Bucknell players smart, Holy Cross players stupid; or, Bucknell is a joke, Holy Cross is academically rigorous

Congrats to your 2004 PL honor roll squad. Neither of the above headlines is true.

Of note: Rob Dill is the scholar-athlete of the year, a weird pick since Andres Rodriguez is going to law school and had a higher GPA. Then again, I'm biased. Also of note is that Andre Ingram is an "engineering" major at a school without an engineering program. (edit: "beatty" points out here that one can get an engineering degree through a joint program of AU and Maryland. I wasn't aware, and thank whoever that is for the correction.)

AMERICAN (5)
Matej Cresnik Jr. International Finance 3.67 Velenje, Slovenia/Univerza V Ljubljani
Andre Ingram Fr. Engineering 3.28 Richmond, Va./Highland Springs
Jarrod Kohl So. Undeclared 3.31 Ravenna, Ohio/Crestwood
Andres Rodriguez Sr. Finance 3.62 San Juan, Puerto Rico/Colegio San Ignacio
Craig Weinstein So. Communication 3.43 Tarzana, Calif./Harvard Westlake School

ARMY (1)
Erik Engstrom So. Economics 3.53 Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo
Bill Mohr Sr. Civil Engineering 3.93 Highland Village, Texas/Edward S. Marcus
Andrew Pawling Sr. Management 3.92 Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral

BUCKNELL (6)
Jeremiah Bennett Sr. Elementary Education 3.44 Lookout, W.Va./Fork Union Military Academy
John Clark Fr. Undeclared 3.75 Tulsa, Okla./Cascia Hall Prep
Chris McNaughton Fr. Electrical Engineering 3.25 Leutershausen, Germany/Dientzenhofer Gymnasium
Matt Quinn Sr. Accounting 3.58 Montville, Conn./St. Thomas More Prep
Davorin Skornik Sr. Management 3.83 Cankarjeva, Slovenia/Berkeley Prep
Roland Webber Sr. Economics 3.33 Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore

COLGATE (1)
Marc Daniels So. Astronomy/Physics 3.45 Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley

LAFAYETTE (2)
Mike Farrell Sr. American Studies 3.50 DeLand, Fla./Father Lopez
Rob Dill Sr. Mechanical Engineering 3.28 Isernhagen, Germany/Benjamin School

LEHIGH (4)
Stephen Callahan Sr. Finance 3.69 Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central
Dayne Michelson Jr. Engineering 3.44 Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville
Jose Olivero Fr. Arts & Sciences 3.30 Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson
Kevin Tempest So. Arts & Sciences 3.83 Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island

NAVY (1)
Taj Mathews Jr. Infotech Systems Management 3.33 Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island  @ 12:05 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard

  Mike Farrell Update and a Journalism Critique

Here's an update on LC's Captain last year, Mike Farrell, with a terrible, borderline insulting lead:

Farrell finished basketball career in low-profile fashion : "DELAND -- It may have passed unnoticed, but DeLand's Mike Farrell finished his basketball career this past winter as the captain at Lafayette College."

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  Reagan Still Dead, Stay Tuned to FOXNEWS for Updates

Here's an article on a Navy recruit:

Zanesville Times-Recorder (Zanesville, OH)
March 11, 2004 Thursday
It's official: Aronhalt headed to Naval Academy

dweidig@nncogannett.com

It's official: Aronhalt headed to Naval Academy

By DAVE WEIDIG

Sports Editor

ZANESVILLE -- Whew!

Drake Aronhalt let out a heavy sigh.

The soft-spoken Zanesville High School senior's big day was over. It was official. He is now headed to the U.S. Naval Academy on a basketball scholarship.

The toughest part about Wednesday's signing, in the ZHS Cove before a huge crowd of teammates, classmates, teachers, coaches, family and friends?

"The speech I had to give," he said. "I was going to write it out on note cards, but I ended up just winging it. I can't believe this many people came out to see this. It was exciting, but it kind of made me nervous."

He doesn't usually have a whole lot to say, but the turnout at his signing spoke volumes about his accomplishments. Not only did he average 19 points and over two assists per game, setting ZHS career records for free throw percentage (over 80 percent) and most threes made. But he carries an accumulative 3.982 GPA, including 4.3 last quarter, and scored very highly on his ACT test.

