Lehigh vs. UAlbany

[UA_MA_2000]

Lehigh, according to its website, is off to a better-than-usual start at 2-1. Their roster lists two players at 7'0" and one at 6'10". What do we know about their squad (no pre-game stories available as of this morning)?

[Clickclack]

Just of the top of my head....they are a very young team. Nine of their players are either freshmen or sophomores, so they are very young.

[UA_MA_2000]

Exploring what information is available as to Lehigh, CollegeHoops.net has them checking in at #237 for pre-season.

 

http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/preview/2007/top275.htm

 

 

Apparently, they also finished tied for third last year at 7-7 in the conference and 12-19 overall. It appears as though Bucknell and Holy Cross are the favorites for this season, with Lehigh leading the way for the second tier of teams in the Patriot League. See http://basketballpredictions.blogspot.com/...ences-part.html

[UA_MA_2000]

Lehigh has a new head coach this year (first year of head coaching). Here's another excerpt that I found:

 

"Perhaps the most intriguing team in the league will be the Lehigh Mountain Hawks after installing Brett Reed as the new head coach following the departure of Billy Taylor who made the move to Ball State. Although he may have been overwhelmed initially by his ascension to the top spot, it should have been expected after being an assistant with Lehigh for five seasons and serving as associate head coach last year." http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c.../AEN4110315.htm

 

That source predicts Lehigh to finish 5th in the Patriot League this year. Here's the preseason blurb on Lehigh from SportsNetwork.Com:

 

LEHIGH: More than the players on the court, the success of the Mountain Hawks lies in new head coach Brett Reed. For any head coach, their first foray into being the top man with a Division I program is always a daunting one, but Reed sounds as though he's going to need some additional time to get used to the system and for the system to get used to him and his staff. Having four returning starters should ease the burden a bit, even with Bryan White being the lone senior on the roster. Excited by the enthusiasm and work ethic that his youthful teammates have been bringing to practice heading into the season, White is optimistic about what the future holds for him and the Mountain Hawks. In 2006-07 White made sure to focus on hitting the boards, resulting in a team- high 6.3 rpg, but now he'll have to do better than his 5.7 ppg. Additionally, White can't afford to be a significant part of the offense and still average less than one assist per outing. The 2006-07 Patriot League Freshman of the Year, Marquis Hall (10.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 133 assists) will again be the main target for much of the offense for the Mountain Hawks and being named to the preseason all-conference team means everyone else in the league knows it as well. With defenses knowing that the ball will have to circulate through him at some point in offensive sets, Hall will need to get a player like sophomore forward Zahir Carrington (5.4 ppg) into the mix, as well as junior forward Phil Anderson (5.1 ppg) who is one of the taller and more experienced players on the squad. Junior center John Gourlay could be sitting on the bench more than he would like again this season unless he gives Lehigh a defensive presence in the middle. Last year the seven-footer played a total of 150 minutes and failed to register even one blocked shot by accident.

 

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c.../AEN4110315.htm

[UA_MA_2000]

From the Associated Press, in pertinent part:

 

"Lehigh will launch its first season under Brett Reed, who expects the Mountain Hawks to reach their peak about the time league play begins in earnest in January."

 

Ginsburg, David. Holy Cross picked as champions in wide-open Patriot League, at

http://www.examiner.com/a-996893~Holy_Cros...iot_League.html (Oct. 18, 2007) (last visited Nov. 19, 2007).

[UA_MA_2000]

2007-08 Patriot League Men's Basketball Preseason Poll and Award Winners Announced

Holy Cross Earns Preseason Nod; Clifford Named Preseason Player of the Year :

 

"Lehigh (12-19, 7-7) is under the direction of first-year Head Coach Brett Reed. The Mountain Hawks finished 7-7 in League play a year ago, and have reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year Hall back in the fold. Hall averaged 10.9 ppg and 4.3 apg in his freshman campaign."

 

http://patriotleague.cstv.com/sports/m-bas.../101807aac.html

 

 

The article quoted above further sets forth the Patriot League pre-season poll, revealing that Lehigh is picked to finish 4th this year (56 voting points, as compared to first-place nominee Holy Cross, with 10 first-place votes and 91 voting points). Bucknell received 5 first-place votes, and Colgate received 1 first-place vote (I'm not sure how the first-place votes are scored).

