Nov. 3, 2009
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It will be an interesting dynamic for the Lafayette men's basketball team in 2009-10 as the program begins its 100th season. A simple way of viewing the team outlook is to see that it is coming off an 8-22 campaign and that the team's leading scorer and career three-pointer leader, Andrew Brown '09, is no longer holding down a shooting guard spot after graduation.
A harder look at the squad reveals that four starters rejoin the Leopards this season and, in total, seven players who started 13 or more games will don the Maroon and White as the Leopards look for a breakout season.
For Lafayette head coach Fran O'Hanlon, senior leadership has always been a crucial element in the success of his squads, and its importance for recent Patriot League champions cannot be overstated. With that, O'Hanlon has tabbed seniors Jeff Kari and Michael Gruner, two senior guards with similar strengths, to shepherd the team.
"Both are extremely hard workers with great desire when they are on the floor and both are very good defenders. They know our system and more importantly, are able to demonstrate it to our younger players," O'Hanlon said. "Jeff is a little more vocal than Mike and may be a better outside shooter, although Mike has worked very hard on that part of his game. Mike is better at the point guard position while Jeff is stronger as a two-man."
Kari spent the 2008-09 season as a co-captain with Brown, and his second campaign in the captaincy marks the first time in O'Hanlon's tenure that a player has reprised the role. Kari is the team's top returning scorer (10.7 ppg) and assists man (2.7 apg) and his steady ballhandling are something that he and Gruner have in common. Kari held a 1.2 assist/turnover ratio last season, topped only by Gruner (1.4).
Gruner and Kari will run the offense, and both will be expected to maintain their contributions on that end of the floor. Gruner averaged 8.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game as a junior while dishing off 61 assists in 24 games. Perhaps just as importantly, as the Leopards' top defender, Gruner is generally matched up with the opponent's top scorer. He and Kari will need to lead by example to help the Leopards improve their team defense, an area of obvious focus for 2009-10. Lafayette ranked last in the Patriot League in scoring defense (73.2 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (47%) a season ago.
"Our defense has to improve from last year," O'Hanlon said. "A lot of the problems we had last season were due to transition and a lot of that stems from what we do on the offensive end. If we take better shots and limit long rebounds, it will help us greatly in setting up our defense."
While not nearly as experienced, sophomore Ryan Willen's play will be just as important for the Leopards in 2009-10. The Patriot League All-Rookie selection can play the guard and small forward positions and is the team's second-leading returning scorer (9.4 ppg). Willen showed glimpses of brilliance in his freshman campaign, leading the team in scoring five times while exhibiting the ability to make shots in clutch situations. He led the team in rebounding in 2008-09 with 4.8 rpg.
BACKCOURT
Ten of the 16 players on the Lafayette roster can occupy a position in the Leopards' backcourt, but that is no surprise considering the fact that O'Hanlon generally uses three and sometimes even four guards on the floor at a time, constantly looking for the slightest advantage in personnel and the chance to create matchup problems. With that in mind, the players competing for playing time know that the next deadball could be when they are asked to contribute on the floor.
What is certain is that Gruner, Kari and Willen, who combined for 28 points and 12 rebounds a game last season, will be staples in the guard mix for the Leopards. Junior Ben Wheeler will also look for substantial playing time.
Wheeler started 13 games and played in all 30 as a sophomore, registering a 1.2 assist/turnover mark while contributing 2.6 points and rebounds per game. Wheeler will need to locate his perimeter shot to see more playing time after shooting 22 percent from behind the arc in 2008-09.
Deirunas Viscokas' contributions will be entirely dependent upon his health. Prior to the 2008-09 season, Visockas underwent ACL surgery and made it back for the Penn game on Jan. 5. He played seven more games but reinjured his knee at American on Jan. 31, ending his season and again requiring surgery. He suffered another setback in the fall when he was scheduled to begin rehab, but suffered a stress fracture in his foot. Visockas showed potential as a freshman when he played in 23 games and was once named Patriot League Rookie of the Week.
Four sophomores, all of whom played in at least 16 games as rookies, return to the fold for O'Hanlon. Heading that group is Jim Mower. Mower saw time in 25 games and averaged 3.2 ppg with a season high of 14 points at Fordham and 13 at Colgate. Mower averaged 11 minutes per game and is a player O'Hanlon will look to for scoring off the bench.
