Columbia

Columbia Preview: 2008-09

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:32:13 -0500

2008-09 Columbia Basketball Preview

Lions must replace four starters

Despite returning one of the Ivy League’s best big men and having six player averaging at least six points per game, the Columbia Lions could only muster a tie for fourth place in the final standings. Now with four starters from that team gone head coach Joe Jones has to find some new pieces to fit into the equation, most notably a fill-in for First-Team All-Ivy selection John Baumann. Health will be a key this season as well, most notably that of co-captains Joe Bova and Patrick Foley. Foley, who went down with a shoulder injury early on, was a key to a season that went downhill once he was lost for the year. But in a league that is muddled in the midsection, the Lions could finish slightly higher than their preseason designation of sixth.

General Information

2007-08 Record: 14-15 (7-7 Ivy; t-4^th)

Head coach: Joe Jones (63-75 in five seasons)

Assistant coaches: Damien Strahorn, Andrew Theokas, Michael Murphy

Home Court: Levien Gymnasium

Website: www.gocolumbialions.com

Leading Returnees

PPG: Niko Scott (7.7)

RPG: Joe Bova (3.3)

APG: Scott (2.2)

FG%: K.J. Matsui (48.4%)

FT%: Joe Bova (88.9%)

3PT%: Matsui (49.0%)

Assist/TO ratio: Scott (1.39)

Backcourt

He may have only played nine games last season, but make no mistake about it: Patrick Foley may be the most important returnee for the Lions this season. Foley had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.0 in limited action, a season cut short by an injury to his right shoulder. He may be a key to the Lions’ success this season, but also back for another run is senior Niko Scott. Scott, the team’s leading returning scorer, is a player who does the majority of his damage driving to the basket. Similar to Scott in style of play is junior Kevin Bulger, who last year was one of the better bench players in the Ivy last year.

He and senior K.J. Matsui, a three-point specialist (only twenty-two of his field goal attempts came from inside the arc last year) should be solid role players this season as well. Dan Trepanier will also compete for time, but will have to fend off some talented newcomers if he’s to improve upon his 3.9 minutes per game. The incoming class could provide the primary backup for Foley in either Steven Egee (Ridley Park, PA) or Chris Crockett (Columbus, OH), two guards that were two-sport athletes in high school. Crockett is the better scorer of the two despite being 5-10.

The other two freshmen in the backcourt are Matt Johnson (Moorpark, CA) and Noruwa Agho (New City, NY). Although he’s 6-7 Johnson is more than comfortable on the perimeter and has an almost European feel to his game. Agho is a capable defender who can also handle the ball. The newcomers have plenty of talent, but they’ll also have some time to mature thanks the return of so many key cogs.

Frontcourt

The major holes to be filled are up front, with the graduation of John Baumann and Ben Nwachukwu. Patrick Bova, who missed a good portion of last season due to back troubles, has a clean bill of health going into this season. Other returnees looking to earn playing time this season are seven-footer Zack Crimmins, Jason Miller and Asenso Ampim. None of these three played more than ten minutes per game last season, and Ampim is coming back from September foot surgery. He should be ready to play, however. This overall lack of experience essentially means that the three newcomers up front will have ample opportunities to earn playing time.

LaSalle transfer Brian Grimes (Phildelphia, PA) is a forward who plays with almost a European influence, being just as comfortable on the perimeter as he is inside. His versatility should add a dimension to the Lion attack, and there were positive reports regarding his play on Columbia’s preseason tour of Europe. And the pair of freshmen now on campus are both swingmen that can add some scoring up front if the Lions decide to go small. Issa Mase (Wilmington, DE) and Blaise Staab (Tulsa, OK) are two players that put up solid rebounding numbers in their final high school seasons despite being 6-5.