 

According to the article, the player to watch out for appears to be sophmore guard Marquis Hall, who was selected to the Patriot Preseason All-League Team.

[UA_MA_2000]

New Coach and Enthusiasm At Lehigh

By Alexander Pyles - October 18, 2007

 

 

BALTIMORE, Md. -- After being an assistant coach at Lehigh University since 2002, Brett Reed has finally been given the opportunity to take the reigns, but its been a whirlwind experience for him.

 

Reed said that he had trouble sleeping at night because of his excitement in taking over the team, but now things are starting to slow down for him. Still, Reed realizes that he has a lot of work ahead of him with 9-of-13 players on his roster being either freshmen or sophomores.

 

Despite his team's youth, Reed still feels good about his team, and the preseason poll placed Lehigh in the middle of the pack in the Patriot League.

 

"We're starting to formulate this team," Reed said.

 

 

http://slog.cstv.com/hangtime/2007/10/new_...at_le.html#more

[UA_MA_2000]

Hall is Hawks' court maestro.

Lehigh Basketball. Sophomore guard was Rookie of the Year. Saturday, November 03, 2007

By PAUL SOKOLOSKI

The Express-Times

 

BETHLEHEM | During his first college season, Marquis Hall ran into more power and speed than he'd ever seen before on a basketball court.

 

That didn't stop him from finding ways to defeat it.

 

"It was an adjustment," said Hall, Lehigh University's super-smooth sophomore guard during Thursday's Basketball Media Day at Lehigh. "It's a lot more powerful; guys are a lot faster. It's definitely a different level of basketball."

 

That's the message Hall will pass on to a Mountain Hawks team that will lean heavily on youth and be short on starting experience when the season opens Nov. 10 at Cornell.

 

Meanwhile, Lehigh's women's team will add a shot of experience to a team that's expected to be deep with depth.

 

Starting guards Claire Sullivan and Tricia Smith, who were both sidelined with torn ACLs last season, return to lead a rotation of six quality players at the guard spot and give the Mountain Hawks an exciting, up-tempo look.

 

"We are definitely going to be an aggressive, up-tempo style on our offensive and defensive end," said Lehigh women's coach Sue Troyan, whose team is coming off an 11-19 season and opens Nov. 10 at Stabler Arena against St. Joseph's. "Our depth will allow us to do more things."

 

That's the way new men's coach Brett Reed likes to play. A Lehigh assistant since 2002, he replaces his former boss, Billy Taylor, who left to coach Ball State. The Hawks were 12-19 last winter.

 

"My expectation is to put ourselves in position to win each and every game," Hall said.

 

Hall should help with that. He was elected a tri-captain after averaging 10.9 points, pulling down 109 rebounds and making 45 steals in becoming the first Lehigh player to win the Patriot League's Rookie of the Year award.

 

"Consummate team player," Reed called Hall. "He takes great pleasure in making players around him better."

 

Some of those players include returning forward Bryan White, 7-foot center John Gourlay and freshmen guards Prentice Small, Rob Keefer, Michael Ojo and Emmaus' Brian Hunter -- last season's Lehigh Valley Conference Player of the Year.

 

"We're looking to win games," Hall said. "I feel like we have a good group of guys who will be able to do that."

 

The returns of Sullivan and Smith have the Mountain Hawks women thinking Patriot League championship after reaching last year's tournament semifinals.

 

"That's what we're working for every day," Sullivan said, "anything less than that would be viewed as a disappointment."

 

http://www.nj.com/sports/expresstimes/inde....xml&coll=2

[UA_MA_2000]

. . . and from SI.Com and its 2007 Patriot League Preview, available at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketbal...atr.html#holycr

 

"Point guard Marquis Hall, the league's Rookie of the Year last season, will be the focal point of an offense that must compensate for the losses of Jose Olivero, the fifth-leading scorer in team history, and Jason Mgebroff, the Mountain Hawks' top post player. Look for Lehigh to feature a more balanced attack than in years past, with forwards Bryan White, Philip Anderson and Zahir Carrington, guard Matt Szalachowski and center John Gourlay each making major contributions. As always, however, this team will rely most heavily on its defense and rebounding to win games."

[albanyhoops31]

I'm only about 25-30 minutes from Lehigh's campus..nice area. lol.

