Feb. 16, 2001

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Match Up: Lafayette (10-13, 3-6) at Holy Cross (19-5, 9-1)
Tip: 3:00 p.m.
Site: Worcester, Mass.
Arena: Hart Center
Series: Lafayette trails, 16-10
Radio: WEST-AM 1400, www.lafayette.edu
Commentators: Dick Hammer
Television: Lafayette Sports Network

THE STORY LINE: Lafayette is on a three-game win streak, its longest such span of the season. The Leopards are coming off a hard-fought road win over Albany on Wednesday night. That same night Holy Cross clinched the Patriot League regular-season championship with a 77-67 victory at Navy. Holy Cross has won five straight games and 10 of its last 11 with the lone loss coming on Jan. 24 at Lafayette...The Leopards have won eight straight vs. Holy Cross.

BENCH BOOST: The Leopards got quite a boost off the bench at Albany, as the Lafayette reserves scored 44 of the team's 78 points. Brian Burke led the way with 13, followed by 11 from Ben Saxton and a season-high 11 from Rob Worthington. Head Coach Fran O'Hanlon went 12 deep into the bench, as has been the case the entire season.

BURKE'S BACK: After missing exactly two months of the season due to a punctured lung, Brian Burke made a triumphant return to the Lafayette lineup on Feb. 11 vs. Navy. Burke scored a game-high 23 points in just 15 minutes of action off the bench. He was 5-6 from the floor and 11-12 from the free throw line, despite having his string of 28 straight free throws snapped. The Leopards had played without Burke since their Dec. 11 game at Fordham when he left the game prematurely with a punctured lung. Burke scored a career-high 24 points in that game despite not playing the final eight minutes...In his second game back the lanky shooter dropped in 13 points in 21 minutes.

BIEG'S OUT: Just minutes after Brian Burke rejoined the Lafayette basketball team on the Kirby Sports Center hardwood on Feb. 11, senior point guard Tim Bieg made an early exit. Bieg injured his knee on a layup attempt six minutes into the game. On Monday, following an MRI, he received a mixed verdict, learning that he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), but that a return to action was not being ruled out. Bieg's ACL injury was an isolated tear with no cartilage damage. Because of that lack of cartilage damage and the overall strength of Bieg's leg, he could return to the court by the end of the season, possibly playing in the Patriot League Tournament on March 3-4. He will, however, undergo reconstructive surgery upon the completion of the season.

IF THE TOURNAMENT STARTED TODAY: Lafayette would be a No. 5 seed and would face No. 4 seed Colgate. The winner of the Lafayette-Colgate game would face No. 1 seed Holy Cross which has already wrapped up the No. 1 seed and the accompanying first-round bye. No. 2 seed Navy would play No. 7 seed Bucknell and No. 3 seed Lehigh would play No. 6 seed Army. The winner of the No. 2, 7/No.3, 6 game would face the winner of the No. 1/No. 4, 5 game.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES: This is Lafayette's 27th all-time meeting with Holy Cross in the Leopards' 91 seasons of basketball. The Leopards are 10-16 all-time versus the Crusaders. The last meeting came on Jan. 24, 2001, an 82-67 Lafayette win at home. The first series meeting was Feb. 4, 1947, as the two teams squared off in Boston in a game that Holy Cross won 50-40...Lafayette has won eight straight against Holy Cross, dating back to Holy Cross' last win on Feb. 15, 1997.

STARTING POINT: Fran O'Hanlon has used eight different starting lineups this season. Frank Barr is the only player to have started every game for the Leopards. Tim Bieg, has started all but one game, missing the Albany game due to a knee injury. Tyson Whitfield has started all but three games, missing the first three due to injury.

LONG DISTANCE CONNECTION: Lafayette is ranked 23rd in the nation in three-point field goals per game in the latest NCAA statistics (Feb. 12), averaging 8.3 trifectas per outing in 2000-01. Individually, Tyson Whitfield, who leads the way with 3.3 three's per game, is ranked 15th in the nation.

