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Men's Basketball Takes on Mids in Second Weekend of League Play
Jan. 12, 2007
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
Match Up: Lafayette (7-10, 1-1) at Navy (10-7, 0-2) AT A GLANCE: Patriot League play enters its second weekend as the Lafayette men's basketball team travels to Annapolis, Md. to play Navy. The Leopards (7-10, 1-1) are coming off a 71-65 win at Colgate on Wednesday night while a much-improved Navy (10-7, 0-2) squad is still searching for its first Patriot League win of the season and has lost three of its last four games, including a 71-61 loss vs. Lehigh on Wednesday. Lafayette split the 2005-06 season series with Navy, with each squad winning on its home court by at least 10 points. LAST TIME OUT: Lafayette used a scorching shooting effort in the early going and held on for 71-65 victory at Colgate on Wednesday. The Leopards shot 71 percent in the first half and 64 percent for the game while holding Colgate scoreless for the first four and a half minutes. Lafayette, which built a 15-point halftime lead, was led Bilal Abdullah's 16 points. Abdullah and Brown each hit two crucial free throws to keep the lead intact in the final minutes. SEASON-HIGH SHOOTING...AGAIN: For the second straight game, Lafayette shot a season-high from the floor. Lafayette hit for 64% (23-for-36) for the game and 71% in the first half. That season best followed a 57% (25-for-44) effort against Holy Cross. Before this stretch, Lafayette's previous best performance shooting performance came in the fourth game of the season vs. St. Joseph's (53%). ABDULLAH GETS (AND STAYS) ASSERTIVE: Junior guard Bilal Abdullah has taken a more assertive role on the team in terms of scoring. Abdullah is averaging 16.5 ppg over the last six contests, including matching his career-high (22) twice in the span (vs. Mount St. Mary's and Holy Cross). In his previous 11 games, Abdullah was averaging 7.4 ppg. Abdullah led the team with 16 points at Colgate. ON THE SIDELINE: Two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year Fran O'Hanlon (Villanova, '70) is in his 12th season as the Leopards' head coach. He has twice led Lafayette's program to the NCAA Tournament and lays claim to three Patriot League regular-season titles among his credentials. O'Hanlon's career record stands at 169-162, a mark that includes two 20-win seasons. O'Hanlon's overall record does not necessarily tell the full story of the job he has done at Lafayette. The Philadelphia native inherited a 2-25 team when he took over in 1995-96 and won 7, 11, 19, 22 and 24 games over the next five seasons. From 1997-2000, Lafayette was 65-24 overall and 31-5 in the conference with two NCAA Tournament appearances. In 1996, the Patriot League, which was originally founded on the principle of need-based financial aid only, began allowing athletic scholarships. However, it was not until 2006 that Lafayette chose to do so. By no coincidence during that span, Lafayette posted a 79-91 mark and was 38-44 in the league. For 2006-07, Lafayette has one scholarship class in the fold. A NOTE ABOUT W'S FOR FRAN "O": With 169 career coaching wins, Lafayette head coach Fran O'Hanlon needs just one more win to become the all-time winningest coach in Lafayette history. He currently trails George Davidson who had 170 career victories between 1955 and 1967. O'Hanlon ranks ahead of Butch Van Breda Kolff (132), Bill Anderson (139) and Tom Davis (116) all of whom eclipsed the 100-win plateau during their coaching stints. A breakdown of coaching records can be found on page 101 of the Lafayette men's basketball media guide. DIALING UP LONG DISTANCE: In the latest NCAA statistics (1/7), Lafayette is ranked 17th in the nation in three-point field goals per game, making 8.9 three-balls per outing. Lafayette hoisted a season-high 32 three-point attempts vs. King's and connected on half of those opportunities. NEXT UP: The Leopards host reigning Patriot League champ Bucknell on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Lafayette is looking to snap a six-game losing streak versus the Bison. BAND OF THIEVES: Lafayette ranks third in the Patriot League with 7.5 steals per game. The Leopards spread around the "thievery," as seven different players have 10 or more steals. Bilal Abdullah and Andrew Brown lead the way with 19 apiece while Ted Detmer