Lehigh returns strong nucleus for 2008-09
11/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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The 2007-08 season saw first year head coach Brett Reed lead a team that had lost nearly 3,500 total points from the year before and consisted of 10 out of 14 players in their freshmen or sophomore seasons to the third most wins ever at Stabler Arena and the eighth most total wins in the 107-year history of Lehigh basketball. With nearly the entire roster returning, this year’s edition of the Mountain Hawks has a chance to make a serious push to the top of the Patriot League. “Although I am pleased with the progress of our young team, we have got to become more consistent,” head coach Brett Reed explained. “Whether it’s on defense, or cutting down on long scoring droughts, or being able to limit our opponents’ offensive outbreaks, we need to become more consistent across the board.”
THE BACKCOURT
In just two seasons, Marquis Hall has established himself as one of the top players in the entire Patriot League. The smooth point guard backed up his 2007 Rookie of the Year campaign with a Second-Team All-Patriot League selection as a sophomore. A junior, Hall averaged 14.1 points per game in 2007-08, leading the Mountain Hawks in scoring 15 times, and in assists 19 times. He scored 20 or more points on seven occasions, including a career-high of 29 at Colgate in late February. The one area where Hall can improve is his shooting percentage, where he sank only 36 percent of his field goal attempts. If he can increase that number, it will not only take pressure off him, but also open his teammates up for open looks.
Sophomore Rob Keefer had a great start to his career in the Brown and White, earning the 2008 Patriot League Rookie of the Year award, making Lehigh the first school in league history to capture the award in back-to-back seasons. Keefer started 22 games as a freshman, scoring in double figures 12 times. The business major scored a career-high 17 points in a win over Bucknell late in the season, and led all Patriot League freshmen in minutes, points, three-pointers and rebounds. Reed was also impressed with the growth that Keefer showed on the defensive end of the court in his first season.
Senior Matt Szalachowski started 28 games for Lehigh last season, displaying the leadership and communication skills that have earned him the captaincy each of the past two years. Szalachowski averaged 25 minutes per game as a junior, which were the third most for Lehigh, and he netted a career-high of 14 points versus Saint Peter’s and again at Columbia. A solid shooter and strong defender, Szalachowski is the vocal leader and steadying influence for the Mountain Hawks.
A pair of juniors in Dave Buchberger and Matt Shamis and sophomore Prentice Small provide toughness on both ends of the floor for the Mountain Hawks. Buchberger earned his first career start versus Stony Brook last season and responded with a career-high 21 points and five three-pointers. A tough defender and rebounder, Buchberger has worked hard to improve his stroke from deep, as evidenced by his last-minute three-pointer against archrival Lafayette that helped lift the Brown and White to its sixth straight home win over the Leopards.
Small earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors after scoring a career-high 19 points versus Colgate. The New York native appeared in 28 games during his freshman season, and netted 13 points in his collegiate debut, the most by a Lehigh freshman since 2001. He finished second on the Mountain Hawks in assists and fourth in steals, a testament to the incredible quickness he possesses.
Shamis is a steady guard and the consummate team player. Like Buchberger, this Illinois native earned his first career start as a sophomore, which came in a victory over league foe Army. Shamis appeared in 27 games last season and possesses a strong skill set in ball handling, shooting and defense.
Sophomores Michael Ojo and Luke Pelullo also return for Lehigh in the backcourt. Ojo was hampered by injuries as a freshman, but when healthy, the California native showed he has the tools to be a contributor down the road. Ojo sank his first two collegiate shots, both three-pointers, and should hit the ground running as a sophomore. Pelullo proved to be valuable in practice as he helped prepare their teammates for game competition.
THE FRONTCOURT
Lehigh lost only one senior off of the 2007-08 team, but that one senior, Bryan White, led the Patriot League in rebounding, and pulled down the most caroms by a Lehigh player since 1992. White will be missed by the Mountain Hawks, but there is enough returning firepower as well as several talented newcomers to help offset his loss. “In replacing Bryan, the leadership component is critical,” explained Reed. “He had a dominate presence as a senior and was recognized for his leadership, his passion, and his energy on the floor. Bryan provided a wonderful example for our younger players and has been instrumental to their growth.”