Nick Petkovich, who had off-season foot surgery, has been dealing with health issues in the preseason. Petkovich played in 21 games, but missed the last seven with a foot injury. He averaged 2.9 ppg and knocked down 13 three-pointers in nearly seven minutes per game. If he plays his way into the lineup later in the season, it will likely be due to his outside shooting.
Rob Delaney and Andy Moore both played in 16 games last season. Delaney earned the first start of his career against Central Connecticut State and, like Moore, had situational duties off the bench throughout the season.
The only new face in the Lafayette backcourt is Tony Johnson (Folsom, Calif./Folsom), a freshman who has the potential to see valuable playing time in his rookie year. Johnson is a point guard who was a key component to a Folsom program that posted a 55-10 mark over two seasons while recording consecutive Division I sectional titles and league championships. The All-City First-Team selection in 2007-08 and 2008-09 was selected as the Delta River League MVP in both campaigns. Johnson averaged 17.3 points, 3.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game as a senior with comparable numbers in 2007-08.
"Tony is probably the only true point guard we have on the roster and he could work his way into more and more minutes as the season progresses," O'Hanlon said. "As he continues to work on his shot, he can become a valuable contributor."
FRONTCOURT
A senior and two juniors, who have a lot to prove to the Lafayette program, head the frontcourt for the Leopards.
"We need to establish an inside presence which will help us at both ends of the floor," O'Hanlon said. "We have to improve our rebounding and our post defense if we're going to be successful."
Senior center Marek Koltun started 17 games as a junior, and when looking back at his freshman season, he has likely improved as much as anyone on the current roster. Koltun, who averaged 2.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game last year, will look to use his size and strength in the middle for the Leopards. He will again challenge to find a spot in the starting five after nearly doubling his playing time from his sophomore to junior seasons, playing in 10.1 minutes per game in 2008-09.
Junior Jared Mintz was the Leopards' most consistent post contributor in 2008-09, enjoying a breakout season for the Leopards and he will be relied upon heavily in 2009-10. Mintz started 13 games and averaged 9.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Mintz played 25 minutes a game, the most of any post player. He led the team in scoring three times and in rebounding six times, achieving the first two double-doubles of his career along the way.
"If Jared can maintain his level of play from his sophomore year, it will help our whole offense," O'Hanlon said. "He can score and make plays, and we're a better team when he is on the floor. He has the potential to greatly improve his assist to turnover ratio for us this season."
O'Hanlon is looking for other players to maintain Mintz's level of play when he is not on the floor.
Junior Darion Benbow is certainly someone who is capable of filling that role, but like Viscokas in the backcourt, where Benbow fits in the frontcourt will also depend upon health. Benbow played in 25 games with 14 starts as a sophomore, averaging nearly 18 minutes per game while adding 4.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He missed the final four games with a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery. Benbow can bring matchup problems for bigger post men, as he can put the ball on the floor in and around the paint and can also hit from the perimeter. Benbow has shown his ability to rebound, even in traffic, leading the team in that category six times in 2008-09.
"Darion understands our system very well and his strength and stamina are the only things that have limited his contributions," O'Hanlon said.
Sophomores Alex Orchowski and J.D. Pelham will also vie for playing time. Orchowski played in the second most games of any freshman (27) and provided a definite energy boost off the bench. The 6-10 Pelham played in 17 games.
One of two freshmen on the squad, forward Levi Giese (Tulsa, Okla./Union) will spar for playing time down low for the Leopards. Giese averaged 12.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists as a senior as a Frontier Valley Conference First-Team pick and an all-district performer. He helped lead Union to regional and area championships in 2008-09 before losing in the state semifinals with a 19-8 record.
"Levi brings length to the floor, something we don't have a lot of on our roster," O'Hanlon said. "He hits the offensive glass hard and can challenge for more playing time as he continues to learn our system."
COACHING STAFF
O'Hanlon enters his 15th season at the helm of the Lafayette program and he is the longest tenured coach in the Patriot League. His longevity, future stability (his contract runs through 2014) and coaching acumen are what will lead to future success for the Leopard program. O'Hanlon is a Philadelphia native who played college ball at Villanova before travelling overseas to play professionally. The two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year can claim three Patriot League regular-season titles, two NCAA Tournament appearances and a 194-210 overall record.
