Dec. 21, 2010
Complete Notes in PDF Format 
GAME 12 • December 22, 2010
Matchup: Lafayette (4-7) at Rhode Island (7-4)
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m.
Site: Kingston, R.I.
Arena: Thomas M. Ryan Center (7,657)
TV: None
Internet: Cox Sports Online
Radio: WJRH-FM 104.9 (Dick Hammer and Phil LaBella)
MATCH UP: Lafayette (4-7) will look to shake off the rust from the final exam period when the Leopards travel to Rhode Island (7-4) on Wednesday. The Leopards are coming off an 85-80 loss at Long Island on Dec. 11 while Rhode Island is emerging from a 64-52 win over New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon.
FINE AT THE LINE: The Leopards are shooting 81 percent from the free throw line and are ranked second in the nation for the 2010-11 season. Lafayette has converted 160-of-197 from the stripe led by a 40-for-45 (89%) seasonal clip from Ryan Willen and a 59-for-70 (84%) effort from Jared Mintz. Willen is ranked 28th in the nation while Mintz rests at 97th. Lafayette shot 76 percent from the foul line last season, finishing eighth in the nation.
LAST TIME OUT: Lafayette cut a 15-point second-half lead to two points on separate occasions in the final 26 seconds, but could not complete the comeback in an 85-80 loss at LIU on Dec. 11. Lafayette had four players score in double figures led by 18 points for Jared Mintz and 13 for Jim Mower. Tony Johnson and Rob Delaney had 10 apiece. Julian Boyd led LIU with 23 points as one of four Blackbirds in double figures. A HELPING HAND: Lafayette has dished out assists on 67 percent of its baskets in the 2010-11 season and ranks 37th in the nation with 16.0 assists per game. The Leopards had 22 assists on 26 buckets against NJIT (85%). Lafayette's worst outing came against Long Island, where the Leopards had just 17 assists on 30 buckets (56%).
THEY'RE STILL GOING TO JARED: Senior co-captain Jared Mintz has scored in double figures in all 11 games this season. The last time he was held to fewer than 10 points was March 12, 2010 in the Patriot League Tournament title game (six points). This season, Mintz scored a career-high 28 points on the way to a 72-56 victory over Great West Conference preseason favorite NJIT. Mintz was 11-for-16 from the floor and a 6-of-7 at the line.
A GRAND PERFORMANCE: Senior forward Jared Mintz is moving closer to the 1000-point plateau. Mintz has 924 points and is looking to become the 36th player in Lafayette history to achieve the feat.
HANDLING THE BALL: A third of the way through the season Lafayette features a positive season assist/turnover ratio. The Leopards are +1.0 (176/170), despite a season-high 19 turnovers at LIU. Lafayette had a 1.1 assist/turnover ratio in 2009-10 (482/422). In the Leopards' last outing, Lafayette turned it over 19 times while doling out 17 assists. Ben Wheeler leads the team with a 2.1 assist to turnover ratio (41/20) for the 2010-11 season.
IN THE SCORING COLUMN: Lafayette has had four or more players score in double figures in three of its last four games, the exception being the NJIT game when Jared Mintz contributed 28 on his own, but only three hit for 10 or more. In that span, nine players have netted 10 or more points with Mintz managing it in all four games and Rob Delaney in three of four.
NEXT UP: The Leopards will take a few days off for the holidays and then re-convene on campus before taking the cross-country flight to Spokane, Wash. Lafayette plays West Coast Conference favorite Gonzaga on Dec. 29 -- an 8:30 p.m. (Eastern) tip.
ON THE SIDELINE: The all-time winningest coach in Lafayette history and longest-tenured coach in the Patriot League, Fran O'Hanlon (Villanova, '70) is in his 16th season as the Leopards' head coach. A three-time Patriot League Coach of the Year, O'Hanlon has twice led Lafayette's program to the NCAA Tournament and lays claim to three Patriot League regular-season titles. 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 217-230 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 seven, 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.
ALL-AROUND CONTRIBUTOR: When you think point guard, you think "pass first" and that is certainly the case with sophomore Tony Johnson. Johnson is second on the team with 3.3 assists per game. Rebounding has also been a strength, as he is hauling in 4.9 per game (second on the team) and had a career-high 10 boards against Delaware on Nov. 27. In the scoring column, Johnson is contributing 6.3 ppg and is coming off a career-best 13 points at Long Island. He also grabbed five boards in that contest while coming off the bench.
DELANEY's MINUTES: With his play of late, Rob Delaney, has certainly strengthened his push for playing time. Delaney, thought of primarily as a defensive spark off the bench, has stepped in for an injured Tony Johnson and made the most of four starts. He reached a career-high 16 points on four three's vs. Sacred Heart on Dec. 6 and is coming off a 10-point effort at LIU. Over the last four games, Delaney has averaged 9.5 points and 28 minutes per game (second only to Jared Mintz in terms of playing time) while dishing out 12 assists to four turnovers.
NATIONAL LEADER: According to the latest NCAA report of Division I institutions, Lafayette College ranks third in the nation in student-athlete graduation success rate (GSR). The Leopards post an impressive 97 percent GSR, ranking well above the national GSR for Division I student-athletes of 79 percent.