MOVING UP ON THE ALL-TIME LIST: Prior to his recent injury, senior point guard Tim Bieg was slowly ascending some of the Patriot League's all-time lists. Bieg is third in steals with 194, two ahead of Navy's Chris Williams. Bieg is also 11th on the all-time assist chart with 304.

STILL LEADING THE LEAGUE IN ATTENDANCE: Lafayette has led the Patriot League in attendance each of the last three seasons, and this season the fans are showing their dedication, hanging with the Leopards through some challenging times. Lafayette is averaging 2,486 fans per home game in its 3,500-seat arena . Navy is the next closest, averaging nearly 500 fewer fans at 1,970 per game followed by Holy Cross (1,983), Bucknell (1,558), Lehigh (1,016), Army (793) and Colgate (648).

PASSING THE BALL: Brian Burke is averaging 4.5 assists per game in the 10 games that he has played. He dished out a career-high 11 assists at Cornell in the season opener, shattering his previous record by six. Despite missing 13 games, Burke is still fourth on the team in assists with 45.

BURKE FROM THE LINE: Brian Burke, who is the Patriot League recordholder for consecutive free throws with 49, is shooting 91.7 percent from the line, having made 55 of 60 attempts this season. Burke had a string of 28 straight free throws snapped when he went 11-12 from the line vs. Navy on Feb. 11. His free throw percentage would currently rank him sixth in the nation if he had enough attempts to qualify.

UNIQUE COMPANY: Tim Bieg recently joined Craig Kowalda '96 as the only players in Patriot League history to amass 300 assists, 150 steals and 150 three pointers. Currently, Bieg has 304 assists, 194 steals and 165 three-pointers. Bieg needs 109 points to reach 1,000, whereas Kowalda finished his career with 1,413 points.

A FRUITFUL FEBRUARY?: Fran O'Hanlon's teams always seem to hit their stride in the month of February. Under Fran O'Hanlon, the Leopards are 30-9 in February and were 27-2 in 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000. Last season, Lafayette was 8-1 with two wins over Bucknell, and one each over Albany, Holy Cross, Stony Brook, Army, Lehigh and Colgate. The Leopards only loss was at Navy on Feb. 9. In 1998-99, the Leopards went 7-1 with their lone February loss coming in a one-point decision at Colgate. In 1997-98, the Leopards went 5-0 in February to close out the regular season. This season, Lafayette is 3-1 in February, losing at Lehigh, but emerging victorious at Bucknell, at home vs. Navy and on the road at Albany. Lafayette has three league games left in February in addition to one non-league game.

ALL-TIME VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: Lafayette has played 493 games against the six members of the Patriot League, and has a 285-208 record in all games against them. The Leopards have three games remaining vs. Patriot League foes, two on the road, one at home. In Patriot League play, Lafayette is 58-80 in the regular-season and 8-8 in the Patriot League Tournament. Under Fran O'Hanlon, the Leopards are 43-26 in the Patriot League, and 34-11 over the past four seasons. Lafayette went 10-2 in both 1997-98 and 1998-99 with the Leopards losses coming to Bucknell and Navy in 1997-98 and two losses to Colgate in 1998-99. Lafayette was 11-1 in 1999-2000, its only loss to Navy. This season, Lafayette is 3-6 in Patriot League play.

Army 22-16 Colgate 29-33 Lehigh 128-65 Bucknell 80-46 Holy Cross 10-16 Navy 15-32

ASCENDING THE CHARTS: After becoming the 33rd player in Lafayette men's basketball history to reach the 1,000-point plateau, Tyson Whitfield has quickly ascended the all-time scoring list after moving past the grand mark with 20 points vs. Yale on Dec. 30. He currently has 1,179 career points and is in 16th place all-time. He needs just two points to move past Chip Lundy into 15th on Lafayette's all-time list. He needs 33 points to move into 14th. At his current scoring pace (15.3 ppg), Whitfield is on track to score 1,255 points in his career and could move up as high as 12th place on Lafayette's all-time scoring list...Upon reaching 1,000 points, Whitfield became the third player in the last three seasons to score a grand. 2000 graduates Brian Ehlers and Stefan Ciosici passed the mark in 1998-99 and 1997-98, respectively.

