Feb. 22, 2002
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GAME INFORMATION
Match Up: Lafayette (14-12, 8-5) vs.
Lehigh (16-10, 7-6)
Tip: 4:00 p.m.
Site: Hamilton, N.Y.
Arena: Cotterell Court (3,100)
Series: Lafayette trails, 29-35
Radio: WEST-AM 1400, www.lafayette.edu
Commentators: Dick Hammer
Television: Comcast Sports Net, WFMZ-TV 69, Empire Sports Network
Commentators: Jack Corrigan, Jim Satalin
THE STORY LINE: Lafayette and Colgate close out the regular season today in a game with definite seeding implications for the wide-open Patriot League Tournament. Lafayette could finish as high as No. 2 and as low as No. 5 depending on the outcomes of this weekend's games. Colgate faces a similar situation. Colgate won the first meeting this season, 71-67...Today's game is the Patriot League Television Game of the Week and can be seen on Comcast Sports Net and WFMZ-TV 69 in the Lehigh Valley and on Empire Sports Network in New York State.
BURKE GOES OFF: Playing in most likely his last game at Kirby Sports Center, senior Brian Burke left a distinct impression on the Lafayette faithful. Burke scored a career-high 43 points on 16-for-22 shooting. He nailed 7-of-11 three-pointers and was 4-for-4 from the foul line. Burke tied a Kirby Sports Center record for points in a game, matching Chris Spatola's (Army) mark from last season. It was also the most points ever by a Lafayette player in Kirby Sports Center, topping Todd Tripucka's 42 points vs. St. Joseph's on Dec. 3, 1975. Tripucka was the last Lafayette player to score 40 or more points in any arena.
LETTING IT FLY: Lafayette has made 200 or more three-pointers in each of the last five seasons including this season when Lafayette has hit 207 of 561 three-point attempts (37 percent). The Leopards nailed 225 in 2000-01, 249 in 1999-00, 238 in 1998-99 and 207 in 1997-98.
SENIOR SUCCESS: The senior class of Brian Burke, Reggie Guy, Mick Kuberka and Rob Worthington has posted a 72-43 record in four seasons at Lafayette. The mark includes two 20-win seasons, two Patriot League Championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances.
LEOPARDS FROM THE STRIPE: Lafayette is 27th in the nation and first in the Patriot League in free throw shooting at 74.5 percent. Eight out of the Leopards' top 10 scorers are shooting 70+ percent.
TOURNEY SEEDING SCENARIOS: All is not nearly settled as far as Patriot League Tournament pairings go in the middle of the pack. American clinched the No. 1 seed and will face No. 8 seed Lehigh in the first round of the tournament. The winner of Army-Navy game will be the No. 6 seed and the loser the No. 7.
If Lafayette wins today, it will be 9-5 in league play. If Holy Cross and Bucknell both win, they will also be tied with Lafayette at 9-5. The first tiebreaker in a multiple-team tie is a comparison of records between the tying teams. All three are 2-2 versus each other. The next tiebreaker is a comparison of records against each of the other league opponents, starting at the highest seed. Lafayette and Holy Cross would both be 2-0 vs. American, but Bucknell is 0-2 and would drop out of the race for second. Both teams split with Bucknell, but Holy Cross has lost to Colgate twice and Lafayette would have beaten Colgate once thus, giving Lafayette the No. 2 seed, Holy Cross No. 3 and Bucknell No. 4. Colgate would be No. 5.
(From here on it gets confusing) A Lafayette win, Holy Cross loss and Bucknell win would leave Lafayette and Bucknell tied for second with a 9-5 record. The teams split head to head, but Lafayette beat No. 1 seed American twice and thus would get the No. 2 seed.
A Lafayette loss and Holy Cross and Bucknell wins would leave Lafayette and Colgate tied for fifth, but Colgate would get the No. 4 seed via head-to-head record with Lafayette.
A Lafayette loss, a Holy Cross loss and a Bucknell win would leave Bucknell in second and Lafayette, Holy Cross and Colgate in a tie for third at 8-6. Colgate would get the No. 3 seed via a 4-0 record vs. Holy Cross and Lafayette. Lafayette would get the No. 4 seed since it twice beat American and Holy Cross would be No. 5.
