Patriot League 2003-04 Season Recap
In one of the most entertaining Patriot League seasons since the league’s inception, the Cinderella story of Lehigh finally came to completion one year after the Mountain Hawks first came out of the woodwork. It seemed like a constant game of musical chairs was occurring near the top of the standings in the season’s final weeks, but this only ratcheted up the intensity and excitement.
For the second consecutive season, the big story of the year was the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Last season, coach Billy Taylor led his Lehigh team to a major turnaround but then faded down the stretch. But this season was different. The Mountain Hawks kept themselves perched near the top of the league all season long and did not fade this time around, claiming the school’s first Patriot League regular season title. A big reason for Lehigh’s success was the play of senior transfer Austen Rowland, who made his one season in Bethlehem a good one, earning Patriot League Player of the Year honors after leading the league in scoring.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, it was a bad year for the service academies. Navy needed 13 games before it won its first league game of the season – and then winning another game after its first win – while Army won just three league games all season and came dangerously close to setting NCAA records for offensive futility on numerous occasions. Neither team came close to contending for the league crown this season, and the year can only be looked at as part of rebuilding processes in both Annapolis and West Point.
The final few weeks of the regular season was one of the most interesting in a long while, as teams faded and others peaked in the season’s final games. Lafayette, which had spent the first part of the season solely atop the standings, tanked in the second half of the league campaign – losing its last four games and five of its last seven – to fall to third in the final standings. The Bucknell Bison had an interesting season as well, for after a slow start resulted in a 2-3 record, the Bison stampeded to seven straight wins and looked to possibly take the top seed in the tournament. The wheels inexplicably came off, however, as the team lost its final two games to fall to fourth in the standings. American, meanwhile, managed to ride its momentum to a second place finish after overcoming a mediocre start to win five of its last six games.
Then there was Holy Cross and Colgate. The former was picked to win the Patriot League in the preseason, while the latter was chosen to finish in the top three. Both teams felt the sting of the injury bug, as Holy Cross’ Nate Lufkin and Colgate’s Howard Blue both missed significant time with injuries that helped to derail any title chances by either squad. Both teams sleepwalked through the majority of the regular season before waking up in the final weekend, both knocking off Lehigh and Bucknell, but only managed to finish in fifth and sixth place, respectively.
Patriot League Tournament
For all their hard work, however, the Mountain Hawks nearly exited the Patriot League Tournament in the first round thanks to the most unlikely of teams – Navy. When Navy’s Jeff Charles stepped to the line for two free throws with three seconds left and his team down one, the Lehigh players must have been pretty nervous on the sidelines. Luckily for the top-seeded Mountain Hawks, Charles missed the second attempt and the game went into overtime. Lehigh managed to escape the opening round with a 62-60 win over the Midshipmen, and it seemed as if the scare provided a wake up call for coach Billy Taylor’s club.
Colgate provided the lone upset of the quarterfinals, finally getting the Leopard off its back in a 67-66 overtime thriller against third-seeded Lafayette, but the majority of the bracket held true, all the way to the championship game. After cruising past Army in the first round and defeating fourth-seeded Bucknell in the semifinals, American met up with Lehigh in a one-two battle for the League title.
The title game was a dandy, as American took an early lead but allowed the Mountain Hawks back into the game thanks to poor shooting. The game went back and forth in the final few minutes, and appropriately enough the game came down to one last shot. Freshman Jose Olivero was the man on the spot for Lehigh, and he responded for a national audience with a clutch runner with under four seconds remaining to hand Lehigh its first NCAA Tournament bid since 1988.
The Big Dance
With the win, the Mountain Hawks earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament – but not the field of 64. The team was slated for the “opening round” (play-in) game, where they faced Florida A&M. Despite being the only team in the tournament with a losing record, the Rattlers were able to rattle Lehigh with its tremendous speed and tenacious defense, eventually winning by a score of 72-57. With the loss, the dubious streak continues: no Patriot League men’s team has ever won an NCAA Tournament game.
