Hamline Men’s Basketball was eager for their final game on Saturday, Feb. 21. It will be the last game for our men’s team as they missed the qualifications for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) playoffs. This is the first time in four years that our Hamline Pipers have missed the MIAC playoffs.
Missing the playoffs comes from the six-game losing streak that started in early January. Their losing streak began Jan. 10 with a two-point loss to Saint John’s University. The streak continued with two close losses from Carleton and St. Olaf, with the Pipers losing by two points and one point, respectively. They continued the losing streak by losing to Augsburg, St. Olaf and Gustavus Adolphus. The Pipers' losing streak ended when they won on Feb. 4, with a strong win against Augsburg, with their final points being 80-56.
On the other hand, Men’s basketball has also had many positive things to celebrate this season. This will be the fourth year in a row the Hamline Pipers will be finishing their season with a winning record. This hasn’t happened to the Pipers since 1987-1991. Additionally, their season had the best start that the program had in 65 years, which was the 1959-1960 season.
Even with the losses, Jim Hayes, the Men’s head Basketball coach, has seen real growth from his athletes.
“[Our] players have stepped into their roles as the year has unfolded and gained valuable experiences,” Coach Hayes said.
One player named by Hayes was Brendan Ebel, a senior at Hamline, who is five points away from surpassing 1,000 points in his career. Ebel has been a stronger leader on the court, getting consistent rebounds and assists during his past two games, with 8 assists on Feb. 18 during the game against Saint Mary’s. Another standout player has been Raoul Vaidya, a junior player. Vaidya is a guard for our Pipers and has been one of the most consistent point scorers for Hamline, with 10 or more points for his last five games.
The men’s basketball team will be graduating five seniors, with some of the underclassmen feeling bittersweet about the end of their season. First-year Nik Domier, a forward on the team, speaks on how his upperclassmen made his season memorable.
“Our seniors are really close with everyone on the team; it's going to be sad to see them leave,” Domier said.
Domier went on to say there has been a lot of growth in himself and his teammates, that they have gotten smarter on the court and become stronger individuals through the season.
Our Pipers will be at Macalester for their last game. The last time they played Macalester was Dec. 6, where they had won with a ten-point lead. Macalester is currently 2-13 in MIAC records, and Hamline is 6-9.
Our men’s basketball team didn’t make the MIAC playoffs as they had hoped. However, they should hold their heads up high with their winning record and the astonishing start. Hamline basketball appreciates its seniors for all that they have done for the program, and is excited to see what the next year has in store for the men’s basketball team.
