Nov. 12, 2009

Center Valley, Pa. - The 2009-10 Patriot League Men's Basketball season tips off this weekend, with seven of the League's eight teams in action on Friday night. Bucknell will play the most contests, as the Bison start the year with games against Mercer, Providence and Bryant at the World Vision Basketball Invitational. Lafayette and Navy will also play a pair of games.

Patriot League Men's Basketball Release - 11.12.09

Patriot League Notebook

20th Patriot League Men's Basketball Season Begins
Seven of the eight Patriot League men's basketball teams tip off the 2009-10 campaign on Friday night, with Lafayette and Holy Cross each playing their home opener. Bucknell will play three games over the weekend, as the Bison will compete against Mercer, Providence and Bryant at the World Vision Basketball Invitational hosted by the Friars. Lafayette and Navy each play a pair of contests on Frirday and Sunday, while Colgate is the only team that does not open over the weekend. The Raiders start their season in the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off on Monday at Connecticut.

The Patriot League schedule begins on Jan. 9. The League schedule concludes on February 27, with the Patriot League Tournament played at home sites beginning with the quarterfinals on March 3, and continuing with the semifinals on March 7 and League Championship game on March 12 at 4:45 p.m. on ESPN2.

Holy Cross, Lehigh's Hall Take Honors in Preseason
With four starters back for a team that made the Patriot League Championship game last year, Holy Cross has been selected to claim the title in 2010 in a poll of the League's coaches and sports information directors. The Crusaders notched 13 first-place votes and 95 points overall to claim the top spot, and were followed in order by Lehigh, Bucknell, Army, Colgate, American, Navy and Lafayette. The poll was announced at Patriot League Men's Basketball Media Day on Oct. 29.

The top two squads also account for the majority of the Patriot League Preseason All-League Team, with four of the five selections coming from Holy Cross or Lehigh. Lehigh senior guard Marquis Hall was named the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year. Hall was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2007, and has claimed All-League honors in each of the past two seasons, including First-Team status last year. Lehigh senior forward Zahir Carrington joins his teammate on the Preseason All-League Team, which also includes Holy Cross junior forward Andrew Keister and sophomore guard R.J. Evans as well as Army senior guard Cleveland Richard. Each player with the exception of Evans, the 2009 Rookie of the Year, was named All-Patriot League last year.

Patriot League On CBS College Sports Network
The Patriot League home for men's basketball coverage moves to the CBS College Sports Network in 2010, with 12 men's games on the slate including a pair from the Patriot League Tournament. The schedule featues regular-season games on Thursday night and Sunday afternoon, as well as the final Saturday of the regular-season. On the final two weekends (Feb. 21 and 27) a "Flex Game" schedule is in place where the televised contest will not be announced until a later date. One Patriot League quarterfinal game will be shown on March 3 at 7 p.m., while a semifinal contest will be televised on March 7 at 8 p.m. CBS College Sports Network is available through cable operators as well as on DIRECTV Channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 152. The Patriot League Championship remains on ESPN2 and will be played on March 12 at 4:45 p.m.

Lehigh's Hall Hopes to Add to Accolades
Lehigh senior Marquis Hall has received at least one honor from the Patriot League in each of his first three seasons, and hopes to continue that trend in 2009-10. Hall was named the 2007 Patriot League Rookie of the Year and to the League's All-Rookie Team as a freshman. In 2007-08, he claimed Second-Team All-League honors, and last year he doubled up again by earning the League's Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor as well as First-Team All-League status. Hall is already in the Patriot League record book in two categories: points (49th, 1,151) and assists (11th, 379). He was named the League's Preseason Player of the Year, and is also a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS award.

More Returning Award Winners
Hall isn't the only player who has already earned hardware from the Patriot League. The Defensive Player and Rookie of the Year from each of the past two seasons all return to the court. Last year, Holy Cross sophomore R.J. Evans was named Rookie of the Year and Army senior Marcus Nelson claimed Defensive Player of the Year honors. In 2007-08, Bucknell's Stephen Tyree was the Defensive Player of the Year and Lehigh's Rob Keefer earned Rookie of the Year.

Another All-League Plaudit?
Seven players who have earned All-Patriot League recognition return to the court in 2009-10, including a pair who have earned two All-League honors. Hall had a Second-Team nod in 2007-08 before last year's First-Team nod, while Navy's Chris Harris has earned Second-Team status in each of the past two seasons. Harris is also already a member of the Patriot League 1,000-point club and is the League's top returning scorer after averaging 15.4 ppg last year. Holy Cross junior Andrew Keister was a First-Team selection last year, while Bucknell senior Patrick Behan, Lehigh senior Zahir Carrington and Army senior Cleveland Richard were all named to the Second Team. Colgate senior Kyle Roemer was a Second-Team selection in 2007-08 before missing last season with an injury.

Look Who's Back
Colgate's Kyle Roemer and Bucknell's Stephen Tyree have both shown their ability by earning Patriot League honors, and their teams are just happy to have them back on the floor. Both players missed the entire 2008-09 campaign due to injury.