"He's one of those guys that if he wasn't on the basketball team, you wouldn't know he was around; he just goes about his business," said ZHS boys reserve coach Nate Seekatz.

"I'm very proud of his basketball accomplishments, but even more so academically," said his dad and ZHS head boys coach Scott Aronhalt. "He's getting a $225,000 education paid for. He has a five-year commitment after college, but that's not a negative. It's a positive, and he can make a choice of where he wants to go with his life."

"Drake is just a great individual," said ZHS athletic director Dave Bell. "He had a huge amount of determination; it's a tribute to his athletics and academics. The A in athletics actually stands for academics.

Drake's mom, Madge, felt a combination of relief and joy on Wednesday, similar to the feeling the family got on Christmas Eve when Congressman Bob Ney called with the official appointment to the Naval Academy.

"Relief that everything is finally taken care of; it was a lot of paperwork," she said. "Joy that he's getting the best of the best. They only take a few people from each state.

"It's a new life for him. It's strict and regimented, but I think he'll get along fine. It's more normal than people think it is."

Besides, as Drake likes to joke, "my mom and I will have our retirement party together."

Coach Aronhalt said the family was disappointed about the retirement of Navy head basketball coach Don DeVoe after the Midshipmen struggled through a tough season.

"He's an excellent guy; we're disappointed he won't be coaching Drake," he said. "He treated us like family."

On the plus side, Navy assistant coach Dave Wojcik, who recruited Drake, may be in line for the head coaching job. Wojcik is the former head coach at Wheeling Central Catholic.

"The new coach will probably use the same system," Drake said. "Turnovers were a problem for them this season, so maybe that will give me an opportunity for some playing time next year."

He still has some unfinished business in his high school career, being picked to play in both the Ohio North-South All-Star Classic as well as the Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Classic.
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  Bucknell News

Here's a couple articles about Bucknell's recruits and upcoming schedule:

Bison men headed to Cameron Indoor Stadium in 04-05 - May 31, 2004

Bucknell’s Flannery believes he’s found ‘missing pieces’ to puzzle

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  Ben Biles is Big Beginning for Blue

Navy just signed 6'8"ish Ben Biles from Gastonia, North Cacalacka. Friend PL blog message board poster "hchoops" informs us that this may be the tallest Navy player since David Robinson. However, their signing of Ben Falkenberg is much more important. Falkenberg comes witha lot more accolades, while Falkenberg is one of those guys with a "big upside". Maybe he'll grow to be 7'5"/300. But it's just as likely that he goes all Fingleton on the USNA and pans out. Regardless, Falkenberg is more of a sure thing--Right now, Biles is just a guy that averages 12 points a game against competition that is less than stellar and always a half foot shorter than he is.

Here's an article about Biles from his hometown paper:

Charlotte Observer (North Carolina)
February 15, 2004 Sunday THREE EDITION
SECTION: GASTON; Pg. 5L
VIEW'S BETTER FROM UP HIGH
MICHAEL L. NIXON, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

DATELINE: GASTONIA

Gaston Day senior basketball player Ben Biles has much in common with NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Both got cut from their middle school teams. Both blossomed in high school to become worthy of attracting Division I attention, including ACC schools.

But while basketball stardom might have been predicted of Jordan during his prep basketball days, as recently as a year ago few would have expected the likes of ACC-newcomer Virginia Tech and academic heavyweight Yale to come calling on Biles.

"I remember sitting down with him for the first time," said Gaston Day coach Shaun Wiseman, in his second year with the Spartans. "He was tall (6-foot-7) and uncoordinated. But you could just tell that he was going to grow into his body. He had tons of potential."

Wiseman promised Biles if he'd do what was asked of him and work hard, good things would follow. Biles would average five points and four rebounds as a junior role player for the Spartans. Not exactly MVP numbers, but he kept working.

Fast forward to 2004, with a new-and-improved Biles wreaking havoc in the post. This season he's averaging more than 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots per game.

