11/28/2001 - Men's Basketball
Mids Search For A Win In The Carolinas
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Road Warriors
After a brief two-game home stand last week against Air Force (W, 71-53) and Ohio (L, 80-74), Navy returns to the road for a pair of contests. The Midshipmen travel through the Carolinas over the next few days, playing The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., Thursday at 7:15 p.m., and conclude the trip at Davidson Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. tip.
The Mids, who opened the season N16-18 at Rice (L, 75-72) and SMU (L, 81-64), play seven of their first-10 contests on the road, including four of the first six.
Upon its return, Navy will take two weeks off for exams before meeting Gettysburg at home to prepare for the three-game Yahoo! Sports Invitational in Laie, Hawai'i, D20-22.
From Road Warriors To Road Woes
Over the last four years (including the current season), the Mids have posted a sluggish 21-19 (.525) record on the road versus a 39-8 (.830) mark at home. Last season, Navy recorded an 8-9 record in games played away from Alumni Hall. The Mids are 0-2 on the road this season.
Year Home Road Neutral
1998-99 12-2 6-4 1-1
1999-00 15-2 7-4 1-0
2000-01 11-3 8-9 0-0
2001-02 1-1 0-2 0-0
Total 39-8 21-19 2-1
Recapping Ohio
Navy is coming off a heartbreaking 80-74 loss to Ohio Monday night in Annapolis. The Mids held the lead for nearly the entire game before the Bobcats wore down Navy in the paint, both on the boards and in the scoring column. Ohio also earned 22 second-chance points, while Navy tallied 13.
Francis Ebong scored a career-high 19 points, hitting eight of his nine field goal attempts. He grabbed a team-high tying six boards and added four assists, one block and an assist. Senior swing man Jehiel Lewis scored three triples en route to a season-high 16-point performance. Meanwhile, sophomore Jeff Charles had an all-around effort with seven points, six boards, two assists, three blocks and a steal.
The Countdown Begins, DeVoe Just 10 Wins Away From 500
The countdown has begun, as Navy head coach Don DeVoe is just 10 wins shy of 500. With an 18-point triumph over Air Force last Saturday, DeVoe claimed his 490th-career victory, and ranks 61st on the NCAA's all-time win list. He is just four wins behind retired coaches Jack Friel, Calvin Luther and Everett Shelton in 58th. Meanwhile, DeVoe chases active head coaches Nolan Richardson (Arkansas) and Rollie Massimino (Cleveland State) who have 497 and 496 wins apiece, respectively.
A Familiar Name In Ebong
Davidson is certainly familiar with the name Ebong. Ben Ebong, the eldest brother of Navy junior center Francis Ebong, was a standout for the Wildcats from 1996-99. Ben led Davidson to the NCAA Tournament in 1998 and was named the Southern Conference Tournament MVP that same season. He scored 20 points and grabbed eight boards against the Mids his senior year in a losing Wildcat effort.
The 70-Point Barrier
Since the 1994-95 season, Navy is 84-13 (.866) when it scores at least 70 points in a game and 29-46 (.347) when it doesn't score 70-plus points in a contest. Last season, it was 18-3 when it eclipsed the 70-point barrier. Navy is 1-2 this season when hitting that marker.
Nonleague Ledger
Navy, who posted back-to-back double-digit win marks in nonconference games in 1998-99 and 1999-2000, was two wins shy last season (8-8) of making it three years in a row.
Navy has posted a 66-63 (.512) mark against non-Patriot League opponents under Don DeVoe. Though in his first season he guided Navy to a 3-9 nonleague mark, he has since led it to eight or more nonconference wins in four of the last six seasons (including the current season). In 1998-99, Navy's 11-3 record versus opponents other than the six (now seven with this year's addition of American) Patriot League schools, marked the first time DeVoe had topped the double-digit win mark while at Navy.
Navy's Year-By-Year Nonconference Record Under DeVoe
Year W L Pct.
