he Elizabethtown College men’s basketball team is looking to improve on last year’s disappointing season which saw the Blue Jays go 5-13 in Commonwealth Conference play and 8-17 overall. Etown hopes to make it back to the playoffs after missing the postseason the two previous years. With a slew of returning veterans, the Blue Jays are primed to get back on the winning track.
Head Coach Bob Schlosser looks to build off of the successes of last season as he starts his 24th year under the helm. With the loss of only three seniors, the Blue Jays are primed and ready to improve on last year’s wins total. Etown has 10 returnees from last year’s team and a handful of players that were on the program’s junior varsity last season.
The Blue Jays will welcome back a few starters, including last year’s second leading scorers, senior swingman Joe Schwalm and senior center Andrew Mantz, who averaged close to ten points per game, respectively.
Junior captain Phil Wenger will also be returning to the starting lineup for the Blue Jays after a stellar sophomore campaign. Last season, Wenger ranked 18th in NCAA Division III with 2.65 steals per game and led Etown with 61 steals for the season.
Etown will also return many contributors that came off the bench for the Blue Jays who are looking to make an even bigger impact once they hit the hardwood.
Senior captain Ryan Borzager, who appeared in all 25 games for the Blue Jays last season, is looking forward to getting back on the court and making a run in his last season in a Blue Jay uniform. “We have a really solid group of guys this season that are committed to putting out all they have when they’re on the court,” Borzager said. “The two other seniors and I really want to go out with a bang.”
The Blue Jays were recently picked to finish 10th in the Commonwealth Conference Coaches Preseason Poll. Even though Etown was picked to finish dead last in the Conference, the team isn’t focused on what others are saying about them.
“We can’t focus on that kind of stuff. We just have to work hard, and we’ll see results,” Borzager said. “I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people this season.”
Defending conference champ Alvernia University is ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll after receiving eight first-place votes. Stevenson University and Messiah College round up the top three. The Mustangs and Falcons each received a first-place vote in the coaches’ poll.
Juniors Lee Eckert, Will Schlosser, Joe Bodnar and Tyler Simpkiss will also be major contributors when the Blue Jays hit the court. These four players participated in all 25 games last season and are looking to play an even bigger role on the team.
Schlosser will be relied on to help spark the Blue Jays on offense after a season which saw him drain 30 three-pointers. Eckert will look to dominate on the boards after averaging just under six rebounds per game last season.
The Blue Jays will tip off their 2013-14 season when they travel to Gettysburg College on Friday, Nov. 15 to take part in the Gettysburg Tip-Off Tournament. Etown’s first home game will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. when they take on Eastern Mennonite University.
