Dec. 4, 2001
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GAME INFORMATION
Match Up: Lafayette (2-4) at Drexel (2-3)
Tip: 7:00 p.m.
Site: Philaldephia, Pa.
Arena: Daskalakis Athletic Center (2,300)
Series: Lafayette trails, 14-18
Radio: WEST-AM 1400, www.lafayette.edu Commentators: Dick Hammer, Scott Morse Television: None
THE STORY LINE: Lafayette travels to face Drexel, the first time the two schools have squared off since 1993.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Leopards return to Kirby Sports Center on Saturday when they host Cornell at 3:15 p.m. The game reunites two former Penn assistants in Lafayette head coach Fran O'Hanlon and Cornell head coach Steve Donahue.
DREXEL: The Dragons come into the game with a 2-3 record in 2001-02. Drexel's two wins have been against Northeastern (87-76) and at James Madison (71-58) Losses came to Marist (75-67), Rider (68-55) and Penn (89-80). Drexel posted a 15-12 record in 2000-01, but four of five starters did not return for this season. Drexel's top returner Ashley Howard has yet to play this season due to injury. Center Robert Battle (13.4 ppg) and guards Tim Whitworth (12.6 ppg), Jamil Moore (12.4 ppg) and Jeremiah King (10.2 ppg) are averaging in double figures. Battle leads the team in rebounding with 8.0 rebounds per game. Drexel is coached by Bruiser Flint who is in his first season as the Dragons' head coach. Flint, a 1987 St. Joseph's graduate, holds an 88-75 career record, coming off a five-year stint as the head coach at UMass.
O'HANLON NEARING 100-WIN PLATEAU: Fran O'Hanlon needs three wins to reach 100 victories for his career. O'Hanlon started the season with 95 wins and moved to 97 against Albany and St. Peter's. He has twice been named Patriot League Coach of the Year.
KUBERKA STEPPING INTO CENTER ROLE: Mick Kuberka has been charged with holding down the center position in the Lafayette lineup. Prior to 2001-02, he could be frequently seen outside the paint, but this season he has taken his game inside. Kuberka is averaging 8.7 ppg and 5.0 rpg. He has already set new career-highs for points (16), rebounds (8), blocks (4) and assists (3). He is averaging 24.8 minutes per game compared to 10.5 last season.
DOUBLE FIGURES: Brian Burke has scored in double figures in all of Lafayette's six games. The Lafayette offense runs through Burke who has split time between the perimeter and small forward. Burke reached double figures in 11 of 15 games he played in last season. He has led the team in scoring three times this season.
WELCOME BACK: The Daskalakis Athletic Center is familiar territory for first-year Lafayette assistant coach John O'Connor. O'Connor spent eight years as an assistant coach at Drexel.
CLOSE BUT NO "W": Lafayette's last two losses came by a total of 10 points. The Leopards' lost a four-point decision at Columbia and a six-point game vs. Marist.
LAFAYETTE OUTSHOOTING OPPONENTS: Lafayette has outshot its opponent in all six games this season. The Leopards are shooting 48 percent from the floor compared to their opponents' 43 percent.
THE COACH: Head Coach Fran O'Hanlon (Villanova '70) is in his seventh season. O'Hanlon has garnered two Patriot League Coach of the Year honors, while restoring the Lafayette program to a championship level. He guided the Leopards to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 1998-99 and 1999-00. O'Hanlon's career record stands at 97-80, including two 20-win seasons.
LETTING IT FLY: Fran O'Hanlon's Lafayette teams have been known to hoist it up from the perimeter. Lafayette has hit 200 or more three-pointers in each of the last four seasons, recording 225 in 2000-01, 249 in 1999-00, 238 in 1998-99 and 207 in 1997-98. This season, Lafayette has made 45 of 116 three-point attempts for a 39 percent clip.
EVERYBODY NOW: It's not just Lafayette's guards who have fired up three-pointers in Fran O'Hanlon's seven seasons on the Hill. The Leopards' big men seem to have the green light on occasion when it fits into the rhythm of Lafayette's motion offense. Starting center Mick Kuberka has taken 12 three's this season (making six) after attempting a combined 70 (20-70) in his sophomore and junior seasons. Kuberka went 4-for-5 from long-range against Marist. Starting power forward Mike Farrell has taken five three-pointers this season and made 6-of-24 in 2001-02.
