March 11, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
The 2008-09 season was really a tale of two seasons for the Blue Jays. After starting out the season 9-3, Hopkins struggled down the stretch, and finished the season at 12-13. It was the first losing season in 15 years and just the third in head coach Bill Nelson's 23 years.
Hopkins opened the season with the 18th annual Blue Jay Invitational and an 86-61 win over Moravian. The following day, Hopkins dropped a 70-60 decision to 2008 Sweet 16 participant Whitworth. Senior guard Collin Kamm and junior forward Andrew Farber-Miller earned All-Tournament team honors for the Blue Jays. Kamm averaged 11.5 points on 9-of-15 shooting with seven board and three assists in the two games. Farber-Miller averaged 15.5 points on 10-15 shooting while going 11-of-12 from the line and pulling down 12 rebounds.
Next up for Hopkins was the 2008 Provident Pride of Maryland Tournament. JHU hit the road, traveling to the northwest corner of the state to take on Frostburg just two days before Thanksgiving. Three Blue Jays finished in double digits, including senior guard Scott Weisenfeld who scored all 16 of his points in the second half, en route to a 69-66 win over the Bobcats. The win pushed Hopkins into the semifinals and a match-up with Salisbury. Junior forward Adam Baumgartner led a balanced scoring attack with 14 points and Hopkins held Salisbury to just 17 second-half points as the Blue Jays slipped past the Sea Gulls, 54-47. The Blue Jays advanced to the championship game for the third time in four years to take on the St. Mary's Seahawks. After building a nine-point halftime lead against an experienced St. Mary's team that advanced to the Sweet 16 a year ago, the Blue Jays fell victim to one of the Seahawks' patented runs early in the second half of an 84-81 loss in the championship game. Junior guard Pat O'Connell, who scored a career-high 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, was named to the All-Tournament Team. Joining him on the team was Kamm, with 11 points, four assists, four steals and two rebounds in the championship game.
The Blue Jays then opened up Centennial Conference play with the unbeaten Diplomats of Franklin & Marshall. Four different players scored in double figures, led by Farber-Miller's 14 points, for Hopkins but it was not enough as the Blue Jays dropped a 79-66 decision to the Dips. Hopkins wrapped up the 2008 portion of its schedule with a trip to Swarthmore to take on the Garnet just three days later. All 11 players that saw action against the Garnet scored as Hopkins held on for a 71-59 win over Swarthmore. The Blue Jays held the Garnet to just three field goals in the final seven minutes and made seven straight free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Hopkins traveled to Florida just after the New Year for the inaugural ECAC Holiday Festival. Hopkins took on Roger Williams in its first game. Solid free throw shooting keyed the win for the Blue Jays as they went 26-of-34 from the line in the second half en route to a 62-47 win. Two days later, the third time was the charm for Hopkins, playing in its third tournament championship game of the season. JHU shot 64.9 percent from the floor en route to a 75-45 win over Penn State Altoona to win the inaugural ECAC Holiday Classic at the Disney Wide World of Sports. It was the best single-game field goal percentage for the Blue Jays since Jan. 8, 1992 when they shot 66.1 percent from the floor. Farber-Miller was named the tournament MVP after averaging 15.5 points and eight rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting.
The Blue Jays returned home from Florida and jumped back into Centennial Conference action with the 21st-ranked Bears of Ursinus. The Blue Jays got a career-high 25 points from Weisenfeld and withstood a furious second half rally from the Bears for their first win over a ranked opponent since 2003. Hopkins got some bad news despite the win as Baumgartner left just five minutes into the game with a broken hand that would keep him sidelined until for the next 11 games. Hopkins hit the road three days later to take on Haverford and came away with a 69-56 win. The Blue Jays outscored the Fords 17-4 over the final six minutes, while going 11-of-12 from the line in the final 89 seconds, to seal the win.
