Army forward Ella Ellis (#13) tries to defend Lehigh forward Holden Greiner (#20) as he looks to pass the ball during a game Jan. 29 at Stabler Arena.
Like many freshmen, Holden Greiner came to Lehigh University four years ago with wide eyes and not knowing what to expect.
Now a senior on the men’s basketball team, the forward and his teammates know what is expected of themselves and the program. The Class of 2013 is well aware of the heightened goals and pressures surrounding this Mountain Hawks team after one of the most successful seasons in school history.
“We understand all the work it took to get here and know how easily it can all go away,” Greiner said before Tuesday’s practice. “If we lose one game or a few games everyone is going to forget about us. That’s what being a (Division I) mid-major is like. Even if we have the hype now, we have to battle to keep it and battle every day to get to where we want to be and take that next step forward.
“This attention could be here tomorrow or it could not be here tomorrow. You have to play your hardest and earn it.”
The spotlight on Lehigh grew exponentially after the Patriot League champion, a No. 15 seed, upset second-seeded and eighth-ranked Duke 75-70 in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Media requests increased as guard C.J. McCollum, a projected NBA lottery pick, coach Brett Reed and others became the subject of countless newspaper and magazine articles, blog posts and TV and radio interviews.
The Bethlehem institution was put on the map and Lehigh became an overnight hit.
“Last year I said we knew from Day 1 we had a special team and could make something special happen and it did happen,” Greiner said. “Now everyone’s expecting us to do better and do more. We think we have another great team, but it’s different having all this pressure and expectations while last year we kind of snuck up on people and no one really expected it.
“It’s definitely a different feeling, but I have confidence in these guys.”
That confidence grew during Greiner's freshman season. Under the tutelage and leadership of seniors Zahir Carrington, Marquis Hall, Dave Buchberger and Matt Shamis, the Mountain Hawks won the league title and advanced to the NCAA tournament.
Despite falling to the tourney's No. 1 overall seed and top-ranked Kansas, 90-74, Greiner and fellow freshmen Gabe Knutson and McCollum gained valuable experience.
Lehigh fell short of its goals in 2010-11, but reached the apex again last season, beating rival Bucknell for the Patriot League title and earning an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
“The senior class I had as a freshman taught me the correct way how to do things,” Greiner said, rattling off their names. “It’s almost like I had a cheat code because I saw the perfect way how to be a senior from those guys. We’ve been doing what they did for us, and we hope we can continue to build the program further.
“We’ve taken a small step every year and now we want to take another one before we graduate.”
To do that, Lehigh must deal with lofty aspirations.
The Mountain Hawks won’t be surprising anyone this season. They face a tough non-conference schedule including Friday’s opener at No. 18 Baylor University, at least two games in the preseason NIT at the University of Pittsburgh on Monday and Tuesday and independent contests at North Texas (Dec. 20) and Virginia Commonwealth (Jan. 5).
“We have some really tough games, but it’s going to come down to battling and earning the wins,” said Greiner, who averaged 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds last season. “It’s going to be tough but I’m excited. I can’t wait to get out there on Friday night. Opening up at Baylor is crazy. I remember watching them last year and their gym is just unreal and their fans are nuts. It’s what everyone dreams of playing in front of.
“Going into that atmosphere and trying to sneak out with a win, you can’t be more excited from an athlete's standpoint because that’s what you go to sleep dreaming about.”
Greiner and the Mountain Hawks hope they can continue to turn their dreams into a reality.