A Lafayette loss, a Holy Cross win and a Bucknell loss would leave Holy Cross at No. 2, Colgate at No. 3, Bucknell at No. 4 and Lafayette at No. 5.
If Lafayette, Bucknell and Holy Cross all lose, then Bucknell would be No. 2 since it swept Colgate. Colgate would be No. 3 (3-3), Lafayette No. 4 (2-4) and Holy Cross at No. 5 (2-4).
THE LEAGUE STANDINGS: Picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll, Lafayette is currently in a three-way tie for second place with Bucknell and Holy Cross. Lafayette's 8-5 league mark places it behind American (10-3), whom the Leopards have beaten twice.
BURKE FROM THE LINE: Brian Burke ranks sixth in the nation in career free throw percentage (87.6) among active Division I players. This season he is third in the Patriot League in free throw percentage at 87.1 percent (115-132). Burke, who owns the Patriot League record with 49 consecutive free throws, put together a streak of 34 earlier this season.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: In addition to his record-setting free throw shooting, Brian Burke is leaving an indelible impression elsewhere in the Lafayette record books. He currently has 299 assists, recently supplanting Jay Mottola '72 for eighth place. His 125 career three-pointers leave him in sixth place all-time, needing three more to move into the top five all-time.
COLGATE: The Raiders come into the game with a 16-10 overall record. Colgate is 7-6 in Patriot League play, having recovered from a slow 1-4 start to the conference slate. Colgate has won six out of its last eight Patriot League games, the only excpetions Bucknell and American.
Colgate posted a 13-15 mark in 2000-01 and all five starters return from that squad. Senior forward Pat Cam-polieta leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 15.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Mark Linebaugh is averaging 13.6 ppg and has started every game. Sophomore forward Howard Blue has come off the bench to average 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Junior guard Dave Hardy (8.4 ppg) has started 25 of 26 games.
Colgate is coached by Emmett Davis who is in his fourth season at Colgate. Davis, a 1981 St. Lawrence graduate, holds a 56-55 record at Colgate.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: This is the 64th meeting between Lafayette and Colgate. Lafayette trails in the all-time series 29-35. The Leopards lost the first meeting this season, 71-67, on Jan. 26, despite 28 points from Brian Burke. (See recap to left). The first series meeting was Feb. 25, 1916, as the two teams squared off in a neutral site game. (See complete series breakdown above).
A FRUITFUL FEBRUARY?: Fran O'Hanlon's teams always seem to hit their stride in the month of February. Under Fran O'Hanlon, the Leopards are 35-13 in February. Lafayette was 5-3 last season with wins over Bucknell, Navy, Albany, Stony Brook and Army and losses to Lehigh, Holy Cross and Colgate. Lafayette was 8-1 in 1999-00, and the Leopards' only loss was at Navy. In 1998-99, the Leopards went 7-1 with their lone February loss coming in a one-point decision at Colgate. In 1997-98, the Leopards were 5-0 in February to close out the regular season. This season, Lafayette faces all seven conference schools in February and is 4-2 so far with one game remaining.
NATIONAL NUMBERS: In addition to Lafayette's nationally-ranked free throw shooting, the Leopards' season-best 68 percent shooting night at Navy is the 13th best team shooting performance in the nation this season...Lafayette also ranks fourth in the nation for three-pointers in a single game, hitting a school-record 18 three's vs. Howard on Dec. 30.
THAT 80s and 90s SHOW: Lafayette is definitely comfortable playing in high-scoring games. The Leopards are 4-0 when they reach 90 points and 3-1 in the 80s.
FARRELL ON TARGET: Mike Farrell, who led the Patriot League in field goal percentage for several weeks, currently ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 56.2 percent through 26 games. Farrell has scored in double figures in 13 games and is currently third on the team in scoring with 10.0 points per game.
THREE OF SIX: Lafayette has three of the league's top six three-point shooters in terms of shooting percentage. Mick Kuberka (42.0) is second, Ben Saxton is fifth (40.2) and Justin DeBerry sixth (39.0). Holy Cross' Brian Wilson (48.2) leads the league.
