Nov. 13, 2008
A look at the 2008-09 roster tells the story for the Lafayette men's basketball team. Eleven of the 15 players on the preseason roster are members of the freshman or sophomore classes. Lafayette was hit hard by graduation with three starters and two key bench players moving on. With their departure went 50 percent of the team's offense, but more importantly the team's experience from a squad that went 15-15 and led the Patriot League standing for part of the season.
Head coach Fran O'Hanlon, the longest tenured coach in the Patriot League, will hand over the leadership reins from those graduated seniors to returning 1,000-point scorer Andrew Brown, a 2008-09 Preseason All-Patriot League selection at the guard spot. Brown has been the de facto offensive leader the past two seasons as the team's number one scoring option. The Colorado native led the team in scoring in 2007-08 (15.9 ppg) while setting a new single-season record for three-pointers with 99.
"We need Andrew to keep doing what he's been doing the past couple of years," O'Hanlon said. "As a staff, we look to him for leadership and confidence. Andrew is battle-tested and we are going to lean on him heavily, especially in the beginning of the year as our younger players find their way into the system."
Brown will be joined by fellow co-captain Jeff Kari who will have his first run at a leadership role on the squad as a junior. Kari will likely occupy a starting spot in the Leopards' backcourt, the most experienced group of the squad.
"We really need Jeff to help lead us, especially our younger players. He has to teach them what is expected in terms of the way they conduct themselves on and off the court," O'Hanlon said. "Jeff brings great intensity with everything he does, and it really starts on the defensive end and permeates his entire game."
O'Hanlon is looking to Brown and Kari to keep the younger players on track and focused on learning the team's system.
How quickly the younger players, especially those in the post position, can make the adjustment to the college game will be a determining factor in the team's overall success for a program that is coming off a 15-15 mark.
"The only thing I know for sure entering the season is that we are going to be much farther along at the end of February than where we are now at the start," O'Hanlon said. "As the season goes on, we're going to get better."
BACKCOURT
With Brown as the focal point, the Leopards will continue to feature a perimeter-oriented offense. Lafayette hit a school-record 299 three-pointers in 2007-08, 99 of which came from the hot hand of Brown, including two record-setting performances when he hit nine in each game. That fact certainly will not be lost on opposing defenses which figure to focus on the 2007-08 All-Patriot League Second-Team selection.
"Andrew is going to draw a lot more attention this season. He has to let the game come to him -- to stay within himself and try not to do too much especially in the early going," O'Hanlon said. "It's important that he trusts what we do and helps to assimilate our younger players into our system, our team."
Beyond scoring, Brown is a talented distributor of the basketball and will spend some significant time handling the ball in the Leopards' halfcourt sets and bringing the ball up the court. Brown has led the team in assists the past three seasons, dishing off 85 as a junior, 94 as a sophomore and 84 in his rookie campaign. While Brown will be the offensive focus, Kari and classmate Mike Gruner set the tone on the defensive end. Kari played in all 30 games as a sophomore, while starting three and averaging 15.5 minutes per game on a senior-laden squad. He was one of seven players with 20 or more steals.
Gruner is one of the Leopards' most consistent performers and is considered a defensive stopper by the coaching staff. He was a staple in the starting lineup, starting 28 games while playing a touch less than 30 minutes per game. The junior is the second leading returning scorer at 7.5 ppg. Perhaps most important is his ability to take care of the basketball. He dished out 72 assists to 46 turnovers, the best assist/turnover ratio on the squad, and has shown his ability to bring the ball up through pressure and run the halfcourt offense.
"Mike is definitely one of our most consistent players. He has a great work ethic and has worked extremely hard on improving his game," O'Hanlon said. "He does a great job of running our offense and is very strong with the ball. When needed, he has shown the ability to hit big shots like he did at Towson last season."
A pair of sophomores at different stages on the injury continuum will also look for playing time. Deirunas Visoskas underwent knee surgery in June after tearing his ACL in a pick-up game. Visockas is a proven scorer who saw time in 23 games with one start. The 6-5 guard scored 15 points vs. Fairleigh Dickinson and added 14 against Towson, including five in overtime. Visockas is not due back until Patriot League play in January.