1992-93 3 9 .250
1993-94 5 8 .385
1994-95 8 4 .667
1995-96 6 8 .429
1996-97 8 7 .533
1997-98 6 9 .667
1998-99 11 3 .786
1999-00 10 4 .714
2000-01 8 8 .500
2001-02 1 3 .250
Overall 66 63 .512
Injury Report
Junior forward Scott Long will not dress for the Davidson and The Citadel contests. Long, who has been sidelined for every game this season, has been nursing a bad back for the last few months. His practice time has been limited to non-contact drills, but he is on track to return to the bench for Navy's trip to Hawai'i D20-22 for the Yahoo! Sports Invitational.
Gettin' It Done At The Line
Traditionally, Navy has been a poor free throw shooting team. But this year's team has made good on its trips to the charity stripe in three of its first-four contests. Prior to a dismal 59.1 percent night at the line against Ohio, the Mids were hitting 80.7 percent of their free throws. Navy enters its Carolina trip shooting a respectable 74.7 percent (59-of-79). Last year, Navy shot 64.9 percent from the charity stripe, making 70 percent of its free tosses in just 12 of the 31 games and shot below 60 percent in nine outings. This season, the Mids have shot better than 80 percent twice (Rice and Air Force).
Getting To The Line Another Story
While Navy has been successful at the charity stripe, getting there has been a struggle. Navy has made just 79 trips to the free throw line, while its opponents have made 135 trips, for a different of 56 attempts.
Going into the Air Force contest last Saturday, Navy had been rewarded with just 36 trips to the line. Both Rice (N16) and SMU (N18) nearly made that many attempts in their games with Navy. Rice earned 42 free throw attempts, while SMU went to the line 35 times.
O-fer...Short Lived
Ironically, for the third-consecutive year, Navy has started the season 0-2. Not to worry, however, the Mids were able to turn the previous seasons into positives, earning trips to back-to-back Patriot League Tournament title games.
In 1999, Navy dropped games versus Rice (70-64 OT), Wake Forest (90-55) and Richmond (58-52) before defeating Air Force, 93-78. Last season, the Mids were tripped up at Texas in the first round of the Preseason NIT (79-65) and at home against Rice (69-51).
True to form, Navy broke its winless streak Saturday with a 71-53 win over Air Force.
Nero's Three-Point Display Continues
Navy senior forward Jamie Nero continued his hot three-point shooting against Air Force (N24) (2-2), as he has now hit seven triples in the last three games and is 7-for-10 for the season.
He came off the bench at SMU (N18) to give the Mids a much-needed scoring boost. Nero nailed five three-pointers and added a two-pointer for a career-high 17 points. At least three of his five treys were from NBA range, including one where he was nearly out of bounds. He was 4-for-4 from long range at halftime and hit one more before missing on his final attempts late in the second half. Nero's previous career high was five points against Holy Cross in 2000.
Cummings Of Age
Freshman guard Marcell Cummings is one of four freshmen to earn playing time this season. Against Ohio Monday night, Cummings came into the game and scored four points from the charity stripe, while snatching two steals.
Finding The Right Fit
With the loss of arguably all five of its starters from a year ago, Navy head coach Don DeVoe has been searching for the right starting lineup. After winning the game against Air Force last Saturday, DeVoe used the same starting lineup, hoping to find some consistency. He's used three different lineups in Navy's four contests with junior center Francis Ebong and junior guard Jason Jeanpierre being mainstays. Below are the three lineups Navy has used to date.
Gm. 1 Charles, Barker, Ebong, Jeanpierre, Shepard
Gm. 2 J. Lewis, Moore, Ebong, Jeanpierre, Shepard
Gm. 3-4 McCreary, Moore, Ebong, Jeanpierre, Charles
A Balanced Offense
Until Francis Ebong's back-to-back high scoring games against Air Force (N24) and Ohio (N26), there had been a different leading scorer in every Navy game this season. While last year Navy had Chris Williams to depend on, this season the Mids' offense may be more diverse and more difficult to defend. Listed below are the high scorers for each game this season.
Opponent High Scorer
Rice Barker-13
SMU Nero-17
Air Force Ebong, J. Lewis-13
Ohio Ebong-19
Experience Yes, Starting Experience No
Coming into the season, five players had earned at least one starting nod in their careers. Four of those five players started just six or fewer games, while Demond Shepard owned the most starts on the team with all 18 coming last season. The others with past starting experience are Scott Long (6 gm), Francis Ebong (4 gm), Jason Jeanpierre (2 gm) and Jehiel Lewis (2 gm).
