The Justice

Forward Terrell Hollins '10, right, prepares to pass in the Judges' Nov. 27 win over Babson College. Hollins is leading the Judges in scoring and rebounding, making up for the injury to star forward Steve DeLuca '08. Justice File Photo

When the men's basketball team opened the season with a No. 12 ranking-the highest in school history-in the D3hoops.com poll, they denounced its significance, stressing that the only important goal was to reach the Final Four.

Now, armed with its best 12-game start in 51 years and a No. 2 spot in the D3hoops.com poll after the non-conference season, players and coaches are still downplaying their ranking, especially with most of the difficult University Athletic Association schedule still on tap.

"We're definitely aware of [the ranking], but we don't really put much stock into it," forward Stephen Hill '08 said. "We still have a lot of work to do. The biggest thing we've noticed being ranked No. 2 is that it seems that every game we play is the biggest game of the year for [the opposition]. Everybody is trying to come after us."

The team is 11-1 this season, the lone blemish a 71-64 overtime loss at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Dec. 6. Two days later, the Judges scored a 72-62 upset of then-No. 1 Amherst College, and after a thrilling 96-94 overtime win over Elms College Jan. 7, the Judges opened UAA play with a 66-56 win over New York University last Saturday.

Remarkably, the team has succeeded despite the absence of forward Steve DeLuca '08, a first-team all-UAA selection last season.

DeLuca missed all but 27 minutes of action in the first semester due to a lower back injury and a right hamstring injury. He originally injured his plantar fasciitis, the band of tissue that extends from the heel to the toe on the bottom of the foot, after the team returned from its summer trip to Italy, and difficulty adjusting to orthotics placed in his shoes led to his current ailments.

Initially, DeLuca was scheduled to return by conference play, but the recovery has taken longer than expected, and coach Brian Meehan said this week that his star player is "not even close to returning." DeLuca recently received an epidural shot in his lower back and is slowly working his way back into playing shape, but no timetable has been set for his return.

Continued...

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