What Dreams May Come(FBCB 2010)

[Brian Swartz]

Charles Hernandez(Iona)

2.19 Iona(6-16, 2-5) @ Manhattan(9-13, 5-2) -- W 65-48
2.20 Iona(7-16, 3-5) @ Yale(9-13, 5-3) -- W 59-47
2.26 Columbia(8-15, 2-6) @ Iona(8-16, 4-5) -- L 51-38
2.27 Cornell(11-13, 7-2) @ Iona(8-17, 4-6) -- W 64-62

Boulware was nearly back to full strength and cleared to start against Manhattan, not that it was expected to matter much. But then a strange thing happened. Whether through bad shooting or good defense by Iona, more likely a combination of the two, the Jaspers struggled to score most of the first half and Iona pulled out to double-digit lead that they would never relinquish. To date, it was clearly the most impressive win of the year with Darrow, Boulware, and Wolter each scoring 14 points. No starter took more than nine shots from the field, a textbook example of balance and sharing the ball. Darrow had 7 assists, as well, Phil Gibson's 12 pts, 10 reb inside were also worthy of notice.

At Yale, the same pattern repeated. It appears something may have sunk in on the defensive side, as another of the Ivy's better teams just couldn't score against Iona. 29-19 was the halftime count. Yale actually shot 40% in those 20 minutes, but was badly outrebounded and committed eight turnovers. Iona didn't sustain the success on the boards, but continued the rest of their game and maintained the lead for another impressive wire-to-wire road win with more balance and Darrow(13 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast) earning player of the game honors.

The effort continued at home against Columbia, but the Lions had already won a close one against Iona earlier this year and were determined to do it again. They owned the boards and with them the game most of the way. There was a brief rally late in the game, but once again Iona could not solve Columbia's defense. They've scored 90 points combined in two games against them this season. Cornell was a strange game. Great competitive basketball for 35 minutes. Iona went ahead by seven, then did nothing as the lead vanished, went ahead on last-minute free-throws by backup center Horace Szymanski, and then saw Big Red star Gayle Rundell hit a pair to tie it late. With 16 seconds left, Cornell gambled and tried to press. Darrow and Wolter beat it with a two-man game, Wolter getting the layup to win it with three seconds to go!

[Brian Swartz]

Mark Horton(Hampton)

2.20 Bethune-Cookman(11-13, 7-4) @ Hampton(9-15, 4-7) -- W 84-60
2.22 Hampton(10-15, 5-7) @ Coppin State(11-14, 6-6) -- L 84-71
2.27 Hampton(10-16, 5-8) @ Penn State(12-14, 8-5) -- L 101-88
2.29 Pennsylvania(9-18, 6-8) @ Hampton(10-17, 5-9) -- L 73-69

An aggressive start against Bethune-Cookman put Hampton at the line early and often, and they made most of their chances to grab a double-digit lead for the lion's share of the first half. It's been a long time since they had a win that came this easily, never mind against a solid opponent. Jones spent most of the game sitting with foul trouble, and Shad Brandes(24 pts, 7 reb) was lightning in a bottle off the bench as he often has been this year. Coppin State more than reversed that joy, shooting 64% in an opening half which saw them nearly double Hampton's score. Lamont Benford equaled Hampton's 27-point output by himself!

Penn State was next on the hit parade. Hampton showed a ton of fight in this one after getting down by about 15 late in the first half. In the second they kept coming back and coming and coming back, it's hard to rally when you can't stop the other team from scoring. A pair of freebies made the score 80-77 Nittany Lions up with five minutes left, the closest they'd been able to get. A minute later, Vargas tied it with a three but that lasted all of about ten seconds. Hampton ran out of gas, and Penn State pulled away to a deceptively large margin. With the loss, Hampton officially failed it's preseason goal of a break-even conference mark. They shot well enough, but 20 turnovers doomed the effort.

Another rally came up just short against Penn, a loss that came with great effort but bad execution. Hampton crashed the glass all game long(+19) but shot just 37%.