LINE CHANGE: For those seeing Lafayette basketball for the first time, Fran O'Hanlon's substitution patterns may more closely resemble hockey than basketball. O'Hanlon frequently substitutes three or four players at a time, often looking for an advantage in offensive and defensive matchups. The frequent substitutions also force opposing coaches and players to be constantly aware of personnel changes.
BURKE SERVING UP A TASTY DISH: Senior Brian Burke is leading the team with 4.5 assists per game. The co-captain led the team in assists last season, despite missing two months of the season with a punctured lung.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: (Lafayette trails, 14-18) Tonight's game marks the 33rd meeting between Lafayette College and Drexel University. The two schools are familiar rivals, as both were members of the now defunct East Coast Conference. The last meeting between the two teams was Jan. 8, 1993, a 72-58 home loss for Lafayette. The last Lafayette win came Dec. 10, 1999, when the Leopards recorded a 71-68 win at home. The first series meeting dates back to 1927. Lafayette secured a 27-22 home win on Dec. 10, 1946.
FOUR-GUARD SET: Many teams employ a three-guard set, but few rarely play four guards on the floor at a time. Head Coach Fran O'Hanlon has been using combinations of Justin DeBerry, Brian Burke, Winston Davis, Kenny Grant, Ben Saxton and Reggie Guy along with power forward Mike Farrell or center Mick Kuberka. Offensively, it gives Lafayette better ballhandling in addition to quickness. With Grant in the lineup, DeBerry can move to shooting guard, his true position. Defensively, the Leopards cope by having their tallest guards, Davis (6-6), Burke (6-5) and Saxton (6-5), guard post players.
PLEICK SET FOR GAME ACTION: Junior transfer Andrew Pleick will be eligible to play in the Leopards' Dec. 19 game against Scranton. The 6-5 guard has been practicing with the team for the past year, but was forced to sit out from competition due to the NCAA's transfer rules. The only thing that may hold up Pleick's Lafayette debut is a fractured bone in his hand.
SOPHOMORE STARTERS: Four of the players who have been in the Lafayette starting lineup are members of the sophomore class. Justin DeBerry is holding down the point guard position along with Winston Davis and Ben Saxton who have both started at shooting guard and Mike Farrell who has started every game at power forward. Nine of the 14 players on Fran O'Hanlon's squad are either freshmen or sophomores.
DEEP INTO THE BENCH: Fran O'Hanlon has always gone fairly deep into his bench in his tenure at Lafayette. This season is no exception, as 10 players have participated in every game.
INJURY REPORT: Junior Andrew Pleick is currently recovering from a fractured bone in his hand. He is being evaluated today to determine if he is able to return to practice.
GEOGRAPHY FOR $300 PLEASE, ALEX: The 14 members of the Lafayette basketball team hail from eight states and three countries. In the Leopards' starting lineup, Justin DeBerry is from Arizona, Winston Davis and Mike Farrell from Florida, Mick Kuberka from New York and Brian Burke is from Pennsylvania. On the remainder of the roster, Minnesota (Rob Worthington), California (Andrew Pleick), New Jersey (Eric Mugavero) and Virginia (Jamie Hughes) are represented. Canada, often called the "51st state" by chauvinistic U.S. citizens, is home to Brad Anderson while Rob Dill resides in Germany.
ON THE RADIO: Today's game can be heard live on WEST-AM 1400, the 66th year of broadcasting Lafayette Athletics. Dick Hammer is in his 35th year of calling the play-by-play for Lafayette men's basketball.
ALL-TIME AT LAFAYETTE: In the 91 seasons of men's basketball at Lafayette College, the Leopards hold an overall record of 1106-957 (.536) that spans back to the first season in 1900-01.
FROM THE LINE: Lafayette shot 73 percent from the free throw line as a team in 2000-01. This season, Lafayette is shooting 70 percent (75-107) from the stripe. Brian Burke, a career 88 percent free throw shooter, leads the Leopards this season with a 85 percent clip. Burke holds the Patriot League record for consecutive free throws with 49, a mark he set in 1999-00.
SENIOR C0-CAPTAINS: Seniors Brian Burke and Rob Worthington are serving as the team captains for the 2001-02 season. Burke is the top returning scorer for Lafayette, having averaged 14.0 points per game in 2000-01. Worthington is the team's top returning rebounder and started 32 games in his sophomore and junior seasons. Burke and Worthington were selected co-captains by head coach Fran O'Hanlon. The two have been roommates since their freshman years and are both English majors.