FROM THE LINE: Until recently, Lafayette has been ranked in the top 25 in the nation in free throw shooting nearly the entire season. The Leopards are currently shooting 72.7 percent from the line. Three of Lafayette's key players (Brian Burke-92%, Tyson Whitfield-81% and Tim Bieg-78%) are hovering near or above 80 from the line...The Leopards' 96 percent (24-25) effort vs. Princeton on Dec. 6 is the eighth best team performance in the nation this season, and the fifth best of teams with 20 or more attempts in a game.

THE COACH: Head Coach Fran O'Hanlon (Villanova '70) is in his sixth season on College Hill. The 1997-98 and 1998-99 Patriot League Coach of the Year, O'Hanlon has restored Lafayette to a championship level. O'Hanlon has guided the Leopards to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, three straight Patriot League regular-season championships and two Patriot League Tournament titles. Following a pair of 20-win seasons that included a school record 24 wins last season, O'Hanlon's career record stands at 93-74.

HORSE SHOES AND HAND GRENADES: Close doesn't mean anything in the world of wins and losses in college basketball. That said, Lafayette has lost six games by five points or less, four of those in overtime. Lafayette's average margin of defeat in all 13 losses is 8.0 points.

LEADING THE LEAGUE: Three-time defending Patriot League champion Lafayette is currently leading the Patriot League in several statistical categories including scoring (75.4 ppg), assists (15.5 apg), assist/turnover ratio (1.02), turnover margin (+1.61) and three-point field goals made (8.26). Lafayette is also third in free throw shooting (72.7%).

LONG-RANGE BOMBER: Throughout his career, the majority of Tyson Whitfield's shots have been of the long-range variety. With eight three-pointers vs. La Salle on Dec. 29, Whitfield earned a share of the Lafayette school record for three-pointers in a game. He tied Larry Spigner's '93 record performance vs. Yale on Dec. 3, 1991. With 19 attempts in that game, Whitfield also set a new mark for three-point tries...Whitfield holds two single-season records for three-point field goals made (91) and three-point field goals attempted (213) which he set in 1999-2000. He is also the career three-point leader at Lafayette, having nailed 260 trifectas.

THE LAST AMATEURS: John Feinstein's The Last Amateurs, a book chronicling the 1999-2000 Patriot League men's basketball season, spent multiple weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list and has sold over 100,000 copies. The book topped out at No. 14 for the week of Dec. 17. The Last Amateurs was also picked by USA Today as one of the top 100 books of 2000. Feinstein has made two appearances on campus for book signings.

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT: The Leopards have fared far better in night games than in afternoon games. Lafayette is 9-9 in games beginning after 5 p.m., but is 1-4 in afternoon tip-offs, the only win over Navy on Feb. 11.

ON THE RADIO: Tonight's game can be heard live on WEST-AM Stereo 1400, the 65th year of broadcasting Lafayette Athletics. Dick Hammer is in his 34th year of calling the play-by-play for the Lafayette men's basketball program.

O FOR OVERTIME: The Leopards haven't fared well in their four overtime games, going 0-4 with losses to La Salle (81-78), Marist (82-80) Bucknell (74-71) and most recently Army (104-103). The Leopards went 1-1 in overtime in 1999-2000, beating Princeton 70-69, but lost to St. Joseph's 83-81 in double overtime.

