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SAINTS FALL TO BROCKPORT; SUFFER FIRST LOSS OF SEASON Jan 7: SUNY Brockport handed St. Lawrence its first loss of the seaon Sunday afternoon at Tuttle North Gym in Brockport, NY. The 102-72 loss moves St. Lawrence to 10-1 on the season.
In a game where the Saints never led, St. Lawrence struggled early. The Saints fell to a 12-3 deficit with 15:25 left in the first half. With nine minutes left in the half, the Saints still trailed by fifteen points and took a 52-34 deficit into the half. St. Lawrence shot just 29 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes of the game and turned the ball over 20 times, while Brockport had no turnovers.
The Saints could not shake their first half funk in the second half, falling to a 62-40 deficit with 16:54 left in the game. St. Lawrence did not get closer than 15 points in the second half as Brockport seized the 102-72 victory.
Junior guard Tyler Shaver led the Saints for the second game in a row with 14 points and four rebounds. Senior guard Matt Blue put up 12 points while sophomore Bela Vonnak had 10 points and four rebounds.
The Saints will open their conference season next Friday when they travel to Geneva, NY to face Hobart College. SAINTS DEFEAT OSWEGO 80-76 Jan. 6: St. Lawrence opened its 2007 season with a 80-76 victory over Oswego Saturday night at Max Zeil Gymnasium in Oswego, New York. The Saints were led by junior guard Tyler Shaver who scored 18 points in just 30 minutes.
The Saints got out to a strong start leading 13-6 with 13:36 in the first half. Oswego however, outscored the Saints 27-13 to close out the half to bring the the halftime score to 33-33. The Saints and the Lakers traded baskets in the early minutes of the second half before Oswego went up 45-43 with 15:28 left in the game. St. Lawrence tied the game at 47 when forward Richard Williams scored on a lay-in with 13:11 remaining in the game. The Saints regained the lead, going up 55-50 after back to back lay-ins by forwards Ben Augliano and Williams.
The Lakers tied the game at 64 after a a three point shot by Kyle Reuter. The Saints regained the lead, a 69-66 advantage, with just under four minutes left in the game when Shaver hit two free throws and a three point shot by Tom Wopperer. The Saints fell behind two more times before taking a 77-76 lead off of freshman Josh Sharlow's lay-up with 28 seconds left in the game.
The Lakers were forced to foul and the Saints capitalized at the free throw line.
The Saints put five players in double figures. Behind Shaver's 18 points, Williams scored 17 points while sophomore guard Tom Wopperer scored 13 points going five of nine from the field and three of five from behind the arc. Forward Ben Augliano scored 11 points while sophomore Bela Vonnak had 10.
The Saints will play tomorrow at Brockport. BLUE, WILLIAMS RECEIVE LEAGUE HONORS Dec. 12: Senior guard Matt Blue and sophomore guard Rich Williams were received weekly Liberty League honors for their performances in the Saints win against Potsdam State on Dec. 5, and their weekend sweep of Ithaca College and Alfred University.
Blue was named co-guard of the week as he went 10 of 16 from the field including a seven of 10 three point shooting performance. Blue scored 27 points in the Saints two weekend games and added four assists. In Tuesday's 76-60 win over Potsdam State, Blue added seven points.
Williams was named co-forward of the week. Williams had his best performance of the season in the Saints 76-63 win over Ithaca College on Friday night scoring 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. In the Saints three wins last week, Williams went 16 of 21 from the field, a .762 average, grabbed 24 rebounds and totaled 39 points. He also added 11 blocks in the three games. SAINTS DEFEAT ALFRED 74-65 Dec.9: St. Lawrence wrapped up their fall semester of play with a 74-65 win over Alfred University Saturday afternoon in Burkman Gymnasium. The win moves the Saints to 9-0 on the season.
The Saints shot a red hot 64 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc in the first half and took a 40-23 halftime lead.
Alfred responded in the second half however, opening the half with an 8-0 run to pull within a 40-31 margin. The Saints turned the ball over on their first four possessions of the second half, giving Alfred opportunites to get back in the game. Additionally, sophomore forward Bela Vonnak, who dominated inside the paint in the first half, picked up his fourth foul just two minutes into the second period and was forced to sit.
