Michael Scarlett embraces the James Harden comparisons, for both his game and his appearance. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athletics photo

Michael Scarlett knows a thing or two about adjusting to changing surroundings.

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps junior was with his brother in the middle of Badlands National Park in South Dakota last summer when the sky turned black.

"I guess we looked at the wrong weather report," Scarlett recalled.

"We're five miles from any road or anything like that and it starts raining pretty hard on us. We're kind of in the plains area and there's thunder and lightning; we're watching from afar. Before you know it, it's like right on top of us. We're just hiding in the tent hoping we don't get hit by this thunder and lightning. I remember us just saying, 'We're going to get through this.'"

They did get through it, and now Scarlett and the CMS men's basketball team have to persevere through some other unforeseen circumstances.

The 15th-ranked Stags (15-1) lost senior guard Scott Lynds, their second-leading scorer, to a broken hand last Thursday against La Verne. To keep this unbeaten run in SCIAC play (8-0) going, Scarlett and his teammates have to fill that void.

Saturday's game against rival Pomona-Pitzer was a positive start. Freshman Miles President (18 points) and sophomore Evan Davis (17) each had career performances in a 73-67 win over the second-place Sagehens. Davis, who goes head-to-head with Scarlett often in practice, hit five of seven 3-pointers; President drilled four of five.

"I felt pretty confident," Scarlett said. "I always felt the potential for [Davis] to step up and have a big game. Phenomenal shooter. Miles President, I think he's just shown to be really mature coming in as a freshman and starting every game for us so far. I think it just speaks to the work they've put in."

For 19th-year head coach Ken Scalmanini, that maturity is both a product of the young guys' attitudes, and the upperclassmen's mindsets.

He turns to junior guard Scarlett, the team's leading scorer (15.2 ppg), as an example of course, but also leaders like senior starter Riley Hall. Hall averages 6.3 points, but plays 29.1 minutes a game and impacts the game in a variety of other ways.

This, after averaging 11.6 minutes and 1.9 points his first two seasons.

"He's just an unbelievable captain," Scalmanini said. "He's really helped. His eyes are on winning and not anything else. The kids respect him. The freshmen now do a lot of the right things because of him, I have to admit that."

Hall and Scarlett have each expanded their games since arriving on campus. For Scarlett, a non-traditional summer didn't slow down his progress on the court.

It's the kind of road trip just about every college student talks about doing, but never finds time to make happen.

With plans to take summer engineering courses at Tufts University – 2,952 miles away from CMS in Medford, Mass. – Scarlett set off on a journey to see around 15 national parks and report on things like conservation strategy. His brother joined him on the way back.

"It was an incredible experience," said Scarlett, who will start graduate school next year at either Harvey Mudd, where he could keep playing basketball at CMS, or elsewhere. "I've always loved the outdoors so I thought that would be an incredible way to spend the summer."

Of course, basketball was still a part of his summer, too.

The 6-4 sharpshooter worked out with Tufts junior Kene Adwige – who played his freshman season at CMS – twice a day. Workouts in the morning, ball in the evening.

Games of 1-on-1 with the 5-11, athletic guard challenged Scarlett, and it's paying off this year.

"I think I've become a more physical player," Scarlett said. "I think, if you talk to my coach, freshman year I wasn't the one going in and grabbing big boards or anything like that. I was a perimeter player and I'd take it to the hoop, but I wasn't a big finisher either.

"Honestly even facilitating the team. Especially now with Scott Lynds out, I'm going to have to take on more of a point guard role now at times, too, being able to influence the game in many different aspects."

Scarlett credits better shot selection for a 3-point percentage that's gone from 38.5 last year to 50.6 this winter. His scoring has gone up (12.5 to 15.8), but probably more impressive is his increased rebounding (2.8 to 5.5) and assisting (1.6 to 3.1).

"I think this year, he's blossomed into a tremendous defender and he rebounds now," Scalmanini said. "He screens and gets guys open. He's been the point guard, which if you knew him at Woodbridge (High School) he was like the 2 (guard), 3-point shooter. He never brought the ball up, so his game's gotten complete. He does so much more throughout the game."

Scarlett has even drawn comparisons to Houston Rockets stat-stuffing guard James Harden.

OK, not just because of his all-around game. You know, Harden's nickname is "The Beard."

