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A look at the upcoming season

2001-02 season

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Capital
Capital’s men’s basketball program is back on campus in 2001 with the new 2,100-seat Capital Center arena and back in contention in the Ohio Athletic Conference after a fourth place finish and a 16-10 record a season ago.

This is head coach Damon Goodwin’s second rebuilding project with the Crusaders. Seven years ago, he took over an 11-14 squad and two seasons later converted that into a 19-8 mark with an NCAA Tournament bid. This season his Crusaders have no seniors but return nine letterwinners and four starters.

Headlining the returning starters are juniors Geron Tate and Tony Ruberg. Tate, a penetrating point guard will lead the Crusader attack in the backcourt. He averaged 11.8 points per game and had a school-record 150 made free throws on his way to All-OAC honorable mention honors. Ruberg, an All-OAC honorable mention wing player a season ago gives an outside scoring threat as he averaged 10.8 points per game and was third in the league in three-point shooting percentage at 46.3% (37-for-80).

Sophomore forward Chuck Bihn was the Crusaders leading rebounder (7.7 per game), averaged 9.3 points and came into his own as one of league’s top forwards a season ago. Fellow sophomore Mark Denner is on his way to developing into a versatile player who can play both inside and outside started the final 10 games at wing and averaged 5.1 points per game.

Sophomores in point guard Adam Stolly and forwards Tyler Schleich and Tyler Alexander all are key returners from a last season. Stolly distributes the ball well as he came off the bench in every game last season and was third on the team in assists. Schleich came back from knee surgery before the start of last season and Alexander transferred in for the second semester last season will each provide added depth inside. Junior Drew Davie and sophomore Matt Castle are both role players who will give quality minutes.

Last season’s freshman class had a huge impact as they accounted for 31-percent (583 points) of the Crusaders total offense. This season, high school classmates in forward Jake Beck and wing Ryan Taylor along with wing Paul Sheehy highlight a freshman class that hopes to follow in those footsteps.

After traveling everywhere a season ago, Capital will have 13 home dates this season and never leaves the state in 12 road games this year. The Crusaders will open the season and its new home with the Lutheran Brotherhood Capital Classic on Friday, Nov. 16, against St. Olaf.

Oberlin
When Head Coach Mike Cavey took over the reins of the men's basketball program last season, Oberlin boasted a new look that they hadn't been able to show the last three seasons. The Yeomen returned 11 letterwinners and all five starters for the 2000-01 season, and by finishing with a 7-18 overall record, the team won more games than had been won in all of the previous three seasons and also qualified for the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) tournament.

This season, however, Cavey's squad will have to adjust to playing without
Maurice Elrod and James Knight, who both scored their way into the record books last season. Elrod finished his career by pouring in 1,272 points over four years, making him the sixth all-time Oberlin scorer, while Knight finished his career with 1,270 points over three seasons, putting him seventh behind Elrod. Knight, who was the conference's newcomer of the year as a freshman, led the NCAC in scoring last season by averaging 20.9 ppg, and was selected as first-team All-NCAC.

Due to the additional loss of Brian Buchanan and Jordan Kaltman, the Yeomen will present a young team to the courts this season, as four-year post player Ric Pierce and two-year guard Alonzo Crowder will be the lone seniors on the team. Last season, Pierce appeared in all 25 games, averaging 2.3 ppg and 3.4 rpg.

Headlining the eight remaining returning letterwinners this season are sophomore point guard Cameron Leverett who started in all 25 games for the Yeomen last season, averaged 6.8 points per game and a team-leading 3.6 assists. He also shot a team-leading 83.3% free-throw percentage on the year. Junior Justin Perkins, who averaged 3.2 ppg and 2.9 rpg, sophomore Julius Hill, who averaged 1.9 ppg and 1.7 rpg and junior Steffon Thomas will all provide experience at the guard slots this season.

Junior Jon MacDonald, who averaged 3.2 ppg and 3.0 rpg and sophomore Ben Alschuler will provide the Yeomen with experience at the post position this season.

Ohio Wesleyan
Five returning lettermen may not seem like very many, especially on a team with no seniors.