The Saints got some offensive momentum when sophomore forward Ben Augliano stole the ball, drove the length of the court and threw down a dunk to put the Saints up 44-33 with 15 minutes left in the game. Just three minutes later, senior guard Matt Blue, who continued his lights out shooting going five of seven from the field, added five straight points. Blue took his defender off the dribble, pulled up and nailed a 12-foot jump shot. The Saints forced a turnover on Alfred's next possession and Blue capitalized on the other end, hitting a three pointer to give the Saints some breathing room with less than 12 minutes to play.
Sophomore guard Tom Wopperer, who added eight points and seven rebounds, nailed back-to-back jump shots to extend the Saints lead to 58-43. On the Saints next possession he grabbed an offensive rebound and fed the ball down low to Vonnak, who layed it in with just under seven minutes to play.
The Saints sent the starters to the bench with about six minutes remaining as guards Kevin Himmelwright and Patrick Brady and forward Mike Finn took the floor. After a series of turnovers and fouls by the Saints, the Saxons cut the Saints lead to 69-59 with under a minute to play. Alfred got as close as 70-65, but the Saints held on to seize the win.
"We put some young guys in there and that don't get as much playing time," head coach Chris Downs said. "When they cut it to five, we kept them in there because that is how we learn. I think all those guys out there benefitted from being in that situation."
The Saints will be back in action Jan. 6 when they travel to Oswego to take on Oswego State.
SAINTS DEFEAT ITHACA COLLEGE 76-63 Dec. 8: A 44-30 halftime lead for the Saints did not mean much to the Ithaca Bombers. After getting outrebounded and outscored in the first 20 minutes of play, the Bombers opened the second half with a 18-4 run to crawl back in the game. The Saints responded with a run of their own, sparked by freshman Josh Sharlow and sophomore Rich Williams, the Saints held on to defeat Ithaca 76-63 Friday night at Burkman Gymnasium.
After dominating the first half, the Saints came out of the locker room sluggish while Ithaca played like an energized team. The Bombers outscored the Saints 18-4 in the first seven and a half minutes of the second half to tie the game at 48.
" We came out flat," Downs said. "The defense was atrocious. We just weren't ready to play when we came out of the locker room, and I take responsibility for that."
St. Lawrence however, fought back rattling off an 11-2 run. Sophomore forward Bela Vonnak got a basket in the paint and sophomore forward Rich Williams, who led the Saints with 19 points and 11 rebounds added two free throws. Then, freshman guard Josh Sharlow provided the spark the Saints needed. Off a long rebound, Sharlow took the ball the length of the court and scored on an up-and-under lay-in to put the Saints up 56-50 with 10 and a half minutes to play. On the next possession, Sharlow forced a turnover, giving the Saints the ball back. Junior guard Tyler Shaver nailed a three point shot, putting the Saints up 59-50. Shaver hit a short jump shot on the Saints next possession to complete an 11 points swing in less than three minutes.
"I felt it turn around when we went on the run and forced them to call a timeout," Downs said. "Sharlow came in and made some plays for us when we needed it, and we hit a couple of shot."
After taking the 59-50 lead with nine and a half minutes remaining, the Saints never trailed by less than six points. The Saints' defense held in the final minutes of the game as St. Lawrence went on to outlast Ithaca 76-63 and move to 8-0 on the season.
Williams had his best game of the season for the Saints adding four blocked shots to his 19 point and 11 rebound performance.
" Rich was great for us tonight," Downs said. "He was a big reason why we were able to win the rebounding edge."
The Saints put four players in double figures as sophomore forward Bela Vonnak added 16 points and 13 rebounds. Junior guard Tyler Shaver and senior guard Matt Blue scored 14 and 13 points respectively..
The Saints will take on Alfred University tomorrow at 3 p.m.
SAINTS DEFEAT POTSDAM STATE 76-60 Dec. 5: St. Lawrence remains undefeated entering the final weekend of first semester play after defeating Potsdam State 76-60 on Tuesday night at Jerry Walsh Gymnasium in Potsdam, N.Y. The win moves the Saints to 7-0 on the season.