Can the Lions exceed preseason expectations and finish higher than sixth in the Ivy? If the frontcourt can mesh and Patrick Foley stays healthy, they very well could. Cornell is the clear favorite to win the conference, and after chief challenger (in the eyes of many) Penn all bets are essentially off at this point. And with Grimes eligible after sitting out his transfer year, the Lions may be able to make up some of the production lost with the graduation of Baumann and Nwachukwu. How much they aren’t able to account for up front will decide just how well their season goes.

Team Stats (conference ranking in parentheses)

PPG: 63.7 (6^th)

PPG allowed: 64.1 (1^st)

FG%: 42.2% (8^th)

FG% defense: 42.2% (1^st)

3PT%: 33.2% (4^th)

3PT% defense: 30.7% (1^st)

FT%: 72.4% (4^th)

Rebound margin: +0.6 (1^st)

Assist/TO ratio: 0.98 (3^rd)

Columbia Basketball Schedule: 2008-09

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:28:15 -0500

Schedule (key games in bold)

November 14^th @ Fordham (given Fordham's rebuilding as well, the Lions could win this game)

16^th @ Seton Hall

Tyler Ugolyn Columbia Classic

21^st Bryant

22^nd UMBC/Quinnipiac (win over Bryant could set up final against defending America East champs)

25^th Albany

29^th Stony Brook

December 3^rd Wagner

9^th @ St. Francis (N.Y.) (a winnable road game on the schedule)

Aeropostale Holiday Festival (Madison Square Garden)

20^th Virginia Tech

21^st St. John's/Marist

29^th Sacred Heart (Lions host a Sacred Heart team that many think can win the NEC)

January 2^nd @ Lehigh

5^th @ American (Lions visit the defending Patriot League champs)

9^th NJIT

17^th Cornell

24^th @ Cornell (the Ivy schedule-makers didn't look out for Columbia here; open up league play with two games against the defending champs)

30^th Yale

31^st Brown

February 6^th @ Penn

7^th @ Princeton (beating Penn the night before may be a tough task, but the Lions can earn a split of the weekend)

13^th Dartmouth

14^th Harvard

20^th @ Brown (first of four consecutive road games that will decide the Lions' place in Ivy pecking order)

21^st @ Yale

27^th @ Harvard

28^th @ Dartmouth

March 6^th Princeton

7^th Penn (depending on how the Ivy race turns out, this game could mean something extra to the Quakers)

NYC Metro Ranking & Report: Season Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:33:14 -0500

Raphielle Johnson's Metro preview & weekly Metro rankings & updates are a staple of fans in NYC's tri-state region. To get things going, here is Raphielle's 23 team NYC Metro preseason ranking and all-Metro teams. Individual team previews will up shortly!

Preseason Metro Ranking

*CHN Top 144 previews by Joel Welser. All other Metro previews by Raphielle Johnson.

Preseason Metro Honors

It's time to project some honors in the metropolitan area, which will not be lacking on the perimeter this season. No matter where you turn there seems to be a quality perimeter player on the horizon with the ability to lead their team to a successful season. And given the overall lack of big men, that's a good thing. No players from teams in the poll were selected as their conference's preseason player of the year, but a few did receive preseason honors and could very well lift up that hardware come March. Here are the first-, second-, third- and all-rookie teams for the 2008-09 season.

First Team (Player of the Year in italics)

G Eugene Harvey (Seton Hall)

G Charles Jenkins (Hofstra)

F Anthony Mason Jr. (St. John's)

F Ryan Thompson (Rider)

C Hamady N'Diaye (Rutgers)

Second Team

G Antoine Pearson (Manhattan)

G Jeremy Hazell (Seton Hall)

G Jonathan Han (Fairfield)

F Justin Burrell (St. John's)

F Ross Morin (Yale)

Third Team

G Harris Mansell (Rider)

G Patrick Foley (Columbia)

G Jaytornah Wisseh (Long Island)

F Devon Austin (Manhattan)

F Gary Springer (Iona)

All-Rookie Team (Rookie of the Year in italics)

G Mike Rosario (Rutgers)