ABOUT RHODE ISLAND: Rhode Island, which plays in the Atlantic 10 Conference, returns four starters from a squad that was 26-10 in 2009-10. The Rams enter Wednesday's matchup with a 7-4 record, last playing Dec. 18 in a 64-52 win over New Hampshire. Rhode Island counts victories over Brown, Charleston, Toledo, Drexel, Davidson and Northeastern with losses to No. 5/4 Pitt to open the season and Illinois-Chicago, Providence and Quinnipiac.
Senior Delroy James is a handful to say the least. The 6-8, 220-pound forward leads the team in scoring (21.2 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg). He is joined in the frontcourt by senior seven-footer Will Martell (8.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and sophomore Ryan Brooks (3.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg), the team's leading shot blocker.
In the backcourt, the Rams have a mixture of youth and experience in senior Marquis Jones and sophomore Akeem Richmond. Jones is one of three players on the squad averaging in double figures (10.6 ppg) and also leads the team with 3.1 assists per game. Richmond (8.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg) has started 11 games. Sophomore forward Nikola Malesevic comes off the bench to contribute 10 ppg and is one of four players with 15 or more three-pointers.
The Rams are coached by Jim Baron, a 1977 St. Bonaventure alum who is in his 10th season at Rhode Island. He is a three-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year at URI where he has five 20-win seasons.
ABOUT THE SERIES: Lafayette and Rhode Island have played just twice in the 101 seasons that Lafayette has fielded a basketball program. Neither game was played anywhere near the East Coast, as both games came in neutral site meetings. The first matchup was in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1977 and the second in Stanford, Calif. five years later. No word yet on the game time temperature on Wednesday in Rhode Island. Rhode Island leads the series 2-0.
FIVE IN DOUBLE FIGURES: For two straight games, Lafayette featured five players in double figures. Against Susquehanna on Dec. 1, Jared Mintz, Ryan Willen and Nick Petkovich had 14 points apiece while Rob Delaney and Levi Giese each contributed 10. Five days later, Jim Mower led the way with 16 points, while Delaney (15), Willen (12), Ben Wheeler (11) and Mintz (10) added to the point total against Sacred Heart. DOUBLE-DOUBLE?: Senior forward Jared Mintz fell a rebound shy of his first double-double of the season and sixth of his career when he posted 10 points and nine boards vs. Sacred Heart (12/6). His last double-double came on Jan. 20, 2010 vs. Bucknell when he had 17 points and hauled in 11 rebounds.
TOP OF THEIR LEAGUE: Lafayette faces three teams this season that have been picked to win their conference titles. The Leopards lost to Ivy League favorite Princeton 82-64 on Nov. 30, but beat Great West preseason favorite NJIT, 72-56 on Dec. 8. They end their swing against West Coast Conference pick Gonzaga on Dec. 29.
BACK HOME: Lafayette's five-game homestand was the longest since 2007-08. It was just the second time during Fran O'Hanlon's 16 seasons that Lafayette has played five straight at home and the fifth time playing four or more. The Leopards were 13-3 at home in 2009-10, including two wins in the Patriot League Tournament to advance to the conference championship game.
ALL-AROUND EFFORT: Despite playing limited minutes in a runaway game vs. Susquehanna, Jared Mintz led the team in points (14), rebounds (6) and assists (5). The last person to do that in a game was Ryan Willen who had 26 points, eight boards and five assists at Navy on Jan. 16, 2010.
REBOUNDING IS A TEAM EFFORT: Against Susquehanna, 12 Lafayette players had a rebound and six players had three or more. For the season, Jared Mintz (5.3 rpg), Tony Johnson (4.9 rpg), and Ryan Willen (4.1 rpg) lead the team on the glass. On average, however, the Leopards are being out-rebounded by 3.6 boards per game.
BENBOW's BACK: Senior forward Darion Benbow missed the first four games of the season with a broken thumb. He made his season debut at Penn and Fran O'Hanlon wasn't hesitant to use him, especially after his defensive contributions. Benbow has started the last six games, playing 18 minutes per outing. He chipped in with a season-high 10 points against NJIT.
Meet the SENIOR CO-Captains: Jared Mintz, a preseason All-Patriot League selection, and Ben Wheeler are holding the leadership reins for the 2010-11 season. Mintz is the team's leading scorer (16.8 ppg) and rebounder (5.3 rpg). Wheeler averages 5.4 points, 3.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game this season. Wheeler had a break-out game against Sacred Heart, scoring a career-high 11 points and dishing out six assists for the second time this season.
NATIONALLY RANKED FOES: Lafayette faced nationally-ranked Villanova (No. 6/7) on Nov. 20. The last time Lafayette beat a nationally ranked opponent was Dec. 2, 1978, a 77-70 victory over Rutgers. The last conference game that pitted Lafayette against a ranked opponent was Feb. 15, 2006, a 69-49 loss to Bucknell.