Handing Out The Hardware
As was said in the preseason, this certainly looked to be the year of the guard. After a season’s worth of games, that definitely proved to be the case, judging by my all-League team:
Austen Rowland, Guard, Lehigh
Kevin Bettencourt, Guard, Bucknell
Justin DeBerry, Guard, Lafayette
Jave Meade, Guard, Holy Cross
Andres Rodriguez, Guard, American
League MVP:
Austen Rowland, Lehigh
It’s a shame he’ll graduate after only one season of play in the Patriot League, but it sure was a great one for Austen Rowland.
Co-Freshmen of the Year:
Andre Ingram, American and Jose Olivero, Lehigh
All year long, it was a battle between Olivero and American’s Andre Ingram. The Patriot League gave the nod to Ingram, but I think both players deserve to be recognized for their outstanding play this season. In one of the most outstanding freshman classes this league has ever seen, these two clearly rose above the rest.
Coach of the Year:
Billy Taylor, Lehigh
Everything has already been said about the job this man has done in resurrecting a moribund program and bringing it to the heights of the league. This one’s a no brainer.
Team-by-Team Recaps
Lehigh Mountain Hawks (10-4, 20-11)
The Mountain Hawks hung tough throughout the entire season, never putting themselves in danger of a late season swoon that killed them last year. Rowland was clearly the difference that put this team over the top, as his court vision and incredible shooting touch provided more than enough offense. But the team got contributions from everyone, including super-freshmen Jose Olivero and Jason Mgebroff, to finally reach the pinnacle of the league. After finally winning a league title, you can be sure that the Mountain Hawks and their crazy fans will be hungering for a repeat next season.
Team MVP: Austen Rowland
Top Scorer: Rowland, 15.5 ppg
Top Rebounder: Earl Nurse, 5.2 rpg
Top Assist Man: Rowland, 4.9 apg
Departing Starters:
Rowland (graduation)
Ra Tiah (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Jason Mgebroff (freshman center, 7.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
Jose Olivero (freshman guard, 11.6 ppg)
Earl Nurse (junior guard, 5.2 rpg)
Lehigh will need huge years from Mgebroff and Olivero, who will be counted on to take on the bulk of the scoring left by Rowland’s departure. With Nurse and Mgebroff both coming back for the Mountain Hawks, the team’s inside presence will be fully intact, but the scoring of Rowland and the leadership of Tiah will be very hard to replace.
American Eagles (10-4, 18-13)
The Eagles played the role of sleeper throughout most of the regular season, hanging near the middle of the pack before sprinting towards the finish and placing second. The team relied heavily on its two seniors, Andres Rodriguez and Jernavis Draughn, to make things happen on the offensive end, and the seniors responded with excellent years. Andre Ingram also proved himself with an excellent freshman year, named the Rookie of the Year by the Patriot League, in picking up a bulk of the offensive load despite his inexperience. This season proved that American has what it takes to keep itself near the top of the league, while providing optimism that there will be life after Rodriguez and Draughn.
Team MVP: Andres Rodriguez
Top Scorer: Andre Ingram, 13.6 ppg
Top Rebounder: Jernavis Draughn, 6.5 rpg
Top Assist Man: Rodriguez, 7.3 apg
Departing Starters:
Rodriguez (graduation)
Draughn (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Ingram (freshman guard, 13.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
Matej Cresnik (junior forward, 7.8 ppg)
Jason Thomas (junior guard, 6.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
American has two huge holes in its lineup with the graduation of Rodriguez and Draughn, who dominated play from the perimeter and in the paint, respectively, for the Eagles. While Ingram, the team’s leading scorer, returns, American will have to count on some lesser-known players to step up and fill the huge void next season.
Lafayette Leopards (9-5, 18-10)
Lafayette was the team to beat for most of the regular season before collapsing midway through to destroy any hopes of a league title. Justin DeBerry and Winston Davis combined to form the best backcourt in the league, while Mike Farrell and Rob Dill provided the Leopards with a big, physical presence inside. But whether it was fatigue, laxity or some other factor, Lafayette couldn’t keep up its solid beginning and faded down the stretch. It was a disappointing finish to such a promising season, one in which the team earned a few Top 25 votes near the beginning of the year.