Tough Schedule in 2009-10
The Patriot League will take on a challenging non-League slate in the 2009-10 season that includes plenty of games against returning tournament teams. There are six games against teams that made the 2009 NCAA Tournament, including Navy's opening matchup with Radford on Friday and Colgate's trips to Final Four participant Connecticut and Sweet 16 entrant Syracuse. Patriot League teams will also play eight games against squads that made the postseason National Invitation Tournament (NIT) last year. Defending Patriot League champion American has three of those contests, as the Eagles will visit last year's NIT champion, Penn State, on Dec. 21 and go to Georgetown on Dec. 5 and Florida on Dec. 28. The 2009-10 schedule also contains plenty of games against foes from surrounding conferences in the region. Patriot League teams will play a heavy dose of games against the Northeast Conference and Ivy League, with 24 matchups against the NEC and 20 versus the Ivies. The schedule includes 11 games against both the Atlantic 10 Conference and America East as well as nine against the Big East and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

2010 Patriot League Tournament
The Patriot League Tournament will once again be played on campus sites. The quarterfinals are set for March 3, the semifinals will take place on March 7 and the Patriot League Championship will be decided on Friday, March 12. American will look for its third straight title.

American Goes For a Third
American will try to become just the second Patriot League school to win three consecutive Tournament titles this year. Only Holy Cross (2001-03) has pulled off the feat before. The Eagles will have to do it with a new cast, however, as all five starters and eight letterwinners are gone from last year's title team.

New Boss at Holy Cross, Army
After 10-year Head Coach Ralph Willard departed in June, Holy Cross turned to a first-time candidate to fill the posiion. The Crusaders hired Sean Kearney to take over as the 15th head coach in program history on July 3. Kearney enters his first collegiate head coaching position after spending the past nine years as an assistant at Notre Dame. Kearney will not be the only new head coach in the Patriot League, as Army hired Zach Spiker to take over as its head coach on Oct. 3. Spiker, 33, spent the previous five seasons as an assistant at Cornell and is also in his first collegiate head coaching position.

Fran's The Man
While four Patriot League teams have seen their head coaching position change hands in the past three years, Fran O'Hanlon has remained constant at Lafayette. And now, O'Hanlon becomes the first Patriot League coach to enter a 15th season as he guides the Leopards in 2009-10. O'Hanlon is nine games shy of coaching more games than any other Patriot League coach, and just two contests away from setting the mark for League games. His 194 wins as a Patriot League coach are second all-time, and his 91 League wins stand fourth. O'Hanlon is not the only veteran of the group, as Colgate's Emmett Davis enters his 12th season in Hamilton and American's Jeff Jones is in his 10th with the Eagles, and ninth in the Patriot League.

Carr, Mercer Moving On
Former American guards Garrison Carr and Derrick Mercer took the Patriot League by storm in winning the past two titles, and now each player has a chance to further his career professionally. Both guards were picked in the NBDL draft recently, with Mercer going in the fourth round to the Erie Bayhawks and Carr in the seventh to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds.

Plenty Of Coverage on League Website
The Patriot League is expanding its men's basketball coverage on the League website. The League has already provided a page with video and audio interviews from Media Day as well as preseason articles from around the country. The composite schedule will include all live stat, audio and video links for games throughout the season, and a recap with links to school box scores and recaps will be provided after each night of games.

Keep Track of the Patriot League Through Social Media
In addition to visiting www.patriotleague.org, League fans and followers have plenty of new ways to stay updated and involved during the 2009-10 season and beyond. The Patriot League has accounts on Facebook and Twitter, and has now started a blog to give more information on the action on the field. All three accounts are accessible through the multimedia link at the right-hand sidebar on the front page of www.patriotleague.org.

Team Notebooks

American The Eagles begin their 2009-10 season at St. Francis (Pa.) on Friday evening....American won last year's matchup, 67-46, in its home opener...The Eagles will play their next five games at home, beginning with a contest on Monday night against Albany...American will go for its third straight Patriot League Championship, but they'll have to do it with an almost entirely new cast... Nick Hendra (6.3 ppg) is the leading returning scorer, while Stephen Lumpkins had 20 blocks last year...Patriot League Player of the Year Derrick Mercer (11.7 ppg, 4.4 apg) and Tournament MVP Garrison Carr (17.9 ppg) are among the five starters and eight letterwinners that have graduated...American was in the receiving votes category of the preseason College Insider Mid-Major top 25...The Eagles were picked sixth in the Patriot League preseason poll.

Army The Black Knights usher in the Zach Spiker era when they visit VMI on Friday...The first-year head coach was hired on October 3 after spending the past five seasons as an assistant at Cornell...Army lost at home to VMI last year, but did score a win in the matchup on the road in 2007-08...The Black Knights come off their highest finish (fourth) in the Patriot League standings with four starters and 13 letterwinners returning...Cleveland Richard (12.0 ppg) earned Second-Team All-League honors, while Josh Miller led the team in assists and Marcus Nelson claimed Defensive Player of the Year honors....The Black Knights open their home schedule against Long Island on Tuesday...Army was selected to finish fourth in the Patriot League preseason poll, with Richard as an All-League choice.