O'Hanlon's top assistant, Josh Loeffler, is in his second season at Lafayette. Loeffler has what many coaches his age do not have, head coaching experience at the college level. Loeffler spent 2006-07 and 2007-08 as the head coach at Stevens Tech. Loeffler is a 2003 graduate of Swarthmore where he was a four-time letterwinner in basketball and also played tight end in football. Loeffler, who is the program's recruiting coordinator, will work primarily with the with guards, and O'Hanlon considers him at the level of an associate head coach.
O'Hanlon's second and third assistants are new to the staff. Pat Doherty is a familiar face to the Lafayette program, graduating from Lafayette in 2004. Doherty was an assistant coach at Williams College in 2008-09, helping lead Williams to a 17-9 overall record. In 2007-08, Doherty served as an assistant coach at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). Prior to his time at TCNJ, he was an assistant varsity coach and head junior varsity coach at Central Bucks East High School in Doylestown, Pa. from 2006-07. He was a member of the Lafayette squad in 2000-01.
Matt Blue will hold down the final assistant coaching spot. Blue comes to Lafayette after spending the 2008-09 season at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa. He helped lead the Crusaders to an 18-8 overall mark and a 13-3 finish in the Landmark Conference.
Blue played under Loeffler when Loeffler was an assistant at St. Lawrence during the 2004-05 season. Blue went on to serve as the captain of St. Lawrence's squad during the 2006-07 season. He played four seasons for St. Lawrence and graduated in 2007. Blue was an assistant coach with the Bellingham High School varsity boys' basketball team while working as a teacher in the Town of Bellingham school district during the 2007-08 academic year.
Doherty and Blue will both work with the post players. Doherty will handle team travel and Blue will coordinate game film work.
"Our coaching staff has youth, enthusiasm and a passion for the game," O'Hanlon said. "They relate extremely well to our players and have a really good sense of the rigors of playing basketball at high level at an academically rigorous institution."
SCHEDULE
Matchups with Georgetown and La Salle and traditional foes Penn and Princeton highlight the 2009-10 slate. In addition to games against Big East and Atlantic 10 opponents, the Leopards will play three games against Ivy League squads and four versus Northeast Conference schools.
For the fourth straight season, Lafayette opens with Wagner, tipping off at 6 p.m. on Nov. 13 at Kirby Sports Center. The Leopards are 2-1 in recent meetings, with neither team managing a win on its home court. The game marks the first of three doubleheaders with the Lafayette women's team which will host St. Peter's at 8:30 p.m.
Lafayette will play two more NEC opponents in its first three games, traveling to Sacred Heart on Nov. 15 and St. Francis (Pa.) four days later. Continuing in November, the team will face Hartford where Lafayette alum Drew Dawson '03 is the top assistant coach. That game is also a doubleheader, with the men's game slated for 8:30 p.m.
The toughest test of the young season will come at Georgetown on Nov. 28 in a game at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Georgetown made a postseason appearance in the 2009 NIT and rose as high as No. 11 in the national rankings.
After hosting St. Peter's in the final doubleheader of the 2009-10 season on Nov. 30, Lafayette opens the month of December by venturing to Philadelphia to face La Salle. Lafayette last played the Explorers in 2003-04 as part of a home-and-home series. The Leopards claimed an 83-63 win to avenge a 70-66 loss in 2002-03. The two teams have played three times since 2000 including a matchup at the Cal-Berkeley Tournament on Dec. 29, 2000.
Matchups with Fairleigh Dickinson (12/9) and Long Island (12/12) close out the slate before final exams. The Leopards emerge 10 days later, traveling to St. Francis (N.Y.) on the 22nd and Delaware on the 29th. Lafayette and Delaware, former East Coast Conference foes, last met in 1998-99 in a tournament played in Albany, N.Y. The Blue Hens are scheduled to return the game next season.
Lafayette will play two final non-conference games against Ivy Leaguers to open 2010. Penn comes to Kirby Sports Center on Jan. 3 and Columbia visits three days later.
Patriot League play gets underway on Jan. 9 with Lafayette hosting Holy Cross and first-year head coach Sean Kearney. Lafayette travels to Lehigh on a Saturday, Jan. 23 for a 7 p.m. game at Stabler Arena. Home games with Army and reigning champ American close out the first round of play on Jan. 27 and 30. The second go-around of Patriot play commences on Feb. 6 at Holy Cross and culminates on Feb. 27 at American. The Patriot League Tournament will be held March 3 (quarterfinals at top four seeds), 7 (semifinals at top two seeds) and 12 (final at highest remaining seed).
