Chris Bourne is only a junior, but is one of the leaders of the young Garnet squad. Photo by David Sinclair

By Ryan Scott
D3hoops.com

The Swarthmore men started the season 9-0, with a schedule that was better than it looks at first glance, but certainly nothing splashy.

Still, the Garnet got no love from the D3hoops.com Top 25 voters. You can't really blame them, though, as wins have been hard to come by at Swarthmore in recent years. Last season the Garnet won double-digit games (11) for the first time since 06-07; this year, already at 10-2, they're poised for their first winning season in two decades.

Things are changing thanks to fourth-year head coach, Landry Kosmalski, and a talented group of underclassmen.

"Our guys are young," says Kosmalski, who starts three sophomores and two juniors. "But those guys all started last year. We returned five starters, so they're young, but they're experienced."

Coming into the week, three teams were undefeated in Centennial Conference play: Swarthmore, Gettysburg, and Franklin and Marshall. Swarthmore beat Gettysburg 71-62 on Thursday and rolled into Lancaster with the top of the conference on the line. Legendary F&M coach Glenn Robinson also rolled into Saturday with 899 wins on his resume, setting up an epic battle.

The crowd was sizable and electric, but defense was the order of the day. With six minutes to go in the first half, the Dips led 10-8; the halftime score was just 23-19 in F&M's favor.

"I'm disappointed in myself as a coach," said Kosmalski. "They took us out of everything we wanted to do. We didn't really have answers on the fly, which is on me."

Swarthmore held its own on defense, though, and found shots when it needed them, trading the lead back and forth throughout the second half. The Garnet ran into a buzzsaw in F&M junior guard Hunter Eggers who had perhaps the best game of his career, pouring in 22 points to go with five rebounds and five assists, as well as three steals, each so important as to be distinctly memorable two days later. The last was for a breakaway layup that proved to be the winning bucket with just over a minute remaining.

In the end, the Diplomats outlasted the Garnet and earned Robinson victory number 900, but for a Swarthmore squad with no history of success it was an important game nonetheless.

Junior forward Chris Bourne noted, "We knew going in that it was going to be a tough game and we knew it would be down to the wire. This game gives us a lot of confidence. It shows we can play with anybody, even the best in the country."

Swarthmore's success this year might be a surprise to everyone else (the Garnet finished 7th in the Centennial preseason coaches' poll), but it's all a part of the expectations Kosmalski brought with him to the program.

"Just because Swarthmore hasn't been good, doesn't mean we can't be good," he says. "If you look at the US News & World Report ranking every year, Amherst is right near the top with our school and Amherst challenges for national championships; there's no reason we can't do that, too."

This confidence comes largely from Kosmalski's pedigree at another top liberal arts college. Arguably the second most famous Davidson basketball alum, Kosmalski served two separate stints on staff with Bob McKillop at his alma mater.

"The one thing I learned at Davidson that I definitely brought to Swarthmore," says the coach, "is that we tell recruits openly we think this will be one of, if not the most challenging experiences of their life. You're going to have to work in the classroom and there's no excuse for not working hard on the court. We want kids who are excited for the challenge."

This tenacity is evident on the floor, as ten players average double figure minutes and scoring is spread out across the team. It's a unique spirit that permeates the squad; they don't act like a team new to winning.

"When you have big goals like we do you can't come the next day and be sad about a loss or happy about wins," says Kosmalski. "You have to show up because you want to win every game. Our guys are locked in so that we get the results that we want."

Adds Bourne, "What's really helped us this season is having a lot of really experienced players. In past seasons we had a lot of young players getting a lot of time – now those players have more experience. We expected to be very good, and I think we're very happy with how the season's going, but obviously this isn't enough right now."

The Garnet are focused on improvement. Being the most successful Swarthmore squad in history (18 wins would break the record) isn't enough for either coach or team.

"I know it sounds like a cliché, but we're just working hard to show up every day and get better," said Kosmalski.

Kosmalski's thoughts are echoed by Bourne: "What we say normally is do what we do, but better. We have to cut harder, use screens better. Our defense has to be better, get more stops, rebound better. We're not going to change anything, just do what we've been doing since mid-October, but better."

The Centennial is a tough row to hoe, the parity is strong and every game is a battle. At the same time, it's full of smart people – players who thrive in a rigorous academic environment and coaches who've been around the block a few times.

Kosmalski reflects on just how much he's pushed to learn and grow as a coach to enable his players to perform to the best of their abilities.

"Coming in I didn't know what to expect, but it's been one of the most positive unforeseen learning environments, how great the coaches in our league are," he says. "As a young coach, especially when you play Coach Robinson and Coach Nelson at [Johns] Hopkins, they've been doing it for 85 years combined. That sounds like a ridiculous number, but I think that's actually right. When you come out of games against those guys who are experts in the craft, you learn a lot of lessons. It's been really powerful learning from those coaches and all the coaches in our league."

Perhaps the scariest part for Swarthmore's Centennial opponents is just how much time this team has left to jell. Beyond being near the top of the conference this year, the Garnet could return their starting five for an astounding third year next season. It's a real foundation for future success and Swarthmore men's basketball is certainly looking forward rather than back.

Kosmalski sums it up well: "We'll let the people who've been here for 50 years say what it used to be like; we want to change that and make it something different."

One thing's for sure: they are well on their way.

Marymount cruising

Despite a deep, talented CAC, the Marymount women's team is sailing through conference play thus far. Undefeated at 6-0, the Saints are winning games by an average of 22 points, including wins over conference contenders York and Christopher Newport, who both stand 11-2 overall. Mary Washington, the one top team they haven't faced yet, heads to Arlington on Saturday.

Scranton survives

Upstart Goucher led the whole game against Scranton on Saturday, only to give up a seven-point lead in the final three minutes and lose by one on clutch free throws from all-everything forward Brendan Boken. For Scranton it's another win in the tough Landmark and for Goucher a real learning experience as it continues to rebuild the program under first-year head coach Tom Rose. The Gophers have yet to manage a conference win, but there is certainly more excitement surrounding the program in Towson. Scranton can't stop to rest; upcoming for them is a road game against a tough Merchant Marine squad and then the first meeting with rival Catholic this week.

A fight for the MAC Commonwealth

Just when it seemed Albright might run away with the Commonwealth this year, it ran into a challenger in Messiah, losing 59-49 in Grantham on Saturday. That makes two losses in three games for the Lions, who started out 11-0. With wins over Ursinus and Moravian (both leading their respective conferences), Albright is making a case for inclusion among the regional powers. They enter this week in second place in their own conference as they focus in for games against third-place Lycoming and Arcadia.

Milestones

We already mentioned Glenn Robinson getting his 900th win this week. Already the D-III career leader, he's only two wins away from passing Bobby Knight. There are just a handful of coaches ahead of him on the all-time list and all of them play more games per year than F&M. It's quite an accomplishment. For players, DeSales' Cody Deal hit 1,000 career points and Kelecia Harris of Albright blocked her 200th career shot.

Chime in

We are always on the lookout for good Mid-Atlantic region stories. I'm especially interested in statistical milestones and behind the scenes successes – these aren't always as easy to find in headlines and box scores. Contact me at ryan.scott@d3sports.com or @ryanalanscott on twitter.

Around the Mid-Atlantic was written by Ryan Scott during the 2015-16 season. He now writes Around the Nation.