[Brian Swartz]

Horace Hargrove(Lehigh)

2.17 Lehigh(12-13, 7-3) @ Army(9-16, 4-6) -- L 69-66
2.20 Lehigh(12-14, 7-4) @ Colgate(16-10, 7-4) -- L 83-61
2.24 Lafayette(11-16, 6-6) @ Lehigh(12-15, 7-5) -- L 45-43
2.27 Holy Cross(16-12, 8-5) @ Lehigh(12-16, 7-6) -- L 82-64

A slow start for Lehigh was compounded by hot shooting by Army point guard Reno Reddy(17 first-half points). They eventually responded well though, upping the defense and getting turnovers and a few easy open-court baskets to turn the game around. Up by four at the half, they lost the lead for a bit but put on a good run to go in front 65-57 with 2:31 left. Unfortunately that's when the wheels came off. Maier fouled out a minute later, compounding his error with a tech for arguing with the call. For the rest of the game Lehigh missed all three shots from the field, missed one of two free throws, and had a turnover while Army missed almost nothing to steal back the game. This was a huge missed opportunity.

With the loss, a three-way tie was set for first place heading into the final road game of the year at Colgate. It was a tough matchup under the best of conditions, and Colgate just sliced up Hargrove's depleted team. It was over before halftime. Back at home, Lehigh hosted Lafayette next and a loss would mean no chance of winning the conference. After a hideously ugly twenty minutes they trailed 25-18. Somebody's got to make some shots here, especially in their own building! It didn't happen much in the second half, but Lafayette got even worse and Lehigh finally snuck ahead at 37-36 with seven minutes to go, courtesy of a pair of free throws from Rohan Dyer. They edged out to a four-point lead with 2:06 to go, still plenty of danger in this brickfest.

An immediate three by Lafayette's Dominique Nightingale was followed by a horrible pass into the stands by Campagna. Yeah, danger like that. Then Millard Santana's three bounced around and fell in. Of all the stupidity. 45-43 Lafayette, 1:23 left. Nightingale stole a pass by Alvarez, but eventually missed on the ensuing possession and Alvarez partly redeemed himself by getting the rebound. Less than 30 seconds, down to probably their last chance ... and Alvarez is called for a moving pick!! Un-freaking believable. Nightingale goes to line for a one-and-one ... missing the front end, and Alvarez is on the board! 11 ticks left. Still another opportunity. Lafayette held them up, Alvarez's desperation heave wouldn't go, and that was it. Nobody scored after Santana's absurdly fortunate bounce to make the go-ahead triple fall with a minute and a half remaining. The teams combined for 28 field goals and 26 turnovers. The game of basketball was the real loser here, but what a travesty of a loss. Between this and the Army game, an absurd way to blow a chance at the Patriot title.

Holy Cross finished out the year with an offensive clinic(62% shooting for the game). Lehigh scored fairly well on their end, but had no hope of keeping pace with the Crusaders. Forward Bill Dyer(32 pts, 9-10 fg, 14-20 ft) was just unstoppable.

[Brian Swartz]

March 2015

John Reinhart(Centenary)

3.1 [Big South Conference Tournament -- Quarterfinals] Troy(15-15) vs. Centenary(14-15) -- L 64-62

Despite the similarity in their overall records, Troy was the clear favorite in the opener of the Big South Tournament. The teams matched up twice in the regular season, with Troy winning by 10 and 9 points. The common denominator in both games was that Troy simply made more shots. For the season at large, they were simply a little better at both ends of the court. For Centenary to win, they needed a great team effort or for somebody to simply step up and carry them. Something had to change the status quo.

A 1-for-8 start leading to a six-point deficit wasn't the idea here. Knuckling down on defense to create a few extra turnovers allowed them to rally for a 26-25 halftime lead, a slower pace than the earlier meetings. Winning ugly is still winning, and it had the resemblance of a workable plan. In the second half, a better plan of just don't miss presented itself. Centenary hit the accelerator and it seemed Troy couldn't slow them down. Still ahead 60-47 with five minutes to go, reality seemed to slam them in the face. The jumpers stopped falling and Troy gradually crawled back in it. It wouldn't be a Centenary game without a tight finish. With 1:10 to go the lead was just two, and they had no clue where to go for offense. Somebody needed to make a play.

Rockwood didn't get anything, passed it to McCoy, who was trapped and had the ball stolen. That was not the right idea, if there even was a right idea. Merrill McKenzie's breakaway slam with 37 seconds left knotted the score at 62-all. Centenary handled the press, worked the ball around, and McCoy missed from the left side with five seconds to go. Troy hurried upcourt with the miss, Richard Crouch took a shot at the buzzer from the right side -- swish!