Bucknell The Bison are the busiest team on the first weekend of the season, as they play on three consecutive days at the World Vision Basketball Invitational in Providence...Bucknell takes on Mercer at 5 p.m. on Friday, then faces the host Friars at 6:30 p.m on Saturday and plays Bryant at Noon on Sunday...Bucknell will play all three teams for the first time in school history...Bucknell can top last year's road win total which saw them go 1-15 away from Lewisburg...The Bison welcome back Stephen Tyree, the 2007-08 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, who missed the past season due to injury...Bucknell has four starters back, including Second-Team All-League choice Patrick Behan (13.8 ppg), Patriot League assist leader Darryl Shazier (4.6 apg) and Bryan Cohen (11.8 ppg)...Bucknell was picked to finish third in the Patriot League preseason poll.

Colgate The Raiders will not open the season until Monday, when they play at Final Four participant Connecticut in the first game of the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off...The Raiders will face either Hofstra or Yale on Tuesday, then play two games against opponents to be determined on Nov. 23 and 24 or Nov. 25 and 27...The Raiders bring back Kyle Roemer, a 2008 Second-Team All-League pick who missed last season due to injury...Colgate also has its top three scorers from last season back in the lineup, as Mike Venezia (10.8 ppg), Ben Jonson (10.4) and Yaw Gyawu (10.2) all averaged in double figures...The Raiders were picked to finish fifth in the League's preseason poll.

Holy Cross Picked to finish first in the Patriot League, the Crusaders open the 2009-10 season at home against regional rival Harvard on Friday...It is the first contest in Sean Kearney's head coaching tenure...Kearney spent the past nine seasons as an assistant at Notre Dame...Holy Cross leads the all-time series with Harvard, 41-21, though the Crimson scored a win at home last year...Holy Cross won the last meeting at the Hart Center, 80-69, on Nov. 20, 2007...Kearney takes over a team with four starters back after making the Patriot League title game a year ago...R.J. Evans (13.4) led the team in scoring to earn Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors a year ago, while Andrew Keister (8.5 ppg) was a First-Team All-League pick...Both players are also on the preseason All-League team...Andrew Beinert (8.5 ppg) and Eric Meister (6.7 ppg) also bring starting experience...Holy Cross is in the receiving votes category of the College Insider.com Mid-Major top 25...The Crusaders have major tests upcoming early in the season, beginning with a trip to St. Joseph's on Tuesday.

Lafayette The Leopards open the season at home against Wagner at 6 p.m. on Friday, the third straight year the teams have squared off to begin the campaign...The road team has won each of the past two meetings, with Lafayette earning a 73-67 win last year...Lafayette leads the all-time series, 4-1...Lafayette hits the road on Sunday to face another opponent from the Northeast Conference, Sacred Heart...The Leopards and Pioneers are playing for the first time...The Leopards return all but one player from last year's roster, though that one player was top scorer Andrew Brown (13.6 ppg.)...Jeff Kari (10.7 ppg) is the only returnee who scored in double figures, while Ryan Willen (9.4 ppg) and Jared Mintz (9.2) weren't far behind...Lafayette was picked to finish eighth in the Patriot League preseason poll.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks have a big challenge to open the season, as they play at Richmond of the Atlantic 10 Conference on Friday...The teams have only met once before, a game Richmond won in 1940...Lehigh features a pair of seniors who earned All-League honors last year, with Marquis Hall (13.9 ppg, 4.1 apg) and Zahir Carrington (14.0 ppg, 8.6 rpg) expected to lead the way again...Rob Keefer (8.8) also returns, as Lehigh welcomes its top three scorers and four starters overall back to the lineup...Lehigh was selected second in the Patriot League preseason poll for the second year in a row...Hall was named the League's preseason player of the year, and was joined on the preseason All-League squad by Carrington...The Mountain Hawks are receiving votes in the College Insider.com Mid-Major top 25...Lehigh is busy early in the season, with a trip to Rider on Monday and home opener versus Quinnipiac on Wednesday.

Navy The Mids have a pair of road games to open the season, as they will play at defending Big South champion Radford on Friday and go to Longwood on Sunday...Navy beat both teams in close games at home last year...The Mids beat Radford, 73-71, in overtime on Nov. 29, and knocked off Longwood, 81-80, on Dec. 30...That was the only all-time matchup with Radford, while Navy is 6-0 in its history against Longwood...The Mids are facing Longwood for the sixth time in the last five seasons...Navy will be led by two-time All-Patriot League selection Chris Harris (15.4 ppg), who is the top returning scorer in the Patriot League this season...Mark Veazey is back after averaging 7.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game...The Mids will have to replace the Patriot League's leading scorer, as Kaleo Kina (18.0 ppg) departs...Navy was picked to place seventh in the Patriot League preseason poll.