The Saints dominated the Bears in the paint as sophomore forward Bela Vonnak had his best game of the season scoring 18 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. In addition to Vonnak's double-double, forward Rich Williams added 11 points and five rebounds and forward Ben Augliano added 10 points and six rebounds. The Saints won the battle on the glass, outrebouding the Bears 45-36.
The Saints got trailed only in the first minute and a half of the game when the Bears jumped out to a 4-0 lead. A 9-0 run by the Saints however put them up 9-4. St. Lawrence led by as many as 12 in the first half and took a 39-28 lead into the locker room at the half.
In the second half, St. Lawrence continued to roll as they took a 57-42 lead with ten minutes left in the game. As the Saints substitutes began to trickle in, St. Lawrence did not lighten up, going on to win 76-60.
Potsdam State was led by freshman Anthony Williams Jr. who scored 18 points while junior Devin Taft added 12 points. The Bears move to 2-5 on the season.
St. Lawrence will be back in action this weekend as they take on Ithaca College on Friday night and Alfred on Saturday.
SAINTS OUTLAST RIT 57-54 Dec. 2: Matt Blue caught a pass from Josh Sharlow, stepped behind the three point arc, squared up and fired away.
Swoosh!
The senior guard, whose three point shooting has almost single-handedly kept the Saints in several games this season, sparked the Saints late-game attack in their 57-54 win over RIT Saturday afternoon at Burkman Gymnasium.
Trailing 54-50with three minutes left in a back-and-forth battle against the RIT Tigers, the Saints went to their red hot shooter when they needed some offensive momentum. Blue shot pulled the Saints within one point. On the Saints next possession, sophomore Tom Wopperer sliced through two RIT defenders and layed the ball in, giving the Saints a 55-54 lead with 1:10 remaining.
The game rested in the hands of the Saints defense.
After RIT called a quick timeout, the Tigers missed two shots before their guard Kenny Gethers got a good look inside. Waiting underneath however was Saints forward Rich Williams who swatted the ball away and the Saints took possession with eight seconds left in the game. Junior guard Tyler Shaver put the Saints up by three points after he hit two key free throws, but RIT still had an opportunity to tie the game on their final possession. Gethers' long three point attempt fell short as the Saints held on to seize the 57-54 victory.
"That was a big play especially after we give up two offensive rebounds in a row right before it," Saints head coach Chris Downs said. "For (Williams) to have go and make that block is not the situation that we want to have in the last few seconds of the game, but it was a good play for us."
It was not the Saints best performance of the year but it was perhaps their gutsiest. The Saints got outrebounded 41-36 and turned the ball over five more times than the Tigers. However, everytime it looked like the Saints were going to fall short, someone hit a shot, grabbed an offensive rebound or made a key pass.
'It was ugly offensively," Downs said." But we dug down defensively, we gutted it out with a young team and we were a little gritty."
The Saints had a 21-16 lead with just under eight minutes to play in the first half, but RIT tightened the margin to a 28-26 Saints advantage going into halftime. The Tigers then took a 38-35 lead with 13 minutes left to play in the game before the Saints went ahead 42-40 after freshman guard Andy Hoercher hit a short jump shot. Hoercher, who was three of three from the field Saturday afternoon was a perfect eight of eight shooting on the weekend.
Hoercher's basket marked the start of a offensive drought for the Saints as they scored just three field goals in the next eight minutes. As they trailed 54-50, with no offensive momentum, Blue hit the three pointer that put the Saints back in the game.
"For us to get outrebounded, have to many turnovers and be that stagnant offensively for eight or nine minutes and to pull it out shows that we played with some grit tonight," Downs said.
With the win, the Saints remain an undefeated 6-0. They will travel to Potsdam on Tuesday night to take on Potsdam State.
SAINTS DEFEAT ELMIRA 91-67 Dec. 1: St. Lawrence remains an undefeated 5-0 after cruising to a 91-67 victory over Elmira College Friday night at Burkman Gymnasium. The Saints had five players score in double digits, as they shot 54 percent from the field on the game, including 64 percent in the second half.
The Saints got off to a slow start early in the game, trailing 20-14 with 12 minutes left in the first half. Over the next nine minutes, the Saints went on a 21-5 run to give them a 40-34 halftime lead. Junior guard Tyler Shaver posted 10 first half points, going three of five from the field.