Troy ended the game on a 17-2 run, a devastating way for the seniors to go out. They played well enough to take the upset, fought back from a bad start, and then just stunk up the joint. Arnold McCoy(14 pts, 6 rebs) and Dennis Camire(13 pts) both played solid, but not when it mattered most. Neither team or coach could do more than stare in disbelief at the cruel scoreboard. It was a fitting microcosm of their season: close, but no cigar. At the beginning of the year they were winning these kinds of games, not losing them, but those days are long since past.


Recruiting

Mincey committed, unsurprising since he had no other suitors, and that was that.

[Brian Swartz]

Neil Barnett(Evansville)

3.1 [Horizon Conference Tournament First Round] Wright State(12-17) vs. Evansville(11-18) -- W 82-73

Against Wright State, Neal Barnett had a tough choice to make. Carroll Roberts was ready to go, Bobbie Rodriguez almost but not quite fully back. While it would be preferred to give him more time, there wasn't any. If they lost, there would be no tomorrow for either senior forward. Ultimately, with the stakes significant and the risk minor, Barnett gave him the go-ahead. They would advance or go out together.

Evansville had beaten Wright State by 15, then later lost by four though the second meeting was without the forwards. On the year the teams were very even. Both teams preferred a fairly up-tempo style, Evansville slightly better on the defensive end, Wright State a little more successful on offense. It was a good matchup all the way around.

It was more than two minutes in when a free-throw by Rodriguez gave Evansville it's first point, and they would score six more unanswered. Unusually getting most of their scoring inside, they held the lead but could not pull away. A four-point halftime lead was no great comfort. The second half was more of the same. Wright State briefly tied it, Evansville pulled out again with a nine-point run, and then spent the rest of the game defending it. It was enough, but not by much. They never trailed.

Roy Nelson(16 pts, 12 rebs) had one of his best games, and the forwards did their part. Roberts finished with 12 and 8, Rodriguez 13 and 5, with all five starters getting at least a full dozen on the board. Wright State played a clean game with only seven turnovers, but with a full lineup Evansville was in control of the glass(+15).

3.4 [Horizon Second Round] SE Missouri State(12-18) vs. Evansville(12-18) -- L 76-61

To the winner of the second round matchup would go a date with champion Rice. Certainly the Owls had Evansville on their mind, but there some business to take care of first. Both teams had won in the others' building, though the loss had come without R&R. Rodriguez was now fit and fully ready to go. In the loss, SE Missouri had a parade to the line and all kinds of extra possessions via turnovers and rebounds. Barnett was confident that if the team did not repeat those mental errors, Evansville would prevail here. Their opponent just didn't have firepower on offense.

After they scored on six straight trips to open the game, it was an assessment in need of review. At 13:30 of the first half, Evansville trailed 17-2 and was in a world of trouble. Down as many as 19, it was still a big mountain at 35-22 entering the break. Turnovers and missed shots continued, soon making clear that it was just not their day. Only a few garbage-time scores made the final halfway respectable. SE Missouri State, generally a pretty miserable offensive team, shot 48% with just six turnovers. They played a heck of a game, and that was that. Carroll Roberts(11 pts, 5 rebs) led the team while Szabo had just 8 points in 22 minutes, and Rodriguez(8 rebs, 5 pts on 2-7 fg) had a rough day shooting it. A meek departure for the seniors.

[Brian Swartz]

Charles Hernandez(Iona)

3.5 Iona(9-17, 5-6) @ Delaware State(11-15, 6-5) -- W 62-59
3.11 Iona(10-17, 6-6) @ Maryland-East Shore(10-17, 5-7) -- W 70-68
3.12 Iona(11-17, 7-6) @ Dartmouth(8-20, 4-9) -- W 72-64

While the other conferences went through their tournaments, Iona fans still had three regular-season road games remaining to suffer through. The AD's pipe dream of the conference title had waved bye-bye a long time ago, but with the team now 4-2 in their least six including two road wins, there remained chances for a decent mark in the Ivy.

