2/8/2002 - Men's Basketball
Mids Look To Snap Losing Streak

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The Navy basketball team (9-15, 4-5 Patriot League) will look to snap a three-game losing streak Saturday when it travels to Bethlehem, Pa., to face a struggling Lehigh squad (4-18, 1-8 Patriot League). Action is slated for 7:30 p.m. or 30 minutes after the completion of the women's game (5:30 p.m. tip) at Stabler Arena. The game can be heard on 1430 WNAV with Pete Medhurst calling the action, while Service Electric television will be carrying the game live in the Lehigh Valley.

Navy has had the luxury of playing eight of its last 14 games in the comforts of its home arena, Alumni Hall. The Mids will play three of their final five contests on the road. Don DeVoe's club has had no success on the road this year, winning just one game away from Annapolis (95-93 OT at Colgate).

Lehigh has been in an ugly downward spiral since losing to the Midshipmen, 92-85, in double overtime. The Mountain Hawks have lost seven-straight games including a 32-point loss at Colgate Wednesday night.

Patriot League Losses

Navy dropped its fifth Patriot League decision of the season Wednesday, falling to Bucknell, 76-56, at Davis Gym. The five league losses are the most by the Mids since the 1993-94 season when they posted a 9-5 record, yet tied for first in the league. Meanwhile the 1992-93 squad produced a 5-9 record - the most league losses the Mids have suffered.

Struggling

Navy has produced a 9-15 record this winter. Its 15 losses are the most by the Mids since Don DeVoe's first year at Navy. The 1992-93 squad managed just an 8-19 record and a 5-9 Patriot League mark. Navy's nine wins are also the fewest since the '92-93 season.

DeVoe Still Looking For His 500th Win

Navy head coach Don DeVoe is just two wins shy of his 500th-career victory. With a 79-61 victory over Army (J26), he claimed his 23rd win over the Black Knights and his 498th-career victory. DeVoe is tied with Valparaiso's Homer Drew for 56th on the NCAA's all-time win list. Meanwhile, he his three victories ahead of Auburn's Cliff Ellis (495). Dave Bliss (Baylor), Nolan Richardson (Arkansas) and Rollie Massimino (Cleveland State) reached their 500th wins earlier this season.

Road Woes

Over the last four years, the Mids have posted a 22-25 (.468) record on the road versus a 46-11 (.807) mark at home. Last season, Navy recorded an 8-9 record in games played away from Alumni Hall. The Mids are 1-8 on the road and 0-3 at neutral sites.

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 8-4 1-8 0-3

Total 46-11 22-25 2-4

Frequent Flyers

Navy will log more than 16,000 miles of travel this year, including a coast-to-coast trip to Hawai'i. Among those miles, the Mids will visit seven different states to play 13 road games.

Of the 16,556 miles to be traveled this season, Navy has already knocked off 15,619.64 miles with trips to Texas (Rice and SMU), the Carolinas (The Citadel and Davidson), Hawai'i (Yahoo! Sports Invitational), Providence, R.I. (Brown), Worcester, Mass. (Holy Cross), Hamilton, N.Y. (Colgate), a one-hour drive to American and most recently a 282-mile round trip jaunt to Lewisburg, Pa. (Bucknell). Navy will put on another 250 miles in Saturday's trip to the Lehigh Valley.

Miles Traveled To Date 15,619.64

Rice and SMU 2,690.11

The Citadel and Davidson 1,005.75

Hawai'i 9,709.44

Brown 661.70

Holy Cross 664.52

Colgate 538.46

American 67.84

Bucknell 281.82

Miles Remaining 936.38

Miles This Trip 249.48

Where's The Defense?

Navy's last eight opponents have shot a combined 54.2 percent (147-for-271) in the second half. Brown (J5) had the best performance, missing just four shots (19-for-23) in the second half, while Lafayette (J23) shot 78.3 percent (18-for-23) en route to its win over the Mids.

What Happened To The Offense?

Since the 1994-95 season, Navy is 91-17 (.843) when it scores at least 70 points in a game and 30-54 (.357) when it doesn't. Last season, it was 18-3 when it eclipsed the 70-point barrier. Navy is 8-6 this season when hitting that marker, and has lost three more games this year than last when hitting 70 points.

Lowering The Bar

While Navy has been successful when scoring 70-plus points, it has had a difficult time hitting that plateau. The Mids have been under held under 70 points in 10 of their 24 games and unable to hit the 60-point mark five times, including 54- and 57-point performances in the two games against Holy Cross.

