BENNINGTON, Vt. - Through unbelievable adversity, the Southern Vermont College men's basketball team has shown one sign of a true champion this season: Whenever a Mountaineer has fallen from the lineup for whatever reason, another has risen to take his place.
The latest SVC player to ascend is forward Ben Naaktgeboren, who has seized the opportunity created by SVC's latest setback - a serious neck injury to junior captain Joe Karnik - and emerged as a serious force on the landscape of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC).
"Without Joe, everyone has to step up," said Naaktgeboren during practice on Monday. "That's 25 points and 10 rebounds a night that we have to replace."
Though if the former Cambridge Central School Indian can keep his game at its present level, those stats appear well accounted for. The Mountaineers' game on Thursday night against host Lesley University saw Naaktgeboren explode for a game-high 28 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, and play a major hand in SVC's 82-77 comeback victory.
The 6-foot-3 freshman shot 10-of-18 from the field and 8-of-10 from the free throw line, and added three assists while playing all 40 minutes for the depleted visiting squad. He cut Lesley's lead (which had ballooned to 13 points in the first half) to just one on a three-point play at the start of the second half, then gave SVC its first lead with two free throws just under two minutes later.
The Mountaineers held a seven-point lead some five minutes later, only to watch as the home team roared back to tie the game at 64-all with 6:49 remaining. Naaktgeboren then spear-headed an 18-13 game-ending run to victory for SVC.
"It obviously was a career night in (Naaktgeboren's) first year of play," SVC head coach Mike McDonough said. "He's been building toward that kind of performance, and we look forward to more of it."
The key to Naaktgeboren sustaining such a level of play is confidence, according to both him and the guy he's replacing. Karnik's severe neck sprain has relegated him to the Mountaineers' bench, where his crafty rebounding and resounding dunks have been replaced with cheers and encouragement for his teammates. During Thursday's rally, this new version of Captain Karnik was firing on all cylinders.
"I had no voice left after the Lesley game," Karnik said. "I kept telling (Naaktgeboren) all through that game to stay confident, and he played great. It was a huge win for this program, in a tough environment and without me on the floor. Hopefully, the confidence that Ben gained from it will carry over when I come back."
"The whole key has been me getting more confident in game situations," Naaktgeboren said. "Playing more minutes and getting more touches has made me more comfortable. Of course we'd rather have (Karnik) out there with us, but we can't rely on him right now - we have to get to work."
Also stepping up has been freshman Brett Clatworthy of Argyle, N.Y. who knocked down 18 points all three pointers on 6-10 shooting from behind the arc against Lesley.
The Mountaineers (5-12 overall, 2-5 NECC) still have designs on a home playoff game - which they could achieve by sneaking into the postseason as the No. 4 seed. The SVC Field House has evolved into a rowdy environment for visiting squads, thanks to attendance that ranks second in the conference.
"That's awesome," Karnik said of the team's spike in popularity among spectators. "We love to have a big crowd behind us, so we can't thank people enough for coming out to support us. Hopefully, we can give them something to really cheer about."
Tonight will bring a test from Western Connecticut State University, which invades the SVC Field House for a 7 p.m. tip-off. Karnik won't be quite ready to return - he claims to feel no discomfort, but has been advised by doctors to remain inactive - yet the captain will be his usual fiery self on the SVC bench.
"He kind of gives us another coaching presence," McDonough said. "He tries to lead from the bench, but the place where we really need his leadership is on the floor. We have his words, but we need his deeds, too."