After thirty minutes of good, competitive team basketball, Iona and Delaware State took a break from that to unleash a comedy of errors. First, Iona missed the front end of three straight one-and-ones. Then, the teams combined for six consecutive turnovers, three trips back and forth without so much as getting off a single attempt at the basket. When the game did resume, it came down a final-minute possession with Iona up two. Stifling defense forced a shotclock violation, and that was the decider. Dennis Darrow(19 pts, 6 ast) had probably his best game of the year.

On to MDES the next weekend, where Iona could guarantee at least a break-even Ivy record with a victory. An early lead was built on lots of free throws and not many misses, and up 15 in the second half it looked over. Then four straight turnovers happened. Then Darrow fouling out with five minutes left and Maryland-East Shore charging happened. Three key turnovers forced by the Iona defense over the last minutes saved the game, but just barely. They almost gave it away. Harold Wolter(20 points on nine shots) had his finest game in some time.

And then to finish it off there was Dartmouth. Ah yes, Dartmouth, who embarrassed Iona on their own floor last month. After a 12-2 start, Iona was unable to hold the line defensively with the Big Green not willing for the favor to be returned. Soon a highly competitive game had broken out. The second half was mostly the George Boulware show, but it was Darrow again who hit the dagger, a 3-pointer with Iona up two in the final minute, to seal the game. Boulware had 21 and 5 rebounds, and Iona finished the year with four straight wins and 7 of 9. Not bad at all.

[Brian Swartz]

Mark Horton(Hampton)

3.5 Hampton(10-18, 5-10) @ USC Upstate(14-14, 5-10) -- L 96-86

There was yet one regular-season game yet, a meeting to decide who would occupy the MEAC cellar. It was a track meet with the teams combining for 102 first-half points, but Hampton blinked first. A nine-point run with about eight minutes left clinched it.

3.9 [MEAC First Round] Howard(15-14) vs. Hampton(10-19) -- W 69-60

This was the matchup Hampton wanted, that's for certain. Despite the overall records, they crushed them both times, by 24 and 25 points! The teams are polar opposites. Hampton was the best in the league in offense and worst in defense, with Howard it was vice-versa. But even against Hampton, they just weren't able to put a lot of points up.

The third meeting was like unto the first two. Hampton obliterated Howard after a brief resistance and yawned their way through the second half along with a good part of the first. They yawned too much -- it was 39-16 at one point and the final was much closer -- but Howard just seems uniquely unable to deal with their high-pressure approach. David Vargas had 15 points to lead all scorers, and it's on to what will certainly be stiffer resistance in the next round.

3.10 [MEAC Quarterfinals] Bethune-Cookman(13-16) vs. Hampton(11-19) -- L 75-59

Based on the regular season, this is yet another favorable matchup. Hampton won 84-60 at home in their only meeting. They had a slightly better net rating on the year as well. BC had a very uncharacteristically bad shooting day in that prior contest though at 34%, while Hampton made almost all of their free throws. Still, it's quite winnable.

11-0 Bethune-Cookman after six minutes. Sigh. They actually played ok from there, coming within four points and entering the half down 33-26. Still a hill to climb, but doable with a strong team effort. This game wasn't complicated, it was about making shots and they weren't doing it.

It never got a whole lot better. 30% shooting for the day. Shad Brandes' line of 16 pts, 7 rebs off the bench looked nice, but even he only made 6 of 17 field goals. Vargas went 3-12, Grooms 2-8, Dawes 1-8 ... it was a simple game.

[Brian Swartz]

Horace Hargrove(Lehigh)

3.2 [Patriot League Quarterfinals] American(11-18) vs. Lehigh(12-17) -- W 74-70

As much as he wanted him in the lineup, Hargrove knew Johnathon Good wasn't quite ready to go against American. The two teams had split the season series, and Lehigh could potentially win without him, but it wasn't worth the risk of throwing him out there. A frustrating situation for fan, player, and coach alike, because with their regular point guard Lehigh would be a strong favorite.

As if on cue, the team made just one of ten to start the game, trailing 10-3 early. And then woke up, to the tune of a 14-1 run. They needed Tommy Campagna to lead the way, and he had 16 in the first half as Lehigh looked great after the early slumber, 38-27 at the break. A quick rally by American cut the lead to three, but Lehigh seemed to have an answer every time. Up only 64-62 with three minutes left, they beat the press and got a dunk from freshman walk-on guard Thomas Soris at the end of it to bring the crowd to life. During the inevitable foul-a-thon, they made just enough shots and stopped to hold them off.

