Dec. 30, 2002
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GAME INFORMATION
Match Up: Lafayette (3-5) vs. Albany (2-6)
Tip: 7:30 p.m. E.S.T.
Site: Albany, N.Y.
Arena: Kirby Sports Center (3,500)
Series: Lafayette leads 3-0
Radio: WEST-AM 1400, www.lafayette.edu
Commentators: Dick Hammer, Carl Schumacher
THE STORY LINE: Lafayette has rattled off three straight wins, including the last two on the road with victories over St. Peter's and Massachusetts. The Leopards had an eight-day layoff from game action for the holiday break. Albany comes into the game with a 2-6 mark. fresh off a 109-79 loss at Syracuse.
DeBERRY PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior guard Justin DeBerry has been named the Patriot League Player of the Week for Dec. 23. DeBerry won the award for the first time in his career after averaging 20.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.7 steals in three Lafayette victories last week. He is coming off a game-high 20-point performance in the Leopards' win over Massachusetts. He hit four three-pointers, dished off five assists and did not commit a turnover in 38 minutes. DeBerry had 19 points in a 64-53 road win vs. St. Peter's and scored a career-high 22 points in an 87-70 home victory over Ursinus to open the week. For the week, DeBerry shot slightly better from three-point land (13-for-28, 46.4%) than his overall field goal percentage (22-for-48, 45.8%). Through eight games, DeBerry leads Lafayette and is ranked fourth in the Patriot League in scoring with 14.6 ppg.
PLAYING UP: Lafayette has faced some formidable competition this season. The Leopards have played teams from the Pac-10 (Arizona St.), Atlantic 10 (La Salle and Massachusetts), CAA (Drexel) and the Ivy League (Princeton).
REBOUNDING BY COMMITTEE: Five different players have led the team in rebounding over eight games. Mike Farrell (7.0 rpg) has been the team's top rebounder in three games, while centers Rob Dill (4.0 rpg) and Jamie Hughes (3.0 rpg) have each taken a turn. In the backcourt, Andrew Pleick has led the team in rebounding twice and is contributing 5.3 rpg while Winston Davis (5.4 rpg) has been the team's top rebounder once.
COMING UP: Lafayette opens up 2003 on Thursday when the Leopards host Columbia at 7:30 p.m. The team then travels to Ithaca, N.Y. to face Cornell on Sunday before returning home on Tuesday, Jan. 7 to face Centenary in a game that was originally scheduled for Dec. 5.
INJURY REPORT (presented by Asst. Athletic Trainer Stephanie Conley): Freshman forward Miran Omanovic injured his ankle in practice on Dec. 1 in Arizona. X-rays revealed no fractures, but he was diagnosed with a severe sprain and had also suffered bone bruises. Omanovic has not practiced since and will be out for at least two more weeks before being re-evaluated. Sophomore guard Eric Mugavero, who was expected to see increased playing time this season, has been hobbled by severe lower back pain. He has been unable to practice since the season began and is out indefinitely.
ON THE SIDELINE: Head coach Fran O'Hanlon (Villanova, 1970) is in his eighth season as the Leopards' mentor. He has twice been named Patriot League Coach of the Year of Lafayette's non-scholarship program and lists two NCAA Tournament appearances and three Patriot League regular-season titles among his credentials. O'Hanlon's career record stands at 113-96, a mark that includes two 20-win seasons.
100 AND RISING: Justin DeBerry's fourth three-pointer at St. Peter's on Dec. 19 was the 100th in his career. He hit four more at Massachusetts (Dec. 21) and currently ranks ninth in career three-point field goals and needs five more to surpass Mike Homer '00 for eighth place. Entering the season, DeBerry ranked sixth in career three-point percentage (.398). If he keeps on pace, DeBerry could move as high as second all-time, and would trail Tyson Whitfield '01 who had 271 career three-pointers.
ABOUT ALBANY: The Great Danes enter tonight's contest with a 2-6 record and are coming off back-to-back losses to Quinnipiac and Syracuse. This is Albany's third game against a Patriot League opponent this season, having lost to Bucknell (56-53), but winning at Army (47-43). The Great Danes boast four players who average double-figures in points, led by freshman guard Jamar Wilson with 16.4 points per game to go along with 4.4 rebounds a contest. Wilson earned the America East Rookie of the Week Award last week after scoring 30 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a 69-67 win over Robert Morris. Seniors Antione Johnson (13.8 ppg) and Earv Opong (5.5 ppg, 6.0 apg) round out the starting backcourt for the Great Danes. Freshman Levi Levine (13.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg) starts at forward and has also earned conference Rookie of the Week honors this season. Senior Rhasheed Peterson (10.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and sophomore Chris Wyatt (1.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg) have split starting duties in the paint. Albany is coached by Will Brown (Dowling '95) who is in his second season with a career record of 9-19.
DEFENSIVE DELIGHT: Lafayette's defense held the then No. 2 scorer in the nation in check at St. Peter's on Dec. 19. The Leopards' Andrew Pleick, aided by frequent double teams, stifled freshman phenom Keydren Clark, who was averaging 29.3 ppg, to just 12 points and only two in the second half. Pleick did more than play defense, as he ripped down a career-high 11 rebounds and doled out six assists.
DAVIS NOW A SCORING THREAT: In his junior season, Winston Davis has emerged as one of the Leopards' top scorers. Despite averaging just 4.2 ppg in 2001-02, Davis is now contributing 13.8 ppg, contributing 16 at Binghamton, 18 at La Salle, 14 at Arizona State, 14 vs. Drexel, 12 vs. Princeton and 20 vs. Ursinus. He has led the Leopards in scoring in four games this season.
