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A look at the upcoming season

2002-03 season

Northeast Region teams

Amherst
2001-02 was a season of impressive feats for Amherst. For starters, head coach Dave Hixon's Jeffs racked up a school-record 22 wins and swept Bowdoin, Williams and Trinity en route to their second consecutive NESCAC Postseason Tournament Championship, earning an automatic bid to their fifth overall and third consecutive NCAA Tournament.

There they drew a first-round bye, downed visiting Western Connecticut
82-77 in the NCAA second round and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the
first time since 1994. Yet, with all its success, the team felt like it
could have done more. Leading by eight points with 3:28 left in regulation
in the Sectional Round of the NCAA Tournament, the Jeffs fell victim to a
13-0 Brockport State run, as the host Golden Eagles rose from the dead to
deny Amherst what seemed like an inevitable trip to the NCAA Elite Eight.

"Naturally, we felt we had a good opportunity to advance further," says Hixon, who enters his 26th season with a 416-204 career record. "One more good possession would have won the game. Winning the NESCAC was the most important thing, but advancing a step or two further is a realistic possibility."

To take that next step, the 2002-03 Jeffs will have to fill the leadership void left by a trio of graduated seniors — shooting guard Mike Proctor and tri-captain forwards Pat Taverna and Paul Williams. While their minutes weren't huge, their leadership and experience were paramount. Proctor, Taverna and Williams helped lead the Jeffs to a school-record 79 wins over four seasons with a pair of NESCAC Championships and three straight NCAA Tournament appearances to their credit.

Fortunately, Amherst returns its entire starting five, led by senior forward Steve Zieja, a two-year tri-captain and the Jeffs' perennial go-to guy. A First-Team All-NESCAC, All-District and All-ECAC selection as a junior, Zieja is just 337 points shy of becoming the school's all-time leading scorer. He's joined by fellow senior tri-captains Pat Fitzsimons and Ryan Faulkner who, along with Zieja, could comprise the first Amherst class ever to play in four NCAA Tournaments.

At 6'8", Fitzsimons is a force in the paint, leading the conference in blocked shots (2.6 bpg) and field goal percentage (66.4%), and finishing third in rebounding (9.0 rpg) en route to Second-Team All-NESCAC honors as a junior. Faulkner was second in the NESCAC in assists (5.2 apg) and became Amherst's career leader with 363 helpers through three seasons. Juniors John Donovan and Adam Harper, a pair of critical swing players, round out the starting five. Donovan was fourth in the NESCAC in free throw percentage (81.0%), while Harper led the NESCAC in steals and was named to the NCAA Tournament All-Sectional Team, thanks to a game-high 25-point outburst (on 7-for-11 shooting) at Brockport State.

Although the starting unit remains intact, the biggest key could be 6-7 sophomore forward Andrew Schiel, a skilled inside-outside player who averaged 8.2 points as a first-year. The Jeffs also expect big things from junior forward Tim Jones on the interior, sophomore playmakers Ray Corrigan and Russell Lee in the backcourt and a pair of deadly sharpshooters in junior John Kloepfer and sophomore Brian Preston. Junior Frank Perry's defensive prowess off the bench will also be a valuable weapon as the season progresses.

As if returning 12 quality players isn't enough, the Jeffs add a pair of stellar first-years in John Casnocha and John Bedford. Casnocha, a 6-6forward from the University School of San Francisco, was the Division 5 Player of the Year in California. Bedford, a 6-3 native of Ridgewood, N.J., was rated one of the Top 40 high school prospects in New Jersey after a standout playing career at the Lawrenceville School.

In addition to the single-round-robin NESCAC slate, Amherst will host a pair of tournaments in 2002-03 — the season-opening Ken Wright '52 Memorial Invitational and the Pioneer Valley Classic, featuring local rivals Springfield, Western New England and Westfield State. As usual, the Jeffs will face a slew of tough non-conference foes, highlighted by a Dec. 3 matchup against visiting Clark University, which advanced to last year's NCAA Elite Eight.

