Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Andre Williams: PL beat writer extraordinaire
Morning Call (Allentown, PA)
October 15, 2004 Friday FIFTH EDITION
SECTION: SPORTS, Pg. C3
Hawks don't mind being No. 2 in preseason ;
Defending tourney champs are picked to finish behind Bucknell.
By Andre D. Williams Of The Morning Call
Defending Patriot League tournament champion Lehigh isn't worried about preseason predictions.
They've been wrong the last two seasons.
So Lehigh coach Billy Taylor doesn't consider it a snub that the Mountain Hawks have been picked by the league's coaches and sports information directors to finish second in the regular-season race, behind Bucknell.
"The thing is we were picked seventh two years ago and fifth last year, so the polls really don't mean very much to me or to our guys, either, " Taylor said Thursday at the league's media day at Silver Creek Country Club in Hellertown.
"Certainly, being picked fifth last year and winning the regular-season title and the tournament shows that you have to go out and play the game," added Taylor, who has won the last two Patriot League's coach of the year awards.
Lehigh may be as good, if not better than last season's 20-11 team, which won the regular season and tournament titles. The Hawks have a transfer guard in Joe Knight, a 6-1 junior from High Point University, who may be as exciting as last season's Patriot League player of the year, Austen Rowland.
The Hawks also have sophomore guard Jose Olivero, a member of the all-freshman team last season, and potential all-league returnees in 6-5 sophomore Kyle Neptune and 6-10 sophomore center Jason Mgebroff.
Bucknell received 10 first-place votes. Lehigh and American garnered three first-place votes each. Holy Cross was tabbed fourth, followed by Colgate, Lafayette, Navy and Army.
Bucknell, coming off a 14-15 season, has three preseason all-league selections in 6-2 sophomore guard Kevin Bettencourt, 6-4 junior swingman Charles Lee and 6-11 sophomore center Chris McNaughton, the most versatile post player returning in the league.
Lehigh and American were each 10-4 in league play last season. Bucknell was 9-5, but the Bison might have overtaken Lehigh and American had they not lost their final two league road games at Holy Cross and Colgate.
"We can score. We can rebound. We can pass. We can defend. We are deep enough, but we are still pretty young," said Bucknell coach Pat Flannery. "If we can get off to a good start and have confidence build, it could be lights out."
Lehigh and Bucknell split their games last season, each winning at home. The margin of victory in each game was less than five points.
Lehigh routed the Bison 60-45 in the semifinals of the league tournament.
Lafayette's expectations: With four starters -- Justin DeBerry, Winston Davis, Mike Farrell and Rob Dill -- having graduated, Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon may endure one of his most challenging seasons.
"I was surprised that we were picked sixth," O'Hanlon said. "With losing everybody that we lost, I thought they'd pick us eighth, but I think once you get past five or so, they don't give much thought to that as they vote."
The Leopards will visit Louisville on Dec. 4 and defending national runner-up Georgia Tech on Dec. 28.
"What you want to do is get better by the playoffs," O'Hanlon said. "Right now, we don't know anything about our team. We don't know who is going to be our go-to guy. We don't know what's going to happen when it comes down to the last two minutes of the game, but hopefully it plays out by the time the postseason comes around.
"It's going to take time to come together and jell, and it's probably going to take the whole season."
andre.williams@mcall.com
@ 11:21 AM
Morning Call (Allentown, PA)
October 15, 2004 Friday FIFTH EDITION
SECTION: SPORTS, Pg. C3
Hawks don't mind being No. 2 in preseason ;
Defending tourney champs are picked to finish behind Bucknell.
By Andre D. Williams Of The Morning Call
Defending Patriot League tournament champion Lehigh isn't worried about preseason predictions.
They've been wrong the last two seasons.
So Lehigh coach Billy Taylor doesn't consider it a snub that the Mountain Hawks have been picked by the league's coaches and sports information directors to finish second in the regular-season race, behind Bucknell.
"The thing is we were picked seventh two years ago and fifth last year, so the polls really don't mean very much to me or to our guys, either, " Taylor said Thursday at the league's media day at Silver Creek Country Club in Hellertown.
"Certainly, being picked fifth last year and winning the regular-season title and the tournament shows that you have to go out and play the game," added Taylor, who has won the last two Patriot League's coach of the year awards.
Lehigh may be as good, if not better than last season's 20-11 team, which won the regular season and tournament titles. The Hawks have a transfer guard in Joe Knight, a 6-1 junior from High Point University, who may be as exciting as last season's Patriot League player of the year, Austen Rowland.
The Hawks also have sophomore guard Jose Olivero, a member of the all-freshman team last season, and potential all-league returnees in 6-5 sophomore Kyle Neptune and 6-10 sophomore center Jason Mgebroff.
Bucknell received 10 first-place votes. Lehigh and American garnered three first-place votes each. Holy Cross was tabbed fourth, followed by Colgate, Lafayette, Navy and Army.
Bucknell, coming off a 14-15 season, has three preseason all-league selections in 6-2 sophomore guard Kevin Bettencourt, 6-4 junior swingman Charles Lee and 6-11 sophomore center Chris McNaughton, the most versatile post player returning in the league.
Lehigh and American were each 10-4 in league play last season. Bucknell was 9-5, but the Bison might have overtaken Lehigh and American had they not lost their final two league road games at Holy Cross and Colgate.
"We can score. We can rebound. We can pass. We can defend. We are deep enough, but we are still pretty young," said Bucknell coach Pat Flannery. "If we can get off to a good start and have confidence build, it could be lights out."
Lehigh and Bucknell split their games last season, each winning at home. The margin of victory in each game was less than five points.
Lehigh routed the Bison 60-45 in the semifinals of the league tournament.
Lafayette's expectations: With four starters -- Justin DeBerry, Winston Davis, Mike Farrell and Rob Dill -- having graduated, Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon may endure one of his most challenging seasons.
"I was surprised that we were picked sixth," O'Hanlon said. "With losing everybody that we lost, I thought they'd pick us eighth, but I think once you get past five or so, they don't give much thought to that as they vote."
The Leopards will visit Louisville on Dec. 4 and defending national runner-up Georgia Tech on Dec. 28.
"What you want to do is get better by the playoffs," O'Hanlon said. "Right now, we don't know anything about our team. We don't know who is going to be our go-to guy. We don't know what's going to happen when it comes down to the last two minutes of the game, but hopefully it plays out by the time the postseason comes around.
"It's going to take time to come together and jell, and it's probably going to take the whole season."
andre.williams@mcall.com
@ 11:21 AM