Classmate Ben Wheeler battled back issues for the entire 2007-08 season, but is healthy as the new season opens. The coaching staff points to his feel for the game and ability to shoot the ball as factors that could garner him more playing time.
Four freshmen will also look to make contributions to a deep backcourt. Jim Mower (6-3, 185) comes from the highly touted Philadelphia Catholic League where he played for Philadelphia coaching legend Speedy Morris. Mower was an Associated Press Third-Team All-State, Third-Team All-Philadelphia and First-Team All-Catholic League selection in 2007-08 despite missing the beginning of his senior season with a broken right hand. He is an excellent passer with a solid feel for the game, according to O'Hanlon.
Nick Petkovich's 6-5 frame and potent shot might help earn him some early playing time. With Brown, Gruner and Kari on the floor at the same time the, Leopards will certainly be giving up some size. The Maryland native was an All-IAC Conference First-Team selection in 2007-08, helping lead his Bullis squad to a 19-8 overall mark and a 9-3 record in conference play.
Andy Moore will come in as a backup point guard. Moore spent a prep year at Northfield Mount Hermon in Massachusetts further honing his understanding of the game and his shooting ability. During his high school career in Texas, Moore earned All-Southwest Preparatory Conference and All-State honors.
Rob Delaney is an all-around athletic player who can drive to the hoop while also managing a solid outside shot. He spent a post-graduate year at Lawrenceville Prep in his home state of New Jersey following a solid career at Delbarton where he received all-conference, all-county and second-team All-Star Ledger and Daily Record all-area honors.
FRONTCOURT
The Lafayette frontcourt continues to be a question mark for the coaching staff, but there appear to be some answers on the proverbial horizon as the Leopards begin practice. The biggest member of the corps of post men is junior center Marek Koltun. Koltun stands in at 6-10, 255 pounds and has made great strides since his arrival at Lafayette. Koltun was used in spot time during 25 games last season but clocked only 5.9 minutes per game.
This season his minutes and his statistical output are expected to climb following a solid summer that has put him in the mix for a spot in the starting five.
"Marek is definitely our most improved player at this point of the season," O'Hanlon said. "He worked really hard over the summer and played with Athletes in Action in Poland and spent some time on the camp circuit."
A pair of sophomores is looking to fill out the last of two starting spots in the Lafayette frontcourt. Jared Mintz battled through a host of injuries to play in 23 games as a freshman. If healthy, his minutes could increase drastically. Mintz played 9.3 minutes per game last season, seeing 18 minutes in the Leopards' first two games before injuries began to slow his progression.
"Jared has such a great feel for the game and is really going to help us up front," O'Hanlon said. "He's a very good passer and can make baby hooks around the basket." Mintz's classmate, Darion Benbow, was hit much harder by the injury bug, playing in just nine games.
"Darion is a step-out four man who can handle the ball and has a good understanding of what we do," O'Hanlon said. "He needs to get stronger and has a lot to prove after an injury-plagued freshman year."
The freshman class will immediately inject some more size and skill into the mix in the paint. Ryan Willen was a first-team all-state selection in Missouri after leading his Notre Dame team to a 24-6 record and a Class AAAA state title. A two-sport athlete at Notre Dame, he earned first-team all-state honors in soccer. Willen's trademarks are his skill level, intensity and ability to shoot the ball.
J.D. Pelham gives the Leopards even more size in the paint. Pelham was the first player in his high school's history to record a triple-double while also setting a single-game rebounding record. The all-conference selection from North Carolina has solid perimeter skills for a big man, but will need to learn the physicality and speed of the college game.
Alex Orchowski is one of the strongest players on the squad, but is also one of the most unrefined in terms of basketball skills. Orchoswki, a native of New York state, was the OCIAA Division III Player of the Year, leading Cornwall to a 19-3 record. Orchowski was a three-sport athlete who also competed in hockey and football.