ONE LUNCHEON REMAINING: The Lafayette College Athletic Communications Office will host four media luncheons throughout the season at Larry Holmes' Ringside Restaurant. The luncheons begin at noon with a buffet meal. Head coach Fran O'Hanlon will answer media questions from 12:30 p.m. on, and will be available, along with two or more players, for informal one-on-one interviews following the general questioning. The final luncheon is Tuesday Feb. 27 to preview the P.L. Tournament.

ALL-TIME AT LAFAYETTE: In the 91 seasons of men's basketball at Lafayette College, the Leopards hold an overall record of 1103-947 (.538) that spans all the way back to the first season in 1900-01. The Leopards hold a 58-80 mark in the Patriot League and a 8-8 clip in the Patriot League Tournament for a combined 66-88 record.

A PASSING FANCY: Lafayette, generally a crisp passing team, has cranked out five games with 20 or more assists. Lafayette managed the feat six times in 1999-2000. This season, the Leopards passed for a season-high 23 versus Army on Jan. 27, 21 vs. Yale on Dec. 30 and at Fordham on Dec. 11. The Leopards also handed out 20 versus Scranton on Dec. 20 and 20 versus Albright on Nov. 27.

KIRBY SPORTS CENTER: Since its dedication in June 1973, Lafayette's Kirby Sports Center has provided a distinct home court advantage in 27 seasons as the Leopards' home. APK has played host to 346 men's basketball games. In 1999-2000, the Leopards recorded their 22nd winning season, posting a 14-1 mark under Head Coach Fran O'Hanlon. Overall, Lafayette is 244-104 (.701) in Kirby Sports Center, including one undefeated season (1987-88) and six one-loss campaigns (1975-76, 1976-77, 1979-80, 1989-90, 1997-98 and 1999-2000).

ROAD RASH: Three of the Leopards' eight games in January were on the road, whereas five of their eight games in February are road contests. Last season, Lafayette was 5-1 in Patriot League road games, the only loss coming at Navy.

LAFAYETTE ON TELEVISION: Lafayette features the most expansive television package in the Patriot League for the third straight season. This season the program will have a minimum of 13 games televised, with the possible addition of three more television games in the Patriot League Tournament. The Lafayette Sports Network will air 12 games to more than 5.2 million viewers in the Lehigh Valley, Pocono region and Philadelphia, central New Jersey, New York City and Boston. Locally the telecasts can be seen on RCN Cable channels 4 and 60, Service Electric Cable channel 51, Blue Ridge Cable channel 5 and broadcast channel 60. Lafayette will also be seen on the Patriot League TV network three times in the regular season and possible two more times in the Patriot League Tournament. Locally, the games are broadcasted on WFMZ-TV 69.

LIVE GAME BROADCASTS ON WEB: All of Lafayette's men's basketball games can be heard live on Lafayette's website at www.lafayette.edu Click "sports". Click the "audio/video" button near the top of the page to get to the broadcast. WEST-AM's Dick Hammer will be calling the action for his 34th season.

WEEKLY RADIO SHOW: Lafayette Sports Weekly, a comprehensive half-hour radio show will air live each Thursday at 7:00 p.m. from September through March on the Lafayette Sports Network's flagship radio station, WEST AM 1400 and on the world wide web at www.lafayette.edu. WEST-AM's Jack Logic will be joined each week by either Gary Laubach or John Leone, Lafayette Sports Network's television commentators, for an exciting half-hour devoted exclusively to Lafayette sports. Head coach Fran O'Hanlon will be a featured guest during the season.

LAFAYETTE ON ESPN: Lafayette has made appearances on ESPN the last two seasons while playing in the Patriot League Tournament Finals. This season, ESPN will again televise the Patriot League Tournament Final on March 9 at 4:30 p.m. The game will be played at the highest remaining seed in the Tournament. Lafayette has hosted the Patriot League Final the last two seasons. In 1997-98, Lafayette made two appearances on ESPN, playing at Colgate in a midnight game and vs. Navy in the Patriot League title game.