The third installment of the NESCAC Postseason Championship Tournament kicks off on Saturday, February 22, with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament at stake (Amherst is 6-0 all-time in NESCAC Tournament play). Furthermore, on November 16 the Jeffs will host a preseason scrimmage against Division II power St. Anselm College, which features Steve Zieja's twin brother Mike, who averaged 16.7 points per game last season.

Springfield
For the better part of the last four seasons, Michael Parker, John Gleason and Keith Arnold have been mainstays in the Springfield starting lineup. This season, head coach Charlie Brock is without this veteran trio that combined for 3,011 points and 1,609 rebounds. Brock, however, is accustomed to a challenge: He has rebuilt three programs and also taken three teams to the NCAA Tournament.

The 94th edition of men's basketball at Springfield College features three seniors and no juniors. Of the seniors, swingman Jonathan Trant and center Adetokunbo Adewuyi were key reasons that SC reached the Sweet 16 of the 2000 NCAA Tournament and won 18 games last season. Brock also expects six sophomores to step into major roles in 2002-2003.

Of the Pride's 18 wins last season, 10 came at home, including impressive victories against Keene State, Tufts, Mass.rymount (Va.), and Babson. So, while SC hits the road for five difficult games to open the 2002-2003 slate, it returns to Blake Arena for seven of its next eight contests.

"Our intention with this brutal non-conference schedule is to prepare for the NEWMAC Tournament," Brock explained. "If we compete against the best teams out of the league in November and December, we should be ready to play against the top teams in our conference in February and March."

Brock has some specific questions that need to be answered.

"We'll need to find the right chemistry, especially in crunch time," Brock said. "We'll also need to identify the player that will want to take that final shot at the end of the game. That had been Michael Parker in the past. That void must be filled."

If the preseason workouts are an indication, these seniors are ready to take ownership of the team, he added. The system will be similar to what it has been in the past, so these guys are pretty comfortable with it. They know what to do in order to be successful.

The team that takes floor in November may be a work in progress, but come February, this could be a polished product ready to challenge for the conference championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Western New England
Western New England hopes to challenge for the Great Northeast Athletic Conference title this season with four returning starters and a group of promising newcomers. Last year the Golden Bears posted a 16-10 record for their fourth consecutive winning season under head coach Doug Pearson. WNEC also captured the regular season GNAC North title and advanced to the semifinals of the GNAC Tournament.

Although All-GNAC performer Andy Thornton graduated, Western New England has two of the top players in the region in senior forward Kris Hebert (Chicopee, Mass.) and senior point guard Mike O'Connor (Farmington, Conn.). Hebert was second on the team in both scoring (12.3 avg.) and rebounding (6.2) last year. O'Connor, the team captain, averaged 12.1 points and 3.9 assists.

WNEC also has two other top players in senior guard Gerry Toney (West Hartford, Conn.) who averaged 10.2 points and sophomore forward Anthony Charbatji (Attleboro, Mass.) who averaged 9.9 points while shooting 48.6% from the field in a successful rookie campaign.

Junior forward Mike McFarlane (Bridgeport, Conn.) averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds last season, but will miss the first half of the season with a stress fracture of his left leg. Senior forward Tony Mazzarella (Braintree, Mass.) and sophomore guard Jeremy Sternstein (Ithaca, N.Y.) lend good depth off the bench.

There are nine new players on the Golden Bears roster. The two sophomores are guard Sean Mahoney (Wilbraham, Mass.) and forward Sean Stevens (Pittsfield, Mass.). The seven-member freshmen class consists of center Brian Dumeer (Middletown, Conn.), forwards Jim Bayne (Bristol, Conn.), Ryan McKeefrey (Guilford, Conn.), Sterling Scanlon (West Hartford, Conn.), and Dan Simon (Northboro, Mass.), and guards Mike Gigliello (Monroe, N.J.) and Jon Godbout (Bristol, Conn.).

"We have a solid core of veterans and a large group of first-year players, so this will be a year of transition for us," said Pearson who has a 72-35 record (67.3%). "Our conference is stronger this season and we have a lot of work to do to build this team into a contender by tournament time. It should be a both a challenging and rewarding season for our program."

