Basketball's last dance...and it's in the gym

It has been a long, strange trip for Yale forward Jason Williams, PC '00. The men's basketball media guide touts him as "one of the most athletic players in the Ivy League," and during his first three years in New Haven, he showed flashes of that talent. But a combination of injuries and decisions by former coach Dick Kuchen kept Williams on the bench for much of that time. This year, the new coach James Jones saw Williams' potential and gave him regular playing time, and by the beginning of the Ivy League season, Williams was in the starting lineup—and living up to his description in the media guide. "It's been incredible, I can't even describe it, especially after playing very little my first three years," Williams said of the season thus far.

This weekend's games against Columbia on Fri., Feb. 25 and Cornell on Sat., Feb. 26 will mark the final appearances of Williams and fellow seniors Ted Smith, CC '00, and Captain John Kirkowski, MC '00, at John J. Lee Amphitheater. And despite the team's recent struggles, the seniors will bid farewell knowing that their season was a success—one which they had a lot to do with.

Much of their contribution has come in the form of intangibles. "This is my first year," Jones said. "They've all supplied leadership, work ethic, and a desire to win." But the three seniors have contributed with tangibles, as well. Before this season, the combined career statline for the three read: 17 starts, 315 points, 214 rebounds, and 54 assists. This year alone, they have combined for 35 starts, 331 points, 231 rebounds, and 73 assists.

Their increased contribution has helped the Bulldogs (7-16, 5-5 Ivy) win five Ivy games thus far this year—three more than they won all of last season. "I'm pretty excited," Smith said of his final two home games. "We have a chance to finish the season with the best Ivy record we've had in my four years here." The Bulldogs, who finished 7-7 in the league two seasons ago, are tied for third in the league with Brown.

However, the Elis are in a slump, dropping five of their last seven league games. Last weekend, they lost to two teams they had beaten earlier in the season—Dartmouth and Harvard. An old problem for the Bulldogs resurfaced in the losses—they made 17 assists in the two games, while their opponents made 41. Smith also attributed the Harvard loss to a lack of heart. "We just didn't come out with a lot of intensity," he said. "We didn't play hard for the full 40 minutes of the game."

These problems, like so many of Yale's road woes, tend to disappear when the Elis are at home. The Bulldogs have played two Ivy home games on two different weekends this season, and each weekend they won the second game. They have also averaged almost five more assists per game than their Ivy opponents when playing in New Haven. Yale's home attendance has averaged more than 2,000 per game, and the final two home games should bring even larger crowds. The families of all three seniors will be attending the games.

If this does not provide enough incentive for the seniors to play well this weekend, there is also the revenge factor. Cornell shocked the Bulldogs by coming back from a 19-point first-half deficit to win 65-57 on Fri., Feb. 11, in Ithaca. Cornell was led by star forward Ray Mercedes '01, who scored 26 points. "I play all different types of positions," Mercedes said. "Teams have a very difficult time matching up with me."

"He played pretty well," Kirkowski said of Mercedes' performance . But the captain had no intention of letting his and his fellow seniors' last home game slip away. "Cornell shouldn't have beaten us; they shouldn't have been in the game with us," Kirkowski said. "It was a gift, it was gift-wrapped. There won't be any messing around this weekend."

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