City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Time for our first official area Division III power rankings of the year!

This is always a difficult ranking to do, because you have to balance preseason expectations with a very small sample size; thus, I hesitate to make any drastic moves based on three or four games, but there are a few teams that deserve mention for their strong starts.

Just missing out on making the rankings were the Del-Val Aggies, who beat Alvernia in OT at the Gettysburg preseason tournament; Ursinus, which despite a loss to Widener on Saturday looks like it could be a real threat in the deep Centennial; and York, whose only loss to is a powerful Franklin & Marshall squad. Cabrini and Arcadia, which dropped out of the rankings with a pair of losses each, are hovering close by as well.

With so many programs set to play each other this week and next, expect a lot of movement in our next update; until then, here’s the current top 10:

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Others to Watch: Arcadia (1-2, 0-0 MAC Commonwealth) Albright (2-2, 0-0 MAC Commonwealth), Cabrini (2-2, 0-0 CSAC), Centenary (3-2, 1-0 CSAC), Delaware Valley (3-1, 0-0 MAC Freedom), Gettysburg (1-3, 1-0 Centennial), Lancaster Bible (0-2, 0-0 NEAC), Moravian (3-1, 1-0 Landmark), Muhlenberg (3-1, 0-1 Centennial), Penn State-Harrisburg (3-1, 0-0 Capital), Rosemont (2-2, 1-0 CSAC), Ursinus (3-1, 1-0 Centennial), York (3-1, 0-0 Capital)

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Last week's record in Parenthesis

10. Lebanon Valley Dutchmen (6)
Record: 2-3, 0-0 MAC Commonwealth
Last Two Weeks: @ George Mason (L, 90-65), vs. Penn State-Mont Alto (W, 85-70), vs. Wesley (W, 58-53), vs. Misericordia (L, 90-85), vs. Franklin & Marshall (L, 73-67)
Star Watch: Sam Light (Jr./G) -- 24.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg

It’s a bit of a deceiving record for Lebanon Valley, considering one of those losses was to Division I George Mason (a game they led at halftime by 10), one was to a very good Misericordia squad and the other to Franklin & Marshall, who you’ll see further down (up?) this ranking. Though All-American Andy Orr gets a lot of attention -- and rightfully so, as he's averaging 20.2 ppg and 6.6 rpg, we'll give the spotlight this week to Light, as the second-year member of the program is off to a scorching start; he's already scored 25-plus three times, including 36 against Mont Alto; the 6-1 guard is shooting .480 from deep and has already gotten to the foul stripe 40 times, making 33 of them (.825). A challenging quartet of league games await over the next two weeks, including two teams we have ranked above them.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Widener (Nov. 30, 8 PM), @ Alvernia (Dec. 3, 3 PM), vs. Stevenson (Dec. 7, 8 PM), @ Hood (Dec. 10, 3 PM)

9. Widener Pride (OTW)
Record: 3-1 (0-0 MAC Commonwealth)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Medgar Evers (W, 101-61), vs. Rowan (L, 91-87), @ Immaculata (W, 84-77), vs. Ursinus (W, 87-72)
Star Watch: Sardayah Sambo (Jr./G) -- 20.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg

Chris Carideo has a deep Pride this year, going with a nine-man rotation getting a tleast 10 minutes per game, plus a few others seeing spot time. Sambo, a 6-4 guard from Middletown (Del.), is the star; senior guard Kendall Green is having a breakout start to the season with 17.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 3.5 apg. Sophomore guard Ryan McMahon a Lenape grad, has seized the starting point guard role, averaging 7.8 ppg and 6.0 apg to lead the team in dimes, with more steals (nine) than turnovers (seven) to boot. As a team, they're shooting a tidy 41.7 percent from 3-point range, though at only 18 attempts/game, maybe it's a weapon they could rely on a little more often.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Penn State-Brandywine (Nov. 28, 7 PM), @ Lebanon Valley (Nov. 30, 8 PM), vs. Stevenson (Dec. 3, 3 PM), @ Albright (Dec. 7, 8 PM), vs. Lycoming (Dec. 10, 3 PM)

8. DeSales Bulldogs (3)
Record: 2-2 (0-0 MAC Freedom)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Rosemont (W, 94-60), vs. Bates (@ WPI, W, 71-70, OT), @ WPI (L, 73-70, OT), @ Moravian (L, 105-92)
Star Watch: Joseph Lococo (Sr./G) -- 16.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg

