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September 15th,
2006
By Joel
Welser
Broadcast Basketball
Bucknell
Bison
Overall Rank:
#58
Conference
Rank: #1 Patriot
2005-06:
27-5, 14-0, 1st
2005-06
postseason: NCAA
 How
can Bucknell top
the last two years? Taking Villanova out of the equation, the
Bison have more NCAA Tournament wins over the last two seasons
than all the other teams in the state of Pennsylvania combined.
Sure, that’s just one win each of the last two tournaments, but
that doesn’t happen everyday in Lewisburg, PA…the new Spokane of
the East.
Who’s Out:
Without Charles Lee and Kevin Bettencourt on the perimeter, the
Bison will have some work to do in order to be as good as last
year. Lee, a 6-3 wing, led the squad with 13.2 points and 6.0
rebounds per game during his senior campaign. Bettencourt
tacked on 12.7 points and the absence of those players leave
major concerns about the long range shooting. Holland Mack and
Tarik Viaer-McClymont provided limited minutes up front and have
run out of eligibility. After battling through injuries,
forward John Clark has retired from his playing days at
Bucknell.
Who’s In:
Coach Pat
Flannery traditionally hasn’t depended on freshmen to make a big
impact on his team. It may be helpful for a couple of the
newcomers to fill some minutes, but don’t expect anybody in this
group to take the Patriot League by storm, at least not yet.
Pat Behan is a sharp shooting 6-9 power forward. His ability to
step out and hit the long ball will be a valuable resource in
the years to come. Zach Evans will help fill the void on the
wing. The McDonald’s All-American nominee has the athleticism
to contribute right away. Stephen Tyree is a solid ball handler
and, using his solid defensive skills, can fill minutes at
either guard spot as a freshman. Walk-on George Medrano will
provide some emergency depth to the backcourt.
Who to Watch:
Still
best known for his game winning shot against Kansas in the 2005
NCAA Tournament, Chris McNaughton had another successful
campaign in 2005-2006 averaging 12.8 points and 4.7 boards.
Since the 6-11 center has spent the last two years dominating
the Patriot League, he’ll dominate even more as a senior. His
frontcourt mate Darren Mastropaolo hasn’t put up big numbers
throughout his career, but the 6-8, 250 pounder is a tough
defender and a solid screener. Center Josh Linthicum and
forward Andrew Morrison will provide the depth up front.
Final
Projection:
Point guard Abe
Badmus doesn’t get all the accolades that his high scoring
teammates do, but the 5-11 Chicago native has led his team to
success during his time in Lewisburg. He’s a solid distributor
and defender and will once again be the leader for the Bison on
the court. John Griffin and Jason Vegotsky came off the bench
last year, but both may be starting this year. Both will see a
drastic increase in minutes and will need to successfully and
consistently hit three-pointers in order to somewhat replace the
absence of Lee and Bettencourt. Donald Brown may earn a
starting job at the small forward spot. He has more than enough
experience to step in, but it would leave Bucknell’s starting
five without many perimeter shooters. If last year’s backcourt
roleplayers can’t consistently hit the outside shot, Bucknell
will be in some trouble. They’ll still win the Patriot League,
but making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the
third straight year may be out of reach.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
NCAA
Projected
Starting Five:
Abe Badmus,
Senior, Guard, 6.6 points per game
John Griffin,
Junior, Guard, 3.9 points per game
Donald Brown,
Senior, Forward, 6.5 points per game
Darren
Mastropaolo, Junior, Forward, 3.7 points per game
Chris
McNaughton, Senior, Center, 12.8 points per game
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