Out of the locker room, Elmira scored five straight to pull within a 42-41 margin. To make matters worse for the Saints, sophomore guard Tom Wopperer was whistled for his fourth foul just a minute into the second half. St. Lawrence however, responded with an 11-5 run that gave them some breathing room midway through the second half. Freshman guard Andy Hoercher provided a spark off the bench, rattling off back to back buckets to put the Saints up 59-49 with 11:53 in the game. Hoercher, a six foot guard, provided the crowd with the highlight of the game when he took a pass in transition from freshman guard Josh Sharlow and threw down a one handed dunk over an Elmira defender.
Wopperer, who continued to play despite foul trouble, had a solid performance for the Saints adding a three pointer and a free throw on the next sequence. The Saints put the game out of reach with about seven minutes left in the second half after senior Matt Blue hit two hree point shots and Wopperer added a lay-up to put the Saints up 79-58 with under five minutes to play.
St. Lawrence dominated Elmira on the boards, taking a 41-24 rebounding advantage. Shaver led the Saints with 17 points, sophomore forward Ben Augliano collected 12 points, while Wopperer, Hoercher and Blue all had 11 points. Wopperer added nine rebounds to lead the Saints.
St. Lawrence will be back in action tomorrow afternoon when they will take on RIT at 4 p.m.
SAINTS TOP PLATTSBURGH 71-59 Nov. 28: Just when it looked like Plattsburgh was going to threaten an 11 point halftime lead by scroing four quick points off Saints turnovers, St. Lawrence got a spark.
The Saints only senior, guard Matt Blue, stepped up for the Saints, piggybacking them back to a double-digit lead. The senior guard went five of six from behind the arc, six of eight from the field and scored a team high 17 points in the Saints 71-59 win over Plattsburgh Tuesday night at Burkman Gymnasium. More importantly however, Blue ignited a run for the Saints when it appeared the Saints had hit a scoring drought.
After Plattsburgh tighted the Saints 40-27 lead to 47-41 with 10:32 left in the game, Blue nailed a three pointer to put St. Lawrence up 50-41. That shot ignited a 20-7 run that sealed the victory for the Saints. After back to back layups by sophomore guard Tom Wopperer and freshman guard Josh Sharlow extended the Saints margin to 54-43, the Saints rattled off three consecutive three point shots. Blue nailed one from deep, followed by Wopperer and then Sharlow. The three point frenzy put the Saints ahead 63-46. Another score by Sharlow and a couple of free throws by Bela Vonnak capped off the Saints run.
Head coach Chris Downs said Blue came through when the Saints needed him the most.
"Matt Blue just put us on his back tonight," Downs said. "We were really struggling to score there for a few minutes and then he comes out and hits a big three and the momentum totally moves in our favor."
The Saints red-hot shooting started in the first half as they went 8-16 from the field in the first 20 minutes. Junior guard Tyler Shaver hit four from behind the arc and scored 16 first half points. Blue went two of three from three point land as the Saints added 25 to 19 rebounding advantage that helped them grab a 38-27 halftime lead. The Saints extended that lead to 40-27 with Blue's first three pointer of the game, but Plattsburgh scored four straight to cut the Saints lead to seven. After trading baskets for a few minutes, St. Lawrence turned the ball over on back to back possessions as Plattsburgh capitalized on the Saints mishaps scoring four straight.
Enter Matt Blue.
That is when the senior guard hit a key three point shot that ignited the Saints 20-7 run. Blue had help from forwards Ben Augliano, Richard Williams and Bela Vonnak who combined to pull down 26 rebounds.
Downs said the three players might not receive a great deal of recognition for the victory, but the rebounding edge was a key to the Saints win. "Those guys gave us solid performance on the glass," Downs said. "They got a lot of good boards for us and were able to get us some shots."
Augliano struggled to score, however pulled down eight rebounds, while Vonnak put up eight points and eight rebounds. Williams led the team with 10 rebounds and added eight points. Shaver, who had put on a shooting clinic in the first half was the Saints second leading scorer with 16, all of which came in the first 20 minutes.
With the win, the Saints remain undefeated at 4-0. St. Lawrence will take on Elmira on Friday at 7 p.m.