DEEP INTO THE BENCH: In six seasons at Lafayette, Fran O'Hanlon has consistenly gone deep into the bench. This season, O'Hanlon has provided plenty of confusion for opponents' statisticians and opponents' defense. Depending on the flow of the game, O'Hanlon has gone 10 to 12 deep. Twelve players have played in 15 or more games. Look for Ben Saxton, Mike Farrell, Mick Kuberka, Drew Dawson and Rob Dill to see time. STRANGE NUMBERS IN THE NAVY WIN (Feb. 14): Generally when you get outrebounded 45-20 in a game, there's a fair chance the result will end up in the "L" column. A "W" was the outcome for Lafayette on Feb. 11, however, when the Leopards were outrebounded by 25. Lafayette won the game by nine and led by as many as 16 in the second half. Lafayette did compensate for the rebounding disparity by forcing 33 Navy turnovers and shooting 54 percent from the floor.

A GAME THAT HAD EVERYTHING (Jan. 27): Lafayette's 104-103 overtime loss vs. Army set some records. It was the first time since Dec. 10, 1997 that the Leopards managed to score 100 or more points...It was also the first time since Dec. 12, 1976 that Lafayette and its opponents combined for more than 200 points, scoring 207...That 207 point total is the second most ever scored at Kirby Sports Center, missing the record by just a point...Army's Chris Spatola scored 43 points, the most ever at Kirby Sports Center. Spatola's mark eclipsed Todd Tipucka's 42-point effort vs. St. Joseph's on Dec. 3, 1975.

MILESTONES (Jan. 24): Lafayette's victory over Holy Cross was win No. 1100 in the program's 91 seasons. It also marked Fran O'Hanlon's 90th career win.

"SENIOR NIGHT" (Jan. 24): It was an unofficial senior night in Wednesday's win over Holy Cross. Apparently, the Lafayette senior class had enough of losing at home. The night started off with Nash Ablo getting his first career start. Ablo made several strong defensive plays and was an emotional spark for the team. The rest he left up to his fellow seniors, and they responded. Tyson Whitfield (24 pts.), Frank Barr (21 pts.) and Tim Bieg (18 pts.) combined for 63 points, four shy of Holy Cross' team total. Barr and Whitfield took care of the rebounding with eight and seven rebounds, respectively, and Bieg handled the defense with six steals.

U.S.S. FARRELL (Jan. 24): Not only has Mike Farrell taken over for Nate Klinkhammer at the power forward spot, but he also wears the biggest shoe on the team. Farrell dons a size 17 New Balance. Klinkhammer wore a size 18.

HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN (Jan. 24): Senior center Frank Barr had the hot hand vs. Penn on Jan. 19. Barr took the ball right at Penn's strong inside presence of Ugonna Onyekwe and Geoff Owens to score a game-high 23 points. Barr went 10-16 (63%) from the field, including a 7-9 performance in the second half.

GETTING THE START (Jan. 17): Freshmen Ben Saxton and Mike Farrell earned the first start of their careers vs. Bucknell on Jan. 13. Saxton, who was coming off a career-high 16-point performance vs. Lehigh, followed it up with 15 points and five rebounds while starting in place of Reggie Guy. Farrell too, turned in a solid performance in his inaugural start, scoring eight points, while grabbing seven rebounds. Two other freshmen, Rob Dill and Justin DeBerry, have played in 22 games combined.

HOME WIN STREAK ENDS AT 17 (Jan. 13): Lafayette's streak of 17 straight wins at home came to an end on Jan. 10 vs. Lafayette's archrival. The Leopards, who had notched wins over Albright, Columbia, Princeton and Scranton, are 4-1 at home this season. Lafayette went 14-1 at home in 1999-2000...The Lafayette record for most consecutive wins at home is 26, accomplished in the 1948-49, 1949-50 and 1950-51 seasons.