G Jordan Theodore (Seton Hall)

G Jiovanny Fontan (Fordham)

F Greg Echinique (Rutgers)

F Miklos Szabo (Hofstra)

Ivy Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:21:12 -0500

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Conference Rank: 22nd

10 year average: 24th

Conference Page

All-IVY Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Louis Dale	Cornell	Jr
G	Jeremy Lin	Harvard	Jr
G/F	Tyler Bernardini	Penn	So
F	Ryan Wittman	Cornell	Jr
F	Alex Barnett	Dartmouth	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Louis Dale Ryan Wittman		Points: Alex Barnett 15.6 Rebounds: Alex Barnett 7.3 Assists: Chris Skelja (Brown) 4.4

IVY LEAGUE Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

87	Cornell* **	Ivy	1	NCAA
153	Penn	Ivy	2
171	Brown	Ivy	3
195	Harvard	Ivy	4
233	Princeton	Ivy	5
263	Yale	Ivy	6
290	Dartmouth	Ivy	7
329	Columbia	Ivy	8

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Ivy League?

Other Ivy League Content

Conference Media Poll

Other

Rise & Fall: Ivy

State of 08: New York

State of '08: New York

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:11:24 -0400

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

NEW YORK

SYRACUSE - Led by one of the all-time great coaches, Syracuse has been a perennial power under Jim Boeheim. The Orange have missed the last two NCAA Tournaments, but should be back in 2009.

SIENA - Its been a good decade for Siena, with 3 NCAA Tournaments and 2 NIT trips. Last year, the Saints knocked off Vanderbilt in the opening round, and some pundits even think Fran McCaffery's crew has a chance to finish in the Top 25..

NIAGARA - With the exception of a poor 2006 campaign, Niagara has been very solid in the last decade. They've finished over .500 overall and in MAAC play in 9 of 10 seasons, and advanced to the Tournament in 2005 & 2007.

HOFSTRA - After the amazing job Jay Wright did at Hofstra around the turn of the century, Tom Pecora's tenure has been a bit more pedestrian (but still good for NY standards). The Pride did ride the shooting stroke of Loren Stokes to the 2007 NIT (their 3rd in a row), but were disappointing last year despite the return of Antoine Agudio.

MANHATTAN - Bobby Gonzalez led Manhattan to four postseason trips between 2002 and 2006. Barry Rohrssen hasn't been able to maintain that high standard, though this year's team has potential.

6. ST. JOHN'S - Once one of the game's top programs, St. John's still isn't close to getting out of the mess created by Mike Jarvis. The Storm haven't finished in the RPI Top 100 since 2003, and that futility should continue in 2009.

7. MARIST - Although the Red Foxes haven't had much success in the MAAC tournament the past three seasons, the team has been consistently dangerous and was invited to the 2007 NIT.

8. ALBANY - Unlike Binghamton and Stony Brook, who joined D1 and the AE around the same time, Albany has had some success in recent years. Will Brown, the Great Danes coach for pretty much their entire D1 existence, deserves credit for the job he's done. Brown led the team to the 2006 & 2007 NCAA Tournaments.

9. CORNELL - The Big Red have come a long way under Steve Donahue. When he took over in 2001, the program was one of the worst in the Ivy League. But their RPI has improved every season since 01 (from 311th to 65th in 08), and their Ivy League record has improved each season as well (though you can't top last year's perfect 14-0 run). Most expect Cornell to repeat as Ivy champs in 2009.

10. FORDHAM - Although Dereck Whittenburg has done a nice job getting Fordham back on track since taking over in 2003, there's still been no postseason trips and last year's team failed to meet lofty expectations.

11. WAGNER - With 23 wins last year, the Seahawks set a new record, although they missed out on the postseason. The program had accomplished little in the previous four seasons, unable to follow up on a good 02-03 run that culminated in a Tourney bid.

