With just two seniors on the roster, the men's basketball team finished 6-17 overall in one of the toughest Division III conferences in the country. Three teams from the NESCAC made the NCAA tournament this year.

Besides the difficult conference games, the Mules also played Division I University of Maine in a challenging non-league schedule. In one of the highlights of the season on January 3, the Mules played in front of a packed Wadsworth Gymnasium against Grinnell College, a squad coached by Colby graduate David Arsenault '76.

Junior guard Patrick McGowan led Colby in scoring (14.2), assists (76) and steals (41). Promising first-year center Drew Cohen led the NESCAC in blocked shots per game (2.10) despite limited playing time at the start of the season. Cohen averaged in double figures in points and had most of his 44 blocks in the final seven games of the season. Junior Mike Rutherford was named to the NESCAC Winter All-Academic Team.

A community action by the Men's Baskeball team which took place this past spring at the local fire department. Jamie Snyder-Fair '05 (front) and Kevin Shers'05 (back)

With the return of nine letter winners and four starters, Colby's opportunity for growth is abundant in 2003-04. Since Colby plays in one of the most competitive Division III conferences in the nation its challenges are out front and progress is very attainable. The backcourt is solid with returning starters junior tri-captain Pat McGowan '05 (13.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and junior Jared Cushman '05 (7.4 ppg), backed up by senior Nick Ofiesh '04 and junior Woody Kampmann '05. On the wings senior captains Nick Loukes '04 and Matt Forlizzi '04 have the experience while sophomore Nate Dick '06 and junior Mike Rutherford '05 will challenge. In the frontcourt the health of 6'8" junior Jamie Snyder-Fair '05 and the return of sophomores Michael Westbrooks '06 (8.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Andrew Jenkins '06 (6.7 ppg) all will be of major importance. The keys to success will be better team defense, consistent defensive play, and rebound control. The schedule will include three in-season tournaments, including the prestigious Maine Event and the Colby Invitational, which will feature the return to Colby of David Arseneault '76 and his Grinnell College team. Over the past decade Grinnell has been the highest scoring team in college basketball. There will be much excitement.

The past half-century is rich in Colby basketball tradition. The powerful teams of the fifties created a groundwork for the storied teams of the seventies. In 1974 CBB competition was introduced. Colby dominated on a regular basis from the beginning, winning 16 outright championships and sharing eight others. Colby has been a strong force in the NESCAC conference, sending 18 teams to ECAC tournaments from 1972 to 2002, winning three NESCAC championships (1990, 1991, and 1993) and sending three teams to the NCAA tournament since the conference began qualifying teams in 1994. Over the past three decades there have been 11 All-Americans, with the crowning moment being the 1990 selection of Matt Hancock '90 as National Player-of-the-Year. The great strength of the program now is in the alumni group, one of the most active and connected in Division III.

About Wadsworth Gymnasium