It's been a little bit of a rocky start to the post-Cody Deal era at DeSales, as the Bulldogs are on a two-game losing streak, including a loss to Lehigh Valley rival Moravian -- another one of those programs with a very good argument for inclusion, and it's only preseason expectations that have the Bulldogs still in the rankings. Do-everything senior Kuity Slanger (10.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.3 apg) had a quit seven points against Moravian, and they need him to be even more of a scoring force; Lococo, who spent the last three years at Division II programs, has been a nice boost in that area, though. Not an easy two weeks ahead, either, and with another slip-up or two it's very possible DeSales is in the Others to Watch category a fortnight from now.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Arcadia (Dec. 30, 8 PM), @ Catholic (Dec. 5, 7 PM), vs. Penn State-Berks (Dec. 7, 8 PM), @ Muhlenberg (Dec. 10, 4 PM)

7. Dickinson Red Devils (OTW)
Record: 3-1 (1-0 Centennial)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Arcadia (@ Mary Washington, W, 81-74), @ Mary Washington (W, 68-64), vs. Muhlenberg (W, 75-65), vs. Christopher Newport (L, 76-56)
Star Watch: Jule Brown (Soph./F) -- 14.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg

No shame in Dickinson’s only loss, as Christopher Newport is currently ranked No. 2 in the country; the Red Devils move into the rankings on the strength of three very nice victories. Brown, the former Lower Merion standout and toolsy 6-6 forward, is adjusting well to a featured role, starting off the season with scoring performances of 18, 17 and 17 points before managing just seven against CNU. On a team with zero seniors, he's one of two sophomores leading the team in scoring along with Elijah Wright (13.8 ppg), another local sophomore, Episcopal product Mike Hinckley, is averaging 7.0 ppg and 3.5 apg as the team's starting point guard.

Next Two Weeks: @ McDaniel (Dec. 1, 8 PM), @ Swarthmore (Dec. 3, 3 PM), vs. Gettysburg (Dec. 7, 8 PM), vs. Wilkes (Dec. 10, 3 PM)

6. Gwynedd-Mercy Griffins (10)
Record: 3-0 (1-0 CSAC)
Last Two Weeks: @ Arcadia (W, 85-80), vs. Marywood (W, 78-64), vs. Baruch (W, 91-73)
Star Watch: Rip Engel (Jr./G) -- 23.7 ppg

After the first two games were dominated by Engel plus seniors Arron Goodman (18.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Cedric Elleby (18.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg), the Griffins got a more well-rounded offensive effort with five double-digit scorers in the win over Baruch on Saturday. This is a physical team with Goodman (6-6), Elleby (6-4) and fellow senior Larry Jones III (6-5) up front, plus a tough sophomore wing in Camden Catholic (N.J.) product Courtney Cubbage. There’s sure to be some growing pains on a team that lost four key seniors from a year ago and is relying on some underclassman production, but John Baron has his Griffins looking good in the early going.

Next Two Weeks: @ Cairn (Nov. 30, 8 PM), vs. Neumann (Dec. 3, 3 PM), @ King’s College (Dec. 9, 8 PM), vs. TBA (@ King’s, Dec. 10, TBA)

5. Susquehanna River Hawks (9)
Record: 4-1 (0-0 Landmark)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Misericordia (L, 120-116, 2OT), vs. Penn State-Wilkes Barre (W, 91-58), vs. Kings’ College (W, 78-65), vs. Lycoming (W, 75-74), @ Penn State-Harrisburg (W, 82-56)
Star Watch: Steven Weidlich (Sr./G) -- 24.4 ppg

After starting the season off with a gut-wrenching loss to Misericordia in 50 minutes, Susquehanna bounced back nicely with four wins in a nine-day span to move up the rankings. Weidlich got the year off to an impressive personal start with a 49-point outing in the double-overtime loss, then followed that up with three other double-digit outings, including 31 against Kings. They’ll spend all of December on the road, playing a true road game at Goucher before heading to Kings’ tournament and then the D-III Holiday Shootout in Miami (Fl.), where they’ll play LaGrange (Ga.) and Eastern. It’s not until January where we’ll see where they really stand against Scranton and the rest of the Landmark Conference.

