Jan. 11, 2008

Complete Notes in PDF Format

GAME 16
January 12, 2007
Matchup: Lafayette (8-6, 0-0) at Holy Cross (9-4, 0-0)
Tip-Off: 1:00 p.m.
Site: Easton, Pa.
Arena: Kirby Sports Center (3,500)
Television: Lafayette Sports Network (RCN-4, WBPH 60, Fox Sports Pittsburgh) - Gary Laubauch (Play-By-Play), John Leone (Analyst), Dan Mowdy (Courtside)
Radio: WSAN-AM FOX 1470
Dick Hammer (Play-By-Play), Phil LaBella (Analyst)
SIRIUS 181
Frank Santore (Play-By-Play)
Webcast:

Series: Holy Cross leads 27-13
First Meeting: Feb. 4, 1947 • HC 50, LC 40
Last Meeting: Feb. 28, 2007 • HC 83, LC 53
Last Lafayette Win: Feb. 28, 2004 • LC 78- HC 72
Fran O'Hanlon vs. Holy Cross: 13-13

AT A GLANCE: Lafayette (9-6) opens Patriot League play against defending conference champions Holy Cross (9-4) on Saturday in Kirby Sports Center. The 1 p.m. tip-off is the first game on College Hill for the Leopards in eight games, having concluded their road swing on Wednesday night at Princeton with a 76-71 overtime win. Holy Cross most recently lost to Maryland 73-48 on Tuesday, but played without starters Pat Doherty and Alex Vander Baan.

LAST TIME OUT: Lafayette erased Princeton's 17-point halftime lead and used the overtime session to grind out a 76-71 victory on Wednesday night at Jadwin Gym. Senior Bilal Abdullah scored his 1,000th career point on his second trey of the night and finished the game with 14 points. Classmate Ted Detmer led the Leopards with 15 points, shooting 5-for-5 from the field while ending the game with three rebounds and three steals. Princeton led from the 12:31 mark in the first half until the 2:32 mark in the second half before Lafayette took the lead and eventually sent it to overtime. Six different players scored in overtime for Lafayette and the Leopards scored seven of their 12 points from the foul line.

JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME: Lafayette is a perfect 4-0 in overtime games this season. Lafayette forced overtime on Wednesday at Princeton and rang up a 76-71 victory. It was the proverbial team effort as seven players scored seven or more points led by 15 from Ted Detmer. The Leopards' defense forced eight Princeton turnovers in the final five minutes of regulation and in overtime. At Stony Brook (11/12), Andrew Brown's jumper tied the game at 59-59 with 17 seconds left in regulation. The Leopards secured the 78-67 victory, forcing the Seawolves to foul while converting free throw opportunities into points. Brown was responsible for tying the game against UMBC (11/20) with 49 seconds left, and Lafayette once again pulled away to win 87-84. At Towson (12/19), with just 8.1 seconds remaining in the game, Michael Gruner's rebound and short put-back layup tied the game 62-62. The Leopards rallied to win 79-69...Lafayette has won its last eight overtime games in a span that began Dec. 13, 2004.

GRAND ACHIEVEMENT FOR ABDULLAH: With his second of four three-pointers on Wednesday at Princeton, senior guard Bilal Abdullah became the 35th player in Lafayette history to reach the 1000-point scoring plateau. Abdullah finished the game with 14 points and now has 1,008 for his career. For the season, Abdullah is averaging 13.6 ppg.

IVY LEAGUE CHAMPS?: Lafayette went a perfect 3-0 against its Ivy League opponents in 2007-08. The wins over Penn and Princeton marked the first time in Lafayette history that the Leopards have beaten both of those schools in the same season.

THREE-POINTERS: Lafayette's 17 three-pointers against No. 13 Pittsburgh on Jan. 2 fell one three-pointer of tying the school-record. It was also the highest single-game total by a Pitt opponent in school history. The school record is 18, set at Fordham on Dec. 11, 2000 and vs. Howard on Dec. 30, 2001.

At Pitt, the Leopards hit 11 in the first half, including five from Matt Betley. For the game, Betley finished with six while Bilal Abdullah had four and Andrew Brown and Paul Cummins each had three.

DIALING UP LONG DISTANCE: A big part of Lafayette's offense has been its perimeter play, as three-point attempts account for 45 percent of the team's shots.

