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LOCATION: Lewisburg, PA
CONFERENCE: Patriot League
LAST SEASON: 16-13 (.552)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 9-3 (t-2nd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Bison
COLORS: Orange & Blue
HOMECOURT: Davis Gym (2,300)
COACH: Pat Flannery (Bucknell '80)
record at school 77-64 (5 years)
career record 77-64 (5 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Terry Conrad (Bloomsburg '83)
Carl Danzig (Baker '87)
Don Friday (Lebanon Valley '90)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 13-17-18-13-16
RPI (last 5 years) 206-202-193-219-201
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference final.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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They must have had one heck of a New Year's Eve party in Lewisburg. How else to explain the dual realities of Bucknell's 1998-99 season? The '98 part of the season saw the Bison stumble to a 3-9 record, losing to the likes of Cornell, Florida International and Drake. One of the three victories was over non-Division I Scranton, hardly the most challenging opponent. In a Dec. 9 loss at Princeton, Bucknell managed the nearly impossible feat of scoring just 27 points. But something happened once the calendar turned. Pat Flannery's team suddenly rediscovered how to play basketball, and Bucknell rattled off 13 victories in 17 games. In streaking to a 9-3 Patriot League record, the team shot and defended substantially better in conference games. The Bison hit .462 from the field in the league, compared to .440 overall, and held Patriot opponents to .369 shooting, compared to .387 overall. Bolstered by a fine performance by All-League first-team pick Dan Bowen, Bucknell ended the regular season in a second-place tie in the Patriot. It destroyed Holy Cross in the conference tournament quarterfinal and edged Lehigh in the semifinal before falling to Lafayette, for the second time in 12 days, by a mere four points. This marked the second time during Flannery's five-year run as Bucknell's head coach that he had to watch another team mug for the ESPN cameras on its way past the Bison into the NCAA Tournament. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Bucknell's season was the way the team bounced back from what everyone involved with the program considered a disappointing year in 1997-98. The underachieving Bison of that season was a sub-.500 squad that seemed to play below its abilities.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT B INTANGIBLES B
If there were a magic wand that Pat Flannery could wave to push his team over the top, you can bet he would keep it safe and sound in his back pocket and pull it out toward the end of the season. Finishing has been Bucknell's problem, after all. For most of the last several seasons, the Bison have been right there in the Patriot League, winning most of their conference games, earning lots of guys individual honors and serving as some other team's final stop before the NCAA Tournament. To try to find the right combination, Flannery has imported six newcomers, giving him 17 players who will be eligible for varsity action. "We are extremely pleased with this year's incoming freshmen," he said. "Several of these players will have an impact this season." Dan Bowen and Valter Karavanic are automatic contributors, and Dyrika Cameron, Jake Ramage and Brian Muckle are proven veterans. But no one has emerged as the clear candidate at the point, and that could be quite problematic. We look for a near-repeat of 1998-99. The Bison are poised for another successful Patriot season. They are deep and experienced, with a versatile group of players. However, they look to be just shy of that championship blend. |
But Flannery, who has quietly molded Bucknell into a consistently competitive program, guided the team back into contention, and should have them on the Patriot League doorstep again this year. The Bison are experienced and deep, and after last season, they should be mighty hungry as well. All the better, said Flannery. "The league continues to attract better and better players," he said. "From top to bottom, this will be as strong a year as has been seen in the Patriot League." Anchored by Bowen (10.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg), the Bison frontcourt looks rock-solid. The 6-9 senior center, a former Patriot All-Rookie player, has continued to improve during his time in Lewisburg. He led Bucknell in rebounding and blocked shots (32, fourth best in the conference), and also had 56 assists and 28 steals, decent totals for a big man. Joining Bowen up front is 6-7 senior forward Valter Karavanic (11.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg), the team's leading scorer and a second-team All-Patriot League selection. Flannery challenged Karavanic to step up his offensive game a season ago, and he responded. Like Bowen, he showed nice skills, notching 62 assists and a team-high 39 steals. Karavanic can play both forward positions and shoots the ball well, hitting for .471 from the floor, .364 from the three-point line and .759 on free throws. Defensive stopper Martin Gilliard was one of two graduation losses from the starting lineup, and he chipped in 8.4 points per game that must be replaced in the frontcourt. Several players will compete for the slot, though the inside track may belong to 6-6 senior Dyrika Cameron (5.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg), a nine-game starter who shows intensity at both ends of the floor. Cameron's game is an interior one, and he takes the ball to the basket effectively, converting 43 percent from the floor and 77 percent from the line. Others in the mix at small forward are 6-5 sophomore Peter Santos, 6-5 freshman Jordan Hardenbergh, and two senior swingmen, 6-4 Shaun Asbury and 6-6 Brian Muckle. Santos (1.4 ppg, 0.7 rpg) appeared in 26 games as a freshman. He is an athletic leaper, but a broken leg sustained in the off-season may limit his contributions this year. Hardenbergh (Bishop Ireton HS/Herndon, Va.) enjoyed a decent senior year, averaging 11.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists. The valuable Muckle (5.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg) was Bucknell's Everyman a season ago, starting 25 games and appearing in all 29 at three positions both guard slots and small forward. His versatility is evidenced by 63 assists, 34 steals and 23 blocks. Somehow or other, Flannery will find a way to get him lots of time. Asbury (1.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg) played in 15 games and saw most of his action, once again, at the junior varsity level, where he led the team with 18.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Backing up Cameron at power forward will be three inexperienced players. Brian Werner (Chaminade HS/Rockville Centre, N.Y.) and Boakai Lalugba (Bishop Francis Essex Catholic/East Orange, N.J.) are freshmen, while 6-6 sophomore Brad Webb is a former walk-on who played in only six games a season ago. The 6-8 Werner was a heavily recruited scholastic player who averaged 25.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a senior, while the 6-6 Lalugba likewise notched a year-long double-double at 17.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game. Webb scored just four points and grabbed two rebounds as a freshman. Bucknell's other graduating starter was at point guard, where Willie Callahan contributed 8.3 points per game and 36 steals, though he did not take particular care of the ball. Flannery was able to get some decent minutes at the point out of walk-on Bryan Bailey (1.8 ppg, 0.5 rpg), a 6-0 sophomore who appeared in 23 games as a freshman. Bailey may be the man to beat at this spot. Attempting to beat him out will be 6-1 junior Nyambi Nyambi (0.1 ppg, 0.2 rpg) and two freshmen, 5-9 Chris Zimmerman (Shamokin HS/Shamokin, Pa.) and 6-2 Dan Blankenship (Wheeling Park HS/Moundsville, W.Va.). Nyambi saw very limited action in only 15 games, though he displayed quickness and capable ballhandling skills with the junior varsity team. Zimmerman had impressive numbers in high school, averaging 19.4 points 10.0 assists, while Blankenship averaged 13.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists while playing both guard positions. Point guard, said Flannery, "has always been a critical spot in our system. This year, it will be magnified due to the youth we have at the point. However, the returning veterans will make this an easy transition for whoever emerges." At the shooting-guard slot, Muckle will get his share of starts. In addition, he looks to be the Bison's defensive stopper with Gilliard's loss. Also likely to see lots of time is 6-4 junior Jake Ramage (11.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg), Bucknell's second-leading scorer and its top three-point shooter. The hard-nosed Ramage started 13 games last season. Asbury also will be in the mix at shooting guard, as will 6-0 junior Mike Seek (0.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg), a walk-on who played five games.
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