Campagna picked a great time to go for a season-high 30 points and 5 rebounds, while center Rohan Dyer(18 pts, 9 rebs) also had one of his best nights. The rest of the team didn't do all that much, so it was definitely needed. Meanwhile, a shocking upset as regular-season champion Colgate was knocked off by Navy, 76-74. That would certainly seem to make the road easier ...

3.6 [Patriot Semifinals] Navy(11-19) vs. Lehigh(13-17) -- L 83-60

Good was finally back, and Navy was without their starting center. All of that was positive, though solid reserve Edward Audley was not yet healthy enough to play, but after beating Colgate Navy could not be safely overlooked. Lehigh won by 18 at home, then lost on the road by four in a winnable game without Good. If they played well, it was hard to see them failing to move on.

Lehigh fell behind 8-0 and 14-2 out of the gate, proving that I can't predict a darned thing. It never got much closer in a first half that ended 45-31. It was clear how they had knocked off Colgate -- the Midshipmen are firing on all cylinders right now at the most important time to do it. The most frustrating part was in the rebounding department, where it seemed every miss was followed with a put-back. 27-14 was the count there.

Navy just kept scoring, turning the game into a laugher. The final rebound margin was an absurd 49-21, and they shot 53% for good measure. There was nothing Lehigh could do to stop them. Good played very little thanks to foul problems, so getting him back meant virtually nothing. I don't think it would have mattered though, as one-sided as this was.

[Brian Swartz]

An honorable mention here, as Rice from the Horizon conference made it to the NIT final, losing there to Quinnipiac.

2015 NCAA Final Four

All four top seeds made it to the final weekend this year: LSU, Florida, Kansas State, and Central Florida. Aside from an entertaining five-point win by Central Florida over Maryland in the regional final, none of them were even challenged much.

The final four had a similar lack of drama. Double-digit wins by both Florida schools left the championship game to be decided between the intrastate rivals. The Florida Gators were in attack mode all game and held off Central Florida in a dizzying second half that saw the teams combine for 107 points! 85-77 was the final, the closest game the Gators had dealt with the entire way. Their average margin of victory was a stunning 22 points, and nobody in the regionals got any closer than that. There wasn't much doubt left as to who was the best team this year.

It was Florida's fourth national title, with their last coming in 2006. Along with Maryland and Memphis, they are now tied for third in winning the top prize that many times.

[Brian Swartz]

2015 Season Review

John Reinhart(Centenary)

Final Record: 14-16(8-10), 226 RPI, Big South QF, no postseason
Offense: 95.7 eff(273rd, 7th in conference)
Defense: 101.8 eff(220th, 8th)
Recruiting Class: 296th, 7th

Centenary finished one Big South win shy of it's goal this year. They were pretty much neutral in terms of rebounding(-0.3) and turnovers(-0.2), but the big weaknesses were on offense. They didn't make their free-throws(63.6%, 8th in the Big South) and both took and made fewer threes than any other team in the conference. That was a good thing since they were 8th in percentage(30.5%). As a whole the conference was low-scoring and defense-oriented this year. Injuries hit the team hard at times, but they kept losing too many after everyone got healthy so it can't be blamed on that.

John Reinhart's biggest concern is the foul shooting. He got his boys to attack the basket, but that doesn't do a lot of good when you can't make the opponent pay for putting you on the line.

14 wins equals last year's total, and Centenary has only exceeded that number once in this century. It was a disappointing year regardless, but something that hopefully can be built on. That will only happen if Reinhart can improve on this year's recruiting.


Awards

Michael Blume was named to the Big South All-Freshman team. He led the conference outright in assists at 4.7 per game, and great things are expected of him down the line.


Graduating Seniors

SF Arnold McCoy(6-5, 225) -- McCoy started every game for Centenary the last two seasons after appearing in just three as a sophomore. This year his accuracy from the field suffered(40% fg, 42% career) as the stagnant offense had him taking too many shots. He was one of the bright spots at the foul line though at nearly 77%. Averaging almost 32 mpg, he registered career highs across the board. He was a very solid all-around forward, a close third on the team in points and second in rebounds.

