BY QUIN WELCH, SPORTS EDITOR
Alexander Pope, an 18th Century English poet, once said something interesting about expectations:
“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.”
Let me preface what I’m about to say with this: Bellarmine men’s basketball players and coaches should absolutely believe they can win a title this season. For any competitor to put his or her best effort forward, he or she must have a belief that winning is possible, even probable.
With that being said, Knights Nation should heed Pope’s advice in 2015-16 and temper expectations for the team.
Sure, the pieces are in place for the Knights to make a great run. They return key players such as George Suggs, Josh Derksen and Rusty Troutman from last year’s Final Four team. It’s certainly not unreasonable to predict that Bellarmine will make yet another Final Four under Coach Scotty Davenport.
However, while it may not be unreasonable to say Bellarmine can make a Final Four, or even bring home the school’s second national men’s basketball title, it is unfair to the team for fans to say it is time for Davenport and his players to bring home another title.
In 2014-15, Bellarmine basketball was about as good as it’s ever been. The Knights were really, really good. There were two players in particular who made last year’s team as good as it was.
The Knights had a stellar floor general in Chris Whitehead who made sure the ball was always in the right hands. The 5-foot-9 inch point guard proved he could fill it up, averaging 15 points per game.
And, who could forget 2015 Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year and All American, Jake Thelen? Thelen, the undisputed heart and soul of last year’s Final Four team, averaged over 18 points and nearly 11 rebounds per game.
It’s hard enough for a team to replace that type of production. What may be even harder, however, is the difficulty in replacing the type of leadership both Whitehead and Thelen brought to the team.
Whenever Bellarmine desperately needed a basket late in the game last season, Whitehead and Thelen were given the first two looks, depending on the situation.
Without those two guys, I just don’t see how any reasonable person can expect a national championship, as Bellarmine junior Jacob Schuhmann does.
“My expectations are that hopefully we will win it all,” Schuhmann said.
While I love Schuhmann’s enthusiasm, I hope he realizes this is a completely new team.
Without Thelen and Whitehead, it’s unclear who will be the Knights’ go-to-guy when things get rough. While Suggs, Derksen and Troutman have all proven they are capable scorers, will any of these guys step up and fill the massive shoes left by Thelen, one of Bellarmine’s best all-time players?
This is a group of Knights who will have to lean on its 3-point shot more than ever. Although Davenport’s teams traditionally shoot the 3-pointer very well, leaning on it isn’t exactly something the team wants to do from game to game.
Although there are many questions Bellarmine needs to answer, it is likely that the Knights will at the very least compete for a GLVC title and will go head-to-head with some of Division II’s best opponents in the NCAA Tournament.
If Derksen, Troutman and Suggs can become the leaders the Knights need, this team can do great things. But, it is totally unfair of fans to expect or demand great things of this team. Fans should give the team some time to show the country, and themselves, what they can do.
It’s best that Knights Nation listens to Alexander Pope and tempers expectations for now.