But five is just fine for Ohio Wesleyan head coach Mike DeWitt, who will build on the progress made by those five players last season and help return the Battling Bishops into championship contention in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

Picked by league coaches and media to finish sixth, the Bishops instead finished in a third-place tie, posting their highest league finish since 1992, when Ohio Wesleyan finished in a three-way tie for third place, and recording the most league wins (10) since the 1994 team also went 10-6 in conference play.

Sophomore center Travis Schwab leads the returnees. Schwab was a first-team All-NCAC pick last season and was named the league's Newcomer of the Year after ranking second in the conference in scoring (18.4 points/game), seventh in rebounding (7.0/game), fifth in field goal percentage (.544) and seventh in blocked shots (0.8/game).

Sophomore Charlie Smith, who started 2 games last season, also returns at center. Freshman Brandon Reid will provide additional depth.

Complementing Schwab's inside game was the outside game of junior guard Jason Dopoulos. Dopoulos, who transferred to Ohio Wesleyan last year, made his presence felt by leading the league and ranking seventh in the nation in 3-point field goals made per game (3.35). Dopoulos ranked 12th in the NCAC in scoring (14.7 points/game) last season.

Junior Aaron Levering transferred to Ohio Wesleyan in midseason and proved to be a steady backup, and sophomore Josh Peterson will provide addtional depth.
Freshmen Guy Hensley, an all-county selection in high school, and Ricky Jordan, an all-district selection, also will battle for playing time, as will freshmen Mike Love and Tyler Reed.

Sophomore Shawn Kindred was the catalyst of the Bishop transformation last season. Kindred ranked 16th in the conference in scoring (12.3 points/game), 17th in rebounding (5.2/game) and seventh in assists (3.6/game). He was an honorable mention All-NCAC selection.

Junior Kyle Comstock, who can play either point or shooting guard, also returns in the Bishop backcourt. Freshmen Brandon Bass and Kevin Quisenberry also will seek to crack the Bishop rotation.

Sophomore John McLarnan returns at forward and will duel freshmen Brandon Cole, Timothy Meaney and Seth Rhea for the starting nod.

Ohio Wesleyan's schedule includes a season-opening trip to the University of Chicago tournament before a Thanksgiving weekend trip to play Hendrix and Rhodes. Traditional non-conference dates with nearby rivals Ohio Dominican and Capital highlight the remainder of the non-conference schedule before Ohio Wesleyan closes out 2001 with an appearance at the Greater Albion Chamber Classic. The always-competitive NCAC schedule gets into full swing in January.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg, the winningest program in NCAA Division III history, return eight letterwinners from one of the deepest, most relentless teams in the country in 2000. Despite the loss of North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year and second-team All-American Ryan Taylor and three other seniors, the Tigers return a solid nucleus that should be well-positioned for another run at the postseason.

Leading the way in 2001-02 is junior forward Kevin Longley, who was second on the team in scoring and first in rebounding on a team that led the nation in rebound margin at more than 14 per game in 2000-01. A second-team All-NCAC selection last year, Longley also paced the team in steals with 39 and ranked second in field goal percentage at .587.

Also figuring prominently in the Tigers' plans are senior guard Greg Rustad, a long-range sharpshooter (.422 from three-point range) who started all 28 games last year and contributed 7.8 points per game, and junior forward B.J. Harris, who came off the bench to contribute 8.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. They will be joined in the 2001-02 rotation by two sophomores who gained valuable experience in their inaugural collegiate season, point guard Mark Borland and forward Peter Walker, senior three-point bomber Chad Mossing and senior center Brian Gratsch. Only Mossing didn't appear in all 28 games last year due to injury.

Wittenberg will be trying to extend its phenomenal string of non-losing seasons to 45 in a row. The Tigers' last losing campaign was in 1955-56, and the current streak includes one .500 record, in 1967-68.

Wooster
The pieces certainly seem to be in place for another successful season at Wooster. With seven returning letterwinners, highlighted by D3hoops.com preseason All-Americans in forward Bryan Nelson and guard Antwyan Reynolds, the only teammates selected, Wooster has strong talent to build around.