Moore of Mitch
Though a junior, forward/center Mitch Moore had seen action in just three games prior to the 2001-02 season. After a career-high 13-point, five-board effort in the opener at Rice (N16), Moore has earned starting position in the last three games. He is averaging seven points and 3.5 boards a game.
Sir Charles
So maybe he's not the surly 6-5, 270-pound Sir Charles Barkley, but sophomore Jeff Charles is turning heads with his athleticism. At 6-5 and a lean 190-pound frame, Charles is deceivingly tough in the paint. He owns a team-high eight blocks, including seven in the last two games combined. He is a strong rebounder on both ends of the court as well. Don't forget about his ability to see the court, dishing off two assists a game, while sneaking a steal per game.
Double Your Success
For the first time this season, four Navy players scored in double digits in a single game. Francis Ebong (13), Jehiel Lewis (13), Kyle Barker (11) and Jason Jeanpierre (11) all produced double figures in the scoring column in the Mids' win over Air Force (N24).
Last year, at least four Navy players scored in double figures in a single game 12 times. The Mids posted an 11-1 record with their lone loss a 77-67 setback to Holy Cross in Annapolis (F14).
From Bench To Starting Lineup
Last year's bench was described by Don DeVoe as "the best scoring bench he had fielded at Navy." The bench out-scored the Bucknell bench, 31-3, last year in Lewisburg, while the Mids' bench posted 58 of the 95 points at Army in a come-from-behind victory.
Last season, the Navy bench averaged 35.7 points per game and accounted for 47.3 percent of the team's scoring. With the loss of arguably five starters, Navy's bench has turned into its starting lineup this winter. Top bench producers from last season include Navy's second and third-leading scorers, Jehiel Lewis and Kyle Barker, respectively. Lewis averaged 8.6 points and outing, while Barker tossed in 8.2 points per game.
Navy In Season Openers
The Midshipmen began the season on the road for the fourth time in the last five years. In those five years, Navy has won just one opener - a 78-61 victory over Rice in Annapolis in 1998. The last time Navy won an opener on the road was N28, 1987. Former head coach Pete Herrmann guided Navy to a 95-75 triumph over Mount St. Mary's
Mids Going For Ninth-Consecutive Winning Season
With its 82-80 victory over Army (F17) last season, Navy clinched its eighth-consecutive winning season - all under the direction of Don DeVoe. It marks the longest winning streak since 1943-57 when the Midshipmen rolled to 14-consecutive winning seasons. John Wilson and Ben Carnevale led Navy to an overall mark of 187-88 (.680) during those 14 seasons. Meanwhile, under the current winning streak, the Mids are 154-84 (.647).
Mids Picked To Finish Second In Patriot League
Navy has been picked to finish second in the league according to the 2001-02 Preseason Patriot League Poll, voted on by the league's coaches and SIDs.
The Mids, who finished second in the league last year, fell in behind reigning Patriot League Champion Holy Cross, who grabbed 10 of the 16 first-place votes. Following Navy in third place was Colgate, while Lehigh stole two first-place votes and was picked to finish fourth. Bucknell slid in at fifth, while Patriot League newcomer American has been slated to come in sixth after posting a 3-13 record in the CAA a year ago. Meanwhile, Lafayette and Army round out the poll.
Patriot League Preseason Poll
2001 2001
Rk Team Pts Record PL Record
1. Holy Cross (10) 94 22-8 10-2
2. Navy (3) 76 19-12 9-3
3. Colgate (1) 69 13-15 6-6
4. Lehigh (2) 60 13-16 6-6
5. Bucknell 51 14-15 4-8
6. American 49 7-20 3-13 (CAA)
7. Lafayette 30 12-16 4-8
8. Army 19 9-19 3-9
(#) - first-place votes
Spanning The Country
Navy's recruiting efforts over the last few years have taken the Mids' coaches from coast to coast. Of the 18 players listed on the current varsity roster, 12 different states are represented - California (2), Georgia (1), Illinois (1), Louisiana (1), Maryland (1), Michigan (1), Nebraska (1), New York (3), Ohio (1), Texas (3), Virginia (2), Washington (1).
