The Whitman men’s basketball team fell just short of its first winning season in more than a decade, falling to Linfield College 74-70 on Friday, Feb. 19, in McMinnville, Ore. to close the 2009/2010 season. The loss dropped the Missionaries’ record to 12-13, a three-game improvement over last year that shows a definite step forward for the young team.
Whitman played with focus and fire in their last game despite their elimination from playoff contention following their Feb. 16 loss to seventh-ranked Whitworth University. Whitman, as they’ve done all year, showcased a youthful core that will lose only two seniors: guard Jordan Wheeler and forward Jordan Brandon.
“We’re are losing two great seniors in Brandon and Jordan,” said Head Coach Eric Bridgeland. “We will miss them. They have been great leaders.”
However, the Missionaries’ young legs couldn’t keep up with senior Wildcat Cody Tesoro, who scored 25 of his 30 points in the first half, including 12 of Linfield’s first 16 points. He would finish 6-7 from the three-point line in his second-to-last home game.
Whitman trailed by 13 in the first half before reducing the deficit to five at halftime. When play recommenced Linfield proceeded to stretch its lead to 12. As the fourth quarter began, Whitman’s youth movement needed to step up.
Led by first-year LuQuam Thompson’s 18 points and sophomore David Michaels’ double-double, the Missionaries surged back into contention, pulling within two points with three minutes left. It seemed as though the Missonaries might be able to sneak past the Wildcats, but the free throw line failed to live up to its “charity stripe” nickname as Linfield iced the game with foul shots.
The win brought the Wildcats’ conference record to 10-5 (12-11 overall) and insured them second place in the Northwest Conference. Whitman finished 6-9 in the NWC: good enough for sixth place, the same position they finished in last year.
The Missionaries’ roller coaster season saw a five-game winning streak at the beginning of the season, a five-game losing streak at the end of the season and very few dull moments in between. For example, sophomore Brandon Shaw: who led the team in scoring: and first-year Drew Raher, both major contributors against Linfield, were forced to cheer on their teammates from the stands during last week’s game against Whitworth after an on-court altercation with the University of Puget Sound Feb. 13.
The Missionaries know that they aren’t the OKC Thunder yet, but spirits run high when the team looks to the future. Second-year coach Eric Bridgeland has transformed the team from perennial losers into a high-scoring, turnover-causing squad.
Whitman was first in the Northwest Conference in steals and turnover margin and second in points per game and scoring margin. Shaw led the conference in individual steals per game at almost 2.5 per game after adding four to his season total against Linfield.
Peter Clark, one of three first-years to log major minutes this season, led the conference in three-point field goals made per game, cementing himself as one of the best shooters in the conference in only his first year on campus. Whitman will bring back its top six scorers and nine of its top 10 players for the 2010/2011 season.
Second-year Head Coach Bridgeland is similarly optimistic for the future of his young team. “When I was at Puget Sound we had a losing record for my first two years, [before rattling off three consecutive Northwest Conference titles] but it was a similar situation, playing with mostly freshman and sophomores,” said Bridgeland. “By the time these freshman are juniors and seniors they are going to be tough to take down.”
If Coach Bridgeland continues to recruit as well as he has recently, and especially if Whitman is able to add some interior bulk to its post attack, Whitman Basketball looks to climb the conference rankings in the coming years. A winning record and a playoff berth are well within the Missionaries’ reach in 2010-2011.