had 18 and Matt Betley 17. ON THE RISE: The academic prowess of the Patriot League has been a constant since the league's formation in 1990 and the league's national profile in basketball continues to improve. The Patriot League currently ranks No. 14 in RPI among the nation's 32 Division I conferences. ABOUT NAVY: Year three of the Billy Lange (Rowan '94) era has already produced 10 wins for Navy, matching the Mids' highest win total from the last five seasons. Navy started off the season 7-3, but has lost four of its last five, including a pair of losses to Bucknell (59-51) and Lehigh (71-61) in league play. THE ALL-TIME SERIES: Lafayette and Navy have exchanged victories over the last eight meetings, dating back to Feb. 2, 2003. Lafayette is 8-27 all time in Annapolis, Md. and trails 36-21 in the all-time series. The two teams first met in 1920 and played the first 13 meetings in Annapolis. Lafayette and Navy have met every season since 1980 with the exception of the 1988-89 season. MAKING THE TEAM GO?: It may be an oversimplification of Lafayette's play in 2006-07, but there is at least some correlation between Andrew Brown's play and the team's success. In Lafayette's seven wins, Brown is averaging 12.4 points and 4.6 assists per game. By contrast, in Lafayette's 10 losses, he is averaging 4.8 points and 2.9 assists per game. LAFAYETTE VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: Lafayette has played 596 games against the seven members of the Patriot League, and has a 334-262 record in all games against them. In Patriot League play, Lafayette is 93-119 in the regular season and 10-14 in the Patriot League Tournament. Under Fran O'Hanlon, the Leopards are 78-66 in Patriot League regular-season play. American 16-17; Colgate 36-41; Navy 21-36; Army 32-18; Holy Cross 13-25; Bucknell 82-55; Lehigh 134-70; YES-PER: Freshman guard Jesper Andersson, a crowd favorite because he makes three's and his first name is fun to say, has already made an impact on the Lafayette lineup. Named Patriot League Rookie of the Week on Dec. 27, Andersson leads the team in three-point field goal percentage at .478 (22-for-46). The freshman had scored a total of six points in 34 minutes of seven games coming into the St. Peter's contest (12/2), but then broke out with six three-pointers in the first half and 18 points for the game. Against King's (12/20), Andersson earned the first start of his career and made his first two-point field goal of the season, as his previous 15 baskets were three-pointers. Andersson has started four games and will likely be in the starting lineup at Navy. HALF WAY THERE: Lafayette is 7-1 when holding a lead at halftime. The lone exception was a 44-42 loss to Princeton when Lafayette led 22-19 at intermission. WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?: He can average 7.9 points and 3.6 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game just past the midway point of the season. Andrew Brown tallied a career-high vs. King's (12/20) with 20 points on six three-pointers. Brown dished off a career-high eight assists vs. St. Peter's (12/2). Against NJIT (12/4), he answered the UPS question with six three-pointers and 20 points. In 2005-06, Brown led the team with 84 assists as a freshman, the first rookie to do so in Fran O'Hanlon's tenure, and started 25 of 28 games. He led the team with 51 three-pointers and earned Patriot League All-Rookie Team status. A TOUGH NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: Lafayette chose to take a tough non-conference road in preparation for Patriot League play. Six of the Leopards' nine non-conference losses came against top-flight competition. The Leopards lost to national power Indiana (Big 10), current No. 22 Notre Dame (Big East), St. Joseph's (Atlantic 10), Miami, Fla. (ACC), Princeton (Ivy), Temple (Atlantic 10) and San Diego State (Mountain West). Those seven teams were a combined 63-31 (.670) entering their conference play. HOLDING ITS OWN IN SAN DIEGO: Nearly 2,500 miles from College Hill, Lafayette held its own and more against San Diego State (12/30), before dropping a 78-68 decision. The Leopards pulled within six (74-68) with 33 seconds remaining on a Marcus Harley backdoor cut before having to foul in the final seconds. Bilal Abdullah and Matt Betley paced the Leopards with 16 points apiece, while Everest Schmidt and Ted Detmer