The Red Raiders had the fans from this little berg hoping this was finally their year and with a superb senior class coming back (some from a long time away) and like that little ole Ant, those hopes did not seem too high.   The quartet that Colgate will be relying on of Carl Braun, Ernie Vandeweghe, Bob Duffy and Jack Nichols might not exactly be the Beatles to Liverpool but in Hamilton they are pretty dang legendary showmen.  Braun has been spectacular at times and could team with fellow senior Duffy to form one of the best and complete back courts on the East Coast.  Both of these guys could do a bit of everything and complement each other well.  Neither is a true point guard but both handle the ball and pass effectively.  Both also are gifted scorers who took turns haunting defenses. But, even though both are seniors, they have not logged many minutes together.  Braun was the star and led the team in scoring two years ago.  That changed when he was called to serve his country and was gone.  This left Duffy switching over to the scoring guard position even though he was still the primary ballhandler for the RR’s.  Braun has always been a terrific outside shooter who should not have a hard time adjusting to the three point line.  But he might not adjust to missing two years so easily.  This Brooklyn kid has always been a terrific athlete and is officially a member of the New York Yankees farm system as well.  This six five righty was actually Amsterdam (no he is not a hashhead) to play C level baseball this last summer (his military involvement actually ended in April of last year).  Braun will have to decide which sport to play because to be honest the slick shooting guard has a great chance at the next level in basketball if he decides to go that way. He has the size to get his shot off and with his patented over the head delivery he does not have to jump out of the gym to get the ball over the defenders.  

Duffy is similar to Braun in that he has size (six three) and can score but can also pass the ball.  As a matter of fact last season Duffy led the team in scoring while Braun was gone.  ‘Bob’ comes from tiny Kalonah in the upscale WEstChester region of the City where Martha Stewart lives so their back ground is a bit different but their games are mirrors.  Except the fact Duffy would rather go to the hoop than go long range.  Neither is super quick defensively and at times had difficulty guarding the waterbugs of this league such as the great Bob Cousy of Holy Cross.  They get by on will and smarts on that end of the court but it has not always been easy going for Duffy and Braun.  Though they have been together for three years (freshman rule for both) they have only started 14 games together in the back court.  The coaches were always trying to find a ‘true’ point guard to play along these two stallions but Duffy has the skills to be a great point guard.  But it wouldn’t hurt having some more talent on the perimeter as these guys won’t last forever in Hamilton and it is good to have understudies.  This duo knows how to play the game as well as any two guards in the Patriot (including the Couz and Ronnie Perry) and believe it or not are even more well-rounded than that duo!  

Two guys that did get increased minutes due to Braun’s absence and took full advantage were seniors George Dalzell and Curt Norris. These two rotated from early on at the wing next to Duffy for most of the season.  They performed well and nobody knows how they will adjust to the return of Braun.  Both can flat score though their games were not as ready for big time as Braun’s they usually feasted off guys who were not used to guarding such effective scorers from their position.  One thing Braun can do at six five is being able to guard wings including smaller forwards.  Norris and Dalzell are not big (five foot ten and six three respectively) but both play bigger than they are but they are not as good defensively as Braun on bigger players.  Like Braun and Duffy both have terrific ballhandling skills as well so as you can see the point guard agenda of the coaches was a moot point at least on the offensive end.  They did show they could beat some good competition or at least they could score on them.  These two have a long ways to go to being the kind of player Braun is but they have similar skill sets and if they improved on the defensive could get there. Defense on this team was a problem especially for all of the wings (and most everybody was really a wing on this offense first team) as one possession you would be guarding a quick point guard and then the next you might be trying to stop a power forward like Tommy Heinsohn or Kermit Washington.  The way the offense went there was no true point guards and Dalzell and especially Ferrera were as likely to handle the ball in this motion offense as Duffy or Braun.  Norris is a gamer and tough as heck and loves going to the hoop.  He came on strong down the stretch averaging almost 15 points a game the last month.  The fans of Hamilton fell in love with this kid and the way he ended the year has just added to his luster. Dalzell is another NYC kid who is legendary on the streets and was having a terrific season but went down 20 games in with a knee injury.  This opened the door for Norris and a couple of other to get some serious minutes.  Dalzell can flat score but the kid needs to come back healthy or his chances of getting any minutes are in huge jeopardy with Braun back and others stepping in.  Juniors Don Ward and Dave Hargett showed they can play as well.  Ward is another Big Apple kid who goes 6’4 and can guard bigger wings.  Hargett is the opposite as he is a combo guard who can score and dish ala Duffy.  This duo was switching time between varsity and JV last year but showed enough to be in the mix for minutes.  Hargett was huge down the stretch. 