12. IONA - The Gaels have been all over the place in recent seasons. Great in 2006, with 23 wins and an NCAA bid. Horrendous in 2007 with just a 2-28 record. And then very mediocre last year.

13. BUFFALO - Long one of the country's worst programs, Buffalo is back to their losing ways after a rare winning spike from 2004 to 2006. In 2005, the Bulls were a few points from making their first NCAA Tournament in program history.

14. COLGATE - The Raiders are coming off their best season since 2002, an 18-win campaign that included two wins in the Patriot League tournament. 1996 was the last time they reached the conference finals.

15. BINGHAMTON - Less than a decade into their D1 existence, Bingamton is still looking for a breakthrough on the hardwood. 2nd year coach Kevin Broadus will be relying on a lot of transfers to push the Bearcats up the America East standings.

16. CANISIUS - 2001 was the last time Canisius was any good. 2009 should be another losing season, though fans are at least hopeful some of last year's young talent improves.

17. LIU - There hasn't been much to cheer about in the last decade as last year's 15 wins were the best in a decade. Since taking over in 2002, Jim Ferry's teams have won just one NEC Tournament game.

18. ST. FRANCIS - 2004 was the last time the Terriers were decent, and 2001 was the last time they were good. Last year was one of the worst in the program's history, with an RPI of 313 and a 4-14 NEC record.

19. ST. BONAVENTURE - Early in the decade, the Bonnies had a good run, until a string of poor choices, rules violations, and bad luck destroyed the program. Some progress has been made since the low of 2005 (2 wins), but Mark Schmidt and crew still have a long way to go.

20. COLUMBIA - I'm sure Columbia's good teams at some point in the past, but they were just before my time. Back to back 7-7 Ivy League seasons have been the peak of Joe Jones' five year tenure.

21. STONY BROOK - The Seawolves haven't won 10 games since 2005, and have never finished above 200th in the RPI. Most publications project a finish near the bottom of the AE in 2009.

22. ARMY - From 2003 to 2006, Army was not only the worst team in New York, but arguably the worst team in the country. They won just 11 D1 games in those four seasons, but have since returned to a more mediocre standard. Another sub-.500 season is a lock in 08-09.

Last: New Jersey - Next: North Carolina

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

NYC Metro Review Part 3: Teams 12-17

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:58:18 -0400

Teams ranked in the 12-17 area of the final rankings are clearly in a position to either move up or down next season. The team with the best chance to make a significant move up the standings in their league would have to be Manhattan (12-19), who return all key contributors next season. Guard Antoine Pearson was a Third Team All-MAAC selection this season, and swingman Devon Austin went a long way in establishing himself as this team’s leader in the MAAC Tournament. Youngsters such as Chris Smith and Rashad Green should be ready to take on more responsibility next season as well.

Army (14-16), Columbia (13-15) and Hofstra (12-18) will all head into the off-season knowing that they’ve got some large shoes to fill in replacing Jarell Brown, John Baumann and Antoine Agudio respectively. But there are some promising returnees for next season, most notably Charles Jenkins (Hofstra) and Josh Miller (Army). Fairleigh Dickinson (8-20) will have to replace guards Manny Ubilla and Bernell Murray, but second-leading scorer Sean Baptiste is slated to return.

Lastly, an Iona (12-20) that went through the season on a virtual roller coaster can look forward to next season, which brings a solid recruiting class along with a pair of four-year transfers (Kashif Pratt from Seton Hall and Jonathan Huffman from Louisville). They’ll have to replace a trio of key contributors in Kyle Camper, Dexter Gray and Devon Clarke, but things are looking up for Kevin Willard’s program. But before ranking these six teams, here is the Third Team All-Metro squad along with some honorable mention choices.

Third Team All-Metro

G Jonathan Han (Fairfield) – 11.7 ppg, 6.2 apg, 44.7% 3PT

The junior from Brooklyn was Fairfield’s most consistent option on offense this year, and yet he still led the MAAC in assists per game. Selected to the conference’s Second Team All-Conference squad, Han was the catalyst for the Stags’ second half run that nearly got them to the top of the MAAC standings. Based on his improvement over the past year, Han should be a candidate for first team honors in 2008-09.