each had seven boards. HIGH FOR HARLEY: Senior tri-captain Marcus Harley turned in a career-high 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting, including 5-for-7 from behind the three-point arc at Temple (12/28). The Bryn Mawr, Pa. native earned the starting nod two days later at San Diego State. Harley is averaging 6.4 ppg. HELPING HANDS: Lafayette's motion offense has the potential to put up big assist numbers. Against King's (12/20), the Lafayette offense was clicking, doling out a season-best 25 assists on 33 baskets. It was the third time Lafayette has had 20+ assists in a game this season and fourth time that the Leopards managed a positive assist/turnover ratio. Against Lycoming (12/7), Lafayette distributed 20 assists on 26 baskets. The Leopards also had 20 assists on 25 baskets at St. Peter's. In 2005-06, Lafayette passed for 18 or more assists four times, a number Lafayette has reached six times this season. Lafayette leads the Patriot League in assists per game with 14.8. THE GARBAGE MAN: Junior forward Matt Betley spends a lot of time cleaning the glass, diving for loose balls and occasionally even picking up a "garbage" basket in the paint. Betley is certainly willing to get his hands and body a little dirty by diving on the court, but it's nothing compared to his summer job. Betley worked collecting garbage on a garbage truck in his hometown of Mount Laurel, N.J. As one of the smallest forwards in the Patriot League, Betley is still managing to lead Lafayette in rebounding with 4.1 rpg. Many of his rebounds are of the unconventional variety as he slaps a ball out to the perimeter instead of trying to take it from a much taller opponent and potentially drawing a foul. BENCH SCORING: Lafayette is receiving 61 percent (41.4 of the Leopards' 67.4 points per game) of its scoring from the starting five and 39 percent from the bench. By contrast in 2005-06, the Leopards' bench averaged 26.1 points per game of the team's 66.4 points per game average, 39 percent of the team's scoring. BETLEY PUTTING THE BALL IN THE HOOP: Junior Matt Betley got very hot in a four-game stretch from Nov. 17-28. Betley scored a career-high 17 points vs. St. Joseph's (11/17) and followed that with a new career high with 18 points at UMBC (11/21). At Miami (11/25), Betley again matched his career best with 18 points. He scored a team-high 11 points against Princeton (11/28). Betley leads the team in scoring with 10.7 ppg and is coming off an eight-point five-rebound effort at Colgate. AT THE LINE: The Leopards are shooting 73 percent from the line for the season and are ranked 46th out of 325 teams in the nation. That season percentage includes a season-high 82 percent effort at Wagner (18-for-22) to open the season. Jamaal Hilliard leads the team in free throw percentage (85%), going 29-for-34 on the season, and Matt Betley rests at 74% (31-for-42)...In 2005-06, Lafayette ranked 37th in the nation in free throw percentage (74 percent) and ranked as high as ninth. Hilliard, who shot at a 91% clip in 2004-05 (fifth in the nation), hit for 81% as a junior while graduated senior Andrei Capusan '06 shot a team-best 82%. INSIDE-OUTSIDE: Junior Matt Betley has made the move from guard to forward for the 2006-07 season to bolster the team's rebounding efforts, but he is still certainly very comfortable outside. With Fran O'Hanlon's motion offense, Betley often finds himself with open three-point looks and mid-range jumpers against larger post players who will back off into the lane. With 23 three-pointers, Betley is one of seven Lafayette players who have 10 or more three-pointers this season and he is third on the team in three-point makes. SIZE MATTERS: The answer to the question why Lafayette is being out-rebounded by an average of 9.5 rebounds per game is simply "a lack of size." Matt Betley (6-4, 200), Everest Schmidt (6-7, 270) and Ted Detmer (6-7, 200) are the team's leading rebounders with Betley leading the way at 4.1 rpg, but effort and positioning can only account for so much. Lafayette is consistently running up against bigger post men, an area that Fran O'Hanlon and his staff hope to continue to address with upcoming recruiting classes. Lafayette has won the rebounding battle just twice this season, holding a 26-20 advantage over Princeton and a 35-31 margin vs. Lycoming...Lafayette finished 2005-06 ranked 308th in the nation