Basketball – The Oberlin Review

All Good Things Must Come to an End: Jenkins Steps Down After 11 Seasons Leading Women’s Basketball

April 12, 2019

As his players arrived at the gym for practice one Monday afternoon in March 2018, Women’s Basketball Head Coach Kerry Jenkins devised a plan. The 2017–18 team was the first in program history to win the North Coast Athletic Conference title and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament, but Jenkins knew that the Yeowomen’s most daunting challenge of the season would be facing the Messiah College Falcons that Friday, March 2. Messiah, which was ranked No. 15 in Division III at the time, is...

New Year, New Record for Men’s Basketball

February 15, 2019

With 2.3 seconds left on the clock and the basketball in his hands, College junior and point guard Josh Friedkin didn’t miss a beat, swishing an off-balance jumper to secure a triple-overtime victory over the Allegheny College Gators last Wednesday. Three days later, Friedkin posted his first career double-double — 15 points and 10 assists — against the Hiram College Terriers, helping the Yeomen set a new program record for the most North Coast Athletic Conference wins in a season. Fri...

Inexperience Not a Concern for Women’s Basketball

Julie Schreiber, Senior Staff Writer

November 16, 2018

When College senior and women’s basketball co-captain Olivia Canning watched her teammate, College junior and point guard Cheyenne Arthur, nail a few three-pointers in last Saturday’s game against Alma College, she got the feeling that the young team was headed toward another successful season. The Yeowomen, who opened their 2018–2019 season Nov. 10 with a 59–45 win, are approaching the season with both steady optimism and caution. The team is aiming to repeat last year’s NCAC championship, which it took home for the first time in program history, but must confront the challenging experience disparity faced by this year’s younger squad. Teams thrive on consistency; between the 2016–2017 and 2...

Senior Student-Athletes Must Balance Athletics, Academics, Impending Graduation

Alexis Dill, Sports Editor

November 9, 2018

At the conclusion of her junior year, College senior and softball player Emma Downing was unsure if she should apply to the Honors Program in History. She didn’t think she would get in — only seven students were accepted this year — and even if she did, she didn’t know if her schedule would allow for it. Nevertheless, she decided to take the plunge. “There weren’t any other classes I wanted to take, and I wanted to push myself academically and see what I could accomplish,” Downing said. “I knew that coming up with a question and researching it all year to write a 60-page paper would be the hardest thing I’ve ever done academically.” The History and Russian & East European Studies double-major ...

The Jewish Development in the NBA and Oberlin

Julie Schreiber, Senior Staff Writer

October 12, 2018

There are numerous professions in which Jewish people have achieved notable success, but the world of professional sports has not historically been one of them. As a result, many American Jews have long been intrigued when Jewish athletes emerge in a professional sport, especially when they do well — consider Sandy Koufax. This fascination — yes, there are many websites devoted to this issue — is even apparent in fans who are not Jewish. A lot of jokes grow out of this preoccupation, which brings us to the Oberlin men’s basketball team. At a school with a 23 percent Jewish population, 12 of the 20 players on this year’s squad — 60 percent — identify as Jewish. “This [dynamic] has defini...

Yeowomen Top Big Red, Advance to NCAC Semis

February 23, 2018

The women’s basketball team advanced to the North Coast Athletic Conference semifinals for the second year in a row Tuesday, marking their recent and sustained success and giving Head Coach Kerry Jenkins his 100th win with the program. The women’s basketball team triumphed over the Denison University Big Red in the NCAC’s quarterfinal game 66–52 on the home court in front of a large crowd of fired-up fans. “I would say the feeling I’m having is not predicated on [the win],” Jenkins said. ...

Yeomen Look to Quadruple Wins From Last Season

February 16, 2018

As the men’s basketball season comes to a close, players and coaches in the program have enjoyed reflecting on a season in which they defied the odds. Last winter the Yeomen won just three games and graduated five seniors — including one of the best hoopers in Oberlin basketball history in Jack Poyle. With just one game left tomorrow, the Yeomen have collected eight more wins than the 2016-17 season — without any senior leadership. Sophomore forward Andre Campbell, who started in 23 of 25...

Yeowomen Break Program Wins Record Against Kenyon

Alex McNicoll, Sports Editor

February 9, 2018

The Yeowomen broke the 15-win program record set by the 1998–99 team and the record for North Coast Athletic Conference wins Wednesday, besting their rival Kenyon College Ladies in a 47–39 defensive battle. At 16–6, and 11–2 in conference, the Yeowomen — who are riding an eight-game win streak — stand third in the NCAC with just three games to go in the regular season. Head Coach Kerry Jenkins, who has spent 10 years with the program, recognized his team’s resiliency in a game where both teams could not get shots to fall. “It was a tough conference battle,” Jenkins said. “Both teams played really hard. It wasn’t a high offensive production game, but defensively both teams locked and got aggressive....

Perspective: Coordination, Teamwork Lead to Third Conference Win

December 8, 2017

Wednesday night marked the third conference game for the women’s basketball team, who faced off against the Denison University Big Red. Starting out conference play 2–0, we hoped to continue our winning streak and defend our home court. Coming into the game, we knew we had to rebound the ball well and execute and defend the three-point line. The first quarter started off with uncharacteristically sloppy play. On the offensive end, we were able to keep up with Denison but failed to rebound e...

Yeowomen Best Scots, Yeomen Lose to Tigers

December 1, 2017

In a two-week stretch that saw a buzzer-beater finish for the Yeowomen and a tournament win for the Yeomen, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams enter the bulk of conference play with plenty to be proud of. In their most recent games Wednesday, the Yeowomen trounced the College of Wooster Fighting Scots 72–51, while the Yeomen dropped their second conference game to the Wittenberg University Tigers 78–65. Now, while both programs sit at 4–2 overall, the Yeowomen command a 2–0 confe...

Yeowomen Dismantled by Purple Raiders in Season Debut

November 17, 2017

In their first game since dropping a nail-biter to the DePauw University Tigers in last year’s North Coast Athletic Conference semi-finals 58–54, the Yeowomen lost their season opener to the University of Mount Union Purple Raiders 65–44 on Wednesday. The Yeowomen’s offense could not pull through, shooting 25 percent from the field and 10 percent from three in a disappointing start to a season that they began with high expectations. Despite coming off a season in which the Yeowomen ranked fi...

Yeomen, Yeowomen Prepare for Basketball Season Openers

November 10, 2017

The men’s and women’s basketball teams will both take the court next week for the first time since last February. The Yeowomen foster big expectations, looking to build on their past success after falling in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals last winter to the number 12-ranked DePauw Tigers 58–54. The Yeomen face an uphill battle this year, as they will follow up a 3–22 record with zero returning seniors, including their lone All-NCAC Honorable Mention athlete Jack ...