Team MVP: Justin DeBerry
Top Scorer: DeBerry, 14.8 ppg
Top Rebounder: Mike Farrell, 5.8 rpg
Top Assist Man: DeBerry, 5.1 apg
Departing Starters:
DeBerry (graduation)
Farrell (graduation)
Rob Dill (graduation)
Winston Davis (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Sean Knitter (junior center, 9.4 ppg)
Marcus Harley (freshman guard, 7.5 ppg)
With four seniors starting, this was the year for Lafayette to win it all. The team came up short, and now must go through some serious rebuilding. With both all-League members of the backcourt gone, some members of the squad will have to step up their play next season, but don’t expect nearly as good a season as the team had last year.
Bucknell Bison (9-5, 14-15)
The Bucknell Bison were an enigma all season long. The team started out slow, but came on strong near the end of the season to put itself near the top of the league before faltering on the final weekend of play. The team’s torrid mid-season stretch showed just how dangerous this team could be when they got hot. Kevin Bettencourt showed that his freshman year was certainly not a fluke, staying near the top of the league in scoring, while Chris McNaughton provided the Bison a versatile big man down low. And to top it off, this was done with a very young team, one that will come back even stronger next season.
Team MVP: Kevin Bettencourt
Top Scorer: Bettencourt, 14.9 ppg
Top Rebounder: Chris McNaughton, 5.5 rpg
Top Assist Man: Bettencourt, 2.8 apg
Departing Starters:
None
Key Players Returning:
Bettencourt (sophomore guard, 14.9 ppg)
McNaughton (freshman center, 11.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
Charles Lee (sophomore guard, 10.1 ppg, 5 rpg)
Despite fading down the stretch, this Bucknell team may be the early favorite to take home the Patriot League crown next season. With no starters graduating, the team will return in full force to take another run at the championship in 2005, and with Bettencourt and McNaughton controlling the play, the Bison have a very good shot of sealing the deal this time around.
Holy Cross Crusaders (7-7, 13-15)
At a school not used to losing, the 2003-2004 season was a trying one for the Crusaders. An early season injury to Nate Lufkin caused Holy Cross to play its freshman much more than anticipated, thus resulting in a lower than expected league standing. Kevin Hamilton emerged as a big scorer for the Crusaders, while Lufkin and John Hurley stepped up to admirably fill the big shoes of Patrick Whearty. With the difficulties faced by this team, a fifth place finish is respectable, and the experience gained will only serve to help them in the future.
Team MVP: Jave Meade
Top Scorer: Kevin Hamilton, 11.0 ppg
Top Rebounder: John Hurley, 5.0 rpg
Top Assist Man: Meade, 5.5 apg
Departing Starters:
Meade (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Hamilton (sophomore guard, 11.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
Hurley (junior forward, 8.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
Nate Lufkin (junior center, 8.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg)
Keith Simmons (freshman guard, 8.5 ppg)
In what was an uncharacteristic down year for the Crusaders, the team attempted to mix in a new class of freshman with its existing core, which revolved around Jave Meade. His departure leaves a leadership opening and a point guard slot as well, but this team has an excellent mix of experience and youth and should return to the upper half of the Patriot League come next season.
Colgate Raiders (6-8, 15-14)
The Raiders were a team that left everyone scratching their heads. The team certainly had the talent to vie for the Patriot League title, but for various reasons it was unable to get the job done. The knee injury of Howard Blue had a lot to do with that, but that loss opened up a hole that was adeptly filled by freshman Kendall Chones. The team also continued its inconsistent ways, including two losses to Army, seemingly sleepwalking through its regular season before waking up at season’s end.