in rebounding margin and ranks 320th this season (1/7). MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Just two Lafayette basketball media luncheons remain: Thursday, Feb. 1 (to preview the second round of Patriot League play) and Monday, Feb. 26 (to preview the Patriot League Tournament). All luncheons are held at Larry Holmes Ringside Restaurant in Easton. Head coach Fran O'Hanlon and select student-athletes will be available for interviews at the luncheons. THE O'HANLON SHUFFLE: The scorer's table has been a busy place during Fran O'Hanlon's 12 seasons at Lafayette. O'Hanlon will frequently shuffle in players to keep them fresh while also looking for the best matchups on both ends of the court. The moves also force opponents to spend a great deal of time figuring out their own defensive matchups. O'Hanlon will often play "offense-defense" at the end of the first half and in the final minutes of the game whenever there is a stoppage of play and a chance to substitute. The Leopards will likely go nine to ten deep throughout the season...SO WHO GETS THE START?: In 2005-06 with a team defined by youth and inexperience, O'Hanlon used 12 different starting lineups. Thus far this season, O'Hanlon has used nine different starting lineups. A GAME FROM (IN) THE 40's: Lafayette's 44-42 loss to Princeton (12/28) was a throwback to days gone by with crisp back-door cuts and disciplined motion offenses. The game was unusually low-scoring thanks to Princeton's ball-control style of offense and solid defensive efforts by both squads, but this type of game is not out of the norm in recent meetings between the two schools. Lafayette won a 57-46 matchup at Princeton last season, but was beaten 40-38 in 2004. The Leopards won the 2003 meeting 47-44. Lafayette and Princeton have split the last four games between the two schools, and each time the visiting team has emerged victorious. FIVE THREE'S FOR 12: One highlight in the Leopards' loss at Miami (11/25), was the shooting of junior guard Paul Cummins. Cummins made five three-pointers and finished with a season-high 15 points against the Hurricanes. His effort was one short of his career-best when he hit six three-pointers at American on Jan. 28, 2006. He is second on the team with 21 three-pointers this season. 32 MINUTES: Lafayette gave Indiana all it could handle for 32 minutes on Nov. 13. The Leopards trailed by three points (63-60) at 7:47 when Everest Schmidt made two free throws. Lafayette was still down just six at 6:48, but Indiana put together a 21-2 spurt over the next three and a half minutes to pull away in a game in which the final score (91-66) did not really tell the true story of the contest. THE CAPTAINS: Lafayette's three seniors, Marcus Harley, Jamaal Hilliard and Kerry Kenny, are serving as the team captains in 2006-07. Harley was a full-time starter in his sophomore season and has spent some significant time on the floor (including one start) as a senior after missing almost all of his junior campaign due to injury. Hilliard has been in the starting lineup the past two seasons. He missed 10 games last year due to a leg injury and broken finger, but is healthy in 2006-07 where he has remained in the starting lineup. Kenny being named captain is a tribute to his perseverance. He came to Lafayette as an unrecruited player, served as a team manager as a freshman and worked his way into 17 games last season. He has already played spot time in 14 games this season while earning one start. RANKED OPPONENTS: Since 1948-49, Lafayette has played 39 games against ranked opponents, coming away with a 3-36 record. Lafayette hosted Bucknell, ranked No. 24 in both the ESPN/USA Today and Associated Press top-25 polls on Feb. 25, 2006. Prior to that, the last time Lafayette hosted a ranked opponent was January 14, 1987 when No. 19 Navy came to Kirby Sports Center and escaped with a 75-71 win. The last time Lafayette beat a ranked opponent was Dec. 2, 1978 when Lafayette topped No. 16 Rutgers, 77-70. In 2004-05, Lafayette faced Louisville (17) and Georgia Tech (9) on the road. LAFAYETTE ON TELEVISION: For the 10th straight season, Lafayette features the most expansive television package in the Patriot League. The Leopards have 15 games televised with the possible addition of three more televised games during the three rounds of the Patriot League Tournament. The Lafayette Sports