Western New England opens its season at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26 at home against Wesleyan. The Golden Bears also will participate in the second annual Pioneer Valley Hoop Classic Dec. 6-7 at Amherst.

For the second straight year, Western New England will host the semifinals and championship game of the GNAC Tournament on Friday-Saturday, Feb. 28-March 1.

St. Joseph's
The Monks are on the move. The slogan might not be original but never has it been more apropos as the Saint Joseph's College Monks, long known for their up-tempo brand of basketball, are moving from both the Maine Athletic Conference and the NAIA to Independent status within NCAA Division III.

It is an ambitious undertaking but one that has been planned for several years and should provide a season of challenges for this talented Monk team. For many years the Monks have been among the elite in NAIA Division II but without scholarships it is impossible to compete in the national NAIA tournament and the time has come to test the NCAA waters.

As an independent every game takes on a special meaning because no longer can the team hope to play well at the end of the year and earn a postseason berth by winning a conference tournament. A difficult task, Yes, but not one the Saint Joseph's players are not ready for.

In fact, this may be one of the deepest and most talented teams to don the royal blue uniforms. There is excellent size, offensive fire-power, outstanding leadership and a cast of seniors who know what it takes to win and want to go out on top. Let's take a roll call:

C. J. Vose is a 6-9 forward with a scorer's mentality and could conceivably become the fourth player in SJC history to score 2000 points. Only the depth on his own team can keep him from this task as he needs 582 for the milestone. Slated to start at he off-guard spot is Bilal Dawan Abdullah, last year's MVP and a former first team All-American in the junior college ranks. He is immensely talented and one of New England's finest performers.

At the small forward spot will be Brandon Stewart, an athletic jumping jack from Maryland via New Hampshire Tech and the Monks' most exciting performer. Justin Underwood will get the nod early in the season at the point guard position based on his seniority and the fact that last year's starter, Jimmy Ahern, opted to transfer. Justin is eager, enthusiastic and energetic.

Manning the center position is a newcomer both to the Monks line-up and to America. Samuel Olivero, a native of Italy, was spotted by Coach Simonds this past summer while running camps in that country and he should make an immediate impact with his size and excellent footwork around the basket.

Providing depth in the backcourt will be athletic Nick Drayer a 6-9 senior, Steve Monteiro a 6-5 sophomore who can bend steel in his bare hands, Sean Looney, a redshirt frosh from Exeter, N.H., and Anthony (A.J.) Cattle, a whippet-quick warrior from New York City.

On the wings the Monks will rely upon senior sharpshooter Travis Seaver, sophomore Mike McCabe, and freshman Curtis Nelson a quick learner who played his prep ball at Xaverian in Westwood, Mass.

Back-ups in the backcourt will be local favorite Chad Pulkkinen, the first player from Windham High School to don the SJC uniform, Mr. "Instant Offense," Jon Pratt, Claude Humphrey from Amherst, Mass., and two newcomers trying to get time at the point Jeff Bauzan and Jerry Mitchell.

Coach Simonds will have his hands full trying to find playing time for all of this talent but the many fans on the shores of Lake Sebago should enjoy seeing it all develop into an exciting season. Only time will tell if there is gold at the end of the rainbow but it's a sure bet the Monks will be moving in the right direction.

Elms
To be the best, you have to play the best. That is the philosophy second-year head coach Ed Silva has brought to Elms.

With intensified recruiting efforts, and a tough schedule which features games against three teams that made the NCAA Division III tournament a year ago, Silva is optimistic that the program is heading in a positive direction.

"We want our program to compete in quality tournaments against quality teams," Silva said. "A big part of getting this program to a legitimate level is by playing legitimate programs."

That the Blazers will do! The 2002-03 schedule features games against Salem State, Trinity (Conn.), and 2001-02 North Atlantic Conference champion Lasell. Those three teams combined for a 62-18 record en route to appearances in last year's NCAA tournament.