The following week, Hopkins won its sixth straight game in thrilling fashion, rallying from a 10-point deficit in the final seven minutes to win 62-61. Farber-Miller and Weisenfeld combined for 29 points in the win to pace the Blue Jays. Two days later, Hopkins traveled to Allentown to take on Muhlenberg. The Mules held the Blue Jays to just 30.3 percent shooting on the night to defeat Hopkins 64-57 and snap the Blue Jays six-game win streak. It was also Hopkins first lost at Memorial Gym since Nov. 20, 1987, a streak of 14 consecutive games. Freshman Tim McCarty punched up a career-high 18 points, including 17 in the second half, to pace Hopkins.
Hopkins got back in the win column two days later as Kamm poured in a career-high 22 points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in a 60-48 win over visiting Swarthmore. The Blue Jays then ran into a hot Green Terror team that had won seven straight. McDaniel held visiting Hopkins to just 33.3 percent from the floor in the second for a 65-49 win, the biggest loss to the Green Terror in 24 years. Hopkins rebounded over the weekend with a tough 62-58 win at Dickinson, led by Farber-Miller and sophomore Mike Henrici, who each chipped in 14 points.
Two days later, Hopkins traveled to the Battlefield to take on 25th-ranked Gettysburg. Hopkins rallied from an 18-point deficit to make it a five-point game with 3:55 to play at Gettysburg, but the Bullets went 7-of-10 from the free throw line in the final two minutes to win 71-62 and win their 18th straight at home. That loss was the beginning of the Blue Jays slide as they won just once in the final eight games of the season.
Hopkins returned home to take on Washington College in its only home game in a 19-day stretch. The Shoremen held off a late Blue Jay rally by sinking 11 of 12 free throws in the final 61 seconds to win 79-73. Hopkins hit the road again, traveling to Collegeville to face a reeling Ursinus team that had lost eight of its last 11. The game turned into an offensive show as the teams combined for 190 points, including 111 in the second half, and 25 three-pointers. Ursinus was scorching from the floor, shooting 69.2 percent, including 68.2 percent from downtown, in the 101-89 win. Hopkins had four players in double figures, with senior forward Phil Beggans punching up a career-high 24, while Weisenfeld dished out a career-high 11 assists.
Hopkins then made the short trip to Lancaster to take on its third ranked opponent of the season in 21st-ranked Franklin & Marshall. The Diplomats used a 20-7 run midway through the second half to pull away for a 71-60 win. O'Connell led three Blue Jays in double figures with 13 points. The Blue Jays then returned home to kick off a four-game home stand with Haverford and the annual Wall-O'Mahony game. The Fords rallied from four points down with 3:13 to play to beat the Blue Jays 56-52. Sophomore Leland O'Connor led the Blue Jays with nine points, all in the second half, on 3-of-5 shooting from downtown to earn game MVP honors.
In a midweek meeting between Hopkins and Gettysburg, the Blue Jays got 14 points apiece from Kamm and Henrici to snap a five-game losing skid and beat the Bullets 74-68. Hopkins used a 22-0 run that stretched from 2:33 in the first half until 13:06 in the second to take control of the game. Three days later, Hopkins lost a heartbreaker on Valentine's Day when Ryan Foster drained a three-pointer with 19 seconds left to lift Muhlenberg to a 60-58 win over Hopkins.
The following week, Hopkins suffered a 66-54 loss to visiting McDaniel as the Green Terror swept the season series for the first time since 1994-95. McDaniel used a 17-4 run to open the second half to pull away and Hopkins never recovered due to poor shooting (28.6 percent) in the second. Kamm hit a milestone for his career as he dished two assists on the night to become just the fourth player in program history with 500 points, 200 assists and 100 steals for his career.
Hopkins closed out the season with a 63-57 loss at Washington College. Hopkins cut a 12-point deficit to two with just under three minutes remaining but could get no closer as the Shoremen went 7-of-10 from the line in the closing minutes to seal the win. Washington held Hopkins without a three-point field goal, snapping a streak of 341 consecutive games with atleast one made three-pointer. It was the 10th longest active streak in the nation heading into the game.
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