Double Team David Hooper on the Perimeter and You'll Beat Navy Every Time
The Capital (Annapolis, MD)
November 17, 2003 Monday
SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. B3

LENGTH: 592 words

HEADLINE: Mens basketball:Mids exhibit strong defense

BYLINE: CRAIG ANDERSON, Staff Writer

BODY:
Asked to assess this year's Navy team, Dale Chambers put it as diplomatically as possible.

'Nothing against Navy's offense, but they have to play good defense to succeed,' the Team Champion guard and Severna Park native said after the Mids' 77-73 exhibition victory yesterday at Alumni Hall.

'Today they played hard as usual and really got after us defensively. They really try to wear you down.'

After watching the game, it was tough to argue the point. Besides sophomore David Hooper (28 points), the Midshipmen struggled to hit from the outside. Hooper nailed seven of 14 shots overall and five of 12 three-pointers, but his teammates were 20-for-53 and one-for-14, respectively.

'David Hooper was our go-to guy today,' DeVoe said. 'He needs to keep knocking down the shots, but there is certainly no doubt that we have more guys that can shoot the ball. I've seen (senior guard) Kwame (Ofori) do it in practice, but he just didn't do it today.'

DeVoe's youngest team in more than a decade is a work in progress and will have a lot of games like yesterday's. At least the Midshipmen won, which wasn't the case after last year's senior-dominated squad fell to Team Champion before the start of an 8-20 campaign.

"It was refreshing to see us win," DeVoe said. "It was nice to see us win it by doing the right things."

Navy got by with an aggressive man-to-man defense that often attacked fullcourt, making 12 steals and forcing 19 turnovers overall. Hooper made four swipes, while new point guard Jeff Charles blocked four shots.

Charles, a senior, stepped it up offensively as well, scoring 17 points and adding a game-high seven assists. He also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. Mixed in were seven turnovers, which comes with the territory for a new point man on a young team picked to finish seventh in the Patriot League.

"I've always liked playing point guard and I feel comfortable doing it," said Charles, who attended Meade. "I think I did all right. I did a lot of good things and a lot of bad things."

Even when Navy struggled to make shots, they hustled enough to grab 17 offensive rebounds and create enough action with tipped balls and 12 steals to earn the a victory. The team used two kinds of fullcourt presses to quicken the tempo.

"We're pushing attentiveness to everything," DeVoe said. "When a free throw is to be shot, we want the kids to run and huddle. We've got to get them to be quick on the court."

With sophomore frontcourt starter Matt Fannin (six points on 2-for-6 shooting) struggling in the low post, freshman Carlton Baldwin debuted with 10 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore newcomer Leonard Green and little-used junior Laramie Mergerson each added six points in short stints.

"Leonard Green and Laramie Mergerson made some key plays," DeVoe said. "They jarred the ball loose, got offensive rebounds and got into good position near the basket at times."

Sophomore forward Mike Higgins, still adjusting to basketball after a two-year Mormon mission, went scoreless and missed his only shot in a three-minute appearance in the second half.

"He'll have his moments," DeVoe said. "He's a very fine shooter. I would have thought after four weeks (of practice) that he'd play more, but it hasn't evolved that way. He hasn't done anything (with basketball) in two years and he's working back into it."

Will Marshall scored a game-high 29 points for Team Champion, and Chambers added 15.

Navy opens Friday night at South Carolina, followed by the home opener against Belmont on Nov. 24.  @ 11:28 AM