PATRIOT LEAGUE STATISTICS: Lafayette has several players ranked among the Patriot League leaders at this point in the season. Justin DeBerry (14.6 ppg) and Winston Davis (13.8 ppg) are ranked fourth and seventh, respectively, in scoring. Andrew Pleick is third in assists per game (4.3 apg). Fellow co-captain Mike Farrell is currently the fourth-best rebounder in the Patriot League with 7.0 rpg.
FARRELL GRABS CAREER HIGH REBOUNDS: Mike Farrell has been a constant performer in the Lafayette lineup this season and his rebounding is a reflection of it. The junior set a new career mark versus Drexel (12/3). He ripped down 14 rebounds, nine defensive and five of the offensive variety. His previous career high was nine, which he managed in the Leopards' first game of the season at Binghamton and once last season vs. Lehigh. He is averaging 7.0 rebounds per game.
IN THE HOUSE THAT THE KIRBYS BUILT: Lafayette has enjoyed plenty of success in Kirby Sports Center. Since the building's inaugural season in 1973-74, the Leopards have posted a 255-110 record in 30 seasons. Twenty-three of those seasons have been winning campaigns. In 2001-02, Lafayette went 9-4 at Kirby. This season, Lafayette is 1-2, having beaten Ursinus while losing to Drexel and Princeton.
ALL-TIME AT LAFAYETTE: In the 92 seasons of men's basketball at Lafayette College, the Leopards hold an overall record of 1123-971 (.536). Lafayette's first season of basketball was in 1900-01.
CO-CAPTAINS: Senior Andrew Pleick and junior Mike Farrell are serving as team captains for the 2002-03 season. Farrell is the first non-senior to serve as a captain since the 1997-98 season.
INTERNATIONAL FEEL: Lafayette has three players from foreign countries on the roster. Junior Rob Dill hails from Isernhagen, Germany. Freshman Andrei Capusan comes from Bucharest, Romania, home country of 2000 graduate Stefan Ciosici who was from Timisoara. Freshman Miran Omanovic is originally from Mostar, Bosnia. Both he and Capusan spent the 2001-02 academic year attending schools in the United States.
DAWSON SETS CAREER BEST: Senior Drew Dawson turned in a career-night vs. Princeton (12/7). The frequent defensive sub off the Lafayette bench contributed a career-high eight points and passed off for two assists in 26 minutes. Dawson hit two three-pointers at crucial points in the game.
MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENDANCE PLEASE?: The Lafayette men's basketball program has led the Patriot League in home attendance the past five seasons. In 2001-02, Lafayette averaged 2,563 fans per home contest, welcoming nearly 300 more fans than any other school in the Patriot League.
PRESEASON POLL: Lafayette has been picked to finish seventh in the Patriot League Preseason Poll. The poll, which is voted on by the conference coaches and men's basketball sports information directors, picked the Leopards to finish seventh in 2001-02 when Lafayette ended in a tie for third.
TOURNAMENT TIME?: The 2002-03 season marks the second in a row that Lafayette will not participate in an in-season tournament. Prior to the 2001-02 season, Lafayette had competed in an in-season tournament every season since 1993-94.
SHARP SHOOTERS: In 2001-02, Lafayette led the Patriot League in every shooting category, including field goal percentage (.464), free throw percentage (.747) and three-point shooting percentage (.358).
LAFAYETTE ATHLETICS ON THE WEB: The quickest and most comprehensive source for information on Lafayette athletics is the world wide web. Go to www.lafayette.edu and click on "Sports." The athletics site is continuously updated with gameday press releases, schedules and results, rosters, statistics, player features, photos and more. On gameday, you can listen to the radio broadcast of all of Lafayette's men's basketball games and watch a live stats feed of home games.
POWER FORWARD TRANSFERS TO LAFAYETTE: Sean Knitter, who played two seasons at the University of Delaware, will join the Lafayette men's basketball program for the 2003-04 season. NCAA rules require that he sit out one season after transferring. The 6-8, 260-pound forward played in 23 games in 2001-02 and averaged 5.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game on a 14-16 squad. As a freshman, Knitter played in 27 games (3.3 pts., 1.6 reb.) on a 20-10 squad. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining when he joins the team.
FARRELL ON TARGET: Mike Farrell was the Leopards' most solid inside player in 2001-02 and his shooting was evidence of that. The 6-8 power forward finished second in the Patriot League in field goal percentage in 2001-02, shooting at a 57 percent clip. Farrell was 3-for-4 from the floor at Binghamton. This season Farrell is shooting 55 percent from the floor.
FARRELL ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB: Mike Farrell is chronicling the 2002-03 season in his weekly journal on www.GoLeopards.com. Farrell runs down the season and gives insight into the life of a student-athlete.
POSSIBLE STARTERS?: Fran O'Hanlon used nine different starting lineups in 2001-02. Ten different players spent time in the opening five. This season, with a short bench, O'Hanlon has used just two starting lineups. (see chart to right)
DOWN TO THE WIRE: Twenty-three of Lafayette's games in 2001-02 were decided by 10 points or less. Three ended with a four-point margin, three were decided by three points and one by one point. This season, two of Lafayette's losses have been by less than 10 points, including one four-point loss. LAFAYETTE ON TELEVISION: For the fifth-straight season, Lafayette features the most expansive television package in the Patriot League. The Leopards have 16 games televised with the possible addition of three more television contests in the Patriot League Tournament. The Lafayette Sports Network will air 14 games to more than 9.1 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 appears on the Patriot League Television Network on Jan. 24 at Lehigh and on Feb. 7 vs. Colgate. Locally, those games will be broadcasted on WFMZ-TV 69. They will also be carried on DirecTV.
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. Hammer is joined by Carl Schumacher at home games and select road contest and by either Scott Morse (Lafayette Director of Athletic Communications) or Phil LaBella (Lafayette Sports Information Coordinator) on the road.