LEAGUE STATS: Lafayette currently ranks in the top two in 10 Patriot League statistical categories through Feb. 22 games.
STATS RANK OUTPUT STATS RANK OUTPUT Scoring Offense 1st 73.1 Assist/Turn. Ratio 2nd 0.98 FG % 1st 46.7 3FG Made (per game) 1st 7.96 3FG % 1st 36.9 3FG % Defense 2nd 33.0 Free Throw % 1st 74.5 Blocks (per game) 2nd 3.42 Assists (per game) 1st 15.00 Steals (per game) 2nd 8.50
THE COACH: Head coach Fran O'Hanlon (Villanova '70) is in his seventh season at Lafayette. 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 109-89, including two 20-win seasons.
DOWN TO THE WIRE: Twenty-one of Lafayette's games have been decided by 10 points or less. Three have ended with a four-point margin, two were decided by three points and one by one point. The Leopards' win over Lehigh was a five-point margin.
YOUR ATTENDANCE PLEASE: Lafayette is again leading the Patriot League in attendance with an average of 2,563 fans taking in each home game at Kirby Sports Center. It's nothing new for the Leopards who have led the league in attendance the past four seasons. Lafayette averaged 2,508 fans in 2000-01, 2,474 in 1999-00, 2,864 in 1998-99 and 2,045 in 1997-98.
POSSIBLE STARTERS?: Fran O'Hanlon has nine different starting lineups this season. Mike Farrell has started 25 of 26 games, giving way to Rob Worthington on senior day. Ten different players have spent time in opening five.
ALL-TIME VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: Lafayette has played 528 games against the seven members of the Patriot League, and has a 304-223 record in all games against them. In Patriot League play, Lafayette is 67-86 in the regular-season and 8-9 in the Patriot League Tournament. Under Fran O'Hanlon, the Leopards are 52-33 in Patriot League regular-season play. Lafayette was 10-2 in 1997-98 and 1998-99, 11-1 in 1999-00, 4-8 in 2000-01 and is 8-5 this season.
American 13-9 Colgate 29-35 Lehigh 130-66 Army 24-18 Holy Cross 11-18 Navy ...........17-32 Bucknell 81-47
LAFAYETTE OUTSHOOTING OPPONENTS: Lafayette has outshot its opponent in 19 of 26 games this season. The Leopards are shooting 47 percent from the floor compared to their opponents' 43 percent. Lafayette has shot above 50 percent in eight games and 60 percent in two games, including a season-high 68 percent at Navy.
FARRELL DOING THE GLASSWORK: Forward Mike Farrell is taking the rebounding duties upon himself. He is averaging 4.9 rebounds per game this season, twice setting new career highs, including nine in his last games vs. Lehigh (Feb. 20).
TWO FOR THREE FOR FOUR: Mick Kuberka and Ben Saxton are the only players on the Lafayette squad to have hit for four or more three-pointers on four different occasions this season. Each has managed it four times.
GUARDS ON THE BOARDS: Guards Andrew Pleick and Ben Saxton have been doing their part on the glass. Both are averaging over 3.0 rebounds per game and are third and fourth on the team in rebounding behind post players Mike Farrell and Mick Kuberka.
INJURY REPORT: Fran O'Hanlon expects to have his full complement of 13 players available for today's game.
SENIOR STEPS UP: Senior Mick Kuberka has stepped into the role of a starter this season. He went from averaging 10.5 minutes per game last season to 22.5 mpg this season. His numbers have drastically improved and he is posting 9.0 ppg and 4.1 rpg. He has set new career-highs for points (21), rebounds (9), blocks (4) and assists (3).
...AND OUT: Kuberka has the green light to launch an occasional three-pointer. He has taken 69 three's this season, making 29. He is second in the Patriot League in three-point shooting percentage at 42.0.
BURKE SERVING UP A TASTY DISH: Senior Brian Burke is leading the team with 4.6 assists per game. Burke dished off for a career-high 11 assists at Navy on Jan. 23 and 10 at Drexel on Dec. 5. The co-captain led the team in assists last season, despite missing two months of the season with a punctured lung.
