Scranton ready to defend Landmark Conference title

A change has certainly done The University of Scranton men's basketball program good.

The Royals ended their long-time affiliation with the Middle Atlantic Conference in 2007 and joined the newly-formed Landmark Conference.  And in four seasons, Scranton has won three league titles (2008, 2009, 2011), finished runner-up on the other occasion (2010), and advanced to the NCAA Division III championships three times (2008, 2009, 2011).  Scranton is also 78-31 (.716) during this span, including a 42-14 mark (.750) in the conference.

In looking ahead to the 2012 season, veteran head coach Carl Danzig faces quite a challenge, needing to replace one of the conference's most dominating players who was instrumental in the program's aforementioned success.

That player is Zach Ashworth, a two-time Landmark Conference Player of the Year (2010, 2011) and 2011 second-team all-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).  Not only will the Royals miss his 20.8 per game scoring average, but his remarkable ability to deliver much-needed leadership in clutch situations.  A prime example was his performance in the 2011 Landmark Conference championship game, where he scored 24 of his career-high tying 31 points in the second half as the Royals broke away from a two-point halftime lead en route to an 82-71 victory over Catholic University.

Whereas Danzig will surely miss Ashworth, he does have plenty of other weapons returning that should keep the Royals in the hunt for another Landmark crown. 

First, there's senior guard Luke Hawk (Audubon, Pa./Methacton), who complimented Ashworth well by averaging nearly 16 points and 5.5 rebounds and who shot a team-leading 57 percent from the field to earn first-team all-conference honors a year ago.  His ability to post-up opposing team's guards down low made Scranton's inside-outside game nearly unstoppable.

Then there's junior Travis Farrell (Middletown, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy), who has developed into one of the top all-around guards in the conference.  He earned second-team all-league honors after leading the Royals in rebounding (6.1) and steals (2.3) last season.  He also shot over 48 percent from the field, including 40 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, en route to averaging nearly 12 points per game.  Joining him as returning starters are senior forward Matt Swaback (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) and sophomore guard/forward Tommy Morgan (Greenlawn, Pa./Chaminade).

At 6-8, Swaback puts additional pressure on most opponents with his ability to stretch defenses by knocking down perimeter jump shots.  He connected on 37 percent of his attempts from beyond the 3-point arc and averaged nearly 10 points per game, but he will be asked to pick up his rebounding output this year. 

Morgan had a solid freshman season cut short by a season-ending injury against Susquehanna University on February 11, but he still managed to start 17 of 21 games and average a steady 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds.

Three other players—senior guard Dan Hilferty (Ardmore, Pa./Episcopal Academy), junior guard Tim Lavelle (Clarks Green, Pa./Scranton Preparatory), and senior forward Edmond O'Connell (Somers, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic)—also saw considerable action as key reserves.  Hilferty is a traditional point-guard who has plenty of game experience and is comfortable running the offense, while Lavelle's late-season exploits added another dimension to the offense last season.  He scored in double figures in his last three games, including 11 points in Scranton's win over Catholic in the Landmark title game.  O'Connell, a two-year letterman, provides much-needed bulk inside and should take some of the rebounding pressure off Swaback.  

Other veterans battling for playing time include senior guard/forward Matt FitzPatrick (Clarks Summit, Pa./Scranton Preparatory), senior forward Nick Jaskula (Jenkintown, Pa./Jenkintown), junior guard Pat Mineo (Scranton, Pa./Scranton Preparatory), and sophomore guards Michael Barr (North Wales, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) and Michael Marchman (Blauvelt, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional).

Danzig's recruiting class got off on the right foot when he convinced his eldest son Ross (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights/Blair Academy-NJ) to stay close to home.  It got even better when Ross's teammate at Blair Academy (NJ), forward Mark Bevacqua (Lenoxville, Pa.), decided to join him.  Prior to his stint at Blair Academy, Bevacqua dominated the local high school scene, earning Player of the Year honors twice by the Scranton Times-Tribune.

After a highly successful career at Abington Heights High School, the younger Danzig averaged 13 points and five rebounds per game at Blair Academy against top-notch prep competition.  He has the talent and ability to challenge immediately for starting spot in the lineup.  Ross's teammate from Abington Heights, guard Justin Klingman (Clarks Summit, Pa.), will challenge for playing time at point-guard.  Rounding out the newcomers is Michael Fee (Richboro, Pa.), a 6-2 guard from St. Joseph's Preparatory School in the Philadelphia area; Kyle Ranck (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg), a 6-5 transfer from Ithaca College; and 6-5 sophomore forward Jack McKenna (Netcong, NJ/Lenape Valley).

The Royals' non-conference schedule should once again toughen them up for the conference play, along with an opportunity to face a Division I opponent when they unofficially open the season with an exhibition (non-counting) game against St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia on November 14. 

Scranton will meet two NCAA tournament teams on the road—Ramapo (20-7) on November 28th and Cabrini (24-6) on December 17—and will play five other non-conference teams that posted winning records last year, including renewing its rivalry with former Middle Atlantic Conference foes King's College (15-10) and Wilkes University (15-10) in the first cross-county challenge to be held at nearby Marywood University in early January.   The Royals will also host Centenary, SUNY-Maritime and New Paltz in the annual season-opening Radisson Invitational and will take on North Central (Ill.) and Westfield State (Mass.) at the Daytona Beach Classic in December.