To get a brief glimpse of the athletic symphony that is Oberlin men’s basketball right now, go to the 14th minute of the first half in their recent win over Allegheny College. Fourth-year point guard Yuuki Okubo, as per usual, takes the ball down the court. He skips in the air and launches a one-hand pass to fourth-year Andrew Gannon, who pump fakes and lays it off to third-year Milun Micanovic, who gives it back to Okubo, who immediately hands it off to fourth-year Will Bousquette III, who drives down to the baseline, then whips it out to Gannon in the corner, who resets it back to Okubo under Allegheny pressure. Okubo dribbles, darting into Gator territory, sneaking in a pass to second-year JJ Gray, who backs in, bounces off an Allegheny chest, and buries a fadeaway, earning a trip to the free throw line. The ball is caressed, launched, and bounced off of every Yeomen hand on the play, forming an orchestra of fingerprints on the ball that reflects the team’s recent synchronous play.
Oberlin men’s basketball has started the season on an explosive 5–0 run, capped off by a recent 65–60 win over Albion College. Head Coach Shiva Senthil, who enters his third season with the Yeomen, attributes much of the success to the team’s strong presence of upperclassmen.
“Our senior class came into a difficult transition year after COVID, but have learned what it takes to win close games,” Senthil said.
When fused with talented young players such as 2024 NCAC Newcomer of the Year Gray and first-year Rob Magner, Oberlin men’s basketball has calibrated into a team calloused by experience yet bursting with potential. At the helm is Okubo, who Senthil credits as a team leader who, even with hours of playing time under his belt, continually improves and fine-tunes his game.
“Yuuki was already one of the best point guards and passers in the country, but now he has elevated his game to [become] more of a shooter and scorer,” Senthil said.
Simply tune in to any of Oberlin’s games, and watch Okubo’s dribbles leave defenders jolted, his passes locate teammates with surgical precision, and his drives to the basket blend aggression with acrobatic beauty. But let the stats shout for themselves. Okubo, who was a third-team NCAC selection last year, recently broke Oberlin’s all-time assist record held at 390 by Christian Fioretti, OC ’20.
“It’s an honor to be able to get the record, but it’s all credit to my guys and everyone I’ve played with during my time here,” Okubo said.
Okubo’s mentality remains team-centered, a philosophy jointly espoused by Senthil, who has strong goals for Oberlin’s burgeoning team.
“The NCAC is one of the most competitive conferences for D3 basketball, but we have what it takes to crash the party,” Senthil said.
Coming off of a fifth place conference finish last year, Senthil and the Yeomen aim to place in the top three to four teams as they battle their conference opponents throughout the winter.
While they share the same court for practices and home games, the Oberlin men’s and women’s basketball teams have played in quite different environments so far in the season. The men’s team has tested their mettle mostly at home, but the women’s team recently traveled to Atlanta to compete in the Emory Classic hosted by Emory University. Head Coach Stephany Dunmyer, in her sixth season as head coach, cited a variety of factors for the team’s recent southward expedition.
“We generally try to incorporate one tournament each season that allows us to travel closer to the hometowns of a few of our student-athletes, … and, of course, the opportunity to play two really quality teams was also a huge draw,” Dunmeyer said.
In the team’s first game of the tournament, the Yeowomen were able to box out Oglethorpe University by eight points thanks to several key performances, most notably by fourth-year Camille Zinaich, who recorded a double-double. Zinaich, who brings seniority to an otherwise young team, notes how new the team feels in comparison to her past three years.
“We’re just starting to gel as a team, as we had a lot of [senior] experience on the team in the past, and [we] lost two starters from last year,” Zinaich said.
The team has seamlessly incorporated second-year Krystal Montas as an adept rebounder, and the team’s cadre of third-years of Ellie Pollock-Ballard, Katherine Csiszar, and Lily Najmulski buttress the Yeowomen’s senior class.
While dropping a game to Emory University, a national-caliber team, Zinaich remains optimistic about the Yeowomen’s potential.
“Being a new team, it’s going to be really hard for people to try and guard us. … We’ve got a lot of new things going on this year compared to previous years,” Zinaich said.
Adaptability seems to be the name of the game for Yeowomen basketball, as the team integrates growing talent in the likes of Montas and first-year Gabby Peña-Hilzen with the veteran dexterities of Zinaich and Pollock-Ballard.
The men’s team is back on the court Nov. 30 at The College of Wooster. The women’s team next matchup is Saturday, Nov. 23 when they take on Penn State Behrend in Philips gym.
