After having an up and down year and tailing off at the end of last season, Lyndon State has a new beginning and new competitors.
In his third year of coaching, Joe Krupinski is extremely excited for the season with freshmen recruits and an addition to the coaching staff in assistant coach Denny Mortimer. The freshmen will bring speed and perimeter play while Mortimer will provide experience. He played at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania and played on a professional minor league team.
The team is looking to improve all aspects of their game, especially their defense. “Last year we could easily shoot the ball and score big, but our defense needs to improve,” said head coach Joe Krupinski. With the help of returning big men like O’Bee Byrd and Taylor Burke, LSC will have a big inside presence. Also included in down low presence is returning forward Jason Gray who was Lyndon’s top rebounder, and in Krupinski’s opinion, the top rebounder in the conference last season.
This season the Hornets have a tough non-conference schedule, playing in the Naismith Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. The tournament will feature division one teams. They will also go on the road and play at division one school Brown University. “These tough opponents will prepare us for our in conference schedule and we’ll be able to see some great competition.”
Their in-conference play will be equally as tough as last year as many teams, including Maine-Farmington and Husson, return most of their starters. Unlike last year, the Hornets will have fewer home games, but Krupinski is hoping that fans come out and support them at their many away games. New to the schedule this year will be special events such as giveaways and local schools coming to play.
“I enjoy interacting with the players and seeing them grow not only as players but also as people. I’m really excited to see what this year is going to bring for us,” said Krupinski. The Hornet’s first home game is against an international team, the University of Quebec-Montreal, on Thursday, Nov. 4.