G Jaytornah Wisseh (Long Island) – 15.8 ppg, 5.1 apg, 4.8 rpg

Only a sophomore, Wisseh led the Blackbirds in scoring and was second in the Northeast Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.58). His performance resulted in a selection to the NEC’s Second Team All-Conference squad, and it also played a big role in LIU’s best season in ten years. Like Han, Wisseh should definitely be a candidate for first team honors in his league next season.

G Drew Shubik (Sacred Heart) – 11.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 5.5 apg

One of the main reasons as to why the Pioneers once again reached the Northeast Conference final was Shubik, a jack-of-all-trades guard who was also a member of the Second team All-Conference squad. Shubik led Dave Bike’s team in both rebounding and assists, and was second in scoring behind Brice Brooks. The senior from Stoystown, PA leaves the Sacred Heart campus as the program’s seventh all-time assist man, and he also received a pair of academic honors as well. Shubik, named Northeast Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was also named to the ESPN the Magazine District I Academic All-America team.

F Ryan Thompson (Rider) – 15.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 53.7% FG

Just like Shubik, Ryan was a guy who you could find all over the stat sheet just about every night for the Broncs. Thompson, a Second Team All-MAAC selection, was second on the team in points, rebounds and field goal percentage while leading the team in assists per game. With older brother Jason off to the NBA, Ryan will be expected to be one of the leaders in 2008-09. And he’s more than capable of stepping up to the plate.

F Anthony Mason Jr. (St. John’s) – 14.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.3 apg

Mason Jr. was Norm Roberts’ best offensive option this season, and he did either off the bench (six games) or in a starter’s (sixteen starts) role. An honorable mention All-Big East selection, Mason Jr. led the Red Storm in scoring and was third on the team in both rebounds and assists per game. Despite missing eight games due to injury, Mason Jr. was second on the team in both field goal and three point attempts, which should underscore just how important he was to his team’s success. His highlight this season may have been the game-winner he hit against Seton Hall on March 1^st.

Honorable Mention All-Metro

G Antoine Pearson (Manhattan)

G Sean Baptiste (Fairleigh Dickinson)

G Harris Mansell (Rider)

F Robert Hines (St. Francis)

F JR Inman (Rutgers)

Final Rankings 12-17

12. Army (14-16)

The Black Knights finished just about where people thought they would in the Patriot League pecking order, taking sixth place. The positive to be taken out of this year includes their second straight trip to the Patriot League semifinals, and the fact that Josh Miller will be back next season. Miller was the only member of the league’s All-Tournament Team who didn’t play for either of the finalists, American and Colgate. But Jim Crews will have to figure out how to replace leading scorer Jarell Brown, but some of the key contributors from this season will be back at West Point in 2008-09.

13. Columbia (13-15)

Head coach Joe Jones will have quite the task ahead of him this off-season as he looks to replace six departing seniors from this year’s team. Led by two-time First Team All-Ivy selection John Baumann, this class is Columbia’s most successful since 1982-83. Key contributors slated to be back include guards Niko Scott and K.J. Matsui, and forward Joe Bova. There will definitely be some growing pains early for Columbia next season, as you don’t come across groups like the departing class every day. But they do have a chance to improve upon their .500 record in conference play next year.

14. Hofstra (12-18)

Well, it took Tom Pecora’s team some time to get acclimated to college basketball, and this young team understandably dealt with some setbacks in the early going. But a viable second option in freshman Charles Jenkins stepped to the plate as teams focused their attention on Antoine Agudio. Jenkins, named CAA Rookie of the Year after ranking tenth in the conference in scoring (15.1 ppg), will shoulder even more of the scoring load with Agudio graduating. Other newcomers who should be ready to go next season include Darren Townes and Nathaniel Lester. The Pride should be better than this season’s 12-18 finish, even with the loss of a player as special as Agudio.