Coming into the week, the Leopards were averaging 10.8 three-pointers per game, which ranked them third in the nation, and were shooting 41.4 percent from long range (16th in the nation). Lafayette has hit 10 or more three's in every game exception of Wagner (11/9), Mississippi State (1/5) and Princeton (1/9). The high-water mark was 17 at Pittsburgh (1/2), the most allowed by a Pitt opponent in the program's history.

Andrew Brown is 12th in the NCAA in three's per game, averaging 3.8 per game. He ranks 37th in the NCAA in three-point shooting percentage at 45 percent.

Last season, Lafayette made a single-season record 256 three-pointers to finish 25th in the country in three-pointers per game (8.5 per game). The total snapped a seven-year-old mark from 1999-2000 when Lafayette hit for 249 trifectas led by Tyson Whitfield's '01 single-season record of 91.

This season, the Leopards are on pace to make 316 over the course of 30 games. Through 15 games, Lafayette has hit 158 compared to 136 at this point last season.

A RARE MISS: Andrew Brown did not make a three-pointer at Princeton, marking the first time since Feb. 18, 2007 against Lehigh. He had made a three in 17 straight games.

LEAGUE OPENERS: The Leopards are 6-11 in Patriot League openers since beginning play in the conference in 1990-91. The Leopards are 0-5 when playing Holy Cross to initiate the conference slate.

1990-91 at Navy L, 78-75 1996-97 at Lehigh W, 90-87 2002-03 at Colgate L, 66-64 1991-92 Holy Cross L, 92-85 1997-98 Lehigh W, 79-76 2003-04 Colgate W, 97-86 1992-93 Colgate L, 76-73 1998-99 at Navy W, 72-66 2004-05 Navy W, 90-80 1993-94 Bucknell L, 90-67 1999-00 Navy W, 80-74 2005-06 at Holy Cross L, 86-57 1994-95 Holy Cross L, 91-82 2000-01 Lehigh L, 90-80 2006-07 Holy Cross L, 84-74 1995-96 at Holy Cross L, 85-82 2001-02 at Bucknell L, 65-64

LAFAYETTE VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: Lafayette has played 609 games against the seven members of the Patriot League, and has a 336-273 record in all games against them. In Patriot League play, Lafayette is 95-129 in the regular season and 10-15 in the Patriot League Tournament. Under Fran O'Hanlon, the Leopards are 80-77 in Patriot League regular-season play.

American 16-19 Army 33-19 Bucknell 82-57 Colgate 37-41 Holy Cross 13-27 Navy 21-38 Lehigh 135-71

PASSING THE BALL: According to Lafayette head coach Fran O'Hanlon, a key to the Leopards' success has been sharing the ball in their motion offense. Lafayette is averaging 15.4 assists per game in contrast to its opponents who are doling out 13.3 assists per game. Lafayette has handed out an assist on 61 percent of its baskets. Versus Princeton, Lafayette had 11 assists, the team's second lowest total of the season. For what it's worth, Holy Cross is averaging 14.1 apg, has recorded an assist on 66 percent of its baskets.

A TURNOVER CORRELATION?: Lafayette has averaged 16.5 turnovers per game in its six losses while averaging 17.2 turnovers per game in its nine wins, which includes four overtime victories. Lafayette has forced 18.6 turnovers per game in games won and just 15.3 in games lost. At Princeton, Lafayette committed 13 turnovers in the first half, but surrendered just five in the second half and overtime periods combined and forced 15 Princeton turnovers in the second half and overtime combined.

UNPACK YOUR BAGS...FINALLY: The Leopards concluded their eight-game road trip on Wednesday at Princeton. It was the longest stretch of road games since the 1970-71 season when they played eight straight on the road. In the 98 seasons of Lafayette basketball, Lafayette has played eight in a row on the road on four previous occasions (1951-52, 1956-57, 1966-67, 1970-71). The Leopards' longest stretch away from home was a 10-game span in 1969-70 (12/5 to 1/14).

BROWN SETS SCHOOL RECORD: Andrew Brown's nine three-pointers at Mount St. Mary's (12/21) set a Lafayette single-game record. Brown snapped his own record of eight that he netted at Holy Cross last season (2/28/06), a mark he shared previously with Tyson Whitfield (12/29/00 vs. La Salle) and Larry Spigner (12/3/91 vs. Yale).

ON THE SIDELINE: The all-time winningest coach in Lafayette history and the second-longest tenured coach in the Patriot League, Fran O'Hanlon (Villanova, '70) is in his 13th season as the Leopards' head coach. A two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year recipient, O'Hanlon has twice led Lafayette's program to the NCAA Tournament and lays claim to three Patriot League regular-season titles among his credentials.