The Scots, who are looking to win their fourth NCAC regular season title in the last five seasons as well as their fourth consecutive NCAC Tournament championship, did suffer two key losses to graduation in starters Nate Gaubatz and Steve Thompson. Gaubatz was a versatile, tough-nosed guard, while Thompson played wing and averaged 10-plus points each of the last two years, but they still have a solid returning nucleus.

Reynolds, a two-time all-conference honoree, comes into this season 73 points shy of 1,000 for his career. Last year, he scored 15.9 points per outing to go along with his league-leading assist (131) and steal (75) totals.

Nelson may shoulder much of the load in the frontcourt once again. The two-time all-conference honoree has averaged 15.6 points and 9.1 rebounds, while registering 23 double-doubles through his first 56 games with the Scots.

Besides Nelson and Reynolds, Wooster has another returning starter in wing Matt Smith, who started 27 games last year and averaged 10.8 points while playing out of position at power forward, as well as a former letterwinner in Ryan Snyder, who returns to the Scots after an academic year at Kent State.

In addition, Steve Moore and his staff, who are trying to guide Wooster to its eighth consecutive bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, have three other letterwinners — senior center Brian Carlisle and sophomores Rodney Mithcell and Randy Sistrunk — and some promising freshmen to work with. That could give the Scots the depth that they were missing last season, which may have hindered their chances of going farther in the national tourney.

Washington & Jefferson
With four starters and seven letterwinners returning from last season, Washington & Jefferson seems primed to improve from last season's 6-18 finish.

Head Coach Tom Reiter feels W&J has improved in many areas during the offseason and will be able to turn some heads in the 2001-2002 season. "We will be a better perimeter team without a doubt," said Reiter. "The players showed me that they worked hard during the summer. Our rebounding hurt us at times last season and I feel we have improved in that area as well."

Washington & Jefferson will look to push the ball up the floor more quickly this season, according to Reiter, who feels a more "up-tempo" game will benefit the athletes W&J has.

"We are going to play a faster game than we did last season," said Reiter. "We have some very good athletes on this squad and I feel the quicker we play, the better off we will be. Of course, for us to be successful, we have to shoot a high percentage and play solid defense game in and game out."

The Presidents will be led by a solid nucleus of seniors, including point guard Jon Rocco, swingman Graig Marx and center Don Brunker. "It is really nice to have a group of solid senior leaders like we do this season," added the ninth-year head coach. "All three of these guys are experienced and will help bring along our younger players."

Brunker is an experienced post player, who Reiter believes is "a solid rebounder." He averaged 2.1 points and 1.6 rebounds in 24 games last season. Brunker also added four blocks.

One of W&J's most talented players, Marx will move to the frontcourt this season. Marx scored 6.6 points and grabbed 3.1 boards per contest last season and was also second on the team in assists (75) and steals (30). "Graig is an outstanding athlete who does a lot of things for us offensively and defensively," noted Reiter. "We will need him to step up his scoring even more this season."

Rocco is the starting point guard who can distribute the ball well and create his own scoring opportunities. Hobbled by an injury last season, Rocco managed to play in only 18 games, but averaged 2.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He also shot over 83% from the foul line.

"Jon is a seasoned player who has played in big games throughout his career," added Reiter. "We are hoping that he can remain healthy because he is a vital part of our offense and defense."

Returning for his third season as a President is junior guard Nolan Larry, who was a Second Team All-PAC selection last year. Larry broke the W&J record for points in a season by a sophomore in 2000-01 with 445 points, which was also the second-highest single season total ever at Washington & Jefferson. He needs 367 points to become the school's 16th 1,000-point scorer all-time. Larry averaged 18.5 points, 3.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game last season. He topped the 20-point plateau in 11 games last season and was Washington & Jefferson's leading scorer in 17 of 24 contests, including each of the last seven ballgames.

"Obviously, Nolan offers us a lot of stability offensively," noted the ninth-year head coach. "He can score from just about anywhere on the floor and handles the ball well. He did a lot of things for us last year and we expect that he will continue to get better."