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 shooting guard position along with Ben Saxton and Winston Davis who have both had spot time in the opening five at shooting guard . Mike Farrell has started all but one game at power forward. Nine of the 14 players on the Lafayette squad are freshmen or sophomores. Freshman point guard Kenny Grant has started nine games.
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 254-109 record in 29 seasons. Twenty-two of those seasons have been winning campaigns. This season, Lafayette went 9-4 with wins over St. Peter's, Cornell, Scranton, Howard, Holy Cross, Bucknell, American, Navy and Lehigh and losses to Marist, Rider, Colgate, Army.
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, Andrew Pleick and Reggie Guy along with forward Mike Farrell or center Mick Kuberka. With Grant, Guy or Pleick in the lineup, DeBerry occupies the shooting guard position. Defensively, the Leopards cope by having their tallest guards, Davis (6-6), Burke (6-5) and Saxton (6-5) guard post players.
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.
ALL-TIME AT LAFAYETTE: In the 92 seasons of men's basketball at Lafayette College, the Leopards hold an overall record of 1117-964 (.537) that spans back to the first season in 1900-01.
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 11 players have participated in every game including Andrew Pleick who has played in every game since the second semester when he became eligible following a transfer.
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. 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. Hammer is joined by Carl Schumacher at home games and by either Scott Morse (Lafayette Director of Athletic Communications) or Phil LaBella (Lafayette Sports Information Coordinator) on the road.
BURKE'S WEEKLY JOURNAL: Brian Burke is chronicling the 2001-02 season through his weekly journal on www.GoLeopards.com. He is in his second season of writing journals and his latest contributions are posted intermittently on the web.
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.
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.
PATRIOT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL: Lafayette was picked to finish seventh in the Patriot League in the preseason coaches and sports information directors' poll. Lafayette was slotted to finish second in 2000-01 and ended tied for fifth.
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.
SOPHOMORE DAY? (Feb. 16): No one told Winston Davis that it was senior day against Navy. Davis scored a career-high 16 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field. He hit two three-pointers and also went 6-for-7 from the foul line.
ANDERSON EXITS (Feb. 13): Freshman forward Brad Anderson has left the Lafayette men's basketball program, citing personal reasons. Anderson played in just two games for a total of three minutes this season before leaving the team on Monday, Feb. 11.
20+ ASSISTS (Feb. 6): Lafayette dished out 20 assists on 24 baskets at Holy Cross, the third time this season Lafayette has eclipsed the 20-assist plateau. Previously, the Leopards passed off for 23 at Navy (Jan. 23) and 24 at Drexel (Dec. 5).
KUBERKA'S CAREER NIGHT (Feb. 2): Senior center Mick Kuberka contributed a career day vs. Bucknell on Feb. 2. Kuberka scored a career-high 21 points and snatched a career-high nine rebounds. Kuberka hit four three-pointers.
BRIAN BURKE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Jan. 28): Brian Burke was selected as the Patriot League Player of the Week, his first such award of the season and second of his career. Burke averaged 19.7 points and 6.0 assists while going a perfect 19-for-19 from the line. He began the week with a 13-point, four-assist effort against Penn (Jan. 21). At Navy (Jan. 23), Burke scored 18 points and dished off a career-high 11 assists in a 92-79 win. He was entirely or partially responsible for 43 points in the game. Against Colgate on Jan. 26, Burke scored a career-high 28 points, including 11-for-11 from the line.
PARDS DOMINATE PAINT VS. NAVY (Jan. 23): It's generally tough to beat Navy in terms of physicality, but Lafayette out-rebounded Navy 29-23 and outscored the Mids 40-20 in the paint.
FANNING THE FLAMES (Jan. 23): Brian Burke delivered a career-high 11 assists at Navy on Jan. 23, tying a career mark he set Nov. 18, 2000 at Cornell. Burke either wholly or partially accounted for 43 points in the game.
FARRELL ON FIRE AT NAVY (Jan. 23): Sophomore Mike Farrell tore up the lane at Navy. He scored a career-high 22 points on 8-10 shooting.