TWO SAINTS RECEIVE WEEKLY ALL-LEAGUE HONORS Nov. 27: Senior guard Matt Blue and freshman guard Josh Sharlow were reconized by the LIberty League for their outstanding performances in the Saints 80-64 victory over Middlebury on Nov. 21. Blue, who scored 13 points in 22 minutes of action, was named Liberty League Co-Guard of the Week. Blue continued his red-hot shooting for the Saints going 3-5 from the field, including 2-3 from behind the arc. Down by six with just under 10 minutes remaining in the second half, the Saints used a 25-4 run to outlast Middlebury.His tenacious defense helped contain the Panthers during the Saints late run.
Sharlow was named Co-Rookie of the Week for his key contributions to the Saints run. Coming off the bench, Sharlow led the Saints down the stretch. Sharlow had 10 points in the Saints run and 13 points in just 12 minutes of play.
SAINTS DEFEAT MIDDLEBURY; MOVE TO 3-0 Nov. 21: A convincing 25-4 run catapulted the Saints to a 80-64 win over Middlebury Tuesday night at Burkman Gymnasium. The win moves the Saints to 3-0 while Middlebury falls to 1-2.
Led by freshman guard Josh Sharlow, who had 10 points in the Saints run, St. Lawrence rattled off 15 unanswered points. Trailing 57-51 with just under 10 minutes left in the second half, junior guard Tyler Shaver ignited the 15 point swing with a fast break lay-up that tightened the Panthers margin to 57-53. The Saints took a 68-57 lead before the Panthers resonded with a free throw and a lay-in, making the score 68-60. The Saints put eight more points on the board, stretching their lead to a 76-61, a margin Middlebury could not overcome.
The Saints, who got heavily outrebounded in the first half, 21 to 13, made up for it in the second half hitting the glass and outrebouding the Panthers in the second half 25 to 12. Head coach Chris Downs said the Saints second half rebounding was the key to his team's success down the stretch.
"We just started rebounding," Downs said. "I thought our guys showed some grit when they fell behind in the second half and they hit the glass hard and that was the difference."
Rebounding and they play of Josh Sharlow that is.
Downs said Sharlow played smart, mistake-free basketball when the Saints needed it the most.
"He was tremendous tonight," Downs said. "If you look at the stats, he was just out there making good things happen for us."
The Saints trailed 34-30 at halftime as they could not find their rhythm offensively and were significantly outrebounded. Out of the locker room, the Saints struggles continued early in the second half at Middlebury went on an 8-2 run before the momentum swung in the Saints direction. The Saints evened the score at 48 with just under 14 minutes left to play after senior guard Matt Blue rattled off five straight points. Middlebury pulled ahead to their largest lead of the half, a 57-51 advantage with just under 10 minutes left in the game. That is when the Saints took over the glass, and the game, using their 25-4 run to seal the game.
Sophomore guard Tom Wopperer, Blue and Sharlow all paced the Saints with 13 points each while sophomore guard Bela Vonnak led the Saints on the glass with 11 rebounds.
Evan Thompson led the Panthers with 14 points while Mike Walsh posted 11.
The Saints will take on Plattsburgh at 8 p.m. Nov. 28 at Burkman Gymnasium.
SAINTS DOWN OBERLIN; VONNAK AND BLUE NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM Nov. 18: The Saints opened the 2006-07 season with a bang, grabbing two victories at the Brockport Classic. Behind a stingy defensive performance and lights out shooting by senior guard Matt Blue, the Saints defeated Oberlin 80-60 on Saturday in Brockport, NY, The Saints move to 2-0 on the season.
As the team's leading scorer, Blue led the Saints backcourt with 17 points and three assists. Blue went six for nine from the field, including a red hot five for eight from behind the arc.
Sophomore Bela Vonnak led the Saints frontcourt tallying 15 points and eight rebounds. Vonnak and Blue were both named to the All-Tournament team. Sophomore Tom Wopperer and junior Tyler Shaver also collected double digit figures for the Saints. Wopperer put up 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists while Shaver collected 12 points and three assists.