15. Iona (12-20)

The good news in year one of the Kevin Willard era was that all hands were on deck for most of the season after last year’s injury-plagued two win debacle. But for some reason the Gaels just couldn’t maintain positive momentum. Prime example was the way in which they finished the season. An impressive win in the regular season finale over rival Manhattan, followed by a loss to Canisius in the first round of the MAAC Tournament.

But with a few of this season’s contributors (Gary Springer and Milan Prodanovic to name two) slated to return, the combination of transfers Kashif Pratt and Jonathan Huffman becoming eligible along with a solid recruiting class should give Iona a good shot at getting out of the Friday doubleheader in the MAAC Tournament.

16. Manhattan (12-19)

The primary lesson that the Jaspers learned was a rather simple one: when they committed to playing defense they were pretty good. Unfortunately for them the consistency wasn’t there, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the MAAC standings. But all major contributors should be back, led by Antoine Pearson and Devon Austin.

In their two games in Albany, you could sense that Austin was becoming more comfortable in leading this team, and head coach Barry Rohrssen noted as much after their loss to Siena, stating that it was “good to see him step up and emerge as a leader.” Along with these two, Chris Smith, Darryl Crawford and Rashad Green will return, as will interior players Laurence Jolicoeur and Andrew Gabriel. They should be in the top half of the MAAC standings next season.

17. Fairleigh Dickinson (8-20)

While this season didn’t end with a trip to the NEC Tournament, head coach Tom Green can take solace in the fact that Sean Baptiste will be back in Teaneck next season. The sophomore guard averaged 18.5 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds per contest this season and with Manny Ubilla and Bernell Murray both out of eligibility he should have even more chances to make plays next year. John Galvin and DeJuan Pursley will also have more opportunities to get some things done as three of the team’s top four scorers (Eric Hazard) won’t be around. It remains to be seen who will join the Knights next season, but there’s definitely room for improvement.

NYC Metro Year End Review: Part One

All-Metro Team & Ranking 1-5

NYC Metro Year End Review: Part Two

Ranking 6-11

NYC Metro Year End Review: Part Three

Ranking 12-1

Next: NYC Metro Year End Review: Part Four

All-Rookie & Ranking 18-23

NYC Metro Preview: #6 Columbia

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 23:29:52 -0500

6. Columbia (2006-07 Record: 16-12, 7-7 Ivy)

Head coach: Joe Jones

Returning Starters: 5- G Brett Loscalzo (senior): 6-0, 180; G Niko Scott (sophomore): 6-3, 200; F Mack Montgomery (senior): 6-5, 195; F John Baumann (senior): 6-8, 220; F/C Ben Nwachukwu (senior): 6-9, 235.

With Penn recovering from heavy losses due to graduation, and Princeton once again welcoming in a new head coach, the race for the Ivy League crown is wide open. And who’s to say that the Columbia Lions, with all five senior starters returning, can’t be the team that snatches up the automatic bid? It all starts with first team All-Ivy selection John Baumann (13.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg) up front, who also pulled off the rare double of leading the conference in both field goal percentage (57.8%) and three-point percentage (50.9%). Baumann is joined up front by classmates Mack Montgomery (5.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and Ben Nwachukwu (8.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg).

While Montgomery is a heady player who finished second on the team in minutes played last season, Nwachukwu could best be described as the enforcer who does all the dirty work in the paint. Also looking to contribute in the frontcourt are junior Jason Miller (2.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg), sophomore Joe Bova (4.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg), and freshmen Zack Crimmins (Arlington, VA) and Asenso Ampim (Accra, Ghana). Crimmins, who was also recruited by Virginia and Notre Dame, is seven feet tall but is a candidate to redshirt this season thanks to the returning experience.