BURKE'S WEEKLY JOURNAL: Brian Burke will chronicle the 2001-02 season through his weekly journal on www.GoLeopards.com. Burke is coming off his debut season of his weekly journal entries. His first journal debuted on Nov. 21 and subsequent journals will be posted intermittently.
LEADING THE LEAGUE IN ATTENDANCE: The Lafayette men's basketball program has led the Patriot League in home attendance the last four seasons. In 2000-01, Lafayette averaged over 2,500 fans per home game in its 3,500-seat arena. Over 30,000 fans came through the Kirby Sports Center gates to watch Lafayette's 12 home games. Lafayette beat out Navy, which averaged nearly 150 fewer fans per game (2,356), in the regular-season. Lafayette had four home games with over 3,000 people in attendance in 2000-01: Princeton (3,154 on Dec. 6), Lehigh (3,128 on Jan. 10), Army (3,026 on Jan. 27) and Colgate (3,192 on Feb. 24). The Leopards' last regular-season game, vs. Colgate, proved to be the largest home crowd of the season In 1999-2000, Lafayette averaged 2,474 fans per home contest. The highwater mark came vs. Navy in the Patriot League Finals with over 4,000 people in attendance for the 87-61 victory (3/10/00). The Leopards also drew over 16,000 fans for the Patriot League Tournament, the second highest attendance in league history. In 1998-99, six games garnered 3,000 or more fans, as the Leopards drew an average of 2,864 fans per home meeting. The 1997-98 season brought in an average of 2,045 people per home game, the first season ever that Lafayette led the Patriot League in attendance. Bucknell drew the biggest crowd of the season on Feb. 7, 1998, with 3,174 fans.
LAFAYETTE ON THE WEB: The best source for information on the Lafayette basketball program is on the web. Click on "Sports" at www.lafayette.edu. The site is continuously updated with press releases, game notes, schedules, rosters, statistics, players features, photos and more. This season, all games will be broadcasted through the site.
LAFAYETTE ON TELEVISION: For the fourth-straight season, Lafayette features the most expansive television package in the Patriot League. The Leopards have 14 games televised, with the possible addition of three more television contests in the Patriot League Tournament. The Lafayette Sports Network will air 12 games to more than 5.2 million viewers in the Lehigh Valley, Pocono region and Philadelphia, central New Jersey, New York City and Boston. Locally the telecasts can be seen on RCN Cable channels 4 and 60, Service Electric Cable channel 51, Blue Ridge Cable channel 5 and broadcast channel 60. Lafayette will also be seen on the Patriot League Television Network at Colgate. Locally, that game will be broadcasted on WFMZ-TV 69. The Lafayette at Lehigh game on Feb. 20 can be seen on Service Electric TV-2.
MEDAL OF HONOR: Following the 2000-01 season, Brian Burke was selected as one of four 2000-01 recipients of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Award of Valor. It is awarded annually to ECAC student-athletes whose courage, motivation and relentless determination serve as an inspiration to all. The recipients of the Award of Valor exemplify strength of character, perseverance, and most importantly, accomplishment deserving recognition as being truly triumphant.
Burke led the team in assists and finished third on the team in scoring despite missing 13 games after suffering a punctured lung in a game at Fordham on Dec. 11. Burke was playing the best game of his career, having scored a career-high 24 points, including five three-pointers. With five minutes left in the game, Burke's night came to an end as he was removed from the arena on a stretcher after complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath.
The junior suffered severe internal bleeding and was later diagnosed with a punctured lung, losing one third of his blood supply. After an initial 10-day hospital stay, Burke suffered another setback as he was preparing to return home. On Dec. 21 when the doctors removed the chest tubes, Burke's lung collapsed and prolonged his hospital stay. Burke's recovery was slow but determined and he returned to classes in late January. The coaches and doctors planned on Burke missing the remainder of the season and concerns arose that he may never play competitive basketball again. On February 11, exactly two months after a punctured lung left his career and health in jeopardy, Burke returned to the court, scoring a game-high 23 points, just one point shy of his career-high. His effort helped lead Lafayette to an 87-78 win over Navy. Burke went on to play in Lafayette's six remaining games. He was presented with the award two weeks before the start of the 2001-02 season.