31.8 mpg, 10.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 3.0 topg, 1.1 spg, 0.5 bpg

C Leo Rockwood(6-8, 206) -- An undersized toothpick of a center, Rockwood was nonetheless a very important player. He appeared in 118 games, but only had 13 starts, all two years ago. Rockwood was rebounding force off the bench, Centenary's sixth man, and a good positional defender in the post. He was a grinder, and well-respected by Reinhart as someone who kept the team in games while the starters rested. He was limited as an offensive option, and not good at the line(55%).

17.7 mpg, 3.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg

SG Dennis Camire(6-3, 199) -- Camire's nine games missed due to injury this year were not a good time for the team. Dennis was the second-leading scorer, narrowly. He wasn't much of a playmaker but didn't turn it over a lot either, and like Rockwood knew how to handle his position on the defensive end. He was at his best spotting up for three, and hit 34% of such attempts on the season. Camire was also another example of the foul-shooting issues(62%).

28.9 mpg, 11.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.4 topg, 0.6 spg

SF Brock Ranson(6-4, 238) -- Ranson played in 9 games for a total of 12 minutes during his career here. He was an excellent perimeter defender but never developed his shooting and ball skills to the point where he could be a factor.

[Brian Swartz]

Neil Barnett(Evansville)

Final Record: 12-19(9-9), 289 RPI, Horizon Second Round, no postseason
Offense: 97.2(235th, 4th in the Horizon)
Defense: 102.9(246th, 7th)
Recruiting Class: 279th, 8th

Evansville never really had much of a chance to make the NCAAs like the administration wanted. That was always an unrealistic expectation. Rebounding was a major concern: they were merely bad defensively, but dead last in terms of offensive rebounding. The offense partially made up for that by making seven threes a game(33%) and making more of their free throws than anyone else in the conference(71%). They also had turnover issues(-1.2) and while they defended the paint extremely well, teams shot over 36% from 3-point range against them. The biggest problem there was at the point of attack: there simply wasn't a point guard on the team even decent on the defensive end.

Evansville failed to match the 17 wins and CIT appearance from 2014, but it was a little better than most seasons are around here. Getting a break-even record in the Horizon was enough for most to call it a decent year. It's the first time in a decade they've managed back-to-back non-losing conference seasons, for those who care about such arcane contrivances.


Awards

None


Graduating Seniors

Evansville loses five players this year.

PF Kenneth Worcester(6-8, 246) -- Worcester mostly provided shotblocking and rebounding off the bench, though he did get seven starts when Roberts was injured. He's one of those players who could have been a fair amount better than he was. Kenneth didn't get much playing time prior to this season. He was a regular part of the bench rotation in his final year.

17.8 mpg, 3.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 0.6 bpg, 50% fg

PF Carroll Roberts(6-8, 233) -- Roberts was not only the best inside presence on the team, he was the only inside presence at times. During the seven games he missed due to injury, that was made abundantly clear. A decent defender and passer, his most important value was keeping defenses from constantly loading up on the guards. Carroll was the third-leading scorer and top rebounder for Evansville this year.

27.9 mpg, 10.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 0.5 bpg, 48% fg, 78% ft

SF Bobbie Rodriguez(6-8, 227) -- It truly was a lost season for Bobbie Rodriguez. He missed the first half of the year due to injury, played five games, then got hurt again. Only a total of eight appearances for the season. In retrospect, it might have been better to redshirt him. Certainly if Coach Barnett knew the second injury was coming, he probably would have. Rodriguez was the only swingman on the team who could play both ends. He was a reasonably capable defender and playmaker, though with limited scoring ability.

27.5 mpg, 7.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.9 topg, 0.4 spg, 30% fg

SG Arthur Szabo(6-2, 197) -- Szabo was the unquestioned best player and MVP for Evansville. The second-leading scorer in the conference, it turned more than a couple heads when he did not make the All-League teams though there were a lot of productive guards this year. Szabo was the kind of player who thrives in a good offense but can't create much for himself, which caused issues at times when the supporting cast was hurt or not playing well. At times, asked to do too much, he got into trouble. He was a deadly shooter from anywhere on the court when left open however, and a fine ballhandler. Defensively, adequate is the best you can say about him. Arthur nearly doubled his career-high scoring, having a real breakout season. He was a four-year starter with 121 starts in 122 games during his career. He will not be replaced.