It was a recent game against rival Victory Christian, however, that thrust Biles into the focus of Division I scouts. In a hard-fought 60-57 win, Biles tallied a triple-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. And Wiseman's phone began ringing.

"They (scouts) couldn't believe it was the same guy they'd seen the year before," Wiseman said.

Biles says he never saw it coming. Attending Cramerton middle school through the eighth grade, and being cut from the school's basketball team two years in a row, he transferred to Gaston Day.

With basketball not going as successfully as he hoped, Biles took up golf. As a freshman, he shot rounds of 76 and 82 at the state championships in Pinehurst to bag a seventh-place finish.

Then something not in his control made him to take another look at basketball.

He started getting taller.

"I grew from 6-3 to 6-8 before my sophomore year," Biles said.

So he gave basketball a second chance.

He played sparingly as a sophomore. Then Wiseman took over the Spartans, and told Biles he was going to make a player out of him, but only if he was willing to do his part.

"He (Wiseman) saw something in me that I didn't," Biles said. "He's helped me change so much over the past year. I'm much more mentally tough. I can't tell you how much my game has improved."

But the college scouts can. After game tape of Biles' triple-double performance against Victory Christian (among other video highlights) made its way to collegiate coach's desks, the offers started trickling in. Virginia Tech has offered a chance to walk-on and possibly receive a partial scholarship. Lipscomb (Tennessee) College has a full ride on the table. It was a phone call from the head coach at Yale University, however, that seems to have garnered the most attention.

"I couldn't believe it," said Biles, who, with a 1290 SAT score and 4.0 GPA is Ivy League material.

"We talked for about 30 minutes. It's an honor."

As far as Wiseman is concerned, it's an honor that is well deserved.

"Ben is a testament to anyone who is willing to work hard and go at it every day, even during the off-season," Wiseman said. "He's put himself into a position where he's got a lot of options."
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  Lafayette Recruits Matt B


Lafayette has posted their list of recruits, so I looked into what I could find about them. Here goes:

First up, Matt Betley. No relation to this Matt B. He chose LC over Cornell, some other Ivys and Navy. Was 25th in his class, and dropped a 1330 on the SAT.

Courier-Post (Cherry Hill, NJ)
April 21, 2004 Wednesday X Edition
Pg. 4G
Betley headed to Lafayette

By PHIL BRETT

Courier-Post Staff

Lenape High School senior Matt Betley, the 2004 Courier-Post Boys' Basketball Player of the Year, announced Tuesday that he will sign a letter of intent to play basketball next fall at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa.

"Matt's very excited about it. And they're very excited about having him,' Lenape head basketball coach Bill Lange said. "Matt already has a good relationship with their coach (Fran O'Hanlan), plus he's familiar with many of the players.'

One of Betley's teammates at Lafayette next fall will be his cousin, junior Pat Betley, a 2002 Courier-Post first-team All-South Jersey selection during his senior season at Haddonfield.

During his senior season at Lenape, Betley averaged 16.6 points, 12 rebounds and four assists per game while leading the Indians to the state Group 4 championship.

**************


Philadelphia Inquirer
March 28, 2004 Sunday JERSEY EDITION
SOUTH JERSEY SPORTS; Pg. D21
Lenape's Betley a team player and an inspirational force;
He starred without being selfish and helped the Indians to a Group 4 state championship.

By Marc Narducci; Inquirer Staff Writer

In the beginning of the season he wasn't necessarily considered a player to watch, but by the end, basketball purists couldn't take their eyes off Lenape's Matt Betley.

What he lacked in preseason hype, Betley made up for in substance during a senior season of individual and team accomplishment.

There were other South Jersey players who scored more points, grabbed more rebounds and played with a greater flair, but there might not have been a single player who meant more to his team's success.

For Betley, the team always came first, which is ironic, because as the season wore on, it became difficult to ignore his individual brilliance.

A 6-foot-4 senior with a game that befuddled opponents both from the perimeter and inside, Betley was the driving force to a Lenape team that posted a 28-1 record, captured its first state Group 4 title and finished No. 1 in The Inquirer's South Jersey rankings. He is also The Inquirer's South Jersey boys' basketball player of the year.

