June 10, 2002

EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Men's basketball head coach Fran O'Hanlon has collected three commitments to Lafayette College and the men's basketball program as part of the Class of 2006. The incoming class includes a guard from New Jersey and a pair of forwards from Europe.

Pat Betley (Haddonfield, N.J./Haddonfield Memorial) is a combination guard who was a three-year starter at Haddonfield Memorial High School. The 6-2, 170-pounder averaged 21.0 points per game as a senior while leading his team to a 21-6 mark in his final campaign. Betley shot 55 percent from the floor, 37 percent from beyond the arc and 80 percent from the free throw line. Betley earned First-Team All-South Jersey honors as selected by the Camden Courier Post and was named Second-Team All-South Jersey by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

An All-Colonial League First-Team honoree, Betley was the team's top player at both ends of the floor. He grabbed five rebounds per game while also dishing out 5.0 assists and managing 2.5 steals per game. He accumulated 1,464 points over his three high school seasons while leading his team to a 66-18 record. In his junior year, Haddonfield claimed the Colonial Conference title with a 24-4 record that followed a 21-8 mark in 2000-01 which propelled the Haddonfield squad to the state finals.

Betley was a two-sport star at Haddonfield Memorial. He was the starting quarterback on the football team as a senior and a defensive back in his sophomore and junior seasons.

"Pat Betley is a combo guard with solid scoring and passing abilities," O'Hanlon said. "He will certainly add depth to our backcourt."

Forward Miran Omanovic (Mostar, Bosnia/Shipley School) is a 6-7 forward who hails from Bosnia. Omanovic attended the Shipley School located outside of Philadelphia in 2001-02. Omanovic helped lead his squad to a 21-8 record and the Keystone Conference title.

The 210-pound Omanovic averaged 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in 2001-02. He was selected to the All-Mainline Team and All-Keystone Conference First Team in his only season with the Gators. Omanovic's sister Maja is also a Division I basketball player who is entering her senior year at Syracuse University.

"Miran Omanovic is an athletic 6-7 forward who plays the European style of basketball," O'Hanlon said. "He possesses a good outside shot."

Andrei Capusan (Bucharest, Romania/St. John's College) brings his 6-7, 195-pound frame to the Lafayette roster for 2002-03. Capusan spent the 2001-02 season at St. John's College High School located outside of Washington, D.C. and attended Spiru Haret High School in Romania prior to that.

With 7.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, Capusan helped guide his team to a 23-7 record. Capusan's season-best game came against Bishop Ireton in a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference game where he recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Cadets. Capusan was a two-sport athlete at St. John's also competing in the high jump in track and field.

"Andrei Capusan comes from a strong program at St. John's," O'Hanlon said. "He is a good athlete and brings hustle to the floor."

Lafayette returns seven letterwinners, including three starters in point guard Andrew Pleick, shooting guard Justin DeBerry and power forward Mike Farrell. The Leopards finished 15-14 in 2001-02, their fourth season above .500 in five tries. Lafayette opens the 2002-03 campaign on Nov. 23 at Binghamton.