30.1 ppg, 16.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 2.7 topg, 1.0 spg, 41% fg, 82% ft

PG Foster Vega(6-0, 192) -- Vega had a strange career. He was a regular garbage-timer as a freshman, and never rose above that role on the roster. 83 career appearances, but he never averaged more than the 3.3 mpg he got that first season.

[Brian Swartz]

Charles Hernandez(Iona)

Final Record: 12-17(8-6), 282 RPI, T-2nd in Ivy, no postseason
Offense: 98.0(219th, 2nd)
Defense: 104.6(289th, 6th)
Recruiting: 200th, 2nd

Clearly the biggest weakness in the team this year was defense. That was only true after Darrow returned, early on they couldn't score on anyone, but with him their offense was good enough to challenge for the conference. They were certainly successfully in slowing things down per Hernandez's philosophy: only Boston University played at a slower pace on the year than Iona's 61.4 possessions per game.

Unfortunately they gave too many of them away, -4.4 on the boards and -1.8 in turnovers. Iona was second or third in their actual shooting percentage allowed on defense, so really the rebounding and lack of forced turnovers were pretty much the full extent of why they didn't win the conference.

12 wins is really quite good considering how they started. After 11 straight defeats to start the year, they were 12-6 with Darrow. A four-game winning streak to end the year left them in a three-way tie one game behind Cornell. It's been almost 30 years since an Iona team had a better record in the conference, and coming off 7 and 8-win seasons it was definitely a good year by comparison. Despite failing to make the tournament, the mood is cautiously optimistic about the direction of things. Going into the season the one thing that was expected to be a problem was recruiting, and yet Hernandez came back with the #2 class in the Ivy League! If he can keep doing that, he's a good enough coach that Iona will rise to the top.


Awards

George Boulware was named 2nd Team All-Ivy, and forward Richard Digiovanni was hilariously named to the All-Freshman team. Given that only one freshman put up more than five points a game in the conference, it's not exactly a stellar group.


Graduating Seniors

Two of the team's best are leaving this season.

PF Phil Gibson(6-6, 217) -- Undersized at the 4, Gibson was both consistent and versatile. He was the only rebounder of note on the team, getting his chance as starter this year after three years of significant play as a reserve. Aside from being able to do a little bit of everything, he was strong as an ox. It was lean strength, not bulky strength, but he played much bigger than his frame would indicate in the paint. A big question next year will be who is going to crash the boards with Phil gone.

30.3 mpg, 9.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 0.6 spg, 44% fg, 72% ft, 30% 3pt fg

SG George Boulware(6-2, 203) -- Few fit the pure shooter better more than Boulware. A former Bowling Green walk-on, he transferred after playing sparingly there. This year, he played more per game than he did in any one complete season prior! George took fabulous care of his body and made up for poor defense to some extent with fast hands that created turnovers from time to time. But mostly he made shots, enough of them be Iona's #2 scoring option.

35.8 mpg, 11.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.2 topg, 0.9 spg, 42% fg, 87% ft, 33% 3pt fg

[Brian Swartz]

Mark Horton(Hampton)

Final Record: 11-20(5-11), T-last in the MEAC, 251 RPI, MEAC QF, no post-season
Offense: 103.8(81st, 1st)
Defense: 108.2(328th, last)
Recruiting Class: 272nd, 8th

The story for Hampton was simple: they were quite good on offense, but nearly as good as they were bad on defense. Only Iowa and Stetson consumed more than Horton's team's 76.7 possessions per game, a full 15 more than Iona. Rebounding and turnovers were just below break-even, and the only thing keeping them from being even better offensively was an average-at-best 67% conversion rate on free throws. Opponents hit a horrific 37% of their 3-pointers against them, 46% overall. Both were last in the conference. All three guards that Horton used in the rotation were either bad or terrible defensively. The resulted in consistent foul trouble and open season from outside. No matter how much they scored, the opponent would usually score more.