Network is airing 10 games to approximately 10 million viewers in the Lehigh Valley, Pocono region and all of Philadelphia. LSN telecasts can also be viewed in central New Jersey, New York City and Boston. In the Lehigh Valley, Poconos and Philadelphia, the telecast airs on RCN-4 and WBPH-60. CSTV (DIRECTV 610, Dish Network 152) will continue as a major LSN partner, airing three telecasts. Emmy-nominated sports broadcaster Gary Laubach handles all of the Leopards' play-by-play duties, while former Lafayette men's basketball coach John Leone provides color commentary. Additionally, RCN's Dan Mowdy will provide sideline reports. THE PRESEASON POLL: Lafayette was picked to finish sixth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll. The poll is voted on by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Bucknell was picked first in the poll followed by Holy Cross, American, Lehigh, Colgate, Lafayette, Navy and Army. INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR: Lafayette features three players from foreign countries. Junior Paul Cummins comes from Kildare, Ireland. Cummins spent two years at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, N.C. before spending a post-grad year at South Kent School in Connecticut. Two of Lafayette's four freshmen come from Europe with Marek Koltun hailing from Krakow, Poland and Jesper Andersson from Norrkoping, Sweden. Koltun spent the 2005-06 schoolyear at Caravel Academy in Delaware. THE JUNIOR CLASS: Lafayette's Class of 2008 is not only the largest in terms of numbers, but is also one of the most productive recruiting classes in recent memory. Junior Bilal Abdullah is the leading returning scorer and is second this season to fellow junior Matt Betley. Fellow juniors Ted Detmer and Everest Schmidt have also seen significant minutes in the middle after tying for the team lead in rebounds in 2005-06. Paul Cummins has been an offensive spark off the bench. YOUTH ON THE BENCH: Lafayette features one of, if not the youngest assistant coaching staffs in the country. Top assistant Drew Dawson is just 27 years old while Andy Toole is 26 and Mike Farrell is just 24. Dawson and Farrell are intimately familiar with the program, both having played for O'Hanlon. ALL-TIME AT LAFAYETTE: In the 97 seasons of men's basketball at Lafayette College, the Leopards hold an overall record of 1178-1036 (.531). Lafayette's first basketball season was in 1900-01 when the team had a winning record of 4-3. NOTABLE NAMES FROM LAFAYETTE BASKETBALL: Some recognizable names in college basketball have been part of the Lafayette men's basketball program. Pete Carril '52 was an All-American at Lafayette before going on to coach Princeton to national prominence and recently serving as a Sacramento Kings' assistant coach. Tom Davis, former Iowa and current Drake head coach, served the Lafayette's head coach from 1971-77. During that span, Lafayette made three NIT appearances and accumulated a record of 116-44. Current Maryland head coach Gary Williams served as Davis' assistant basketball coach and also spent time as the head men's soccer coach from 1971-76. ON THE RADIO: One of the longest running radio broadcast relationships in college basketball, WEST-AM 1400 enters its 71st year as the radio home of Lafayette Athletics. Dick Hammer is in his 40th season of calling the play-by-play for Lafayette men's basketball. Hammer will be inducted into the Lafayette College Maroon Club Hall of Game on Friday, Nov. 17. He will become just the second inductee who was not a player, coach or administrator at the college, joining public address announcer Jim Finnen. On the radio, Hammer is joined by Carl Schumacher at home games and most road contests by Phil LaBella (Lafayette SID). LAFAYETTE ATHLETICS ON THE WEB: The quickest and most comprehensive source for information on Lafayette athletics is the world wide web. Go to www.lafayette.edu and click on "Sports." ALL-TIME AT LAFAYETTE: In the 97 seasons of men's basketball at Lafayette College, the Leopards hold an overall record of 1178-1036 (.531). Lafayette's first basketball season was in 1900-01 when the team had a winning record of 4-3. NOTABLE NAMES FROM LAFAYETTE BASKETBALL: Some recognizable names in college basketball have been part of the Lafayette men's basketball program. Pete Carril '52 was
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