With a 75-71 double-overtime victory over Lehigh on Feb. 18, 2007, O'Hanlon became the winningest coach in Lafayette history and now holds an all-time record of 180-179 on College Hill.

O'Hanlon's overall record does not necessarily tell an accurate story of the job he has done at Lafayette. The Philadelphia native inherited a 2-25 team when he took over in 1995-96 and won 7, 11, 19, 22 and 24 games over the next five seasons. From 1997-2000, Lafayette was 65-24 overall and 31-5 in the conference with two NCAA Tournament appearances. In 1996, the Patriot League, which was originally founded based on the principle of need-based financial aid only, began allowing athletic scholarships. However, it was not until 2006 that Lafayette chose to do so. By no coincidence during that span, Lafayette posted a 79-91 mark and was 38-44 in the league.

BROWN, VISOCKAS SWEEP HONORS (12/24): Guards Andrew Brown and Deirunas Visockas were named Patriot League Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, for Dec. 24. Brown sat out the Dec. 19 game at Towson, but his return at Mount St. Mary's on Dec. 21 saw him drop in a career-high 32 points and a school-record nine three-pointers in a 76-72 win. It was his first ever Anaconda Player of the Week nod. His backcourt teammate, Visockas, poured in 14 points including four three-pointers in Lafayette's 79-69 overtime victory over Towson on Dec. 19. He connected on a three-pointer and a layup as Lafayette outscored Towson, 17-7, in the extra session. He made 5-of-9 shots and 4-of-8 three-pointers in the game. Visockas also chipped in by making his only shot of the game, a three-pointer, at Mount St. Mary's. He is shooting 55 percent for the season from three-point range. Visockas earned his first Rookie of the Week honor.

SWIFT START: The last time Lafayette started a season 8-3 or better was 2003-04 when the Leopards were 9-2. That team finished 18-10.

STREAKING: Lafayette has posted a four-game and a three-game win streak this season. The Leopards won four straight (UMBC, CCSU, Penn and NJIT) from Nov. 20 to Dec. 3. It was the first time since the 2003-04 campaign that the program has put together four or more in a row. That season, Lafayette finished 18-10. Lafayette's three-game win streak included victories over Columbia, Towson and Mount St. Mary's and was snapped with a loss at Robert Morris.

FROM THE FIELD: Lafayette had its worst shooting night of the season, following a 26 percent effort at Mississippi State. Lafayette took a season-high 72 shots, but made just 19 of them (a season-low). The previous season low (40.9%) occurred at Towson (12/19) when the Leopards were without Andrew Brown and Paul Cummins who were out with injury. The team's top effort was a 57 percent clip (31-of-54) at Columbia on Dec. 8.

SENIOR FIVE: Lafayette will go as far as its corps of five seniors takes the squad in 2007-08. Bilal Abdullah, Matt Betley, Paul Cummins, Ted Detmer and Everest Schmidt will all play key roles, with three of the five expected to be in the starting lineup at Princeton. As a group, the seniors have played in 476 games with 243 appearances in the starting lineup.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?: Andrew Brown can distribute the ball. The Littleton, Colo. native led the team in assists his first two seasons on College Hill. Brown dished out 94 assists (3.1 apg) as sophomore and started 27 of 30 games. He had 84 assists as a freshman, starting all but three games, and was the first freshman during the Fran O'Hanlon era to lead the team in assists. This season, Brown has 44 assists in 14 games (3.1 apg) and again leads the team in assists, despite taking a more active scoring role.

Brown can shoot the ball too. He averaged 9.3 ppg as a freshman when he hit 51 three-pointers and followed that by scoring 10.4 ppg while netting 69 three-pointers in his second season on College Hill. This season, Brown has led the Leopards in scoring nine times in 13 games, scoring 21 points at Stony Brook (11/12), 18 against FDU (11/16), 15 vs. UMBC (11/20), 17 against CCSU (11/25), 15 vs. Penn (11/28), 17 at Rutgers (12/5), 22 at Columbia (12/8), a career-high 32 at Mount St. Mary's (12/21) and 21 at Robert Morris (12/30). Brown is averaging a team-best 16.1 points per game and already has 49 three-pointers.

Brown is stellar from the line. Last season, he shot 91 percent from the free throw stripe, connecting on 42-of-46 attempts. This season, Brown has been to the line 38 times and is shooting 87 percent from the foul line.

