Feb. 26, 2003

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THURSDAY GAME INFORMATION
Match Up: Lafayette (12-13, 6-6) at Navy (6-19, 2-10)
Tip: 7:30 p.m. E.S.T.
Site: Annapolis, Md.
Arena: Alumni Hall (5,710)
Series: Navy leads, 32-18
Radio: WEST-AM 1400, www.lafayette.edu
Announcers: Dick Hammer, Phil LaBella

SATURDAY GAME INFORMATION
Match Up: Lafayette at American
Tip: 1:00 p.m. E.S.T.
Site: Washington, D.C.
Arena: Bender Arena (4,500)
Series: Lafayette leads, 14-10
Radio: WEST-AM 1400, www.lafayette.edu
Announcers: Dick Hammer, Phil LaBella

THE STORY LINE: Patriot League regular-season play wraps up this weekend when the Leopards travel to Annapolis, Md. to face Navy and Washington, D.C. to face American in search of series sweeps over both squads. The Leopards are coming off a 1-1 weekend when they beat Lehigh 86-68 on Senior day. That followed a 70-53 loss to Bucknell on Friday.

Navy enters the game at 6-19 overall, 2-10 in league play. The Midshipmen are coming off road losses to Holy Cross and Colgate.

American is 12-13, 7-5 entering the final regular-season weekend. The Eagles endured losses at Holy Cross and Colgate and are currently in a three-way tie for second place.

PATRIOT LEAGUE RACE: There is still a lot to be decided in terms of regular-season finishes and tournament seedings. With two conference games remaining only first place has filled with Holy Cross, while Navy and Army are guaranteed to finish either seventh or eighth. Second to sixth places have yet to be determined. Lafayette could finish as high as second place or as low as sixth place. The Leopards currently find themselves in sixth place, but just a game out of a three-way tie for third place.

VERIZON HONORS FARRELL: Junior Mike Farrell has been named to the Verizon Academic All-District II Men's Basketball Team. One of just five student-athletes selected, Farrell leads the team and ranks third in the Patriot League in rebounding with 7.0 rpg. Farrell maintains a 3.29 GPA while majoring in American Studies. Nominees for the award must have a minimum GPA of 3.20 and be a starter or key reserve. The All-District II team is selected by a vote CoSIDA membership in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Washington D.C. Each of the five selections will now be placed on the national ballot from which the Verizon Academic All-America team will be selected on March 6.

COMING UP: After facing off with Navy on Thursday, Lafayette takes a short trip to our nation's capital to play American. The Leopards will have six days off from game action before traveling to the Patriot League Tournament on March 8-9 in Upper Marlboro, Md. The event is in its second year at Show Place Arena.

MOVIN' ON UP: Junior Justin DeBerry needs just three three-pointers to move past Craig Kowadla '96 (147) into sole possession of fourth place in career three-point field goals at Lafayette. He has 145 career three's and resides in fifth place all-time at Lafayette and 17th in the Patriot League. 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 only Tyson Whitfield '01 who had 271 career three-pointers.

UPS AND DOWNS: For Lafayette, 2002-03 has been a good example of the cliched "roller coaster" season. Lafayette opened the season with an 0-5 stint. The Leopards then rebounded to even their record with a five-game win streak that included a two-point win at Massachusetts. Lafayette's latest winning streak featured victories over American, Navy, Colgate and Army before Holy Cross snapped the four-game roll. That streak followed a four-game slide that included losses to Holy Cross, Lehigh and Ivy League-leading Penn.

A GROUP EFFORT: Lafayette had six players score in double figures in its 86-68 win over arch rival Lehigh on Saturday. Justin DeBerry (22), Andrew Pleick (17), Mike Farrell (13), Winston Davis (11), Rob Dill (10) and Andrei Capusan (10) all hit for double figures, the second time that it has happened this season.

THE STARTING FIVE: The Lafayette starting five has been on the floor significantly more than in recent seasons, playing an average of 31.4 minutes per game and 32.5 mpg in league play. Justin DeBerry, Winston Davis, and Andrew Pleick have started all 25 games. Mike Farrell has started all but one game and center Rob Dill has started all but two games.

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 122-104, a mark that includes two 20-win seasons.

ABOUT NAVY: Navy, which has lost its last six games, enters tonight's game at 6-19 overall, 2-10 in league play. The Mids' two league victories came against Bucknell (66-53) and at Army (65-46).