[UA_MA_2000]

I'm only about 25-30 minutes from Lehigh's campus..nice area. lol.

 

Why "lol"? I've been known to miss digital sarcasm, so that's the only reason I ask ...

[UA_MA_2000]

How about a roll call for the Lehigh game? Anyone --- from the cohort of persons who usually go to our home contests --- not going tomorrow? Any insight into tickets that remain for the Lehigh game? I hope we can get some students there before they all disappear for Turkey-Day break.

[GreatDanes06]

tickets should be easy to get. student attendance will be small since classes are suspended for wednesday and the dorms close at noon on wednesday also. most students will start leaving tmrw afternoon.

[UA_MA_2000]

Per the Times Union:

 

 

UAlbany-Lehigh preview

November 19, 2007 at 4:17 pm by Mark Singelais, Staff writer

The Great Danes go for their third straight victory against Lehigh Tuesday at 7 in SEFCU Arena.

 

Lehigh, picked to finish fourth in the Patriot League preseason poll, is also off to a 2-1 start. The Mountain Hawks lost their opener to Ivy League favorite Cornell before beating St. Peter’s and St. Francis.

 

Here are tonight’s probable starting lineups:

 

UAlbany (2-1): Jr. F Brian Connelly, 6-8 (7.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg); Sr. F Brent Wilson, 6-8 (7.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg); Jr. C Jimmie Covington, 6-7 (1.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg); Sr. G Brian Lillis, 6-5 (12.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg); Jr. G Jerel Hastings, 6-5 (5.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg).

Lehigh (2-1): So. F Zahir Carrington, 6-7 (8.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg); Sr. F Bryan White, 6-6 (10.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg); So. G Marquis Hall, 5-11 (18.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg); Fr. G Rob Keefer, 6-3 (8.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg); Jr. G Matt Szalachowski, 6-2 (9.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg).

 

Hall won the Patriot Rookie of the Year Award last season and was chosen preseason all-conference.

 

“Marquis Hall’s a good player,” UAlbany coach Will Brown said. “Very aggressive offensively. He tries to get you on your heels. He puts pressure on you at all times. He shoots the 3, gets to the rim. As Marquis Hall goes, Lehigh goes. He’s a talented guard.”

 

The task of guarding Hall falls on either Lillis or Hastings, who each have a six-inch height advantage.

 

Besides Hall, Brown said UAlbany has to be concerned about Lehigh’s 3-point shooting. The Mountain Hawks have made 39 percent (15 of 38) from behind the arc. On the other hand, Lehigh is allowing opponents to shoot a blistering 49 percent (28 of 57) from 3-point range.

 

Lehigh is also a good offensive rebounding team, grabbing 37 in their first three games.

 

Brown preached improvement even though the Danes are coming off a 32-point win over Columbia in their home opener on Saturday night.

 

“I think the big thing for us is to continue to get better,” Brown said. “We played very poorly offensively in our first two games and did a much better job against Columbia. They’re starting to figure it out defensively and on the glass. The good thing about this team is it’s going to continue to get better and there’s a lot of room for improvement. At the end of the year, it has a chance to be a very good basketball team, especially depth-wise.”

 

Brown said he hopes to continue to see offensive balance, although he’d like to get more from senior guard Jon Iati and senior forward Brent Wilson, both coming back from offseason surgery.

 

“The big thing is we’ve got to get Brent Wilson and Jon Iati on track,” Brown said. “They’re still struggling shooting the ball and getting their conditioning level to where we need it to be … Once those two guys get a little more in sync offensively, this team has a chance to be a good offensive team.”

 

Iati and Wilson are shooting a combined 19 of 52 (36.5 percent) from the field, including 9 of 37 (24.3 percent) from 3-point range.

 

To stress better ball movement, the UAlbany coaching staff in recent practices wouldn’t allow anyone to shoot until at least 15 passes were made. That was reflected in the lack of selfishness against Columbia.

 

“We reversed the ball, we moved the ball and we punished the defense every day in practice,” Brown said. “That’s what we did against Columbia. If we come out today in practice and take quick shots and bad shots, we’ll tuck the ball under our arm and we’ll make 20 passes before we can shoot. It might not be the prettiest way to play, but all we’re concerned about right now is winning games. We can be a very frustrating team for people to play against if we’re patient offensively.”

[Clickclack]

I'm there!