven complicates matters in a very pleasant manner. The Philadelphia product combines a scorer's mentality with the ruggedness to play defense and rebound well. The AI's depth chart includes DeHaven at the four, and Warnock at the three.
The graduation of Alvaro Kinard and the departure of Joe Lien will require Sims to employ a new backcourt pair. Junior Richard Leak will be the starting point guard. Richard is a facilitator who distributes the ball and takes good care of it.
The shooting guard will be sophomore Jack Senn or freshman Tim Hutchinson. Senn is understandably the more polished player, and he's the superior defender. Hutchinson might have more upside, and he is better at creating his own shots. They're both good shooters, and they'll both play a lot.
These seven players will make up the core of the Lafayette rotation. Behind them, a group consisting of guards Justin Judkins and Jamie Kelso and bigs Johnathan Blouin, Raleigh McGinty, and James Standard will compete for court time. Senior Judkins has been productive in a reserve role before.
The Lafayette roster has been almost completely transformed over the past two seasons. That could be a good thing, but the Leopards posted a 55-13 record over those years. They went 26-2 in league play, won the Patriot League twice, and earned two NCAA tournament berths. Indeed, over the past four years or so, Lafayette has earned a reputation as one of the country's toughest mid-major teams. Can Sims and his staff guide this leap of Leopards to similar heights?
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