Basketball Supplement: Struggles on road limited Lions’ success in 2010-11

The 2010-11 men’s basketball season was Kyle Smith’s first as a head coach after nine years as an assistant at St. Mary’s. Despite not having had the opportunity to recruit players and tailor a team to suit his different style of play, Smith led the Lions to a winning season for only the third time in 28 years. The team achieved a 15-13 overall record and a 6-8 conference record that took them to fifth place in the Ivy League.

From the outset, the core of the 2009-10 team was eager to adapt to Smith’s new up-tempo style, and a smooth transition followed as the Lions got off to a 9-5 start before their Ivy League opener against Cornell. Especially promising before its Jan. 15 Ivy League opener was the Lions’ 6-1 record at home—their one loss was by a single point against Elon in a game that was contested until the last second. Of particular note was their 108-point showing against Maryland Eastern Shore.

The Lions continued their success as they swept reigning Ivy League champion Cornell for the first time in 11 years to open their Ivy League campaign. This success ended, however, as the Lions dropped four of their next five games, all on the road. Their only win came against Dartmouth (66-45), which would eventually finish last in the conference. This drought was the beginning of a larger problem that would plague the Lions throughout their season: their inability to win on the road.

Whereas the Lions went 10-4 in Levien Gymnasium, their away record was a less successful 5-9. Part of the problem was their offense. Aside from lopsided home affairs against eventual league leaders Harvard and Princeton—where the Light Blue offense simply did not show—the Lions consistently generated little offense against their five other Ivy League opponents. Against Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn, and Yale, Columbia’s tally in Levien was 11.4 points higher on average than its final tally on the road. Equivalent statistics for the Lions’ defense do not show similar trends.

The Lions did not record another road win after the Dartmouth game and finished their season with a 3-3 Ivy record at home. These games included heavy losses to Princeton (76-46) and Harvard (61-42) in which the Lions’ offense was overwhelmed by stronger defenses. The other games, however, were more successful. Just after their 30-point loss to Princeton, the Lions bounced back to close out a game against Penn (75-62) after a 35-point tie at halftime. Before their 19-point loss against Harvard, the Lions completed a predictable victory against Dartmouth (67-60).

Following their mid-February schedule at home, the Lions dropped two away at Penn (64-54) and Princeton (66-61). Their last two games saw a memorable double overtime loss to Yale (87-81) at home and an impressive season-ending win against Brown (91-74).

Especially satisfying for Smith’s first season were the performances of then-junior guard Noruwa Agho and then-sophomore guard Brian Barbour. Agho continued his previous contributions to the team as he led the team in points and three-pointers, while maintaining a 42.9 shooting percentage from the field and 38.3 percent from behind the three-point line. Agho was also named a first team All-Ivy selection. Meanwhile, Barbour’s sophomore year saw more production as he started 27 of 28 games and led the team with 43.7 percent from the field and sank 122 of 133 free throws. This was a major improvement from his freshman year when he did not start a single game. Also of note was then-freshman guard Steve Frankoski, who started 23 of 28 games in his first year.

Together Agho, Barbour, and Frankoski were the most frequent starters in the team and will all return to form the core of the men’s basketball team for the 2011-12 season. The team will, however, need to find a replacement for graduated forward and key big man Asenso Ampim, who led the team in rebounds last season.

As Smith sees the introduction of his first recruiting class, the Lions are in a good position to improve on their fifth-place finish in 2010-11. Despite Columbia’s low ranking in the preseason poll, there is potential for hope among the Light Blue faithful this season.