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#131 Saint Peter’s
Peacocks
Metro Atlantic
Athletic Conference
2004-05: 15-13, 10-8,
4th
2004-05 postseason:
none
By
Joel Welser
Keydren Clark has
consistently found himself atop the NCAA scoring leaders, but
he’ll need some help if St. Peter’s plan on making the post
season. Last year Clark averaged 20.2 shot attempts a game,
while the next highest for a returning player is 5.0. Clark is a
tremendous player and a joy to watch, but even for his senior
season, the 5-9 guard will have to receive some aid from his
fellow Peacocks.
Who’s Out:
The next three leading scorers for
Bob Leckie’s squad are gone. Guards Terrance Watkins and Corey
Hinnant combined for 22.4 points per contest. Forward Ron Yates
averaged 14.2 points and a team high 7.0 rebounds. The depth of
the frontcourt takes a hit with the loss of Mark Curry. The 6-5
forward didn’t see too many minutes, but was a nice option off
the bench. Reserve guard George Jefferson unexpectedly passed
away in the spring. The would-be senior averaged 3.2 points per
game last season. At Mr. Jefferson’s funeral, Coach Bob Leckie
announced that Jefferson’s scholarship would be given to walk-on
Derrick Hooker, in honor of Jefferson. Hooker most likely would
have not played basketball this season, since he graduated in
three years and would have not likely played as a walk-on
graduate student.
Who’s In:
The frontcourt needs the most help
and they shall receive it. Power forwards Ishmaila Traore,
Quentin Martin and T.J. Stukes will fill in nicely and get
plenty of opportunity to see quality minutes. Traore could be
the future of the St. Peter’s frontcourt. The 6-6 Mali native
will fight for a starting job. At 6-5, Martin is undersized to
play the four spot, but he’ll battle down low with the best of
them. He’s a decent low-post defender and that alone will get
him minutes. Swingman Mike Gore has a solid perimeter shot and
has the ability to drive to the hoop when he wants to. If he
becomes more aggressive, he can develop into a big time scorer.
Brandon Brock and Raul Orta will fill in off the bench at the
shooting guard position. Point guard Kevin Spann has talent, but
is coming off an ankle injury that left him sidelined much of
his senior year in high school.
Who to Watch:
Keydren Clark is the only player
who safely has a starting job. After that it’s all up for grabs.
A few of the returning players really need to step up now that
they have the opportunity. Senior Ivan Bozovic started all 28
games last year, but only averaged 5.5 points and 5.4 boards. He
has plenty of room to improve, as does center Kinzey Reeves, who
started eight games but only averaged 8.9 minutes per contest.
Todd Sowell has the most potential for a breakout year. The 6-7
forward averaged 3.8 points and 3.9 boards a game as a freshman
last season in limited playing time. If they don’t perform well,
some of the newcomers will quickly take over their starting
jobs.
Projected
Conference Rank:
A 2nd place finish in
the MAAC is over achieving for this squad, but Keydren Clark
will do all he can to get into the post season during his senior
campaign. Rider, Fairfield, Niagara and Manhattan will all be
stiff competition, but if the newcomers can fill in as well as
those in Jersey City hope, the Peacocks could end up near the
top of the MAAC.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
none
Projected Starting
Five:
Keydren Clark, Senior,
Guard, 25.8 points per game
Kaimondre Owes,
Sophomore, Guard, 4.1 points per game
Todd Sowell,
Sophomore, Forward, 3.8 points per game
Ivan Bozovic, Senior,
Forward, 5.5 points per game
Kinzey Reeves, Junior,
Center, 1.3 points per game
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