"Overall, we need our post players to provide us with interior defense and to help control the boards," O'Hanlon said.
COACHING STAFF
Entering his 14th season as the head coach at Lafayette, O'Hanlon ranks as the longest-tenured coach in the Patriot League. A Philadelphia native who played at Villanova before venturing overseas to play professionally, O'Hanlon remains under contract to coach the Leopards until 2014. The two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year lays claim to three Patriot League regular-season titles, two NCAA Tournament appearances and a 186-188 overall record.
"We have a strong coaching staff with complementary abilities and whose recruiting contacts cover a wide area," O'Hanlon said. "They have a tremendous work ethic and energy and have a great rapport with our players."
O'Hanlon's top assistant, Josh Loeffler, is one of two fresh faces on Lafayette's sideline this year. Loeffler spent the past two seasons as the head coach at Stevens Institute of Technology. A 2003 graduate of Swarthmore College in Media, Pa., he earned four varsity letters as a forward on the basketball team and one in football as a tight end.
"For a young coach to have head coaching experience at the collegiate level is invaluable. Josh has great recruiting ties in the Northeast from his time at Stevens," O'Hanlon said.
Pete Schwethelm returns for his second season with the program. Before coming to College Hill, Schwethelm was an assistant coach for the Merchant Marine Academy. He has also served as the video coordinator at Georgia Tech and Rice.
"Pete has tremendous recruiting ties in the Southwest and on a national level from his time at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy."
Pershin Williams rounds out the staff as a first-year addition after spending the previous season as an assistant coach at the USMMA.
"Having worked with two of our former assistants, he is very familiar with our program. And, as the son of a high school basketball coach, he has been around the game of basketball his whole life and has strong recruiting ties to the South," O'Hanlon said.
SCHEDULE
The Leopards will face five Northeast Conference opponents and a pair of teams from the America East and the Atlantic 10 during the 2008-09 season.
The season begins on the road at Wagner on Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. before Lafayette hosts a three-game homestand (Stony Brook on Nov. 18; Temple on Nov. 21; and Rider on Nov. 23). The game against Temple marks the second time in three seasons that an Atlantic 10 team has ventured to Easton, and it opens a busy weekend for Lafayette athletics with the Maroon Club Hall of Fame Induction on the Friday prior to the game and the Lafayette-Lehigh football rivalry the next afternoon.
The Leopards embark on their farthest trip of the season when the team travels to Brown's home state to face the University of Colorado on Nov. 25. Colorado is the sixth Big 12 opponent Lafayette has faced in men's basketball.
The Leopards will continue their travels with three more away games -- including a matchup against former Lafayette assistant coach and player DrewDawson at Hartford on Dec. 4 before returning to Kirby Sports Center on Dec. 17 to host Robert Morris when Lafayette will face another former O'Hanlon assistant, AndrewToole.
The Leopards will then head to Penn State (Dec. 21) for the first time in seven years before a week-long hiatus. Lafayette picks play back up on Dec. 28 for the beginning of a three-game homestand that extends into the New Year.
The non-conference slate includes two squads that made the 2008 NCAA Tournament field: Temple (Nov. 21) and Mount St. Mary's (Jan. 2). The Temple contest is a return game from the 2006-07 season. Last season, Brown set a school-record with nine three-pointers at Mount St. Mary's on Dec. 21 to lift the Leopards over the Mount 76-72.
Lafayette kicks off the conference season at Holy Cross on Jan. 10 at 3:30 p.m. Before the second round of Patriot League match-ups, the Leopards face their final non-conference opponent of the regular season, Fairleigh Dickinson in Teaneck, N.J. on Feb. 2.
Patriot League play resumes on Feb. 7 at Kirby Sports Center, hosting Holy Cross at 1 p.m. The regular season concludes at home against American on Feb. 28.
The Patriot League Tournament begins with the quarterfinals on March 4 and the semifinals on March 8. The championship game will take place at the highest seed on March 13.