Brown makes big shots. At Stony Brook, Brown went 7-for-8 at the line with five of those makes coming in overtime. Brown was responsible for the tying baskets that sent the Stony Brook and UMBC games to overtime. At Mount St. Mary's, Brown's ninth three-pointer of the game came in overtime and gave Lafayette a 76-72 win.

HANGING ON TO THE ROCK VS. TOWSON: A quick glance at the Leopards' turnover numbers at Towson (12/19) finds that 17 is not that impressive of a total. However, Lafayette did not commit a turnover in the final 14 minutes of the game, including the entire overtime session, helping the Leopards to victory.

DOUBLE TIMES FIVE TIMES FOUR: Including Lafayette's win at Towson (12/19). Lafayette has had five or more players score in double figures in four games this season. Lafayette holds a 3-1 record in those games, the only loss coming at Rutgers. At Towson, Matt Betley, Bilal Abdullah, Michael Gruner, Deirunas Visockas and Ted Detmer all reached double figures and combined to score 66 of the team's 79 points. Five players hit double figures vs. UMBC (11/20) and Rutgers (12/5) while Lafayette had six players do it against Penn (11/28).

MOVING UP THREE AT A TIME: Junior Andrew Brown is ranked third all-time at Lafayette with 169 three-pointers. Brown is already on the single-season record list with 49 made in 2007-08 and needs 32 more three's to take over the second spot from Justin DeBerry '04 (201) on the all-time list. Senior Paul Cummins (149) rests sixth on Lafayette's all-time three-point field goal list. Seniors Bilal Abdullah (9th) and Matt Betley (15th) are also on the list with 129 and 89, respectively.

THE PRESEASON POLL: Lafayette was chosen to finish eighth (of eight) in the Patriot League Preseason Poll. The poll is voted on by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Holy Cross was selected first in the poll followed by Bucknell, Colgate, Lehigh, American, Army and Navy.

OUT OF CONFERENCE: Lafayette is playing the final of its 15 non-conference games in 2007-08. Of that group, eight of the teams were picked to finish in the top five of their conference while one opponent (NJIT) has no conference affiliation.

MOVING ON UP: Senior Ted Detmer is in eighth place on the career blocks list at Lafayette with 56. Captain Matt Betley is 21st in career rebounding with 478 rebounds.

ON THE STEAL: Lafayette's 15 steals vs. NJIT (12/3) were a season-high and the most by a Patriot League team this season. The mark surpassed the 14 that Navy recorded vs. Longwood earlier in the year. The last time Lafayette recorded at least 15 steals was Feb. 15, 2006 vs. Bucknell. Lafayette has had five or more steals in all but three games (UMBC, Rutgers, Pittsburgh) and is averaging 7.3 steals per game.

WIN NUMBER 175: Fran O'Hanlon coached his 350th game at Lafayette against Penn on Nov. 28. The 81-69 victory over the school where he spent six seasons as an assistant coach evened his career record at 175-175. His career coaching mark now stands at 180-179.

IN THE CLASSROOM: The Lafayette men's basketball team received the NCAA Public Recognition Award for recording an NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate in the top 10 percent of all men's basketball teams. Lafayette College was also recognized by the NCAA for recording an 83 percent graduation rate, 20 percent better than the average federal graduation rates of all student-athletes. The information was collected from students entering Lafayette in 2000. Overall the Division I graduation rate for student-athletes in the fall of 2000 was 63 percent and the Patriot League conference have scored at least 20 percent better than the national average graduation rate for all student-athletes who have entered school from 1997-2000.

GRUNER GETS IT DONE: Sophomore Michael Gruner has been a mainstay in the starting lineup this season. Gruner worked his way into the rotation with his defense and has remained there because he handles the ball efficiently, doling out 36 assists to just 21 turnovers while also chipping in with 7.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Gruner is a Marquis Scholar, recipient of the most prestigious academic scholarship awarded to Lafayette students. Gruner is one of the Leopards' top perimeter defenders.

Coming out of high school in Bethesda, Md., Gruner led his Walt Whitman squad to the Maryland 4A state title while earning Gazette Co-Player of the Year along with Montrose Christian's Kevin Durant.

LEOPARD LEADERSHIP: Senior forward Matt Betley is serving as the team captain for 2007-08. Betley came into the season as the team's top returning scorer and rebounder and has played in 99 career games. Betley is averaging 9.2 points and a team-best 6.4 rebounds per game this season. The Mount Laurel, N.J. native posted his fifth career double-double, and second of the season at Rutgers with 13 points and 10 boards. At Pittsburgh, Betley went 6-for-6 from three-point land, scoring a career-high 20 points. He registered six points and led the team with eight rebounds against Mississippi State. Betley finished with seven points, five rebounds and two assists at Princeton.