Holding the team together all year was the leadership of Ernie Vandeweghe.  The ‘Doc’ as he become known around Hamilton came into the season with some preseason All-American accolades and was yet another effective wing scorer.  Vandeweghe sacrificed some of his own glory and personal stats to help the team.  Though he is only six three Vandeweghe played at the four spot often for the Raiders.  He was usually beat up on pretty good but held his own especially against weaker competition.  Against some of the better big forwards he got torched.  Vandeweghe really is a wing and scored rather effectively throughout his illustrious career.  Born in Montreal Vandeweghe moved with his father to Long Island where he starred at Oceanside High School.  As soon as this stallion walked on campus he was the BMOC. This blonde hair bomber seemed to glide through the halls and defines the term All-American.  Not only was the team captain but this dude was also the social chairman for the Raiders always making sure his buddies had dates home and away.  Doc did not need to worry about that as the girl on his arm (and will soon be married) the former Ms. Colleen Kay Hutchins has just won Miss America.  They met last year when BYU traveled out to Madison Square Garden for the NIT and she came along with the team as her brother Mel Hutchins was a star for.  It was love at first sight and no matter how it turns out in the future for Vandeweghe this kid is going to be successful no matter if he ends up in the pros or not?   You see some people are just born with good genes and Doc Vandeweghe has good genes!  He may not have been the most rugged power forward in the land but he is one hell of a stud!  The one thing that the new young Coach wished for with all these superb wings was to have just one big man so that he could guard the rim so that he could implement a press and let the chips fall where they may?  It is funny what you ask for and even funnier how good things work out to good people!  

The primary starter at the post for the first half of the year was Senior ‘Black’ Jack Nichols.  The tough as nails Nichols is in the same boat as Vandeweghe though he is a tad bigger at six four.  Nichols is legendary around Hamilton for his hard work and his incredible work underneath the basket.  He is the King of the boards for the Raiders.  He got the nice nickname due to his toughness down low and he actually leads the team into these workouts he has come up with that ensured they were in shape.  His work with junior Bob Lebel improved the kid’s game dramatically and Black Jack could only dream of having that kind of size and strength with his work ethic. At one point Nichols was a huge offensive option down low who scored large quantities of points for the Raiders but those days are long gone.  You see 6’4 post players have a hard time in this league as guarding players like Heinsohn and wunderkid seven footer David Robinson is an almost impossible task at that height.  Nichols tried as best as he could to compete up front and did an okay job but did lost minutes as the season progressed.  He is penciled to start again but definitely not at the center spot especially with the Red Raiders own wunderkid they have recruited (a 6’10 high school All-American) who some say is a better shot blocker then even the Admiral.  

The bench for the Raiders was not nearly as effective as the coaches would have liked.  With the exception of whoever wasn’t starting between Norris and Dalzell for about 15 games, the subs did not do that well and did not really play that much.  A group of seniors got some minutes early but quickly got passed up on the totem pole by some bigger, more athletic recruits.  Posts Ed Muntner and Bill Dodd were nowhere big enough for this level of competition at the same height as Nichols, 6’4. The entire junior and sophomore classes can almost be considered in the tryout stage last year as some did well and others did not.  Juniors Jamie Russell and the aforementioned Lebe1will both be in the mix for more minutes this year on the post.  Both are big enough at 6’7 and 6’8 and has step up second years in Hamilton.  Russell is more of a defender who spent most of this summer on the Canadian national team wandering the globe but played extremely well for the Rad Raiders. Lebe1 can score and board but had to leap frog many guys to get a shot but on this team nothing is set for next year up front. Fellow juniors Nick Scaccia and Chris Fagan battled with Sophomore Bob Bamford for playing time on the JV and did well.  Bamford is an athletic stud who at 6’6 can play both forwards and might be the most complete player on the returning roster not named Braun. 

The Colgate Red Raiders survived their first season in the Patriot League to finish in the middle of the pack.  What looked like all too promising of a season fell apart due to too many injuries and absences.  The Raiders fell apart but did rally for one inspiring run midway through the year where they won five games in a row and showed the rest of the Patriot League how good they can be.  Still, the season that in the words of Little Texas ‘might have been’ was one that gave the coaching staff a chance to look at some fresh faces for the future.  Now, if the old guys come back to the same form they were and the new kid is as good as advertised, who knows how good this team can be?