Perhaps the most impressive part of the Saints convincing victory was their defense. St. Lawrence held Oberlin to just 34 percent from the field as they had just three players score in double digits. Head coach Chris Downs said he was surprisingly pleased with the teams defensive effort because defense has been the team's weakness in practice and scrimmages.
"I thought our guys went out there and guarded better than they have all season," Downs said. "That was the big thing that I was worried about going into this weekend, and we still have a long ways to go, but I thought it was good to see them play hard and show some improvement."
The Saints will open their home season against Middlebury at 6 p.m. next at Burkman Gymnasium.
WOPPERER AND VONNAK LEAD SAINTS TO VICTORY IN SEASON OPENER Nov. 17: The St. Lawrence University men's basketball team got their 2006-07 season off to a solid start on Friday night, earning a 79-72 victory over Pitt-Bradford at the Brockport State Classic.
The Saints (1-0, 0-0) shot 61% from the floor in the second half to overcome a two-point halftime deficit to the Panthers. However, the game was still very much in question in the final minute of play.
The Panthers had a chance to take the lead with 40 seconds remaining, but missed a close-range jump shot. The Saints grabbed the rebound, and on the ensuing possession, knocked down a critical three pointer to give them a 75-72 cushion. Pitt-Bradford was unable to convert on their next possession, forcing them to foul and send St. Lawrence to the free throw line, where the Scarlet and Brown were clutch down the stretch.
Leading the way for the Saints were sophomores Tom Wopperer and Bela Vonnak. Wopperer was 7-10 from the field including 4-of-6 from behind the arc for 20 points and 3 rebounds. Vonnak, last year's Liberty League Rookie of the Year, was also sharp in the season opener, totaling 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and one steal.
The Saints starters did most of the damage, as senior Matt Blue (11 points), junior Tyler Shaver (13 points), and sophomore Ben Augliano (7 points) combined with Wopperer and Vonnak for the majority of the Saints offense. However, first year student Andy Hoercher added a nice spark off the bench, scoring 11 points and grabbing 3 boards in his first collegiate game.
St. Lawrence will look to pick up its second win of the season tomorrow at the Brockport Classic against Oberlin. Tip-off is set for 2:00pm.
YOUNG, ATHLETIC SAINTS READY FOR 2006-07 SEASON Nov. 10: St. Lawrence coach Chris Downs believes the Saints might have the Liberty League’s best backcourt, including guards coming off the bench.
Inexperience is Downs' only concern with his guards. He is thrilled about their talent.
Eleven of the 14 players on the Saints roster are underclassmen and the Saints have only one senior on the team, Matt Blue, a five foot six point guard from Bellingham, Mass.
Blue, known to his teammates as “the sniper” because of his ability to shoot the ball from behind the arc, has been mostly an outside threat during his career with the Saints, shooting 50 percent from downtown last season. Prior to this year, Blue has not been asked to step into the leadership role
That is about to change.
Downs said Blue needs to assume that role quickly. With so many young players, especially in the back-court, the Saints will need Blue’s experience and direction to take over the game when the youngsters struggle.
Downs is confident that Blue can meet that challenge; just like he is confident that he will get steady production from four of the five positions on the court.
He knows what guards Tom Wopperer and Tyler Shaver are going to give him at guard. He has high expectations for Bela Vonnak, who averaged 13 points and 7 rebounds a game last season as the Liberty League Rookie of the year. Downs is even certain that Ben Augliano and Rich Williams will provide the Saints with consistent play at the four position.
Now if he could figure out his point guard situation.
The 2006 graduation of Jimmy White vacated the spot for the Saints, leaving three freshmen to compete for the starting point guard position. At six foot one, 160 pounds, freshman Andy Hoercher is the most likely candidate to take the reins early in the season. The Saints spent two years recruiting Hoercher, a 2005 graduate of Auburn High School who spent a post-graduate year at Hotchkiss School. Although he may lack experience, Downs said Hoercher is strong with the ball.
“He is an athletic kid, he has the ball on a string and he can shoot it well,” Downs said.
Very similar to Hoercher, is Josh Sharlow, a 21 year-old freshman who has spent the last few years in the work force. At five foot 10, Sharlow is slightly shorter than Hoercher, but possesses the same ball-handling skills and shooting ability.