MINUTES FOR THE FRESHMEN: Guard Deirunas Visockas and forward Jared Mintz have seen the most playing time of any of the freshmen. Visockas has played in all but one game and earned the start at Stony Brook. He is averaging 9.2 minutes per game. Mintz has played in nine games and has averaged 10.9 minutes per outing, but missed five games due to injury. He pulled down a critical offensive rebound and capitalized on both free throws against UMBC (11/20), giving Lafayette the 79-77 lead with two and half minutes remaining in overtime. Guard Ben Wheeler has played in nine games and forward Darion Benbow seven.

ON THE BOARDS: The rebounding battle is one that Lafayette has looked to make strides in during the 2007-08 season. Lafayette out-rebounded an opponent for the first time since Jan. 13, 2007 (Navy) when the Leopards snatched 44 rebounds to UMBC's 43 on Nov. 20. They continue to be out-rebounded by an average of 3.6 rebounds per game and have out-rebounded their opponents just twice - UMBC and Mount St. Mary's (33-27). Lafayette was even on the boards at Rutgers, Pittsburgh and Princeton...Lafayette finished 319th out of 325 teams in Division I in rebounding margin in 2006-07, out-rebounded by an average of 5.5 rpg.

HALF WAY THERE: Lafayette is 5-2 (CCSU, Penn, NJIT, Columbia, Mount St. Mary's, Robert Morris, Pittsburgh) when leading at halftime in 2007-08, the two losses coming vs. RMU and Pitt. Lafayette is 4-4 when trailing at halftime. In 2006-07, Lafayette was 8-2 when holding a lead at halftime, but just 1-19 when trailing at halftime.

THE HARDWOOD AND THE GRIDIRON: Lafayette did something it hadn't done in 15 years with its 81-69 victory over Penn on Nov. 28. The victory, combined with the 8-7 Lafayette football win at Franklin Field on Sept. 15, 2007, marked the first time the Leopards defeated Penn in football and basketball in the same season since 1991. In that year the football team won 20-12 at Franklin Field and the basketball team won 83-72.

AN EARLY START: Lafayette's season opener on Nov. 9 marked the earliest start in program history. This season, Lafayette has played six games by Dec. 1. By contrast, in 1992-93, Lafayette did not open the season until Dec. 1. As recently as 2003-04, Lafayette did not open until Nov. 22.

LAFAYETTE ON TELEVISION: For the 11th 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 televised games during the three rounds of the Patriot League Tournament. The Lafayette Sports Network will produce 12 of the 13 games that will air. Each of those broadcasts will air live regionally to more than 10 million viewers in the Lehigh Valley, Pocono region and all of Philadelphia on RCN-4 and WBPH-60. CSTV, Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh and MASN will continue as LSN national distribution partners, airing three telecasts. Emmy-nominated broadcaster Gary Laubach handles all of the Leopards' play-by-play duties, while former Lafayette men's basketball coach John Leone provides color commentary. Additionally, RCN's Dan Mowdy will provide sideline reports.

The Leopards will also garnered national exposure on ESPNU when they battled Pittsburgh in January and on SportsNet NY vs. Rutgers in December.

ON THE RADIO: The 2007-08 Lafayette men's basketball season will air on two of the top-rated AM stations in the Lehigh Valley, WGPA-AM 1100 and WSAN-AM 1470. Entering his 41st season as the radio voice of Lafayette athletics, Dick Hammer will continue to call the play-by-play action. Joining Hammer courtside for most contests will be Lafayette Sports Information Director Phil LaBella.

WSAN 1470 will broadcast 18 games, including seven of the first eight, while WGPA 1100 will handle six contests.

BENCH SCORING?: Lafayette received 63 percent (41.1 of the Leopards' 65.0 points per game) of its scoring from the starting five and 36 percent from the bench in 2006-07. In 2007-08, Lafayette is receiving 50.3 of its 76.7 points per game from the starting five, a 66 percent clip.

FDU HACKFEST: Lafayette's game vs. FDU (11/16) was the definition of a "hackfest," as the two teams were whistled for 57 fouls, 33 of which were handed out to Lafayette. Three Lafayette players (Brown, Abdullah, Betley) fouled out while one FDU player was also disqualified. FDU shot 46 free throws while Lafayette had 30 attempts.