In the Mids' last three games, they have averaged just 58.7 points. That's clearly under their season average of 71.9 points overall and 71.3 points in league action. Despite averaging less than 60 points in the last week-and-a-half, Navy is tied with Colgate as the league's top point producer in league competition.

League Average Below 70 Points

Of the eight Patriot League teams, just three are averaging 70-plus points a game - Colgate 73.5, Navy 71.9 and Lafayette 71.7. The lowest-scoring team is Bucknell at 60.2 points a game. Also of note, just two teams - Colgate and American - are averaging more points this season that last.

Team 01-02 Avg. 00-01 Avg. Diff.

1. Colgate 73.5 70.7 +2.8

2. Navy 71.9 75.4 -3.5

3. Lafayette 71.7 75.3 -3.6

4. Army 67.1 72.0 -4.9

5. Lehigh 65.8 70.2 -3.7

6. American 65.8 58.5 +7.3

7. Holy Cross 62.1 67.8 -5.7

8. Bucknell 60.2 65.8 -5.6

Dishing Out The Rock

With his occasional use as a point guard this season, Jason Jeanpierre's assist numbers have improved. He has dished out a team-high 88 assists, averaging 3.7 per game. Over the last 13 contests, he has averaged 4.5 assists (58), including a career-high eight against Holy Cross last Saturday. His 88 assists are nearly three times the number he dealt out last year (30). It's the most assists by a Navy player since Michael Heary dished out 91 during the 1997-98 season. Skip Victor dealt out 86 that same season.

Tossing In The Threes

With its six three-pointers at American (J30), Navy surpassed last year's three-point total of 137. The Mids' 149 triples are the most by a Navy team since the 1996-97 team also drained 149. The Mids are one three-pointer away from becoming just the fifth team in Navy history to produce 150-plus treys in a season.

Navy's Single-Season Three-Point FG Made List

1. 225 1990-91 -76

2. 188 1991-92 -39

3. 181 1993-94 -32

4. 169 1994-95 -20

5. 149 1996-97

149 2001-02

7. 139 1989-90

8. 138 1988-89

9. 137 2000-01

10. 125 1992-93

Trying For Three

While Navy has made the fifth-most three-pointers in school history this winter with 149 triples, it has attempted the seventh-most three-pointers with 413.

Navy's Single-Season Three-Point FG Att. List

1. 641 1990-91 -228

2. 522 1991-92 -109

3. 487 1994-95 -74

4. 467 1993-94 -54

5. 462 2000-01 -49

6. 442 1996-97 -29

7. 413 2001-02

8. 371 1988-89

9. 363 1992-93

363 1989-90

Triple Threat

Juniors Kyle Barker and Jason Jeanpierre both rank among Navy's all-time top three-point shooters. Both pushed their way into the top 10 this season, as both have topped 25 triples in 2001-02. Barker's seven three-pointers against Lafayette (J23) increased his career total to 75 and into a seventh-place tie with Jeanpierre. However, Jeanpierre knocked down a trio of trifectas against Army (J26) to take sole possession of seventh place. Despite fighting the flu, he added one more at American (J30) to bring his total to 79.

While Jeanpierre needs just five more three-pointers to tie John Haase (1990-93) for sixth and Barker needs nine, Navy's top three-point shooter of all-time is Michael Heary (1994-98) who made 201 triples.

Navy's Career Three-Point FG Made List

1. 201 Michael Heary, 1994-98

2. 138 Jim Hamilton, 1992-96

3. 136 Joe Gottschalk, 1987-90

4. 123 Erik Harris, 1987-91

5. 121 Michael Burd, 1989-93

6. 84 John Haase, 1990-93

7. 79 Jason Jeanpierre, 2000-present

8. 75 Kyle Barker, 2000-present

9. 68 T.J. Hall, 1993-95

10. 65 Cliff Rees, 1985-88

Triple Threat - Part Two

Junior Jason Jeanpierre needs just seven three-pointers to tie Michael Burd (45) for 10th place on Navy's all-time single-season three-point field goals made list. Burd connected on 45 in 1990-91, while the record is held by Jimmy Hamilton, who scored 76 in 1993-94. Navy has five regular-season games remaining and will play at least one game in the Patriot League Tournament. Last season, junior Kyle Barker missed the top 10 by just one triple.

