For Lehigh sports teams, one measure of success is how well they do against Patriot League opponents and how far they advance in the conference tournament with the ultimate goal usually being to win the Patriot League Championship.
However, the process of scheduling out-of-conference opponents each season is one of the most significant, and yet, underrated components of a team reaching any success against Patriot League rivals.
The Lehigh men’s basketball program recognizes the importance of these non-conference games each season and plans that schedule with great care. Although the schedule for the team’s upcoming 2015-16 season will not be released until the fall, the coaching staff is already working on it. The creation of the out-of-conference schedule requires attention to numerous details, such as a certain hour radius from campus, playing against good competition and balancing the amount of games played at home and away, according to coach Brett Reed.
“Of course, the biggest part of our scheduling non-conference opponents is ensuring effective preparation for league play,” Reed said.
These non-conference games serve multiple purposes in putting the team in its best position for success when Patriot League games begin.
“These non-conference games allow us to play against teams with different styles and prepare for various opponents we’ll see in our league games,” Reed said. “We also try to schedule some excellent teams and challenge our guys to execute consistent, excellent play for a full 40 minutes.”
This past season, the team played against big-name programs such as the Big East’s DePaul University and Villanova University. The Mountain Hawks pulled an upset over DePaul and lost in a close game to Villanova, a team that ended up capturing a No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
“The non-conference games are usually against teams that have more size and play at higher tempos than us,” sophomore guard Austin Price said. “I like playing tougher competition in those games because it sets us up so nicely for Patriot League teams.”
Additionally, these games allow the coaching staff to try out different combinations of players on the floor and see whose styles of play work well together. This ensures that by the time the team’s Patriot League schedule starts, the coaches have a solid understanding of what combinations of players to have together on the floor at various points in a game.
Some elements of creating the out-of-conference schedule also have a personal touch. When possible, the coaches also like to schedule “homecoming” games for men on the team who come from states far away from Pennsylvania. For example, the team traveled to Arizona, the home state of sophomore center and Patriot League Player of the Year Tim Kempton, over winter break for a game against Arizona State University that resulted in a triple-overtime win for the Mountain Hawks.
“It’s awesome knowing that our coaches are willing to look for the opportunity for players to have a homecoming game because even as a little kid, you always dream of playing in front of your friends and family,” Kempton said. “Those games hold special places in a player’s career.”
As the Lehigh men’s basketball coaches continue to finalize the team’s out-of-conference schedule over the next few months, there will be many factors that go into the process. They’ll attempt to find games that provide their players opportunities for positive experiences, such as playing in front of a hometown crowd or in a big stadium against a high-profile team, and for personal and team growth and development on the court in order to pursue the team’s fourth Patriot League title.
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