His statistics may seem pedestrian compared to others, to more high-scoring players, but they help to illustrate Betley's versatility. He averaged 16.6 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists per game. But where he earned the highest marks was in the leadership department.

"He never cared about points, only about winning," Lenape coach Bill Lange said. "When one of your senior leaders is like that, it has such a great effect on everybody else."

Betley also had a knack for stepping up when the lights shined brightest. How else can one explain his best performance coming in the most important game of his career?

In Lenape's 63-46 state Group 4 championship-game win over Plainfield, Betley took control. He scored 32 points, graded 18 rebounds, hit 11 of 13 shots from the field, 4 of 5 from three-point territory and 6 of 8 from the free-throw line.

It was a performance that was only slightly better than his effort in Lenape's 66-51 South Jersey Group 4 title win over Atlantic City. In that game, he scored 29 points on 10-for-17 shooting from the field. He shot 4 for 8 from three-point range.

Big performances in big games was the legacy of Betley's senior season. That in itself is noteworthy, since he started the season with such a low profile.

As a junior, Betley was a second-team all-conference player on a team that won its first Olympic American title. But there wasn't much preseason buildup for Betley, which was fine with him.

"It didn't really bother me," he said. "It motivated me more to play and show what I could do."

He not only showed the opponents, but also demonstrated to his coach that his game was more complete than last season.

"I don't know if I've seen a player improve so much from one year to the next," Lange said. "We could see - especially toward the end of the summer - that he was improved in every facet of his game. That's because he worked so hard to become a better player."

What Betley also brought to Lenape was unmatched toughness.

A calf injury forced Betley to miss two games earlier this season; at the time, Lange said Betley might not be 100 percent for the rest of the year. But by his second game back, Betley had regained his form, scoring 21 points in a 49-40 win over Haddonfield.

In an 80-65 state Group 4 semifinal win over Pennsauken, Betley was hit in the head by an inadvertent elbow from teammate Jason Thompson. Betley was bandaged up, but the bleeding was so profuse, that he went through two sets of bandages for his head. After the game he received nine stitches. He scored 15 points.

"I was just glad that I was able to keep playing," he said.

Betley is ranked 25th in his class of 520 and has scored 1,330 on the SAT. Penn, Cornell and Lafayette are showing recruiting interest. Division I Maine is another school that has made recent contact.

It is unlikely that Betley was on any of the recruiting lists of those schools before the season. In essence, he forced people to notice him with his selfless play, leadership and clutch shooting.

Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at 856-779-3225 or mnarducci@phillynews.com

******************

Courier-Post (Cherry Hill, NJ)
March 20, 2004 Saturday X Edition
SECTION: Pg. 8G
Player of the Year Matt Betley, Lenape
By WALT BURROWS

Matt Betley is easy to pick out when the Lenape boys' basketball team goes through its warmups. He's the one with flaming red hair.

Betley is also easy to pick out once the game starts. He's usually in the middle of everything. More so if it's a big game.

"He plays big in big games," Lenape coach Bill Lange said, describing his 6-foot-4 all-purpose senior and Courier-Post Boys' Basketball Player of the Year. "Matt scored 32 points and pulled down 18 rebounds in the State Group 4 championship game against Plainfield.

"He's a perfect example of the cream rising to the top, when it comes to the big games."

Betley shot 11-for-12 from the field that day. He rebounded the one shot he missed and scored.

"Matt is a complete player. An increasing number of colleges are looking at him because he can play so many positions," Lange said. "He shoots, rebounds, passes and is very unselfish.

"His work ethic is incredible. He always tries to deflect the richly deserved praise that comes his way toward his teammates. He's well liked around the school. All the kids are."

Betley scored 106 points in Lenape's first five tournament games, hitting 32 against Plainfield. He scored 29 against Atlantic City in the South Jersey final. He scored 17 in the Indians' 71-58 loss to Bloomfield Tech in the first round of the Tournament of Champions.

He has played through injuries, missing a game against Pleasantville in the Olympic-Cape Challenge with a partially torn calf muscle. Then he missed a part of the Pennsauken game when he was accidently elbowed and had to leave the court twice to have the gash bandaged to cover any bleeding in compliance with state rules.