Upcoming Milestones

Several Mids are on the verge of hitting milestone scoring marks or have recently achieved plateau points. Quintrell McCreary knocked down a bucket to score his 100th-career point Wednesday at Bucknell.

Below is a list of current career point totals and the number of points needed to hit their respective milestone mark.

Player Point Total Points Needed for

Jehiel Lewis 692 8 700

Jason Jeanpierre 550 50 600

Kyle Barker 463 37 500

Demond Shepard 368 32 400

Jamie Nero 80 20 100

Jeff Charles 77 23 100

Finding The Right Fit

With the loss of arguably all five of its starters from a year ago, Don DeVoe has been searching for the right starting lineup. He has used eight different lineups in 24 games, and appeared to have found a lineup to his liking. He had used Francis Ebong at forward and Mitch Moore at center for eight-consecutive games before replacing Ebong with junior Scott Long against Holy Cross. Still searching, however, he went back to the Moore-Ebong combination at Bucknell Wednesday night. Out of all the lineups this season, junior Jason Jeanpierre is the lone mainstays. Below are the lineups Navy has used to date.

Gm. 1,7-8 Charles, Barker, Ebong, Jeanpierre, Shepard

Gm. 2 J. Lewis, Moore, Ebong, Jeanpierre, Shepard

Gm. 3-5 McCreary, Moore, Ebong, Jeanpierre, Charles

Gm. 6 J. Lewis, Barker, Ebong, Jeanpierre, Charles

Gm. 9-10 J. Lewis, Barker, Ebong, Jeanpierre, Shepard

Gm. 11-14 J. Lewis, Nero, Ebong, Jeanpierre, Shepard

Gm. 15-22, 24 J. Lewis, Ebong, Moore, Jeanpierre, Shepard

Gm. 23 J. Lewis, Long, Moore, Jeanpierre, Shepard

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 six or fewer games, while Demond Shepard owned the most starts with all 18 coming last season. Others with past starting experience include Scott Long (6 gm), Francis Ebong (4 gm), Jason Jeanpierre (2 gm) and Jehiel Lewis (2 gm).

From Bench To Starting Lineup

Last year's bench was described by Don DeVoe as "the best scoring bench he had fielded at Navy." It averaged 35.7 points per game and accounted for 47.3 percent of the team's scoring. With the loss of five starters, the bench has turned into its starting lineup this winter. The top bench producer from last season was Jehiel Lewis - Navy's second-leading scorer. Lewis averaged 8.6 points a year ago and is the Mids' top scorer this season at 13.2 points a game.

Long-Awaited Return

After sitting out the first-11 games of the year with a back injury, junior forward Scott Long returned D30 against Mount St. Mary's. His minutes and point production have increased over the last 13 contests. Navy's third-leading scorer in Patriot League play (9.3 ppg), he was rewarded with is first start in two years last Saturday against Holy Cross. He is the Mids' fifth-leading scorer in overall contests, averaging 7.8 points, while grabbing 3.5 boards. Long is also one of the Mids' top free throw shooters, missing just five free throws in 45 attempts (.889).

Keep An Eye On The Free Throw Record

Navy is currently shooting 72.3 percent (428-for-592) from the charity stripe and is close to break the school record for best free throw percentage. The record is 72.8 percent (429-for-590) by the 1958-59 team. The last time the Mids shot 70 percent from the free throw line was the 1990-91 squad that hit 70.4 percent (517-for-734) from the line.

Automatic

Junior forward Kyle Barker owns a team-best 93.3 free throw percentage. He is 42-for-45 this season (missed at The Citadel, N29, vs. Lafayette, J23, and at American, J30) and 90-for-99 for his career. Not to get too far ahead, but his 90.9 career percentage is on track to top the current record of 85.6 percent held by John Tolmie - a 33-year-old record.

Roommate Threat

Kyle Barker's roommate at the Academy, junior forward Scott Long, is also one of the best free throw shooters on the team. Shooting 88.9 percent (40-for-45) this year, he owned a consecutive free throw streak of 24 in a row before snapping it in the first go-around with Bucknell (J12). He missed on his seventh try of the game. Barker and Long are a combined 82-for-90 (.911) from the charity stripe this winter.

Improvement At The Line

Jason Jeanpierre has never shot better than 63.6 percent from the free throw line in a season, but is hitting 79.7 percent (55-for-69) this year. Jehiel Lewis was a 67.1 percent career free throw shooter entering his senior campaign, but this season has hit 74.4 percent (93-for-125) of his free throws.