"Pretty much every game where opposing fans are there, I get a few comments," said Scarlett, who despite his outdoorsy side has no real reason for the facial hair besides there being no purpose to shaving at this point. "It's pretty funny because some of them aren't even negative. They're like, 'all right, Harden!' OK, I'm down with being James Harden, he's a pretty good player."

As long as CMS keeps getting contributions from multiple players – Davis, President, Kendrick Morris and Jack Ely also have had team-high scoring performances – Scarlett won't have to be Harden for the Stags to get back to the NCAA tournament after a one-year absence.

"The first week (of practice), I went, wow, what a hard-working group," Scalmanini said. "They like each other. We shoot the ball well. We're really skilled in terms of shooting. I said to the coaches, 'Man, they like each other. They share the ball a little bit.' That's kind of been our way.

"So far it's really been a neat year. We're able to kind of adapt to what we need. Credit to the guys that they're working real hard."

Adapt. That, Michael Scarlett can do.

St. Thomas steps forward

The MIAC men's race is St. Thomas' to lose again after two impressive wins in three days.

The Tommies (11-3 MIAC) completed season sweeps of contenders St. John's (9-4) Saturday and Bethel (10-4) Monday.

Point guard Grant Shaeffer led the way in the Tommie-Johnnie with 21 points and 10 rebounds while Michael Hannon popped in five 3-pointers and 23 points off the bench against the Royals.

Speaking of St. Thomas, there's kind of a big game involving the Tommie women Wednesday at Schoenecker Arena.

No. 17 Gustavus Adolphus – coached by former UST national player of the year Laurie (Trow) Kelly – hosts St. Thomas in a battle of overall unbeatens at Gus Young Court.

It's the only meeting between the two this season, so the winner has a clear leg up in the MIAC regular-season push.

"It's a big game for us, you can't talk it down," Kelly told Gustavus sports information. "But at the same time, there are six other games to play after that one. Our approach and preparation is going to be just the way it has been for every game up until this point. It will come down to which team shows up for 40 minutes on Wednesday."

Men's performers of the week

Simpson's Sam Amsbaugh made 14 of 16 free throws and totaled 31 points Wednesday in 101-95 win that ended Loras' 11-game winning streak. The Storm tied a school record with 47 made free throws on 55 attempts (85.4 percent).

Staying in the Key City, Dubuque's Jamaree Atwater filled it up last week with 34 points on 12-of-15 shooting in a 93-90 overtime loss to Central and 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting in UD's 85-72 win over IIAC-leading Buena Vista.

A pair of MIAC guards went for 33 points in important wins last week. Augsburg's Kevin McKiernan out-dueled Hamline's Zach Smith (25 points, 7 assists), also notching nine rebounds and six assists in the Auggies' 91-89 victory. Meanwhile, David Stokman matched McKiernan's scoring performance for St. John's in a 92-74 win over Concordia. Stokman missed only one shot on 13 attempts and was 7-for-8 from long range.

In Tuesday's No. 2-vs.-No. 6 showdown, Whitman got 29 points from Tim Howell in the second-ranked Blues' 91-75 win over rival Whitworth.

If we mentioned Nebraska Wesleyan's Nate Schimonitz here last week, we have to do it again. Schimonitz set his own school freshman scoring record (set the previous week) with 36 points Monday in an 80-75 loss to Buena Vista. The point guard found room for four assists, too.

Women's performers of the week

Kaitlin Langer made 14 of 20 free throws and was 6-for-7 from the floor on her way to 26 points in a 65-40 St. Thomas win over St. Benedict. She added nine rebounds and two blocks.

Samone Jackson poured in 37 points for Puget Sound in a 96-77 win over Linfield, hitting 14 of 23 shots including 7 of 13 from long range. Jackson also had seven rebounds, three assists and two steals as the Loggers (18-1, 10-0) increased their winning streak to 11 and leaped to No. 7 in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25.

Linfield was on the other end of another standout NWC performance the day before when Lewis and Clark's Ayisat Afolabi went for 26 points, 15 rebounds, four steals and a pair of assists in the Pioneers' 72-61 victory.

Haley Sandin averaged 26.5 points in two games for Bethany Lutheran last week, totaling 28 in a 62-55 victory over Crown in which she hit 18 of 20 free throws, then 25 in a 78-68 loss to second-place Minnesota-Morris.

UW-Superior's Hailey Kontny tallied 31 points and eight rebounds as the Yellowjackets (16-4, 11-0) remained unscathed in UMAC play with an 81-64 win over Northland.