After back-to-back NCAA Division III Tournament appearances that culminated in a run to the Elite Eight in 2012, Wittenberg must replace four starters and seven letter winners from a squad that finished 24-7 and brought the NCAC regular season championship back to Springfield.
A pair of outstanding junior guards look to be the foundation for the 2012-13 squad, which includes three of the top seven scorers returning from a year ago. Zack Leahy (Rossford, Ohio/Rossford) ranked fourth on the team in scoring and assists and second in steals in his first season in the Red & White after transferring from the University of Toledo. Steven Newell (Englewood, Ohio/Northmont) shot 51 percent from three-point range while finishing with a 2:1 assist-turnover ratio for the second straight season.
The backcourt will be bolstered by the return of a healthy Cam Walton (Waterville, Ohio/Anthony Wayne), a senior guard who spent much of last season getting back to game speed after suffering a severe knee injury in January of 2011. Walton will be joined in the perimeter playing rotation by sophomore guard Ben Syroka (Toledo, Ohio/Whitmer), who appeared in more games (22) than any other freshman last year.
Also back in the fold and looked upon to be the focus of the inside attack is junior forward Scott Masin (New Carlisle, Ohio/Bethel), who averaged 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest in his first full season in the playing rotation.
Three other players, senior wing Eli Pavlatos (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern), junior forward Cole Bond (Canton, Ohio/St. Thomas Aquinas) and sophomore forward Sam Collins (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Heights), also are expected to be in the playing mix. Last season, Pavlatos appeared in 15 games while Bond saw action in 13 games. Collins was the most valuable player in the junior varsity program.
Preseason practices have found two freshmen, Alex Fultz (Batavia, Ohio/Glen Este) and Teddy Kremchek (Indian Hill, Ohio/Indian Hill), also vying for minutes at the varsity level. Fultz plays the forward position while Kremchek is a wing player.