The Nation's Best

Two Navy players have set or tied the nation's best statistical marks this season. Senior swing man Jehiel Lewis collected 12 steals at home against Bucknell (J12) - the best single-game mark in the country and tied for the third best in NCAA history.

Meanwhile, junior Kyle Barker's 13-for-13 free throw effort at Davidson (D1) is one of 56 perfect free throw shooting efforts in the country this season making 10 or more in a single game. Just four players have made more than 13 in a game this season -

Henry Domercant Eastern Ill. 17-for-17

Troy Bell Boston College 17-for-17

Marcus Moore Washington. St. 16-for-16

Frederick Jones Oregon 14-for-14

- three more have matched Barker's mark of 13.

Kyle Barker Navy 13-for-13

Willie Taylor VCU 13-for-13

Darius Songaila Wake Forest 13-for-13

Jake Sullivan Iowa State 13-for-13

Ofori And Bania Make Debut

Junior Kwame Ofori and freshman Paul Bania made their playing debuts of the season Wednesday at Bucknell. Both have played extensively with the junior varsity team. Ofori made one of his two shots and one of his two free throws for a three-point effort, while Bania knocked down a pair of field goals, including a three-pointer for five points. Both players will dress for Saturday's contest against Lehigh.

Shepard Leads The League

Captain Demond Shepard has had a particularly strong senior campaign. Specifically, he's been impressive in the nine Patriot League contests. He owns a team-best 53.3 three-point field goal percentage, connecting on 8 of his 15 shots. Meanwhile, he is shooting 55.3 percent from the field and 84.6 percent from the charity stripe.

For the season, he has produced double-digit scoring marks in seven of the last 15 games, including a career-high 18-point performance against Coastal Carolina (J2). He has scored 10-plus points in four of the last six contests, including a 12-point effort against Holy Cross last Saturday. In four of the eight games in which he did not put up double figures, he tossed in nine points.

Playing Past The Pain

His teammates call him a fighter, and he agrees. Senior swing man Jehiel Lewis has endured an injury every year during his career at the Academy, including a sprained sternal clavicular joint his plebe year, a neck injury and a series of concussions which resulted in a variation of postconcussion disorder his sophomore season, a bruised lower back his junior campaign and underwent shoulder surgery prior to the start of this season. Lewis has also been battling sharp pains and numbness in his both hands since the Gettysburg game (D17), yet he has put up double-figure scoring marks in 12 of the 16 games since that contest.

In Navy's game against Lehigh (J16), he added six stitches in his chin to the list of bumps and bruises.

Beast On The Boards

Senior Jehiel Lewis pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds against Army (J26). It marked the most caroms by a Navy player since Sitapha Savane snatched 16 at Lehigh, J23, 1999. Meanwhile, the 16 boards by Lewis were just one off of the Army-Navy game record. Navy's Vernon Butler corralled 17 in 1985 to set the record, while Alex Kohnen matched it in 1994.

Lewis leads the Patriot League with 7.7 rebounds a game in conference action.

Double Duty For Ebong

Starting center Francis Ebong produced his fourth double-double of the season and his career with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Army (J26). While he made just three of his 11 field goal attempts, he was 6-for-10 from the free throw line. Meanwhile, he dished out three assists, swatted two Army shots and grabbed two steals.

Ebong's Double-Doubles

1. Davidson (D1) 13 Pts. 11 Reb.

2. Gettysburg (D17) 20 Pts. 12 Reb.

3. Brown (J5) 17 Pts. 12 Reb.

4. Army (J26) 12 Pts. 10 Reb.

Charles Takes Charge

Sophomore forward/guard Jeff Charles produced a pair of strong shooting performances against Army (J26) and American (J30). Charles averaged 7.0 points in 26.0 minutes of action in those two games and shot 55.6 percent (5-for-9) from the field and 60 percent (3-for-5) from long range. Charles' eight points against the Eagles were the most points he has produced since he scored eight against Mount St. Mary's on a perfect shooting display (4-for-4). Meanwhile, his career high stands at nine against Rice in Navy's season opener.

McCreary Provides A Lift

Junior forward Quintrell McCreary has given the Mids a much-needed lift this season. Against Lehigh (J16), he posted career highs in scoring (8), rebounds (12) and blocks (3) in 32 minutes of action. Meanwhile, he topped his scoring mark with nine points against Lafayette a week later.