The backcourt also welcomes back a wealth of experience, beginning with Loscalzo (4.9 ppg, 2.5 apg). The senior also shot 44.8% from behind the arc last season, which helps takes some attention away from Baumann on the block. While Niko Scott started eleven of the Lions’ fourteen conference games last season, the man to watch could be sophomore Patrick Foley (8.9 ppg, 2.5 apg). Despite only starting one game last season, Foley was the team’s second leading scorer and assist man. Another contributor who can add something to the lineup when healthy is senior Justin Armstrong (3.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg), who dealt with health issues all last season.

While Anderson would best be described as a “wild card”, sophomore Kevin Bulger and junior K.J. Matsui are also back for the Lions. While neither put up big numbers last season, they are both capable of contributing. Bulger had a 2.0 assist to turnover ratio in 06-07, and Matsui averaged five points per game last season. Neither Daniel Trepanier nor Kashif Sweet saw much playing time last season, and that stands to be the case yet again this year.

In regards to the schedule, the Lions kicked off 2007-08 with a loss at Fordham, who should contend in the Atlantic 10. Other games of note include taking part in the Columbus regional of the NIT Season Tip-off (November 12^th-13^th), and non-conference games on the road against Albany (November 17^th), Sacred Heart (November 30^th) and Villanova (December 22^nd). Ivy League play opens with back-to-back games against the preseason favorite to win the conference, Cornell (January 19^th, 26^th). While the conference schedule’s Friday/ Saturday format emphasizes academics, a small skid can turn into something big if you’re not careful thanks to the quick turnaround.

2007-08 Prospects

Plain and simple, the Lions should contend in the Ivy League this season. And with two games against Cornell to open conference play, the answer as to whether or not they can actually win the league should become apparent quite early. Just how good this team is will depend on how much each player has improved in the off-season, as the amount of returnees made a large recruiting class impractical. The Lions turned the ball over 14.6 times per game last season, and getting that number down to twelve or so could mean an extra two or three wins. And given how competitive the top of the Ivy stands to be this season, which could be the difference between the NCAA Tournament and staying home in March.

Complete NYC Metro Preview & Ranking

Three Stars of the Day: December 11th

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 23:22:30 -0500

Three Stars of The Day

We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

Ben Nwachukwu - Columbia

Easily his best game of the season, the senior had 21 points and 16 rebounds as the Lions cruised to a win against SFNY

Sean Baptiste - Farleigh Dickinson

Hitting double-digits for the 7th time in 7 games, Baptiste had 23 and 9 as FDU put away Norfolk State

Tywain McKee - Coppin State

Even though they lost to Ohio State, McKee scored almost 50% of his team's points (19 of 39) and added 9 rebounds

Other Top Performers

Kyle Johnson - LIU - Coming off the bench, the Canadian freshman had 16 points and 10 rebounds in a win over New Hampshire

Reggie Williams - VMI - Playing a D2 opponent, the high-scoring Keydets put up 112 points, so Williams' 43 is no surprise

* Aaron Baynes - Washington State - The Cougars wrapped up a win over Portland State late Sunday night, so I missed his 23 and 9 effort

Previous Stars of the Day

December 9th - Dane Watts, Creighton

December 5th - Drew Lavender, Xavier

December 4th - Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

December 3rd - DJ White, Indiana

December 2nd - Jerryd Bayless, Arizona

December 1st - George Hill, IUPUI

November 30th - Craig Brackins - Iowa State

November 29th - Ryan Anderson, California

November 28th - James Powell, UCSB

November 27th - Stephen Curry, Davidson

November 26th - Michael Bramos, Miami (OH)

November 22nd - Michael Beasley, Kansas State

November 21st - Kyle Singler, Duke

November 20th - Patty Mills, Saint Mary's

November 19th - Matt Causey, Georgia Tech

November 18th - Daniel Hackett, USC

November 17th - Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis

November 16th - JJ Hickson, NC State

November 15th - Jon Brockman, Washington

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