This season will provide a challenge for Silva and his coaching staff. Gone are Damien Bradley, Heath Churchill, Justin Berthiaume, and Arnold Chavarria. Those four combined for 3,622 points and 1,156 rebounds during the last three years.

The Blazers, who went 6-20 overall and advanced to the NAC tournament semifinals last season, will look to 6-2 junior Deshawn Hawkins (West Hartford, Conn.), 6-3 senior Richard Doppman (Conway, Mass.), and 6-3 freshman Lonnie Branyon III (West Haven, Conn.) to fill the scoring void up front.

Hawkins played the last two years at Capital Community College in Hartford, Connecticut, where he averaged better than 20 points per game last season.

"We'll be looking for scoring out of Deshawn," Silva said.

Doppman averaged 8.9 points and 6.4 rebounds in 25 games last season, while Silva expects big things out of Branyon in the years to come.

"Rich and Lonnie can both shoot the ball," he said. "I think Lonnie will be one of the biggest steals in Division III by the time he graduates. He is one of the most intense players we have and he can consistently hit the 16-17-footers."

Silva also expects 6-5 freshman Anthony Bernard (North Lauderdale, Fla.) and 6-5 freshman John Dargin (Fitchburg, Mass.) to slowly develop roles for the Blazers up front.

"They both have some talent, but their games are still very young at this point," Silva said.

The Blazers may have been dealt a crippling blow, however, with the loss of junior forward Sean Furey (Great Barrington, Mass.) to a potential season-ending shoulder injury. Furey averaged 9.0 points in 11 games last year.

Silva, who has just four forwards, may be forced to move players around to fill the gap left by Furey's absence.

Junior Chellvont Little (Danbury, Conn.), and sophomore Kyle Seyboth (Seekonk, Mass.) are the most experienced returning guards for the Blazers in 2002-03.

Little, who appeared in all 26 games last season, averaged 6.7 points and 4.0 rebounds.

Despite Seyboth's statistics last year, Silva expects his starting point guard to play a crucial role for the Blazers this season.

"Kyle came on very strong for us at the end of last season," Silva said of Seyboth, who averaged 3.7 points and started 13 games as a freshman. "His leadership abilities have emerged, and his on-the-ball defense is much better than last season.

"I have never been around a player in all my years who has become better in all parts of his game in just one year than Kyle has."

To be successful this season, the Blazers will need to stay healthy, and play fundamentally sound.

"We need consistency with fundamentals," Silva said. "We will need to box out, set screens, and transition back on defense. We have to dot every 'I' and cross every 'T' this season."

If the "I's" are dotted and the "T's" are crossed, the Blazers could pencil themselves a trip deep into the North Atlantic Conference tournament come March.

Brandeis
Coach Chris Ford returns for a second season with Brandeis. The Judges hope to continue the kind of improvement that they showed in Ford's first season.

The Judges will have an almost entirely new lineup in 2002-03, having lost four of their five starters, including all-time leading scorer Rashad Williams '02. The only returning regular starter is sophomore tri-captain Glenn Wright, who averaged 7.1 points, fourth-best on the team, and six rebounds, third on the squad. Junior guard Greg Kristof started five games last year. The second tri-captain was the team's top long distance threat, hitting .320 from 3-point range. The Judges will be bolstered by the return of their third tri-captain, junior forward/center Bryan Lambert. As a freshman in 2000-01, Lambert led the team in rebounding, pulling down six rebounds a game. He was also second on the squad behind Williams in scoring, averaging 11.1 points per game.

Sophomore guard Stu Pradia will look to step up in the backcourt, playing in all but one game off the bench. He is the team's leading returning assist man. A class of seven freshmen will hope to have an immediate impact. 6-4 guard Joe Udell from Hawaii, is another outstanding shooter. 6-7 center Pat Collier should help to fill the void in the middle. 6-2 point guard Shane Williams should help improve the perimeter defense, while Jules Jeudy, a 6-3 guard, provides a scoring touch.

The Judges open their 2002-03 season in New York at the SUNY-Potsdam Tip-Off Tournament.

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