Sophomore center Tony Franz will start at the No. 5 position for W&J this season. He is an imposing force in the paint with his 6-10, 280-pound frame. Averaging 7.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in his first season, Franz showed a nice scoring touch around the basket and will be counted on to improve his scoring role.

"Tony worked hard in the offseason on endurance and improving his defensive rebounding," said Reiter. "He knows how to play the game and gained valuable experience last season, which will only help heading into the first part of this season."

Reiter will also look for junior guard Mike Drevitch and sophomore forward Scott Chodor are returning veterans, who will help add depth on the team. Drevitch averaged 3.8 points and 1.2 rebounds off the bench last season and drained over 36% of his three-point attempts. Chodor saw action in 12 contests and averaged 1.2 points a game. He also shot just under 56% from the field and will get a chance to start at power forward this season.

"These are two talented players who will help us in the early going," added the 1975 Wisconsin (Madison) graduate. "Drevitch plays great defense and can hit the open jumper, while Chodor will be a key at the power forward position
for us."

Washington & Jefferson also welcomes 10 new faces to the squad in the 2001-02 season. Sophomores guard Matt Reiter, son of the head coach, and forward Armand Buzzelli will play in their first seasons on the squad. Reiter also brought in eight freshmen, some of which will see playing time early on.

"We have a solid freshman class coming in this season," noted Reiter. "We brought in some athletic backcourt players as well as a couple of skilled shooters. It is a nice blend of athletes who will be prepared to play when we call on them."

Arnell Milton and Joseph Dewhart will spell Rocco at the point and have shown flashes of becoming excellent two-way players. Chris Houser has a smooth jump shot and Aaron Olshan has great court awareness. Jesse Mullen and Scott Weiner will see time at shooting guard, while Ian Zampetti and Shane O' Donnell are both athletic forwards with bright futures.

All signs appear that Washington & Jefferson appears ready to take a climb back to the top of the Presidents' Athletic Conference standings. This year, however, it will not be easy due to the parity of the conference.

"Our conference is probably as strong as it has been in the last 10 years," added Reiter. "From the top to the bottom, anyone can beat anyone. I feel we can compete with everyone on our schedule. As long as we play fundamental basketball and improve each game, we are going to be a good basketball team."

Frostburg State
They say it's tough to get to the top, and it's tougher to stay there. Frostburg State has accomplished the former, winning its first-ever Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference championship last season; now the Bobcats and third-year head coach Webb Hatch want to take care of the latter — and then some.

"Our goals are to win the AMCC championship again and get into the NCAA Tournament," said Hatch, who, in just his second season, guided the Bobcats to a 20-10 record, the AMCC tournament title and a runner-up finish in the ECAC South Region Championship. The 20 wins is the second-highest season total in program history, trailing only the 1970-71 squad's 24-4 mark.

With four starters and five other letterwinners returning, and the addition of a host of new talent, high expectations are certainly worthy of this year's squad.
Frostburg State's up-tempo offense and relentless pressure defense begins with its guards, and the Bobcats have plenty of quality depth with three veterans and several newcomers at the position.

Senior Sean Brown returns after earning All-AMCC honorable mention honors last season by averaging 11.8 points and leading the Bobcats with 66 steals, 167 assists and a 46.2 three-point shooting percentage. The heart and soul of the team, Brown is a tireless defender and the vocal leader on the court.

"Sean plays so hard and really gets after people," said Hatch. "He really turned it up late in the year, and you won't find many guys who play better defense at his position.

Sophomore Ryan Grabill, who averaged 3.7 points and 2.7 rebounds last season, is a versatile player who saw action at four different positions during his rookie campaign. He sank 45.7% of his 3-pointers, led the team in free-throw shooting percentage (81.0) and showed his scoring ability with a career-high 17 points in an 86-72 win over La Roche.

"Ryan has very good leadership skills and knows how to take charge on the floor," Hatch added. "He's improved in all aspects of his game, and he's not afraid to shoot the ball this year."

Junior DeNelle Hale, who enjoyed another outstanding season as a running back and punt returner with the Bobcat football team, will again provide solid depth.