MUSIC MEN (Jan. 10): Lafayette most likely has one of the most musically-talented teams in the country. Junior guard Drew Dawson's talents extend beyond the classroom and the hardwood. The Camp Hill, Pa. native provided some soothing tunes on the Leopards' lengthy trip to California. On the bus after a practice, Dawson breathed life into his harmonica and later showed off his piano-playing talents at the hotel restaurant with a post-dinner performance. Dawson also played the cello in his youth. Freshman forward Mike Farrell is a pianist with classical training. Freshman guard Winston Davis was an accomplished drummer in high school. The Lafayette coaching staff is not without musical talents, as Head Coach Fran O'Hanlon plays the piano and banjo and assistant coach Pat Brogan plays the piano. No word yet if Ben Saxton has ever hoisted a saxophone.

BREAK OUT FOR SAXTON (Jan. 10): Freshman Ben Saxton picked one of the biggest home crowds of the season for his breakout game. The freshman guard from Walker Valley, N.Y. scored all of his career-high 16 points in the first half vs. Lafayette's archrival. Even more impressive was that his performance came in just 10 minutes of action off the bench. The 6-5 lefthander has made the most of his opportunities, hitting nine of 11 field goals attempts (82%) and five of six three-pointers (83%). Saxton is also 5-7 from the line (72%).

TYSON WHITFIELD PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Jan. 3): Senior co-captain Tyson Whitfield was named the Patriot League Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. Jan 2. The conference player of the week honor is the second for Whitfield in his career. Whitfield averaged 25 points and five rebounds, and was named to the all-tournament team in leading the Leopards to a 1-1 record at the Golden Bear Classic in Berkeley, Calif. He started with a career-high 30-point performance, including a school-record eight three-pointers, in an overtime loss vs. La Salle, then followed with 20 points and six boards in a win over Yale. Whitfield's 17th point against Yale, which came on the first of two free throws late in the second half, made him the 33rd player in Lafayette basketball history to reach the 1,000-point plateau for his career.

2001: A SAN FRANCISCO ODYSSEY (Jan 4.): What began as a five-day trip to Berkeley, Calif. for the Golden Bear Classic turned into an extended road odyssey. Five day road trip -- eight days. Lafayette left for its tournament at the Univ. of California on Dec. 27 and was scheduled to return to Easton on Dec. 31. However, because of the winter storm that hit the Northeast and altered travel plans for thousands, Lafayette was forced to stay in San Francisco until Jan. 2 when the first Continental flight was available for the travel party of 22. Lafayette made the 3,000 mile journey to Newark International Airport on Jan. 2 and a bus took the team directly to Poughkeepsie where the team arrived at the hotel at 3 p.m. The lengthy trip ended at 12:30 p.m. when the team arrived at Kirby Sports Center following the Marist game.

RECORD-BREAKING TEAM EFFORT (Dec. 11).: Lafayette hit a school-record 18 three-pointers at Fordham to set a new single-game record for three-pointers. Tyson Whitfield connected for six trifectas while Brian Burke added five and Reggie Guy three...The mark is the second most in the nation this season, second only to Northern Arizona's 20 long-range bombs vs. Cal Poly on Dec. 2.

BRIAN BURKE -- PLAYER OF WEEK (Dec. 18): Brian Burke (Philadelphia, Pa.) was named the Patriot League Player of the Week on Dec. 18. The honor was the first ever for the Leopards' sixth man. Burke scored a career-high 24 points to lead Lafayette vs. Fordham on Dec. 11. The game was the Leopards' only contest of the week due to finals, and pitted them vs. a 6-1 Rams squad that was fresh off a win over then nationally-ranked St. John's. Burke hit five three-pointers and went 8-for-11 (73 percent) from the field on the night. He also dished out four assists and added four rebounds in a solid all-around effort.