IN THE COMMUNITY: The Lafayette men's basketball team led by assistant coaches Drew Dawson and Mike Farrell finished first in their support of Juvenile Diabetes Research as they ran (not walked) the Manhattan JDRF Walk in October. Farrell, a type-1 diabetic, made a few calls and the Leopards answered. The entire team participated in the 12K walk through New York City.

FROM THE LINE: Lafayette ranked 67th in the nation in free throw percentage in 2006-07, shooting 72.4 percent. Lafayette is shooting 69.7 percent this season.

INSIDE-OUTSIDE: Senior Matt Betley made the move from guard to forward for the 2006-07 season to bolster the team's rebounding efforts, but was still certainly comfortable outside. With Fran O'Hanlon's motion offense, Betley often finds himself with open three-point looks and mid-range jumpers against larger post players who will back off into the lane. With 33 three-pointers, Betley was one of five Lafayette players who made 30 or more three-pointers in 2006-07. This season, Betley is 22-of-54 (40.7%) from three-point land.

PETE CARRIL RETURNS HOME: On Nov. 16 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson, National Basketball Hall of Famer and 1952 graduate of Lafayette Pete Carril returned to Lafayette to honor former Lafayette head coach Butch van Breda Kolff who passed away in September. Carril, who was an All-American during his Leopard playing days, went on to coaching stardom at Princeton and recently served as an advisor to the Sacramento Kings.

JOINING O'HANLON: The assistant coaching staff features two former Lafayette players in top assistant Drew Dawson '03 and third assistant Mike Farrell '04. Pete Schwethelm is the team's second assistant and comes to Lafayette from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) where he was an assistant coach with former Lafayette assistant coach and currently USMMA head coach, John Krikorian. The Lafayette staff is a young one with Dawson (28), Schwethelm (32) and Farrell (25).

THE O'HANLON SHUFFLE: The scorer's table has been a busy place during Fran O'Hanlon's 13 seasons at Lafayette. O'Hanlon frequently shuffles in players to keep them fresh while also looking for the best matchups on both ends of the court. The moves also force the opponents to spend a great deal of time figuring out their own defensive matchups. O'Hanlon will often play "offense-defense" at the end of the first half and in the final minutes of the game whenever there is a stoppage of play and a chance to substitute. The Leopards have consistently gone 10 deep.

...IN A RELATED NOTE: In 2006-07, O'Hanlon used 13 different starting lineups. This season, five different starting fives have graced the floor at the opening tip.

HI, MY NAME IS...: Jeff Kari, who maintains sophomore eligibility after transferring from East Carolina University, is new on the Lafayette roster. Kari, who formerly went by Jeff Robinson, changed his name in 2007, taking his mother's maiden name as she was the one who raised him. Kari has played in 15 games with three starts and is averaging 14.9 minutes per game.

REPRESENTING IRELAND: Senior Paul Cummins had the opportunity to represent his home country of Ireland this summer. He traded in his Maroon and White for the green of the Emerald Isle. Cummins competed with talented players from several different leagues around the world against other European teams. Ireland's squad went on to a third-place finish in the qualifying tournament after facing several teams with multiple NBA players.

THE GARBAGE MAN: Senior forward Matt Betley spends a lot of time cleaning the glass, diving for loose balls and occasionally even picking up a "garbage" basket in the paint. Betley is certainly willing to get his hands and body a little dirty by diving on the court, but it's nothing compared to his summer job in 2006. Betley collected garbage on a garbage truck in his hometown of Mount Laurel, N.J. As one of the scrappiest players in the Patriot League, Betley has determined that he is also one of the most hated opponents because of his style of play.

ALL-TIME AT LAFAYETTE: In the 98 seasons of men's basketball at Lafayette College, the Leopards hold an overall record of 1190-1054 (.531). Lafayette's first basketball season was in 1900-01 when the team had a winning record of 4-3.

ON THE WEB: As an element of Lafayette's long-term agreement with CSTV, all LSN telecasts are streamed live on the internet an available world-wide through LSN All-Access on www.GoLeopards.com .

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR: Lafayette features four players from foreign countries. Senior Paul Cummins comes from Kildare, Ireland. Cummins spent two years at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, N.C. before spending a post-grad year at South Kent School in Connecticut. Sophomore Marek Koltun hails from Krakow, Poland and spent a year in Bear, Del. at Caravel Academy. Freshmen Jared Mintz is from Toronto, Canada while Deirunas Visockas is originally from Kaunas, Lithuania and currently resides in Los Angeles.