Richard Kent

Q&A with Yale women’s basketball coach Allison Guth

February 24, 2017February 23, 2017 by Richard Kent

Allison Guth coached the Yale Bulldogs to a 61-48 upset victory over Penn Saturday. (Ivy League Digital Network)

Yale entered last Saturday night’s home game against Penn under second -year head coach Allison Guth with an Ivy record of 2-7, while Penn stood at 8-0. But Yale stunned Penn, 61-48. IHO caught up with coach Guth after the game.

Ivy Hoops Online: After the Princeton loss on Friday night, did you have an indication that your team would step up to the extent that it did against the team which you characterize as the top of the Ivy?

Allison Guth: I believe in this team and our ability to compete at the highest level. The challenge we have faced this season is our ability to perform consistently to our potential. I thought that we had a very inspired focus at shootaround and that our team was prepared to play a poised game vs a very good Penn team.

Trey Phills: Kind of like the new Nick Victor for Yale

February 10, 2017 by Richard Kent

Trey Phills and Nick Victor are different people. Really.

Phills is a sophomore at Yale and stands 6-foot-2. Victor graduated from Yale last year and stands 6-foot-5. He currently plays in Norway and last week was named Player Of The Week in his league, scoring 24 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

Now let the comparisons begin.

Yale misses Anthony Dallier in Princeton loss

January 16, 2017 by Richard Kent

The Elis played their toughest road weekend of the season at Penn and Princeton. They finished with a 1-1 split.

And Anthony Dallier’s absence spelled the difference.

The senior played, as usual, a solid floor game against Penn and Yale won, 68-60, on the strength of 18 second-half points from freshman forward Miye Oni.

Miye Oni continues to impress for Yale

January 4, 2017 by Richard Kent

Yale freshman Miye Oni currently ranks second in the Ivy League in three-pointers made, third in rebounding, fourth in blocks and fifth in minutes played, (Seattle Times)

Yes, he is just one piece of a complicated puzzle, a puzzle created by the graduation of Justin Sears and Brandon Sherrod and confounded even more by a season-ending injury to preseason Ivy Player of the Year favorite Makai Mason.

Yale just keeps improving

December 15, 2016 by Richard Kent

The stats don’t tell the story. The record (6-4) doesn’t tell the story. The team improvement speaks volumes.

Yale lost Ivy Player of the Year Justin Sears, rebounding star Brandon Sherrod and all-around intangible leader Nick Victor to both graduation and European play.

Can Yale’s Blue Madness become March Madness again?

October 25, 2016 by Richard Kent

Last year, the Elis won their first outright Ivy title since 1962 and their first NCAA Tournament game ever. They narrowly lost to Duke in the round of 32 in Providence. This year’s version will present more of a challenge to heralded head coach, James Jones, who enters his 18th year as Elis coach and the dean of all Ivy coaches. Jones won the coveted mid-major Coach of the Year honor last year, along with a host of other honors.

Yale basketball 1962-64 teams reunion dinner

October 8, 2016 by Richard Kent

On October 1, eight members of the Yale men’s basketball teams of 1962, 1963 and 1964 met at Payne Whitney Gymnasium for a reunion dinner.

The author was lucky enough to be in attendance, having watched those teams play as a youth growing up in New Haven. Some of the team members present were All-American Rick Kaminsky, highly successful Ivy Funds originator Dennis Lynch and Connecticut resident and star guard Bob Trupin.

The evening was composed of a very well-done slide show and talks to the crowd by Kaminsky, 93-year-old former head coach Joe Vancisin and myself.

Q&A with Yale’s Makai Mason

June 25, 2016 by Richard Kent

Makai Mason posted 31 points, six rebounds, four assists and just two turnovers in 39 minutes in Yale's NCAA first-round win over Baylor, the program's first ever NCAA victory. (Fansided) — Makai Mason posted 31 points, six rebounds, four assists and just two turnovers in 39 minutes in Yale’s NCAA first-round win over Baylor, the program’s first ever NCAA victory. (Fansided)

Our Richard Kent caught up with Yale junior guard and March Madness standout Makai Mason and talked to him about what Yale fans can expect from next year’s Bulldogs team as the program defends its 2015-16 Ivy championship and much more:

No. 12 Yale vs No. 4 Duke: What to watch for

March 19, 2016 by Richard Kent

Little did anyone expect Yale and Duke would meet for a second time after the Blue Devils handed Yale an 80-61 loss in November. But that exact scenario is taking place Saturday afternoon in Providence in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Duke beat Yale on that night, 80-61, but the game was much closer. Yale raced out to a 9-0 lead and trailed 38-36 at the half.

No. 12 Yale vs. No. 5 Baylor: What to watch for

March 15, 2016 by Richard Kent

Here we are.

Yale makes its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1962 Thursday at 2:45 p.m., a virtual home game for the No. 12 Bulldogs against the No. 5 Baylor Bears. The Bears will be attempting to gain revenge from a first-round upset at the hands of upstart Georgia Southern last year. The Bears have enjoyed success in the Big Dance under 13-year coach Scott Drew, going to the Elite Eight in 2010 and 2012. But then-No. 3 Baylor got upset by No. 14 Georgia State in Athens, Ga. in the Bears’ first NCAA contest last season, an eerily similar virtual road matchup with an underdog foe to the threat posed by Yale in Providence at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center this season.

The game should be low-scoring, which will favor the Elis. Both teams turn the ball over too much (Yale ranks 296th in the country in turnover percentage, Baylor ranks 228th), but Yale has shot the ball better, especially from two-point range against high-major competition.