Leading the way upfront is junior forward Zahir Carrington, who had a breakout year in 2007-08. The Philadelphia native started 28 games, averaging 12.5 points and 4.1 rebounds in that time. Carrington scored ten or more points on 17 times, including a career-high 27 in a win over Ivy League foe Princeton, and he notched his first career double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds) in a win over Colgate. With extraordinary leaping ability, long arms, and quick moves around the basket, Carrington figures to be one of the toughest covers in the entire Patriot League this season.
Joining Carrington up front is a pair of seniors in Phil Anderson and John Gourlay. Anderson, a 6-10 forward with the shooting skills of a guard, appeared in all 29 games last season, scoring a season-best 10 points in a come-from-behind win over Harvard. Anderson has added significant size and muscle to his frame since arriving at Lehigh, which has aided his rebounding and defense. A strong shot blocker as well, Anderson is a tough cover for any opponent due to his size and ability to shoot the basketball.
Gourlay, a true seven-footer, had his first injury-free season at Lehigh as a junior and as a result appeared in a career-high 27 games. A native of Arkansas, Gourlay has a soft shooting touch, as evidenced by his 85 percent showing at the free throw line last season, and he can alter shots with his sheer size and long arms. Gourlay should provide a nice compliment to Carrington’s athleticism around the hoop.
Sophomore David Safstrom is the second seven-footer on the Lehigh roster. It took time for him to adjust to the college game and pick up the Lehigh system, but once he did, this engineering major was able to push Gourlay daily in practice and also provide the Lehigh frontcourt with an intimidating presence underneath the basket.
All three Lehigh newcomers in John Adams, Jordan Hamilton and Justin Maneri will give the Mountain Hawks added bulk, athleticism and size up front. Adams is a 6-6 forward from San Jose, California that helped lead Archbishop Mitty to its first-ever Northern California Championship. An All-Area and All-CCS selection, Adams averaged 6.5 rebounds per game in helping lead his high school to the state title game. Hamilton is an athletic wing player out of Seattle who was rated as the number four wing prospect in the state of Washington. Hamilton, who stands 6-5, averaged 16.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as a senior and earned a spot on the All-Metro League team after leading Seattle Prep to the 3A State Tournament. Maneri played both basketball and football in high school, and should add toughness to the Lehigh frontcourt as well as size. Maneri averaged nearly 18 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks for Saddle Brook High School as a senior and was a two time All-Bergen-Passaic Scholastic Team honoree, as well as a two time All-County selection. A 1,000-point scorer, Maneri was also a Third Team All-North Jersey selection.
THE SCHEDULE
Lehigh tips its season off versus the same team that Reed earned his first head coaching victory against in Saint Peter’s. The Mountain Hawks home schedule begins with three straight games at Stabler Arena, as Delaware State, Rider and St. Francis (Pa.) come to town. Lehigh won 11 games at home last season, which were the third most in school history. Road trips to Rutgers and Dartmouth close out the month of November, while regional foe St. Joseph’s comes to Stabler Arena on December 2 in a game that should attract one of the largest crowds in the near 30-year history of the building.
Other non-league home games include dates versus Albany, Longwood, NJIT and Columbia, while road trips to Stony Brook, Monmouth, Pac-10 member Washington and Princeton also loom. Lehigh tips off the 2009 Patriot League schedule on January 10 with a trip to the nation’s capital to face defending league champion American, while on January 14, Navy makes the trip to Bethlehem as the Mountain Hawks open the home portion of their league schedule. The Brown and White takes on archrival Lafayette in Easton in late January with the second round slated for one month later. The always anticipated matchups with Bucknell and Holy Cross once again close out the first portion of the league schedule with the return trips on the road, set for the final week of the season in late February.