Team MVP: Mark Linebaugh
Top Scorer: Howard Blue, 13.7 ppg
Top Rebounder: Andrew Zidar, 6.6 rpg
Top Assist Man: Alvin Reed, 3.3 apg
Departing Starters:
Linebaugh (graduation)
Blue (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Zidar (junior center, 9.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg)
Reed (sophomore guard, 11.4 ppg, 3.3 apg)
Kendall Chones (freshman forward, 7.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
The Raider men found a bit of misfortune when Blue went down for a majority of the Patriot League season, but many felt that the season was still a disappointment. The losses of Blue and Linebaugh will be very hard for the team to overcome next season, as Chones attempts to take over for Blue while freshman Jon Simon will try to fill the big shoes left by Linebaugh. But Colgate still has some questions that need to be answered before the beginning of next season – including the job security of head coach Emmett Davis.
Army Black Knights (3-11, 6-21)
For the majority of the season, the basket must have looked the size of a dime for the members of the Army team. The Black Knights recorded the second-fewest points in the shot-clock era in a game against Bucknell, and then almost did it again in the team’s second meeting of the year. The team’s mix of freshman and seniors never seemed to complete gel, resulting in an ineffective offensive unit that was rarely able to put together a solid 40 minutes of basketball. This was a season that the team will want to put behind them as soon as possible.
Team MVP: Sean O’Keefe
Top Scorer: Josh Wilson, 11.2 ppg
Top Rebounder: Wilson, 3.4 rpg
Top Assist Man: Matt Bell, 2.0 apg
Departing Starters:
O’Keefe (graduation)
Wilson (graduation)
Bill Mohr (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Bell (freshman guard, 6.5 ppg, 3.0 apg)
Travis Owsley (freshman guard, 5.4 ppg)
It was a tough season for the Black Knights, as they generally failed to find the net on many occasions. This was a team that was made up almost entirely of seniors and freshman, so with three senior starters departing, the team will need to rely on those freshman who gained game experience last year to step up huge to help the team attempt to put itself back together. There is a good chance, however, that that may not happen anytime soon.
Navy Midshipmen (2-12, 5-23)
For the first 12 games of the Patriot League regular season, the Midshipmen looked lost at sea. The offense was sputtering, the defense was nonexistent and it looked like Don DeVoe might finish his final season in Annapolis without a league win. But the team turned it up a notch at season’s end, defeating Lafayette and Army before almost knocking off top-seeded Lehigh in the opening round of the Patriot League Tournament. If the team could have played its final three games for an entire season, then the team’s record would have been a whole lot better.
Team MVP: Carlton Baldwin
Top Scorer: Carlton Baldwin, 8.0 ppg
Top Rebounder: Baldwin, 4.1 rpg
Top Assist Man: Taj Mathews, 2.8 apg
Departing Starters:
Kwame Ofori (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Baldwin, (freshman forward, 8.0 ppg, 4.1 apg)
Laramie Mergerson (junior center, 6.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
David Hooper (sophomore guard, 7.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
This team showed some promise towards the end of the season, which happened to occur during Laramie Mergerson’s period of excellent play. Look for him to excel in his senior year, and look for Navy to climb of the league cellar under new coach Billy Lange, who has spent the past three seasons as an assistant at Villanova. Lange replaced the beloved Don DeVoe, who spent the last 12 seasons at the Naval Academy before resigning at season’s end.
Pre-Pre-Pre-Season Outlook
At this point in time, it looks like the Bucknell Bison will be the favorites to win the league next season, thanks to its five returning starters. Other than them, every team will lose at least one key starter, with some teams, like Lafayette, being decimated by graduation. Teams such as Lehigh and Holy Cross should be as good if not better than last season due to the contributions of key freshman and sophomores, while other teams will have to find new ways to put the ball in the basket.
I think the standings could be completely changed up this time next year, as Lafayette will likely fall down a few pegs while Navy might be able to climb its way back towards respectability. Holy Cross should also return to the upper echelon of the league after one year in the bottom half, while teams such as American and Colgate will probably stay in the middle of the pack, depending on who can replace their departed seniors.
One things for sure, however, is that the Patriot League season will never be dull. And, after two years of being disregarded by the league, expect Lehigh to be given some respect in next year’s preseason polls.