More Of Mitch

In two games starting center Francis Ebong found himself in early foul trouble, junior reserve Mitch Moore has stepped in and filled the role. In the Mids' season opener at Rice (N16), Moore scored a then career-high 13 points in what was just his fourth varsity contest. He did it again against Coastal Carolina (J2), scoring a career and team-high 22 points. He was 8-for-11 (.727) from the field and 6-for-8 (.750) from the charity stripe.

On the year, he is averaging 5.5 points and boosted his rebounding average to 2.6 with a career-high eight- board effort against Wake Forest (J7).

Nero Shows His Range, Plays His Role

Navy senior forward Jamie Nero has been hot from three-point land, hitting 15 triples and is shooting 48.4 percent (15-for-31) from behind the arc.

He came off the bench at SMU (N18) to give the Mids a much-needed scoring boost. Nero nailed five three-pointers, 4-for-4 in the first half, in a career-high 17-point effort Nero's previous career high was five points against Holy Cross in 2000.

Double Your Success

Junior Jason Jeanpierre's career-high tying 24 points led Navy to an overtime win at Colgate (J19), as four Mids scored in double digits for the sixth time this season.

Air Force Ebong, Barker, Jeanpierre, J. Lewis

Gettysburg Ebong, Barker, Jeanpierre, Shepard

Columbia Ebong, Shepard, Jeanpierre, J. Lewis

Coastal Car. Moore, Shepard, Barker, J. Lewis

Brown Ebong, Shepard, Jeanpierre, J. Lewis

Colgate Ebong, Shepard, Jeanpierre, J. Lewis,

Long

Last year, at least four Navy players scored in double figures in a single game 12 times. The Mids posted an 11-1 record in those contests with their lone loss a 77-67 setback to Holy Cross at home. Navy is 4-2 this season when four players score in double figures.

We're Going Into OT, Baby...

Navy played its record-setting fourth overtime game of the season at American (L, 67-66 OT) J30 in a battle for first place in the Patriot League. The Mids are 2-2 in OT contests this year, losing their first D22 against Columbia (74-72) in Hawai'i. Meanwhile, Navy played consecutive overtime games the week of J14-J20 - a 92-85 double-OT win against Lehigh (J16) and a 95-93 OT victory at Colgate (J19).

The previous record of three overtime games in a season was set in 1988-89 (2-1) and matched during the 1992-93 (1-2) season.

Overtime

The Lehigh game (J16) marked the first time Navy has played a double-overtime contest since J11, 93, when Navy defeated Loyola, 65-62, in one of the last games played at Halsey Fieldhouse. It was just the fifth double-OT game in the history of Navy basketball, with the Mids boasting a 5-0 record in those contests. Navy has played a triple-overtime game - J8, 77, Navy lost to Air Force, 81-79.

Navy's Double-Overtime Games

F14, 76 Penn State W, 83-81

J21, 84 William & Mary W, 60-55

J16, 85 at Lafayette W, 74-71

J11, 93 Loyola W, 65-62

J16, 02 Lehigh W, 92-85

Navy's Triple-Overtime Games

J8, 77 at Air Force L, 81-79

Two In A Row

Navy's successive overtime contests the week of J14-J20 - (W) 92-85 vs. Lehigh (2OT) and (W) 95-93 at Colgate - marked just the second time in the 96-year history of Navy basketball the Mids have played back-to-back OT contests The Mids defeated James Madison, 85-82, in the first round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament during the 1990-91 season, but fell in the next outing to George Mason, 93-86, in extra minutes.

Doubling Up On The Boards

For the first time in nearly three years, two Navy players posted double-figure rebounds in one game. Jehiel Lewis collected 16 boards and Francis Ebong grabbed 10 lagainst Army (J26). The last time two Mids grabbed double-digit boards in a contest was the all too memorable Patriot League Tournament game against Lehigh in West Point, F27, 1999. Robert Reeder and Sitapha Savane produced 12 and 11 rebounds, respectively.

Bench Mark

Scoring 44 of its 79 points, Navy's bench out-scored its starters for the first time all year in its contest against Lafayette (J23). Junior Kyle Barker came off the bench to lead the Mids with 23 points which included a career-high seven three-pointers. Meanwhile, Scott Long tossed in 10 points, Quintrell McCreary added nine and Jeff Charles made a pair of free throws.