Three players average double figures for Navy, led by Scott Long at 10.9 ppg. The senior forward is the team's second-leading rebounder with 6.1 rpg. Senior forward Francis Ebong joins Long in the backcourt and contributes 10.1 ppg and 7.2 rpg. Senior center Mitch Moore (5.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg) rounds out the Mids' big men.

Senior Jason Jeanpierre guides the backcourt and averages 10.3 ppg to go along with his 68 assists on the season. Two underclassmen fill out the guard positions. Freshman David Hooper (6.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg) is Navy's biggest threat from three, connecting on 45 percent of his shots behind the arc. Sophomore Taj Mathews has started Navy's last four games and is chipping in 1.5 ppg and 1.4 rpg.

Navy is coached by Don DeVoe (Ohio State '64) who is in his 11th season at the helm of the Midshipmen. He has guided Navy to a 177-137 record during his tenure. DeVoe has posted a 505-365 during his 30 seasons of collegiate coaching.

ABOUT AMERICAN: American entered this weekend with a 12-13 overall mark and a 7-5 record in Patriot League play, which had the Eagles in a three-way tie for third place with Bucknell and Colgate.

Senior guards Steven Miles and Glenn Stokes rank as one of the top 1-2 threats in the league and are chasing each other for the team scoring lead. Miles is leading with 15.9 ppg and 5.2 rpg, with Stokes right behind at 15.4 ppg and 3.0 rpg. A preseason All-League selection, Stokes is sharp from downtown, as he connects on 40 percent of his three-point attempts. The duo ranks first and second in three-pointers per game. Junior Andres Rodriguez handles the point guard duties and averages 4.9 assists and 4.9 points per game.

Junior forward Jernavis Draughn leads the scoring in the froncourt, averaging 8.2 points to go along with 5.2 rebounds per game. Junior Matej Cresnik (7.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg) occupies the other forward spot.

American is coached by Jeff Jones (Virginia '82) who is in his third season with the Eagles. He has compiled a 37-45 record during his time at American. Jones also spent eight seasons as the head coach at the University of Virginia, where he recorded a 146-104 mark.

LEADING THE LEAGUE: Junior Justin DeBerry is busy making his case for an All-Patriot League First Team selection. DeBerry is leading the conference in scoring with 16.8 ppg. The last Lafayette player to lead the league in scoring at the conclusion of the season was Brian Ehlers '00 who did so in 1998-99 (18.1 ppg) and 1999-00 (17.3 ppg).

DILL"Y" FROM THE BLOCK: Rob Dill has knocked away a career-best six shots on two occasions this season, the most recent against Lehigh on Feb. 23. Dill is currently the Patriot League's leading shot blocker and is averaging 1.9 blocks per game for a season total of 47.

IRON MIKE HITS 80: Despite having to deal with the daily physical challenges posed by diabetes, junior forward Mike Farrell has never missed a game in his three seasons on College Hill. Farrell played in 28 games and started four as a freshman, played in 29 games and started 28 as a sophomore and has started 24 of 25 games in this, his junior season. He has played in 81 straight games.

THE HALF OF IT: Getting a strong start from the opening tap has been a key in Lafayette wins in 2002-03. Lafayette is 9-1 when leading at halftime, the lone loss coming against Holy Cross on Jan. 18 after holding a five-point lead at intermission. INJURY REPORT: Sophomore Jamie Hughes joins classmate Eric Mugavero and freshman Miran Omanovic on the list of Lafayette players with season-ending injuries. Hughes suffered a navicular stress fracture in his left foot and is currently on crutches while also wearing a walking boot. Omanovic injured his ankle on Dec. 1 and will miss the rest of the season. Mugavero has been forced to miss the season due to a back injury . BOMBING AWAY UNDER O'HANLON: Perimeter shooting, specifically from three-point land, has been a hallmark of Fran O'Hanlon's offenses. O'Hanlon squads have hit at least one three-pointer in every one of O'Hanlon's 226 games. In his first season, Lafayette connected for 201 three-pointers, surpassing the previous team record by 54 three's. Lafayette has since eclipsed the 200-three-pointer plateau in all but one of his eight seasons. The Leopards have set three new season marks, with the top one coming in 1999-00 when Lafayette dialed up long distance 249 times. This season Lafayette has 179 three-pointers and is averaging 7.2 three-pointers per game.