Having said that, 11 wins equaled the 2014 mark and only once since '05 has the school done better. There is hope that better times could be ahead, but a more competitive MEAC team is expected by the AD over the next couple of seasons.


Awards

Sophomore David Vargas was named 1st Team All-MEAC, and was third in the league in scoring. Colin Adam, a mid-season change at center to the starting lineup, made the All-Freshman rundown.


Graduating Seniors

Two of them this season. Only one really will hurt.

PG Stephen Grooms(6-0, 209) -- Like the other guards, Grooms didn't play a lot of defense. His wizardry with the ball went to waste here to a great extent since Horton preaches to never let the ball stick: get it, shoot it, get back on D. The two-year starter with 117 career appearances is one of the best rebounding guards around, nearly leading the team in that department if you can believe it, and was the #3 scorer as well. He was good, but if he'd worked on his passing and one-on-one skills more, he could have been quite a bit better.

28.0 mpg, 12.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.7 topg, 1.1 spg, 41% fg, 81% ft, 32% 3pt fg

PG Michael Gunkler(5-11, 159) -- Gunkler, a German exchange student, was there. That's about all you can say after 103 career minutes. He worked harder on his body than he did on his game, but mostly was just one of those guys who just doesn't have the skillset for major college basketball.

[Brian Swartz]

Horace Hargrove(Lehigh)

Final Record: 13-18(7-7), T-3rd Patriot, 284 RPI, Patriot SF, no postseason
Offense: 97.1(240th, 4th)
Defense: 101.2(209th, 4th)
Recruiting Class: 227th, 4th

After early-season struggles to score, head coach Horace Hargrove began to put the ball more and more in the hands on the one playmaker on the team, guard Johnathon Good. He also implemented a more balanced approach as opposed to focusing on 3-point shooting. These measures helped, but the general lack of team passing skill still hampered the offense. At times though, Lehigh could be quite a solid team on both ends. They were certainly more their preseason predictions of a good backcourt and little else. A good turnover margin(+1.4) was more than counterbalanced by a near-fatal weakness of very poor team rebounding(-4.6). No team in the Patriot shot worse from the field(40.1%) or from 3pt range(31%). Their only real hope was to get to the free-throw line a lot(70%). Defensively, they were also last in field goal % allowed(45%).

Somehow, Lehigh managed to overcome all these things and start off 5-1 in the league. Had Good not gotten injured, they might well have taken the conference. His loss was very damaging on both ends. A .500 mark in the Patriot still met the expectation on the year, and 13 wins is much better than the last couple of seasons have been around here. A credible recruiting class was vital: one or two more like it and Coach Hargrove will be well on his way to digging Lehigh out of the mess the last coach left him.


Awards

Tommy Campagna, First Team All-Patriot


Graduating Seniors

C Rohan Dyer(6-7, 252) -- Dyer was at a height disadvantage in many matchups, but still managed to be a decent if inconsistent complementary starter. Lehigh would have been better if the Australian had worked harder on his defense though. Rohan was the top rebounder on a team that didn't do nearly enough of it, and provided limited offense from time to time.

29.1 mpg, 7.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 0.6 spg, 0.4 bpg, 46% fg, 75% ft

SG Tommy Campagna(6-2, 185) -- A sharpshooter from 3-point range and good defender out there as well, Campagna was the unquestioned MVP and best player Lehigh had. This year he was an all-Patriot performer despite having to carry too much of the offense. A JC transfer in 2014, Campagna started all 61 games the past two years. He was also the #3 rebounder this season.

30.1 mpg, 15.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.4 topg, 0.7 spg, 42% fg, 73% ft, 37% 3pt fg

PF Joseph Alvarez(6-8, 233) -- A walk-on transfer from Long Beach State, Alvarez was mister up-and-down. He'd have a breakout double-double once every few games, then disappear. Towards the end of the year Joseph became a little more consistent, but it was still a guessing game to a degree what the team could get from him. He was quite a good athlete, but had a relatively undeveloped game and offensively depended largely on a spot-up game. He was a credible rebounder, second on the team, which was probably his most important asset. At Long Beach he was purely a garbage-timer, so it was definitely a step forward for Alvarez this year.

32.3 mpg, 6.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.6 topg, 0.5 spg, 0.5 bpg, 39% fg, 64% ft, 34% 3pt fg