Barker's Seven Triples Written Into The Record Books

After experiencing a shooting slump and seeing minimal action over the last few weeks, junior forward Kyle Barker came off the bench to connect on seven of 12 three-pointers against Lafayette (J23). His seven triples were a career high, bettering a previous career evening at Denver a year ago when he drained six three-pointers. Seven three-pointers ties for the second-most trifectas in a game by a Navy player and are the most since Michael Heary targeted seven against Holy Cross in 1997.

All Good Streaks Come To An End

Kyle Barker made 33-consecutive free throws dating back to the Davidson game (D1) before missing on his second attempt of a three-shot trip to the free throw line against Lafayette (J23). Barker was nearing the Patriot League record for consecutive made free throws held by Lafayette's Brian Burke (49).

Jeanpierre Earns Patriot League Player-Of-The Week Honor

Averaging 21.5 points, 6.0 assists and a 2.0 steals, Navy junior guard Jason Jeanpierre was named the Patriot League Player of the Week Monday, J21. Jeanpierre shot 45.2 percent (14-for-31) in overtime wins over Lehigh and Colgate, while hitting 47.1 percent (8-for-17) of his three-point shots.

Jeanpierre tied his career high with a 24-point effort in the Mids' OT win at Colgate, leading Navy to its first road victory of the season. He scored seven of Navy's last 12 points in regulation, including back-to-back three-pointers. In the process, Jeanpierre hit two milestones against the Raiders - he topped the 500-career point marker (510), as well as the 200-career point Patriot League scoring plateau (208).

Jeanpierre is the second-consecutive Navy player to garner Patriot League Player-of-the-Week recognition. Last week, teammate Jehiel Lewis earned the honor after averaging 15.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and a spellbinding 6.0 steals.

Near Mirror Images

Navy's game at Colgate (J19, W, 95-93 OT) was all too reminiscent of last year's contest at Colgate. A year ago, it came down to overtime, with the Mids pulling out the 83-80 triumph in Hamilton. Remarkably, the last time Navy had five players score double digits was last year's game at Colgate. The Mids did it again against the Raiders. Led by Jason Jeanpierre's career-high tying 24 points, four other players - Jehiel Lewis (23), Scott Long (12), Francis Ebong (10) and Demond Shepard (10) - tossed in double-figure scoring marks to help the Mids to their first road win of the season.

95 Points Ties The Season High

Navy's 95 points at Colgate (J19) tied for the most points scored by the Mids this season. Navy scored 95 in its 41-point victory (95-54) over Mount St. Mary's (D30) - its biggest triumph since handing Colgate a 42-point loss (93-51) Feb. 8, 1995.

Nearing 100

Navy has scored 90-plus points three times this season, but has yet to score in triple digits. For those curious, the last time Navy scored 100 points was J29, 00, when it defeated Lehigh, 100-75, in Annapolis.

The Last Time...

Junior Jason Jeanpierre scored a career-high tying 24 points, while senior Jehiel Lewis added a career-high tying 23 points in Navy's 95-93 overtime win at Colgate (J19). It marked the first time a pair of Navy players have scored 20-plus points in a single game since Chris Williams and Kyle Barker each scored 23 in last year's Patriot League Tournament Semifinal contest against Bucknell.

Lewis Just Shy Of Triple-Double

Jehiel Lewis was just one rebound shy of a triple-double against Bucknell (J12). He not only dazzled the crowd with his record-breaking 12 steals, but he also produced a career-high nine rebounds and a season-high 21 points. The last Navy player to post a triple-double was Brian Walker who tallied 11 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists against none other than ... Bucknell (F16, 94).

Lewis Named Player Of The Week

Averaging 15.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and a spellbinding 6.0 steals last week, Navy senior swing man Jehiel Lewis was named the Patriot League Player of the Week J14. Lewis shot 53.6 percent (15-for-28) in games against Wake Forest, Holy Cross and Bucknell, while hitting 45.5 percent (5-for-11) of his three-point shots. Meanwhile, he was flawless from the charity stripe, connecting on all 12.

Lewis set a Navy and Patriot League record with 12 steals against Bucknell Saturday. He was just one steal off the all-time NCAA Division I record of 13 accomplished twice by Mookie Blaylock ('87, '88). Additionally, he scored a season-high 21 points against the Bison and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in Navy's first Patriot League win of the season.

Lewis is Navy's first player this season to garner Patriot League Player or Rookie-of-the-Week honors.