Patrick Brady, an All-Western New York high school player, is a true point guard. At five foot 11 and 185 pounds, Downs said Brady is the most court-savvy of the three.
“As far as understanding what we want to do, he knows where people are supposed to be and he knows the plays,” Downs said.
Regardless of who earns the starting position, all three will contribute to the ball-handling duties for the Saints. The question is, will they develop early enough to make an immediate impact on the season?
“They don’t have a grip yet on what we are trying to do,” Downs said. “How quickly they are able to progress coupled with the development of Auglino and Williams at the four position will be key for us.”
With the way Downs wants to play this season, quick off the break and heavy on the motion offense, he will need his point guard to push the ball up the court, reverse it in the half-court offense and most importantly, limit turnovers. With their athleticism and quickness, the Saints have the ability to play some longer, more athletic line-ups; however, they also have the capabilities to run a half-court system. Downs thinks the Saints will be most effective when they push the ball up the court.
“Let’s just say the clock isn’t going to get down to zero unless we do something really wrong,” he added.
Downs would like to have a core rotation of about nine players.
Included in the group will be the three freshmen at the point, Wopperer, Shaver and Blue at guard, Augliano and Williams on the wings and Vonnak in the paint.
Boom- there’s your nine man rotation.
On paper, it appears to be a solid line-up.
Wopperer, who averaged 11 points a game last season, spent the summer playing on the Central Empire Team and hit the weight room, adding 15 pounds of muscle. Downs said Whopperer’s understanding of the Saints offense and his competitiveness make him one of the strongest players on the team.
“He is probably the best competitor on the team,” Downs said. “That is one of his best attributes; he just wants to win at everything he does.
Shaver will join Blue as one of the Saints leaders. A gritty, hard-nosed guard, Shaver is the Saints leading scorer from a year ago averaging 13.5 points a contest.
Then there is Augliano and Williams, who Downs said will split time at the four position. Offensively, they will play away from the basket, but defensively, both are long, athletic and good rebounders and shot blockers.
Downs is straightforward about what he needs from the four position this season.
“Together, we need those two guys to get us 15 (points) and 10 (rebounds),” Downs said.
Vonnak, the Saints second leading scorer last season averaging almost 13 points a game, came into the season in better shape than he played in last season. Downs said Vonnak shed some pounds, added muscle and has improved his low-post footwork.
In addition to youth, defense is a facet of the game that concerns Downs profoundly.
“We can’t guard anybody right now,” Downs said. “We need to improve on defense tremendously.”
The Saints will primarily play man-to-man, but because of their athleticism, Downs said they might play a few more possessions of zone than last season. He also said they would like to add a full-court press as the season progresses.
The Saints will open up their 2006 campaign Nov. 17 and 18 at the Brockport Classic. They will play seven more games in the first semester before they take a mandatory week off for finals and another week off for Christmas break.
The Saints will have two weeks, and two games, to regroup after the break before they open up conference play at Hobart on Jan. 12.
Downs said the Saints would like to play solid ball while improving during the first semester games and be playing well by conference play.
“By January 12, I think we should be playing at a high level,” Downs said. “I want to be in position where we can still improve, but we need to be playing well by the time we get into conference play.”
SAINTS ORGANIZE CHARITY FACULTY/STUDENT GAME Oct. 8: The St. Lawrence men's basketball organized the second annual faculty/student basketball game Oct. 4 to benefit the United Way. The event drew a large crowd of people who came out to watch their favorite staff members play against the student team .
A fan favorite, Vice President and academic dean Grant Cornwall, led the facutly team to a victory. The 47-45 win was the second straight for the faculty. The students had a chance to win with just seconds left on the clock, but senior Matt Lickfeld's jump shot missed wide left.
Another highlight of the game was the officiating. President Dan Sullivan and head men's basketball coach Chris Downs controlled the whistle for the event.
The men's team did their part by providing gym set-up, security, score clock operators, announcers and coaches for both teams.
The Saints will kick-off their season Sunday, Oct. 15 with their first practice of the 2006-07 season.
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Head Coach
Assistant Coach Keith Sullivan 315-229-5361 Email:
Volunteer Coach
Sports Information Miranda Lenning Phone: 315-229-5566
Conference
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