NEARLY PERFECT AT PENN (Jan. 21): Lafayette registered its best free throw shooting performance of the season at Penn. The Leopards were 13-14 for 93 percent. That mark topped the previous season-best, an 85 percent effort (17-20) vs. Marist.
PLEICK HITS CAREER-HIGH (Jan. 12): Junior guard Andrew Pleick scored a career-high 10 points off the bench vs. Holy Cross. Pleick hit two crucial three-pointers on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting day. He also managed three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 20 minutes.
FARRELL -- PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Dec. 31): Mike Farrell was named Patriot League Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 31. The sophomore forward has reached his career-high in points in each of his last two games. He scored 17 points and grabbed five boards vs. Howard, following a 17-point, six-rebound performance at Princeton. He has made 17 of his last 19 free throws, including an 8-10 clip versus Howard. It was the first such award of his career.
RECORD-SETTING PERFORMANCE (Dec. 30): Lafayette hit a school-record 18 three-pointers vs. Howard on Dec. 30. Four different players hit three or more trifectas with Brian Burke leading the way with a career-high five. The Leopards tied a mark set Dec. 11, 2000 at Fordham when Burke also hit five three's. Versus Howard, Lafayette shot 69.2 percent from the three-point line, making 18-of-26 attempts.
FEINSTEIN ON LAFAYETTE AIRWAVES (DEC. 21): Best-selling author John Feinstein provided the color commentary for Lafayette Dec. 21 game at Princeton on the Lafayette Sports Network. Feinstein is the author of The Last Amateurs, a book chronicling the 1999-2000 Patriot League men's basketball season, as well as A Season on the Brink, A Good Walk Spoiled and many others. He joined RCN-4 sports director Gary Laubach on the telecast.
O'HANLON REACHES 100 VICTORIES (Dec. 19): Lafayette head coach Fran O'Hanlon reached the 100-win plateau with the Leopards' victory over Scranton on Dec. 19. O'Hanlon started the season with 95 wins. The seventh-year head coach joined George Davidson (170 wins), Bill Anderson (139), Butch van Breda Kolff (132) and Tom Davis (116) in the 100-win club. O'Hanlon has twice been named Patriot League Coach of the Year and has led Lafayette to two NCAA Tournament appearances.
THIEVES AMONG US (Dec. 19): Lafayette picked Scranton for a season-high 20 steals. Nine Lafayette players had at least one steal and three players had three or more steals with Justin DeBerry leading the way with five. For the game, the Leopards forced a season-high 32 turnovers.
DILL POSTS DOUBLE-DOUBLE (Dec. 8): Sophomore center Rob Dill had a breakout game vs. Cornell on Dec. 8. The 6-9 center scored 15 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, both career-highs. Dill is averaging 13.8 minutes per outing off the bench and is shooting 58 percent from the field and 84 percent from the line.
DAVIS, FARRELL SHINE IN SUNSHINE STATE (Nov. 27): Tampa, Fla. native Winston Davis scored a career-high 15 points in his first-ever collegiate game in his home state of Florida. Davis went 5-6 from the floor and was a perfect 4-4 from three-point land vs. Miami. Not to be outdone, DeLand, Fla. native Mike Farrell scored a then-career-high 11 points and added five rebounds and a block.
CRASHING THE BOARDS (Nov. 27): Lafayette out-rebounded its opponents in two of the Leopards' first three games. Lafayette out-rebounded Albany 28-27 and Miami 39-37. Mick Kuberka grabbed a career-high eight boards to lead the Leopards...The Lafayette players were not the only thing "crashing" in Miami. The team bus was in an accident on the way to pick Lafayette up from practice on Nov. 23, delaying the team's departure by a half hour. The bus and the driver appeared to be uninjured, but the same could not be said for a red Ford Mustang convertible...In 2000-01, Lafayette outrebounded its opponents seven times, winning five of those games.
DAWSON LEAVES TEAM (Nov. 21): Junior guard Drew Dawson is no longer a member of the Lafayette basketball program. Dawson informed the coaching staff of his desire to leave the team, citing personal reasons.
