Headed into the final weekend of the 2019-20 season, there was momentum surrounding the Dartmouth men’s basketball program.
With two games at Leede Arena, the Big Green had an opportunity to capture a berth in the then-upcoming Ivy League tournament.
Ultimately, Dartmouth lost those two games, and even if it had won both, not enough happened around the league for the Big Green to squeak in.
Still, being in that position seemed unfathomable in January and early February, when the Big Green opened up Ancient Eight play 0-6.
It was the rest of the Ivy League calendar that showed what a good Dave McLaughlin team looks like, as the Big Green rattled off five victories in its final four weekends of play. Dartmouth ended the season 12-17 overall and 5-9 in conference play, its best finish in the Ivies since 2014-15.
Chris Knight looked the part of an all-conference star — he was named the player of the week twice in February — and his play was well complemented by his teammates.
And while the Big Green finished last in the Ivies in scoring offense (65.3), the defense was the best, allowing just 64.6 points per game. It’s the reason why 16 of Dartmouth’s 29 games were within a 10-point margin.
“I always talk about the process and progress,” McLaughlin said over the phone earlier this week. “I thought our guys progressed this year. We were playing very good basketball at the end of the year. This was one of those teams that just wanted to keep playing.
“It’s a very rare year when you lose a game and you say to yourself, ‘I want to get back on the court with those guys next week.’ But that’s the kind of group we had. And that’s kind of culture we’re trying to build — guys who want to get out there and work and want to compete. It’s about the team.”
McLaughlin has put together a 37-76 record in four seasons in Hanover and is 14-42 in Ancient Eight action. He’ll lose three players to graduation — Ian Carter, Ian Sistare and James Foye — but returns three starters from the 2019-20 season and could possibly welcome back Brendan Barry.
Next season has the potential to be a breakout year for Dartmouth, and that’s why here in this preview of the offseason and review of the 2019-20 season, we’ll look at what the Big Green must improve on for that to happen.
Biggest question: Where will Brendan Barry land?
One of the most important items on McLaughlin’s radar this offseason will be Barry’s decision.
A 6-foot-2, 180-pound sharpshooter, Barry entered into the NCAA’s transfer portal shortly after sustaining a season-ending hip injury in September, allowing him to consider all his future options and talk with interested schools.
But as of the end of the season, returning to Dartmouth was still very much in the cards for the senior. If he were to be back in the green and white next season, he would have to rearrange his class schedule to be a fifth-year student.
A year ago, Barry averaged 13.2 points per game, 11th-best in the Ivies. He ranked 10th nationally in 3-point percentage (.445) and had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.20, which led the Ivy League. He scored in double figures in 20 of his 30 contests.
“The decision will be made before classes start spring term,” McLaughlin said. “I don’t know if any of those dates get pushed back at all because of everything going on. Nothing has been decided yet.
“He’s a terrific person; he’s a terrific player. He’s been through a lot, so he is going to be motivated to play well next year. Sure, I think any school would be happy to have him. We’re still in that waiting part for now.”
Barry didn’t make his decision any easier, either, as he attended every Big Green practice and game, sitting in on meetings and helping out in the film room. Unlike many Division I basketball transfers who remove themselves from the team setting, he inserted himself even more.
So what would a Big Green team with Barry on it look like next year? One that would score many more points than it did this season and do so in an entertaining fashion.
With Taurus Samuels at the point, Barry could specifically focus on being the great shooting guard he is. Previously, he was Dartmouth’s point guard. The presence of Knight and Aaryn Rai in the paint would cause trouble for opponents, too.
Those are all what-if questions, though. For now, McLaughlin will have to wait and see what Barry’s decision will be.
Spotlight on: Chris Knight.
The junior forward finished off the 2019-20 season averaging 14.8 points a contest and was named to the Ivy League’s second team for the second consecutive year.
When Dartmouth was struggling to find a victory in January, it was Knight who admitted to the media that he needed to take a more vocal role on the court, and that meant just being more aggressive with his game.
At some point, that all clicked in his head. Knight averaged 18.5 points and 7.3 rebounds a game in Dartmouth’s last 10 games of the season.
Per KenPom.com, a website dedicated to advanced analysis of college basketball, Knight took 33.4% of the Big Green’s shots from the floor this season, 27th-best in the country. For comparison’s sake, he shot 32.1% of Dartmouth’s field goals in the 2018-19 season.
When Knight is taking most of his team’s shots, the Big Green is successful. The uptick in shots came toward the end of the season when he was finding his rhythm.
“He made a great argument for being on the (all-league) first team,” McLaughlin said. “I think it sets the tone for him moving forward. Now, (where does) he want to take the next step? We have to figure out.”
Best-case scenario: When McLaughlin talks about progress, he always talks about how he wants guys to come back from the offseason and make his decision either easy or difficult.
If it is difficult, that means his players put in the work he expected them to. If that happens this offseason and Barry makes the decision to return to Dartmouth, then McLaughlin will have his best group since he started out in Hanover in 2016.
An aggressive Knight and a smooth-shooting Barry together are scary. Sprinkle in Samuels with a full year as a starter under his belt to set them up, plus Rai contributing at least 10 points a game.
Ancient Eight opponents’ drives to Hanover could become a lot less fun.
Worst-case scenario: The numbers mean everything when looking up the history of the Dartmouth men’s basketball program.
The last Ivy League title and NCAA Tournament berth was in 1959. The 12 victories this season was the only seventh time since 2000 that the program has finished in double digits in the win column.
McLaughlin’s had to make the uphill climb since he started, but every coach who had the job before him has, too.
Historically, coaches are defined in their fifth year at the at Dartmouth helm. In Paul Cormier’s second stint at the college, his best season (14-15 record) came in his fifth season. Terry Dunn went 9-19 in his fifth year in 2008-09; he was canned by the middle of the next season. Dave Faucher’s second-best season was his fifth, a 16-10 output in 1995-96.
The 2020-21 season will be one that shows if McLaughlin can be the one to get the Big Green over the hump, or it could provide another ho-hum campaign that leaves Dartmouth fans puzzled.
Pete Nakos can be reached at pnakos@vnews.com.