Grinnell men’s basketball aims to protect Darby, eyes conference title

The Grinnell College men’s basketball team won their first home game of the season versus Principia College on Saturday, Nov. 16 with a final score of 126-89. Then, on Tuesday, the Pioneers fell 123-111 in Darby Gymnasium in a matchup against the Wartburg Knights. These games were part of a six-game home stretch taking place over the course of Nov. 16 to Dec. 3.  

Reflecting on the season thus far, David Arsenault Jr., head men’s basketball coach said, “It was great to be back home. Our first two games were on the road up in Michigan, in a back-to-back setting, which I think was very challenging, against two really good teams in a very good league. They had the national champion last year and multiple teams in the tournament. We split those two games which was a positive result.”  

Arsenault Jr. said that he was looking forward to playing more games at home, citing the importance of location for the team. “The feeling amongst the squad is that we really want to protect the home court and defend Darby.”

Harris Dar (1) drives into the lane in Grinnell’s home opener game in Darby Gym against Principia on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (Meilynn Smith)

This sentiment was echoed by David Bluder `25, a senior player on the team — “I love playing at home. I love getting the crowd into it.” When looking ahead to the series of upcoming games slated to take place on Grinnell’s turf, he said, “Hopefully we can get some good turnout and some loud fans to help support us.” 

Arsenault Jr. said that the team, while still young in contrast to other teams who rely a lot more on senior players, is mature and experienced compared to the roster last year. 

“It’s an older team than last year, and at the same time, I’m just reminding myself that we are still playing a lot of young guys … Even if they do have a year of experience, they are still younger than a lot of the lineups we’re going to face,” Arsenault Jr. said.  Because of the amount of young players, Arsenault Jr. said that the team has room to improve as they gain more experience this season.  

Gabe Garcia (10) leaps up toward the hoop in Grinnell’s home opener game in Darby Gym against Principia on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (Marc Duebener)

Bluder said that the Grinnell System, which is what drew him to the basketball program at Grinnell, can be challenging to learn at first because of how different it is. “Coming in, it’s a whole different system,” he said. “It takes a whole year to learn what’s expected of you.”  

Harris Dar `28, the only first year student on the team, said he has also experienced the learning curve. “Playing in the system wasn’t that easy at first. It’s a very different brand of basketball that I’m not used to, and I had to get my body used to it.”  

Arsenault Jr. said that the older players on the team have been great teachers for the younger players — “Our upper-class guys have provided incredible leadership,” he said. “They just bring so many different skills to the table — size, quickness, shooting — and they’ve kind of found their roles as a way to complement some of our scorers … It’s a little easier to find guys that just want to shoot the basketball. It’s more challenging finding guys that can complement somebody that is shooting the basketball and can make all these other plays that are going to help the team be successful,” said Arsenault Jr.  

“All the fourth years, they’re helping me with what I’m supposed to do. If I’m doing something wrong, they’re letting me know,” Dar said. 

Arsenault Jr. said that one of his challenges this season is the depth that the team brings. “One of the challenges — and I have to figure out a way to be creative — is figuring out how to play all 20 [guys].” Arsenault Jr. said that this depth is also a great strength of the team and has come in handy when some players got into foul trouble in the first games this season, for example.  

“I think everyone’s super close on the team, just having fun,” said Bluder. “But also, we know what our end goal is, with the conference championship this year, that’s our ultimate goal.” 

Max DeGeorge (42) helps David Bluder (22) up after being fouled in Grinnell’s home opener game in Darby Gym against Principia on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (Meilynn Smith)

The Midwest Conference preseason poll of coaches predicted Grinnell to finish second behind Illinois College who is coming off of back-to-back championships, but the team expects to be competitive as they eye the championship. “I mean, the expectation is for us to win. I mean, we know we have the talent, we have the pieces,” said Dar. “From what I’ve seen, that loss last year hurt a lot of people, especially the seniors … I know they want to win. I know those guys are hungry, so those guys are going to give it their all, and we just got to follow them.”