"This is DeNelle's third year with the program, and he understands what we want out of the position," said Hatch. "He brings that toughness and concept of team play over from the football field."

Also looking to make an impact are junior A.J. Ernst, who transferred from Edison Community College, freshman Kamillo Rosenthal and senior Tony Burns.

Ernst averaged 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals for Edison last year and will see time at shooting guard. A fundamentally solid player with a great shot, Ernst missed the first two weeks of practice with a severely sprained ankle but has looked sharp upon his return.

Rosenthal, a hard-nosed player with good shooting and defensive abilities, gives the Bobcats some versatility as either a guard or small forward. The 6-2, 200-pound rookie has shown he can score from both inside and out and turns the intensity of the team up when he gets on the floor.

Burns enters his first year with the program and will bring quickness and a strong shooting touch to the team.

"We've got good depth at guard," Hatch commented. "They're all quick, defend well and are unselfish. I don't see any problem keeping people fresh at that position."

Junior Pierre Bowery, a first-team All-AMCC selection last year, led the Bobcats in scoring with 19.2 points per game, was second in rebounding at 6.6 per contest and set a single-season school record with 57 blocks to become FSU's career leader in the category after just two seasons (74). He topped the squad in scoring in 19 of 30 games, and Hatch looks for his versatility to present problems for opponents.

"Pierre can play the wing or inside, he jumps well and he's a good shooter from 12 to 15 feet in. He's very quick and athletic, and he can create some huge mismatches for us. We can play him at guard and he can post up or get into the paint and shoot over people, or he can use his quickness at forward."

Sophomore Dustin Robinson averaged 1.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in limited action last season, and he has impressed the coaches with his increased strength (he improved his bench press by 55 pounds over the summer) and skill.

"Dustin is probably the most improved player on our team from last year," commented Hatch. "He was already a good shooter, but now he can score off the dribble. He's also gotten strong enough where he can play inside."

Senior Reynolds Mason, who ranked third on the team in rebounding (5.4) and fifth in scoring (8.5) last season, gives the Bobcats another experienced post player. Mason scored a career-high 20 points against Dickinson and grabbed a personal-best 14 rebounds against Division II Davis & Elkins.

Senior Elroy Henley, physically the strongest player on the team, can play inside or outside and gives the Bobcats another great post defender. The hard-working forward, who averaged 3.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last year, came off the bench to score a season-high 14 points and grab six rebounds in FSU's 77-73 win over Pitt-Bradford in the AMCC championship game.

Junior Robert Jones, who transferred from Prince George's Community College, will see time at both the forward and center spots. He has shown constant improvement each day in practice while becoming more comfortable with a new system and new teammates, and he should have an immediate impact.

Another newcomer is junior Dustin Long, who joins the Bobcats from nearby Garrett Community College. Another fundamentally sound player, Long can play any of the front-court positions and brings versatility and athleticism to the squad.
The Bobcats will also return two experienced players in the middle in senior Mike Millione and sophomore Mike Hall.

Millione, who joins Henley as FSU's two returning three-year letterwinners, is a solid team player who works hard and does everything asked of him by the coaching staff. A strong post player with great leadership skills, he averaged 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds last season.

Hall is another tough, hard-nosed player who brings physical presence, strength and a strong work ethic. A strong passer in the Bobcat offense, he appeared in 29 games with 15 starts and posted 3.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest.

"We have excellent depth, and I think we'll be able to shoot the ball from the perimeter better this year," said Hatch. "We have good overall quickness — we might be a little quicker than last year — and we have the potential to be a very good defensive team."

"I think our offense will be more efficient; we can catch and shoot, we can create shots and we've got several guys on the perimeter that can hit shots and hurt teams that try to zone us."

Hatch feels every team in the AMCC will be improved, and he knows defending the league title won't be an easy task.

"I think we, Pitt-Bradford and Penn State Behrend have the potential to be very good; Lake Erie will be much improved, La Roche has most of its team back and Pitt-Greensburg had a good recruiting year. And, Penn State Altoona played us tough as well last season."

