UNITY — Eddie Kopacz, a senior guard on the Unity College men’s basketball team, noticed the changes in his team early. The Rams had a little more energy and a lot more fight. When asked why, Kopacz pointed as new Unity coach Bob Witts worked with a few players on the other side of the gym.
“We’re in way better shape, and the kids we’re playing with this year, they’re more disciplined. I really like Bob as a coach. He reminds me of my high school coach a lot,” Kopacz said. “Everybody comes in here and plays their guts out, gives 100 percent all the time. That’s the only way we’re going to be able to compete.”
Unity basketball teams at a glance
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Coach: Gary Pelton
Last season: 1-14
Key players: Jean Copa (Sr., C), Emilee Reynolds (Sr., G), Katie Dole (Jr., F), Raeann Bond (Jr. F), Michaela Devogt (Fr. G), Zoe Picanso (Jr. G), Alana Pulkkinen (Jr., C)
Overview: With some new faces mixed in with a few veterans, the Rams hope to show improvement as the season progresses. In the early part of the season, Bond was the team’s offensive leader, averaging 6 points per game, as well as 7.5 rebounds. Pulkkinen averaged 5.7 points and 4.7 boards over the Rams’ first six games. As a team, the Rams shot just 27.1 percent from the field last season, and that will have to improve.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Coach: Bob Witts
Last season: 1-16
Key players: Eddie Kopacz (Sr., G), Sean Tocci (Jr. F), Hunter Engel (Fr., G), Tyler LaFreniere (Jr., G), Adam Merrill (Fr., G), Den Suehiro (Fr., F)
Overview: Under new head coach Witts, the Rams play an up-tempo style of basketball in which they try to get off 80 to 100 shots each game. A 1,000 point scorer, Kopacz leads the team in scoring and rebounding. Tocci averaged 16.8 points per game in the early going. Engel is a strong point guard, but a concussion early in the season could limit his minutes. A tough schedule includes upcoming games against UMaine-Augusta and Central Maine Community College.
Under Witts, who was varsity girls basketball coach at Skowhegan Area High School the last two seasons, the undersized, undermanned Rams are playing aggressive, up-tempo basketball. Unity is 2-4, with games next Monday at UMaine-Augusta and Thursday at UMaine-Presque Isle before the Christmas break.
Unity began the season with an eight man roster and recently added a ninth. Witts said he hopes to add a player from Australia, where he coached professional basketball for seven seasons, for the spring semester.
“I definitely like the college level,” said Witts, who previously coached the women’s basketball team at Unity. “We try to be competitive and we have a great bunch of kids.”
“He’s an all-around great guy and he knows more about the game than any of us ever expected. He’s a coach that is willing to tell us what our role is,” junior guard Tyler LaFreniere of Madison said of Witts. “He’s an open-minded guy; he likes to hear what we have to say. He’s just more about team effort and team bonding.”
Kopacz is Unity’s biggest player, at 6-foot-2. Only two other players on the Rams roster are listed as at least 6-feet tall — 6-1 freshman forward Den Suehiro and 6-foot junior guard Sean Tocci.
“We’re playing with all guards and small forwards. But, saying that, these kids play tremendously hard,” Witts said. “Kopacz is the best player in the league, in my opinion.”
Kopacz reached the 1,000-point milestone in a 116-91 loss to UMaine-Machias on Nov. 10. The senior averages 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and three assists per game. Basketball wasn’t high on Kopacz’ list of priorities when selecting a college. Kopacz played in just seven games as a junior, averaging 25 points per game.
“I came here to study conservation law enforcement. I came from a small town high school (his hometown is Thompson, Connecticut), so it was a pretty good transition,” Kopacz said. “Over the four years, we’ve had kids who are on the team, off the team. It’s back and forth. With the guys we play with here, we’re all on the same page. Definitely, in the four years I’ve been here this is the best team as far as everybody being on the same page, just teammates. Everybody’s good buddies, so it’s a better year.”
Through six games, the Rams average close to 70 points and went over 100 twice, in a 103-53 win at Hampshire and a 113-102 loss at New Hampshire Technical Institute. Although it was a loss, the NHTI game was a confidence boost for the Rams. Starting point guard Hunter Engel left the game midway through the second half with a concussion but the team was still able to stay with a bigger NHTI squad.
“Last year and the year before, we didn’t really compete with them. It really showed (the improvement). With only seven guys, we didn’t roll over. We just kept fighting,” LaFreniere said.
LaFreniere and Kopacz say the Rams are in better shape than they’ve been in a while and that’s enabled them to play an up-tempo style that Witts prefers.
“We push the ball up and down the floor and they’re really athletic kids. We do a lot of running at practice. We’re very fit. We have to be. Our goal is to get up between 80 and 100 shots per game,” Witts said.
Added Kopacz: “We’re out-running teams that out-man us. They’re subbing five guys in and have 15 on the bench. We’re out-running teams in the first half, second half, we’re just grinding.”
The Rams’ goal is to make the Yankee Small College Conference playoffs.
“We’ve already got two wins. We’d probably have to get five or six wins in this league to make the playoffs. I think that’s doable,” Witts said.
Kopacz thinks the team has the discipline to make a run at the postseason.
“I want to just win as many games as we can. Over the years, it’s almost like it was a broken record. We’d come out saying ‘Yeah, we want to get this many wins,’ but this year, I’m confident,” Kopacz, who has scored 38 points twice and 47 points in the NHTI game, said. “We need to take care of the little things and we have to have perfect games. We need to stay healthy. I’d like to make a playoff run for my last year.”
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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