ACCURATE THREATS: Lafayette's post players have been deadly accurate this season. Starting center Rob Dill leads the team and is second in the Patriot League in field goal percentage at 58 percent (100-174). Power forward Mike Farrell ranks fifth in the conference and second on the team at 54 percent (86-158).

BENCH SCORING?...Not So Much: In 2002-03, head coach Fran O'Hanlon hasn't had the luxury of a deep bench that he has had in past seasons. The Lafayette bench is averaging 9.5 points per game of the Leopards' 67.6 points per game. Lafayette did not get any points off the bench in wins over Massachusetts and Albany or in its first loss to Holy Cross.

ALL-TIME VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: Lafayette has played 543 games against the seven members of the Patriot League, and has a 312-231 record in all games against them. In Patriot League play, Lafayette is 73-93 in the regular season and 9-10 in the Patriot League Tournament. Under Fran O'Hanlon, the Leopards are 58-40 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, 8-6 in 2001-02 and is 6-6 this season.

American 14-10; Colgate 31-37; Lehigh 131-67; Army 26-18; Holy Cross 11-20; Navy 18-32; Bucknell 81-49

PLAYING UP: Lafayette faced some formidable competition on its non-conference slate in 2002-03. The Leopards played teams from the Pac-10 (Arizona St.), Atlantic 10 (La Salle and UMass), CAA (Drexel) and the Ivy League (Penn and Princeton).

PLEICK'S PASSING: Senior point guard Andrew Pleick leads the team and is third in the Patriot League in assists per game. Pleick is averaging 4.6 assists per game and has established new career highs three times this season. His best efforts were nine-assist performances vs. Cornell and Centenary.

FARRELL POUNDING THE BOARDS: Mike Farrell has been doing the bulk of the work on the boards for Lafayette. He has managed to collect seven or more rebounds on 16 occasions this season. The junior set a new career mark versus Drexel (12/3) when he ripped down 14 rebounds, nine defensive and five of the offensive variety. Farrell is currently averaging 7.0 rebounds per game.

DAVIS NOW A POTENT SCORING THREAT: Junior Winston Davis has emerged as one of the Leopards' top scorers. After averaging just 4.2 ppg in 2001-02, Davis is now contributing 13.4 ppg and he has led the Leopards in scoring in eight games this season.

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 263-113 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 went 9-5, having beaten Albany, Ursinus, Columbia, Centenary, American, Navy, Colgate, Army, Bucknell and Lehigh while losing to Drexel, Princeton, Holy Cross and Penn.

REBOUNDING BY COMMITTEE: Seven different players have led the team in rebounding over 25 games. Mike Farrell (7.0 rpg) has been the team's top rebounder 12 times while Rob Dill (5.4 rpg) has led the way six times, Jamie Hughes (2.6 rpg) twice and Andrei Capusan (2.6 rpg) once. In the backcourt, Andrew Pleick (4.4 rpg) and Justin DeBerry (3.4 rpg) have each led the team in rebounding twice, while Winston Davis (4.7 rpg) has led the team once.

ALL-TIME AT LAFAYETTE: In the 93 seasons of men's basketball at Lafayette College, the Leopards hold an overall record of 1132-979 (.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.

PROBABLE STARTERS: Fran O'Hanlon used nine different starting lineups in 2001-02 and 10 different players spent time in the opening five. By contrast in 2002-03, O'Hanlon has used just three starting lineups with only seven different players occupying starting positions. He had not made a starting lineup change in 20 games before Mike Farrell gave way to Drew Dawson on Senior Day against Lehigh (2/23).

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.

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.

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. This season, Farrell is shooting 54 percent from the floor.

FARRELL ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB: Junior 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. His latest journal entry discusses the two senior members of the team and their individual contributions.

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.

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.

LAFAYETTE ON TELEVISION: For the fifth-straight season, Lafayette features the most expansive television package in the Patriot League. The Leopards have 13 games televised with the possible addition of three more television contests in the Patriot League Tournament. The Lafayette Sports Network will air 10 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 appeared on the Patriot League Television Network on Jan. 24 at Lehigh and Feb. 7 vs. Colgate. Those games were broadcasted on DirecTV, but just the Lehigh game was carried locally by WFMZ-TV 69.

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 contests by Phil LaBella (Lafayette Sports Information Coordinator).