TAKING THEM FOR THE TEAM (Dec. 6): Lafayette put on a free throw shooting exhibition vs. Princeton. The Leopards made 25 of 26 free throws, the lone miss by Frank Barr trying to complete a three-point play after a dunk. The Leopards hit 15-15 in the final 3:32 to seal the game. For the season, Lafayette is shooting 76 percent from the line.

FRANK BARR--PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Dec. 4): Frank Barr was named the Patriot League Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 4. Barr led Lafayette to a 2-1 week with wins over Columbia and Albright. He dropped in a career-high 22 points on a 10-16 performance from the field vs. Columbia. Barr, who also finished with seven rebounds, was an integral part of a decisive 22-0 second half run. Barr was also up to the challenge versus an athletic Rider team. He posted his first double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

FRANK BARR--PLAYER OF WEEK (Nov. 19): Frank Barr was named the Patriot League Player of the Week for Nov. 19. Barr scored 16 points to lead all Lafayette scorers in a 72-62 win at Cornell on Nov. 18 in the Leopards' season opener. Barr showed his shooting touch down the stretch, scoring five points in a 12-0 run that broke a 53-53 tie and sealed the game for Lafayette. Barr also went 6-7 from the line. Equally impressive was his defensive play, as he blocked six shots and pulled down six rebounds.

STEADY IMPROVEMENT IN THE O'HANLON ERA: When Head Coach Fran O'Hanlon took over the team beginning with the 1995-96 season, he inherited a 2-25 team. Since then, he has steadily built the Leopards into a championship program. 1995-96--7-20, 1996-97--11-17, 1997-98--19-9, 1998-99--22-8, 1999-00--24-7

A THREE-PEAT?: Repeating as Patriot League champions in 1999-2000 and advancing to the NCAA Tournament was not an easy proposition for Lafayette, but the Leopards became the first team to accomplish the feat since Colgate in 1994-95 and 1995-96. No Patriot League team has ever gone to the NCAA Tournament in three-straight seasons. The Leopards have won three straight Patriot League regular-season titles, but lost to Navy in the conference tournament championship game in 1997-98 following a 19-9 season. O CAPTAINS MY CAPTAINS: Seniors Tim Bieg and Tyson Whitfield are the team captains for the 2000-01 season. Bieg and Whitfield were elected to the leadership role in a vote by the players. Bieg has been an unnamed "captain" of the offense for three seasons, running the team from the point guard position. He and Whitfield will be looked to for major offensive and defensive contributions in addition to their leadership duties. A PAIR OF 20s: Lafayette is coming off consecutive 20-win seasons. Last season, Lafayette set a school record with 24 wins (24-7). In 1998-99, Lafayette rolled off 22 wins (22-8). The back-to-back 20 win seasons were the first since 1976-77 and 1977-78.

CUTTING THE RIBBON: Kirby Field House, the Leopards' home since 1973, was dedicated as the new Allan P. Kirby Sports Center in June. The 27-year old structure underwent $2.5 million in renovations and received a tremendous facelift. It also saw the addition of a $24 million, 110,000 square-foot intramural and recreational sports facility. PLAYER OF THE YEAR-PART FOUR?: Lafayette has been blessed over the last three seasons. Each of those Leopard squads featured the Patriot League Player of the Year. In 1997-98, Stefan Ciosici won the award, followed by Brian Ehlers who captured the honor consecutively in 1998-99 and 1999-2000. Time will tell if Tyson Whitfield, Tim Bieg or Frank Barr have a shot at making it four in a row.

BOMBS AWAY: It's safe to say that three-point shooting has been an integral part of Lafayette's offense since Fran O'Hanlon took over. The past three seasons, Lafayette squads have set team single-season records for three-pointers. Lafayette hit 238 three's in 1998-99 to break the 1997-98 mark of 207 which broke the 1996-97 mark of 187 which broke the 1993-94 record of 147. The Leopards hit a record 249 three's in 1999-00.