Case Western Reserve Men's Season Preview

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- With three of its top four scorers back from last year's rotation, the Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team will rely on a strong nucleus of returning players as it look to make significant strides during the winter of 2011-12.

"Our returning players are talented and bring a lot of valuable game experience to the table," said ninth-year Head Coach Sean McDonnell. "Our success this season will hinge on their leadership both on and off the court."

The Spartans finished last season at 9-16 overall and 5-9 in the University Athletic Association. Playing in one of the nation's top Division III basketball conferences, Case also picked up a pair of victories versus Top-25 competition.

Case's 15-man roster consists of two returning starters and six letterwinners.

Expected to lead the way are a pair of All-UAA starting forwards in senior Tom Summers (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) and junior Austin Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich./Birmingham Brother Rice).

Summers, the team's captain in 2011-12, finished third on the squad in scoring as a junior at 9.0 points per game and tied for the lead in rebounding at 6.8 rpg. A 2009-10 second-team All-UAA selection, Summers enters his senior campaign with 16 double-doubles (points/rebounds) for his career.

"Tom (Summers) is a leader on and off the court, and he has earned his role as captain," said McDonnell. "We saw just how good he can be during his sophomore campaign, and we are expecting him to return to that level as a senior."

In his first season with the team, Fowler led the squad and ranked fourth in the Association in scoring at 16.8 ppg en route to earning first-team All-UAA honors. He also tied for the team lead in rebounding at 6.8 rpg and connected on 40 three-pointers. Failing to reach double-figures in points just four times for the season, his four double-doubles led the Spartans and his 34-point performance versus the nationally-ranked University of Rochester (N.Y.) on February 20 was the highest total on the team. Fowler was also tabbed to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District squad.

"Austin (Fowler) stepped right in and had a great season for us last year," said McDonnell. "Earning first-team All-UAA and all-district honors as a newcomer is impressive and we have even higher expectations for him this season."

Also returning from last year's rotation is six-foot, nine-inch sophomore center David Thompson (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior), junior guard Robert Scott (Paoli, Pa./Conestoga) and sophomore guard Tim Chung (Cypress, Calif./Los Alamitos).

Thompson averaged 4.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game, while finishing second on the team with 23 blocked shots.

"David (Thompson) is a talented player who makes an impact at both ends of the floor," noted McDonnell. "His shot blocking ability and rebounding will help anchor our defense."

Scott missed most of last season after averaging 4.8 ppg and leading the team in three-point shooting (.483) as a freshman in 2009-10.

"Rob (Scott) had a nice freshman season for us, and we are looking forward to getting him back into the mix," said McDonnell.

Chung averaged 8.0 points in 18.6 minutes per game and was the team's leading three-point shooter with 48 makes in 135 attempts (.356). Chung hit four three-pointers in a game on four separate occasions and tied for second on the team with 19 steals.

"Tim (Chung) is a very good competitor, and he has the ability to impact the game with his defense, his passing and his perimeter shooting," said the head coach.

The Spartans also return junior guard Tim Maleski (Franklin, Pa./Franklin Regional), who lettered as a sophomore last season.

In addition, McDonnell welcomes an incoming class of nine players with several expected to compete for key roles.

Joining the backcourt are point guards Jordan Dean (St. Johns, Fla./Creekside), Ken Gibbons (Cairnbrook, Pa./Shade) and Joe Mims (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora). On the wing, the team adds George Zhang (West Lafayette, Ind./West Lafayette) and Julien Person (Houston, Texas/Second Baptist), while on the inside, Connor Edel (Akron, Ohio/Revere), Brian Klements (Willoughby, Ohio/Willoughby South), Dane McLoughlin (Westerville, Ohio/St. Charles Preparatory) and Adam Schrecengost (Avon, Conn./Wilbraham & Monson Academy) are added to the mix.

"We are pleased with this year's newcomers," said McDonnell. "We need this group to complement our returning guys and be ready to play when called upon."

The Spartans open the season on the road on Tuesday, November 15 at cross-town rival Baldwin-Wallace College at 6:00 p.m. at Ursprung Gymnasium in Berea. Case opens the home portion of its schedule with the first of its two annual tournaments, The Stephanie Tubbs Jones Memorial, on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18-19, at Horsburgh Gymnasium. UAA action opens the New Year on Saturday, January 7 with rival Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.) in town for a 5:00 p.m. tip-off.