LEAGUE HISTORY: Jared Mintz was the first player in conference history to lead the Patriot League in free throw and field goal percentage in the same season. Mintz shot a Patriot League-best 54.2 percent from the floor and 87.3 percent (131-150) from the line.
30+ CLUB: Junior Jim Mower scored 31 points against Rider, going 8-for-11 from three-point range. Andrew Brown '09 was the last Leopard to reach 30 points when he scored 31 points against Robert Morris on Dec. 17, 2008.
THE PRESEASON POLL: Lafayette was selected third in the Patriot League Preseason Poll. The Leopards, who received two first-place votes and 73 points overall, were picked behind American (seven first-place votes, 79 points) and Bucknell (three first-place votes, 76 points) but ahead of Holy Cross (two first-place votes, 70 points), Lehigh (two first-place votes, 69 points), Navy (35 points), Colgate (31 points) and Army (15 points). The poll is voted on by the conference head coaches and sports information directors.
IN THE RANKS: Nine of Lafayette's non-conference opponents were selected to finish within the top five of their respective leagues in the preseason polls. Three teams were tabbed as their conference's preseason favorite: NJIT, Princeton and Gonzaga. Lafayette will tip off against five opponents from the Northeast Conference -- the most of any one conference on the schedule.
THE FRESHMEN: Head coach Fran O'Hanlon added three players to the Lafayette roster this season. Center Jake Kreuser (Mendota Heights, Minn./Sibley) checks in at 7-0, 225 pounds. Kreuser has played in nine games, averaging 6.3 minutes per game. Les Smith (Cotati, Calif./Marin Catholic/Kimball Union Academy) is a 6-0 guard who can play multiple positions. Smith has seen time in 10 games, primarily spelling Tony Johnson at the point. Jack Detmer (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale/Hill School) has played in four games. His brother, Ted '08, was a four-year letterwinner for the Leopards.
LAFAYETTE ON TELEVISION: Lafayette will lead the Patriot League with at least 11 of its regular-season games televised during the 2010-11 season. The Leopards will also lead the Patriot League with at least nine nationally-televised games, as MASN (available through both DIRECTV and DISH Network) will air Lafayette's entire slate of home league contests on a tape-delay basis for the third straight season. Emmy-nominated local sports broadcaster Gary Laubach will handle all of Lafayette's play-by-play duties for the 14th straight season. Former Lafayette men's basketball coach John Leone will provide color analysis for the 12th season.
BASKETBALL IQ: Lafayette placed six student-athletes on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll during the 2009-10 season. The distinction recognizes those individuals who have earned a varsity letter and maintained a 3.2 GPA during the spring semester. Michael Gruner '10, senior Deirunas Visockas, juniors Rob Delaney, Jim Mower, Ryan Willen and Alex Orchowski (transferred to Tufts) were honored.
2009-10 NCAA INDIVUDAL RANKINGS: In 2009-10, Jim Mower ranked third nationally for three-point field goal percentage (47.5%) and 32nd in three-point field goals per game (2.9). Jared Mintz was 23rd in the country in free throw percentage (87.3%). As a team, Lafayette finished fifth in free-throw percentage (76.4).
TOPS IN THE NATION (LAST SEASON): The Leopards made all 19 of their free throws against Colgate (2/10/10), the best mark in the nation in 2009-10. It topped Kentucky's mark of 18-of-18 on Dec. 19, 2009.
PATRIOT HONORS: In 2009-10, Lafayette head coach Fran O'Hanlon was named Patriot League Men's Basketball Coach of the Year and two of his student-athletes earned All-Patriot League recognition with forward Jared Mintz earning first-team honors and forward Ryan Willen collecting second-team laurels. O'Hanlon received his third Patriot League Coach of the Year award, and first since claiming back-to-back honors in 1997-98 and 1998-99, the first Patriot League coach to win the award consecutively. Mintz was likely the most-improved player in the conference and was the first Lafayette player to earn first-team honors since Winston Davis and Justin DeBerry in 2003-04. Willen was an All-Rookie pick in 2008-09 before securing second-team honors. He averaged 12.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game overall and 13.9 ppg and 4.9 rpg in conference action.
ABOUT LAFAYETTE COLLEGE: Located in Easton, Pa. (70 miles west of New York City and 60 miles north of Philadelphia) on the banks of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers, Lafayette is a small liberal arts school with a renowned engineering program. Lafayette, which has 23 Division I sports with a student body of 2,403 undergraduates, competes in the Patriot League with Army, Navy, Bucknell, Holy Cross, Colgate, American and Lehigh. Lafayette is the alma mater of Pete Carril and Tampa Bay Rays' manager Joe Maddon.
FACEBOOK/TWITTER: Fans can follow Lafayette basketball on Facebook at facebook.com/lafayette.leopard and Twitter at twitter.com/goleopards .
ON THE RADIO: All of the 2010-11 Lafayette men's basketball regular season and each of the Leopards' postseason games will air WJRH-FM 104.9. In his 44th season as the radio voice of Lafayette Athletics, Dick Hammer will continue to call the play-by-play action. Joining Hammer courtside for road contests will be Lafayette Sports Information Director Philip LaBella to provide color analysis.
