Columbia first fielded a men’s basketball team for the 1900-1901 season, which makes it one of the 60 oldest basketball programs in the country. During its 124-year tenure, though, Columbia has made the NCAA
Tournament just three times and currently has the third-longest tournament appearance drought in college basketball history — the last appearance was way back in 1968, before the advent of the 3-point line and dunking.
Representing Columbia University of the prestigious Ivy League bears a lot of weight in a place known for its basketball culture and tradition like New York City. But it’s a challenge that new Columbia head coach Kevin Hovde was eager to embrace upon his hiring back in March.
“We’re really grateful to return to this community, which has played such a meaningful role in our lives,” Hovde said in his introductory press conference. “We have an incredibly strong network of proud Columbia Lions behind us and we’re excited to try and make them proud in return. This is one of the best academic institutions in the world, in the greatest city in the world. There’s truly nothing like it.”
A former Columbia assistant, Hovde arrived after helping Florida to a national championship and returns to the city with a style that feels almost emblematic of Manhattan’s tall skyscrapers and fast-paced flow.
According to KenPom, the Lions are just 256th in adjusted tempo but can race out ahead of opponents with deadly ball movement and precision shooting. Other than being a top-100 team in categories like effective field goal percentage, offensive rebounding percentage, and DI experience, Columbia sits top-20 in 3-point percentage.
It’s a testament to the development of this roster from the first-year head coach and although Hovde’s new to this program, the Lions are 13th nationally in minutes continuity. That’s pretty typical of a school in the Ivy League but there’s plenty of talent on this roster now that could have found opportunities in the portal looking back this offseason.
In fact, senior guard Kenny Noland did enter the portal upon Hovde’s hiring and received a plethora of high-major and mid-major interest from some of the counties premier programs. Instead, he’s back in Morningside Heights for his fourth and final year of eligibility and leading the Lions to a 5-1 start with some of the best performances of his college career.
“[Noland] did enter the portal and he did have opportunities for sure,” Hovde said. “He’s a really good player and we’re extremely fortunate to have him back. It’s his talent, but for a first-year head coach, having a senior combo guard who is very similar to some of the guys I’ve coached in the past makes it easy for me to adapt. The things we care about, he embodies that and it’s getting our program going the right way.”
Noland is averaging a career-high 17.0 PPG through his first six appearances this season. That’s included 14 points in an opening day win at New Haven, 24 points over UMass-Lowell and a career-best scoring effort with 27 points on 11-for-18 shooting in a win at Lehigh.
On Sunday, as the three’s rained down from Levien Gymnasium, Noland finished with 24 points and seven assists while going 6-for-11 from behind the arc. It led to Columbia prevailing in a 95-70 win over Longwood in which the Lions set a single-game program record with 18 three-pointers made.
Behind Noland, Columbia has dealt with early season injuries between senior guard Avery Brown and senior forward Zine Eddine Bedri, both fourth-year returners with the program. But it’s allowed others to step up and carve a role out in Hovde’s system to showcase the depth of this Lions team.
“Obviously, not having [Bedri| and not having [Brown] has hurt us,” Hovde said. “But guys have stepped up, it’s a next man up mentality and we have to play as a team both offensively and defensively. That’s what this program is about. We’re not dependent on one guy trying to iso or go get a basket, we want to play as a team.”
New York City native and fourth-year senior forward Blair Thompson stepped up big for Columbia over the past week. In the Lions win over Lehigh, he managed his first double-double of the season with 11 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for an 82-67 win.
During Sunday’s record breaking victory over Longwood, Thompson started the afternoon 6-for-6 from three, finished the day 9-for-13 from the field and had a career-high 25 points to lead all scorers. His breakout isn’t a surprise to Hovde, who’s witnessed his work ethic first hand since arriving on campus and called him a player who “does the things that equate to winning.”
“[Thompson’s] been one of our best guys in practice over the last couple months,” Hovde said. “The things that are important to our program, he does at a really high level and not even including his scoring but with his defending, rebounding and taking care of the ball. He’s really helped us win games up to this point.”
While there’s plenty of veteran returners playing consistent minutes in Hovde’s rotation, Columbia also has a pair of breakout freshman working into key roles early this season.
First year guard Miles Franklin might have been an unranked prospect out of high school but he still held several high-major offers from programs like California and Miami before deciding on Columbia. He’s put together some solid offensive performances for a freshman, with 13 points in the win over New Haven followed by 10 points in the Lions only loss of the season, at UConn.
However, it’s on the defensive end where Franklin really shines as he’s currently nationally ranked in KenPom’s block percentage and steal percentage after five swipes and a blocked shot against Longwood.
Connor Igoe, a 6-foot-7 freshman wing, has stepped up in the wake of injuries and though not your typical ball handler, he’s the Lions leader in assists through his first six collegiate appearances. His versatility speaks for itself and on Sunday, he contributed nine points on 3-for-6 shooting, five rebounds, a career-high nine assists and even added three steals in the 25-point win.
“Those two are huge and important right now,” Hovde said. “They’ve both carved out really good roles for themselves. Miles didn’t shoot the ball well [today] but he played really well and that’s the difference. He defended at a high level. Connor is really just a physical, winning player. The things he does don’t always show up in the box score but he’s really helping us and helping his teammates when he’s out there.”
This Columbia team has already had eight different players score in double-digit figures this season and with so much depth to Hovde’s roster its tough to see the Lions slowing down anytime soon.
Still, there’s tougher competition on the horizon in Fairfield, local matchups with Hofstra and Stony Brook, all followed by a trip out west to visit California for another high-major test.
But after being picked dead-last in the Ivy League’s preseason poll back in October, it’s fair to say the Lions are already defying early expectations under Hovde.
With veteran experience, two-way talent and a national championship pedigree at the helm, Columbia is ready to take a leap this season toward its ultimate goal of making this program a perennial conference contender.