Notching a second consecutive 20-win season will certainly be a challenge, especially with a schedule rivaling one of the toughest in school history. This year's slate includes a road contest at preseason No. 4 Christopher Newport, which reached the NCAA Elite Eight last season, as well as a meeting with preseason No. 17 Clark at the Franklin & Marshall Tournament.

Add in possible meetings with NCAA Tournament participant and preseason No. 19 Widener and preseason No. 12 Franklin & Marshall , and the Bobcats have their work cut out for them.

"We feel we've made tremendous progress over the last two years, and now we're ready to take the next step which is to improve on last year's record and hopefully get a bid to the NCAA Tournament. We feel we've upgraded our schedule, and we'll see if we're ready for the challenge."

Kenyon
Just about everything surrounding the 2001-2002 Kenyon men's basketball team has a new look. Whether it's the new players, their playing style or even the new coaching staff, KC basketball is under major renovation.

The most obvious change in this season's team has taken place in the coaching ranks, where Dave Kunka stepped in as the Lords' 17th head coach in the history of the 102-year-old program. He arrived on campus in early September after serving three seasons as an assistant coach at North Central.

Kunka is now the foreman of the Kenyon reconstruction project. He takes over a team that was 9-16 last season and finished sixth in the North Coast Athletic Conference with a 6-10 record.

"There is a lot of new stuff I'm throwing at these guys," Kunka said. "I don't expect them to have it all down pat by the beginning of the season, but I do expect a constant improvement throughout the year. We just can't afford to be the same kind of team in November that we are going to be in February."

The Lords return two starters and nine letterwinners for the 2001-2002 season, but the team roster also contains seven new names. Of the nine returning letterwinners, only three players had four or more starts last season.

A good foundation for Kunka and the Lords to begin building upon is the play of senior forward Chad Plotke, who managed to lead the team in just about every statistical category last season. He was tops in points (16.5 ppg), rebounds (6.8 rpg), steals (42), blocked shots (18), free throws attempted (110) and free throws made (69). He recorded a personal best 412 points in the 2000-2001 campaign, bringing his career total to 1,110 points. At the end of the year he was rewarded with his third consecutive All-NCAC Honorable Mention.

Guard Brian Porter is another good building block for the Lords. He played in 24 games last season and started 22 of them. The 6-2 senior averaged 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He led the team with 3.9 assists per game and a 1.9 assists-to-turnovers ratio.

Joining Plotke in the Lords' frontcourt will be sophomores Andy Flores and Ryan Ripley. Flores, a 6-4 forward, came off the bench last season to average 10.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Ripley, a 6-8 center, saw just 18 minutes of action last season. However, according to Kunka and teammates, Ripley is a completely different player and could be a major contributor this season.

Porter will be joined in the backcourt by 6-0 sophomore Alex Neuman, who played in 20 games last season and averaged 3.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

Instead of naming a starting five, Kunka prefers a more versatile 'starting six.' Depending on whether the team needs size or speed in a particular game, Kunka will plug in Plotke, Porter, Ripley, Flores, Neuman or Campbell into the starting lineup accordingly.

While the players and coaches try to get acquainted in the preseason, they all understand the significance of improvement in two important areas - rebounding and free throw shooting. The Lords ranked ninth in the conference in both categories last season.

"Those areas are obvious trouble spots and we have been emphasizing them right from the very beginning of practices," Kunka explained. "The only way to get better at those things is to keep practicing them. and that's what we are doing."

Bethany
For the first time in 19 years, Bethany finds itself in a new position. The Bison will enter the 2001-02 campaign as defending Presidents' Athletic Conference champions and will attempt to repeat as conference champs for the first time since Bethany claimed three consecutive league crowns from 1965-68.

While last year's 16-10 finish and first PAC championship since the 1981-82 season was a tremendous year, the Bison will be carrying higher expectations into this season. Despite a loss to Frostburg State in the first round of the ECAC Southern Regional Tournament, Bethany's first postseason appearance since that last PAC championship squad, the expectations are higher because all five starters and their top three players off the bench return.