Betley has averaged 16.6 points, 12 rebounds and four assists per game while lending invaluable leadership when it's needed the most -- with the game on the line.

Betley credits the coaches for his development.

"They (coaches) have helped me so much," he said. "Coach Lange has been very influential. He's taught me a lot about life as well as basketball. The rest of the coaches helped me a lot, too. It's been a great experience -- the last three years."

Betley scored 1,300 on his SAT and his lateemergence as a top prospect has resulted in Lange being besieged with phone calls about Betley.

"Matt has always been ready to accept a challenge and the schools showing interest (Ivy League, plus several others recognized for their academics) will present a huge one, but he has proven he has the mental toughness necessary to succeed."

**************

There's also an article here.


Here's some stuff on Irish Rose Paul Cummins. More will come later on the other recruits..


Paul Cummins
News and Observer (Raleigh, NC)
December 11, 2002 Wednesday, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. C6
An Irish gem

Robert Singletary, Correspondent

RALEIGH -- Ravenscroft's boys basketball coach Kevin Billerman
has reason to be pleased with what he has seen so far this
season.

After all, the Ravens, who were state runners-up last year,
sport an 8-0 record and show signs of continued improvement,
especially senior forward Paul Cummins.

Improving his basketball game is one of many reasons why
Cummins is at Ravenscroft.

The 6-foot-4 Cummins was the junior national player of the
year in Ireland.

But Cummins and his parents decided that making the long trip
from Kildaire, Ireland, to Raleigh could be in his best
interests.

Cummins came to Ravenscroft through a contact with the
Richmond Spiders who was familiar with the school.

"After they looked at our Web site, Paul's mom and dad called
me and talked for about 30 minutes," Billerman said. "He wanted
to come to the United States, and he was both academically and
athletically talented.

"He applied to Trish Grubb, our director of admissions, was
admitted and started in the fall of 2001. It has been a great
situation for all of us."

Cummins averaged 17.8 points as a junior and has already had
back-to-back, 20- point games this season, scoring 23 against
Word of God and 24 against Wake Christian.

He also excels in soccer. Cummins scored 24 goals this season
for the Ravens, who lost in overtime in the state championship
game.

Of course, making the adjustment to a foreign country can be
difficult. Cummins overcame the difficulty both athletically and
academically.

Cummins scored a 1290 on his SAT and presently has a
grade-point average of 3.7.

"It was tough at first," Cummins said. "I was a bit nervous
when I started, but I have loved it. I have really enjoyed the
school experience and have made a lot of new friends."

Meanwhile, Cummins believes his basketball skills have
improved with the tougher competition.

"There are definitely so many more athletes here [in the
United States], so I have to work harder," Cummins said. "I think
my shooting and ball-handling have definitely gotten better."

Billerman called him "an integral part of this team and this
school."

"He has fit in with the student body so well and there is not
a kid in the school that is not his friend," Billerman said.

Cummins has not decided where to go to college, but Davidson
and Lehigh are among the schools he is considering.

No matter where he goes to school, he should have little
trouble adapting -- and making a contribution.

GRAPHIC: Paul Cummins has had back-to-back, 20-point games this season for Ravenscroft. Staff Photo by John L. White

****

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  All Fingleton All the Time
Here's an article on Neil F leaving. This concludes our Fingleton Coverage.

...“It’s true that I have my sights set on the NBA, but I also have a long-range plan and a realistic sense of how things need to proceed for me,” said Fingleton...

Best of luck is all I can say...If he makes it, I'm declaring for the draft myself.  @ 1:10 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard

  Here's a translated story about Neil Fingleton from some Spanish website. Pretty funny stuff:

"The technicians who in the world of the basketball "everything can be learned, except the height" say. Soon it is necessary to demonstrate to talent, physical level and certain ways, but it is certain that few trainers would say that not to a player of seven feet and six inches (2.30). That is what measures Neil Fingleton, an English giant that, at the moment, is not having it easy in his first ripples with the world of the basket."

Fingleton should get on the horn to JP Riccardi and have him trade for some pitching. I bet the A's would trade Zito for Delgado right about now...  @ 1:01 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard