The evident improvement of both Delpeche brothers on the Bates basketball team has been a driving force in the Bobcats' early success, and now Bates stands 6-0 for the first time since 2006.
Sophomores Malcolm Delpeche and Marcus Delpeche (Wilmington, Del.) have both started in every game this season, after spending most of their rookie campaigns switching in and out for one another.
Between the two, Marcus, the 6-foot-7 forward, has taken the biggest leap from last season to this one, averaging 10.7 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting .634 from the field and .923 from the free-throw line. Marcus has played in 28.0 minutes per game, after averaging 16.6 as a freshman.
But Malcolm, the 6-8 center and 2013-14 Maine Rookie of the Year, had the bigger week last week, as Bates defeated Southern Maine 56-47 on Tuesday and the University of New England 101-85 on Sunday. Against the Huskies of USM, Malcolm led the Bobcats with a career-high 12 rebounds as well as two blocked shots, while tying Marcus for the team lead with 12 points. Malcolm followed that performance on Sunday with a season- and team-high 21 points, to go with four rebounds, three assists and three blocks. In Bates' 2-0 week he averaged 16.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks while shooting 12-for-17 (.706) from the field and 9-for-12 (.750) from the foul line.