Next Two Weeks: @ Goucher (Dec. 3, 4 PM), vs. Trinity (@ King’s, Dec. 9, 6 PM), vs. TBA (@ King’s, Dec. 10, TBA)

4. Alvernia Crusaders (5)
Record: 3-1 (0-0 MAC Commonwealth)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Wesley (W, 87-68), vs. Wittenberg (W, 67-66), vs. Delaware Valley (L, 75-70), vs. Penn State-Berks (W, 95-65)
Star Watch: Marquis Marshall (Sr./F) -- 25.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg

It’s not really that Alvernia deserved to move up a spot despite losing a game to a non-ranked team (the Wittenberg and Del-Val games were both at Gettysburg’s tip-off tournament), but with DeSales losing two games and several teams behind them also suffering defeats, the Crusaders get the bump largely based on who’s on the roster. Marshall is off to a terrific start, as is sophomore George Williams, a Lehigh-Carbon CC transfer who’s averaging 18.8 ppg and 5.0 rpg; junior guard Alex Shippen is chipping in 13.3 ppg and 5.0 rpg as well. Head coach Mike Miller is leaning heavily on his top seven; nobody else has played more than 10 minutes total through four games.

Next Two Weeks: @ Hood (Nov. 30, 8 PM), vs. Lebanon Valley (Dec. 3, 3 PM), @ Messiah (Dec. 10, 5 PM)

3. Franklin & Marshall Diplomats (2)
Record: 3-1 (0-1 Centennial)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Lancaster Bible (W, 94-91, OT), vs. York (W, 91-71), vs. Gettysburg (L, 57-54), @ Lebanon Valley (W, 73-67)
Star Watch: Brandon Federici (Jr./G) -- 21.3 ppg, 3.0 apg

If you’re surprised to see Federici’s name appear above, you haven’t been paying much attention to these rankings the last two years. The high-scoring 6-4 wing out of Lawrenceville Prep (and before that, Colts’ Neck, N.J.) surpassed the 1,000-point mark in his team’s first game of the season and now begins the march towards the 2K plateau, where he’s off to a great start after averaging 19.3 ppg as a freshman and 17.6 ppg as a sophomore. With no more Cedric Moune, the Diplomats have gotten a nice boost from freshman forward Julius Stoma, who’s averaging 12.8 ppg and 3.8 rpg while starting all four contests. But they get bumped a few slots for falling to a Gettysburg squad that’s otherwise winless thus far on the season.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Ursinus (Dec. 1, 7 PM), @ Haverford (Dec. 3, 3 PM), @ Johns Hopkins (Dec. 7, 8 PM), vs. Albright (Dec. 10, 3 PM)

2. Swarthmore Garnet (4)
Record: 4-0 (1-0 Centennial)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Penn State-Abington (W, 69-52), @ Centenary (N.J.) (W, 86-80), vs. Washington College (W, 74-61), @ Misericordia (W, 83-75)
Star Watch: Zack Yonda (Jr./G) -- 15.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg

It’s not always easy to live up to high expectations for the first time, but so far, Swarthmore is playing exactly like a team that expects to be crowned Centennial champions at the end of the season, as the Garnet chase their best season ever with an undefeated start. Landry Kosmalski’s bunch won its first nine last year en route to a program-best 22 wins, but they have their sights set even higher this year under the guidance of the former Davidson standout. They’ll learn a lot about just how good they are with a three-game stretch against a trio of top-half Centennial programs with a combined 9-3 record; a 2-1 in record during that stretch wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

Next Two Weeks: @ Muhlenberg (Dec. 1, 7 PM), vs. Dickinson (Dec. 3, 3 PM), @ Ursinus (Dec. 7, 8 PM)

1. Neumann Knights (1)
Record: 4-0 (1-0 CSAC)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Rowan (W, 113-96), @ Eastern (W, 106-90), vs. Keystone (W, 105-71), vs. Valley Forge (W, 87-58)
Star Watch: DeShawn Lowman (Sr./G) -- 21.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg

Jim Rullo’s Knights have given us no reason to remove them from the top spot after a strong four-game stretch to start the season, culminating with a 29-point win over Valley Forge to close out the Coaches vs. Cancer tripleheader at Gwynedd-Mercy on Saturday. A full seven players are averaging double figures, led by Lowman; fellow senior James Butler is behind him at 18.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg, and Darian Barnes is averaging a team-high 8.5 rpg along with 11.3 ppg and 16 blocks. A good sign for Neumann? They’re finishing each game strong, winning the second half of their four games by an average of 14.5 points.

Next Two Weeks: @ Clarks Summit (Nov. 30, 7 PM), @ Gwynedd-Mercy (Dec. 3, 3 PM), @ Delaware Valley (Dec. 7, 7 PM), vs. Catholic (Dec. 10, 5 PM)

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Dropped out: Cabrini (7), Arcadia (8)