Lewis Prides Himself On Tough "D"

Senior Jehiel Lewis has answered Don DeVoe's repeated requests for disciplined defense. Lewis and his teammates produced a school and Patriot League-record 23 steals in their rout over Bucknell (J12).

Lewis was the talk of the game, tallying a Navy and Patriot League record 12 steals - the most by a player in Division I basketball this season. The previous high was 11 by Chris Thomas of Notre Dame and West Virginia's Drew Schifino.

More impressive, however, is the fact that 12 steals is just one off the all-time NCAA record of 13 accomplished twice by Oklahoma's Mookie Blaylock in 1987 and again in '88. Four other players have notched 12 in a game, the most recent by TCU's Greedy Daniels against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2000.

Giving It Up

Navy has given up its share of points this winter. Brown's (J5) 95 points marked the most points Navy has surrendered since its Nov. 28, 1998, loss at Air Force in which the Falcons put up 97 on the Mids (97-88). The 95 points also ties for the second-most points Navy has given up under DeVoe. In DeVoe's first year at the Academy (1992-93), the Mids were defeated at Holy Cross, 95-69.

30-Point Club

With a career-high 31-point performance at Davidson (D1), Kyle Barker became the newest member of Navy's 30-point club. He is the 18th player in school history to score 30-plus points and is among a group of 11 to accomplish the feat only once in their career. He is the third player to score 30 points under Don DeVoe, joining Josh Williams (32 vs. Lehigh, Jan. 14, 1998) and Chris Williams (31 vs. Northeastern, Nov. 20, 2000).

Simply Perfect

Junior forward Kyle Barker's 13-for-13 free throw shooting display against Davidson (D1) was one of the best in school history. There have been only 17 perfect free throw shooting games (min. of 10 made) in school history and Barker's 13 ties with Michael Heary for the most made/attempted.

Spanning The Country

Navy's recruiting efforts over the last few years have taken the Mids' coaches from coast to coast. Of the 17 players listed on the current varsity roster, 11 different states are represented - California (2), Georgia (1), Illinois (1), Louisiana (1), Michigan (1), Nebraska (1), New York (3), Ohio (1), Texas (3), Virginia (2), Washington (1).

Alumni Hall Faithful

The 4,340 fans that witnessed Navy defeat Army (J26) marked the eighth-largest crowd to see a Navy basketball game at Alumni Hall. It was the largest crowd since last year's Star Game (F17) against the Black Knights, drawing 5,621 fans. To no one's surprise, the top-six largest crowds all witnessed Army-Navy games, while seven of the top 10 saw the Mids battle the Black Knights.

Largest Alumni Hall Crowds

1. 6,370 vs. Army (J21, 95)

2. 5,710 vs. Army (F1, 97)

5,710 vs. Army (J24, 96)

4. 5,621 vs. Army (F17, 01)

5. 5,363 vs. Army (J7, 98)

6. 5,293 vs. Army (F7, 99)

7. 4,360 vs. Colgate (M11, 94)

8. 4,340 vs. Army (J26, 02)

9. 4,218 vs. Wake Forest (N22, 99)

10. 4,153 vs. Lafayette (M5, 98)

Tough At Home

The Mids have traditionally been known as a strong home court team. Navy was 15-2 at Alumni Hall during the 1999-2000 season, winning 15 in a row while boasting a 6-0 league mark at home.

The Mids are 56-14 (.800) against conference opponents and 52-21 (.712) against nonleague foes at home under DeVoe (107-35, .754). In DeVoe's first-two seasons in Annapolis, the Mids were a combined 10-7 (.588) against league opponents at home. Since then, the Mids have posted a 46-7 (.868) record against league foes at home.

Navy is 8-4 at Alumni Hall this season. Four losses in a season at Alumni Hall are the most since the 1995-96 season in which the Mids dropped four home contests - Towson, Stanford, St. Bonaventure, Colgate.

Navy's Home Losses Since 1997-98 Season

N30, 97 Air Force 64-63

F11, 98 Lafayette 66-65

D19, 98 Auburn 88-70

J9, 99 Lafayette 72-66

N22, 99 Wake Forest 90-55

N24, 99 Richmond 58-52

N18, 00 Rice 69-51

D9, 00 SMU 66-64

F14, 01 Holy Cross 77-67

N26, 01 Ohio 80-74

J7, 02 Wake Forest 87-65

J23, 02 Lafayette 92-79

F2, 02 Holy Cross 62-54