"We know the expectations are higher but we don't want to focus on that," said Bethany head coach Rob Clune, who is entering his seventh year with a 48-103 record. "Obviously, we are in a position to build on last year's success but we want to focus on being a better team and continue to improve through the season as we did last year."

The Bison's preseason preparation has been hampered by a hand injury to starting forward Todd McGuinness and the waiting for senior center Derek Hoffman's football season to end.

"Overall, I think our preseason has been good, but we've hit a couple bumps in the road," said Clune. "Todd's injury and waiting for Derek to come over from football has slowed us down a little but everyone has been working hard. I don't think our success is going to hinge on one or two players. Our success is going to depend on the chemistry that was built last year by the entire team."

In the backcourt, senior point guard Scott Johnson returns. The 5-10 playmaker finished 10th in the country in assists (6.1) and was also second in the PAC in steals (2.3) while averaging 6.6 points per game. Expected to provide quality depth this season is freshman Kashief Summers.

"Scott is a very solid player, who finished 10th in the country in assists and is our top defender," said Clune. "But I think he'll be even better this year because he won't need to play 35-40 minutes a game. That's because Kashief will give us a much-needed boost in athleticism and, even though he'll make some freshman mistakes, he'll provide some contributions this year."

The shooting guard spot will be held by senior Nevada Smith, who averaged 15 points a game and was a First Team All-PAC selection last year. He led the nation in 3-pointers per game with 3.9 and nailed 49% of his 3-point attempts, fifth in Division III. Help off the bench will come from seniors Pat Kelly and Zach Graebe and freshman Mario Futon.

"Nevada has established himself as one of the premier shooters in the country," said Clune. "We are looking for him to further his contributions this year and become a more complete scorer. Off the bench, Pat is a tough competitor who can shoot well and knows how to get things done on the floor."

At the 3 spot, McGuinness, who averaged 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last year, has recovered from a broken hand that sidelined him the first week of practice. Junior Mike Majzun, who averaged 15 points per game off the bench in 00-01, and sophomore Adam Checton will provide the depth.

"Todd does all the little things very well," said Clune. "Rebound, handle the ball, set screens, he does everything we've asked of him. Mike is a very explosive scorer who is the best we have at getting to basket and finishing. We need Todd to become a little more consistent shooter and Mike to continue to provide that scoring punch off the bench to keep the attack well-balanced."

Inside, senior forward Keith Schubert last year's PAC MVP, returns for his final year. The 6-4 forward was second in the league in scoring (20.0) and led the Bison in rebounding (6.4). He also shot 40% from the 3-point arc and 76% from the foul line. Freshman Kenny Hankinson will back up Schubert.

"Keith is a very versatile player because he can score inside or outside," said Clune. "At times, he needs to be more selective, but he's a fierce competitor and tough rebounder. Keith provides a lot of match-up problems for the other teams because he can score from anywhere. Providing depth at that spot will be Kenny, who is a good athlete and has the potential to be a very good basketball player."

In the post, seniors Pete Stokic and Hoffman will handle those duties. Stokic averaged eight points and six rebounds a game last year, while Hoffman scored six points and grabbed five boards per contest last season.

"Pete is a good shooter who will hopefully provide us with a little more scoring punch inside this season," said Clune. "We expect great things from Hoffman this year. Now that he has a year under his belt, he should contribute a lot sooner this year than he did last year."

Looking at the PAC race, most would think that Bethany is the favorite. But not one team in the league lost more than two players, making the conference race very competitive.

"I think the PAC is wide open," said Clune. "A lot of people may give us the nod, but with everything so close last season, it should be very competitive.

Waynesburg gets Ray Robinson (the PAC scoring champion in 99-00) back, so that puts them right in the thick of things. Thiel and Grove City return good nucleuses and W&J has the talent to be dangerous. It should be a very interesting year."

When looking at the expectations and possibilities this year, Clune said this could be a very good year, while also being a very scary year.

"This is the first time we've ever come into a season with these kinds of expectations," said Clune. "It can be kind of scary to look at that, because there are a lot of possibilities for this year. We just have to stay focused on becoming a better basketball team and keep everyone playing in the roles that got us here last here and we should be all right."

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2001-02

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