| |
LOCATION: Washington, DC
CONFERENCE: Mid-Eastern Athletic (MEAC)
LAST SEASON: 2-25 (.074)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 2-16 (11th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 3/2
NICKNAME: Bison
COLORS: Navy Blue, Red & White
HOMECOURT: Burr Gymnasium (2,700)
COACH: Kirk Saulny (Southeastern Louisiana '79)
record at school 2-25 (1 year)
career record 2-25 (1 year)
|
ASSISTANTS: Lamont Franklin (UNC Wilmington '97)
Darryl Bruce (Towson State '90)
Eric Saulny (San Jose State '75)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 9-7-7-8-2
RPI (last 5 years) 282-291-292-292-307
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
|
The slow, painful process of rebuilding continues at Howard. Second-year Bison coach Kirk Saulny knows things can only get better after last season's 2-25 season. When one looks at Howard's roster last year, the question is this: How did this team win two games, and two conference games at that? Things should be better this year but only a little better. Saulny inherited a disaster last season. Years of poor coaching and bad decisions have left this once-proud program in a mess. It took a while for the program to get in such miserable shape, and it will take a while to bounce back. Saulny may be the right man for the job. He's a patient coach who knows it'll take time. Of the 13 available scholarships, Saulny has only handed out 11. He's not just going to give someone a scholarship to fill out the roster. "We're going to rebuild this program step-by-step, brick-by-brick," said Saulny. "It takes time, but we believe we had a good recruiting year and brought in some players who will allow us to compete a little better this year.
|
Blue Ribbon Analysis |
|
BACKCOURT D+ BENCH/DEPTH D+
FRONTCOURT C- INTANGIBLES C-
Though it won't be like last year's dismal 2-25 season, 1999-2000 will again be a long year for Howard. There's not much talent returning, and while the new players seem promising, it will take time for them to develop. Kirk Saulny seems to have some coaching ability though. He kept Howard in a lot of games it had no business being in last season. It was a bit of a miracle the Bison won two MEAC games last year. The big problem is that Howard is probably the only team in a rebuilding mode this year in the deep MEAC. There is hope for the future, if Howard will be patient and stick with Saulny. He seems to have the program on the right track. The school just needs to allow him to get the job done. Look for a few more wins this season, but it will still be a last-place finish for the Bison. |
"Last year, we had play perfect just to have a chance to win in the final four minutes. This year we have a little more depth not much because we only have 11 players but at least when we go to the bench, we'll be bringing in a player who could help us. We were so limited last year with our talent that it was tough to do much when we went to the bench." There isn't much back from last season as five players have returned for another year under Saulny. But the second-year coach believes the ones who are back have learned from last year. "We thought the kids got better as the year went on and a couple of them we think can help us this season," said Saulny. A player back from last year is 5-8 junior point guard Ali Abdullah (12.6 ppg, 4.5 apg). Abdullah was the Bison's leading scorer last season, but it was a learning experience for the Jersey City, N.J. native and Saulny is hopeful that the junior is a better player as a result. "Ali fell into the trap of trying to do too much last season," said Saulny. "He scored a lot of points, had a lot of assists and had a lot of turnovers, and that all comes from trying to do too much. We need him to make better decisions and be more consistent every night out. Hopefully, with the players we've brought in he won't feel the pressure of trying to do too much." Antonio Mitchell (8.0 ppg, 3.7rpg), a 6-0 senior shooting guard, returns. He was a silver lining for Howard last year. He's a former walk-on who has earned a scholarship for the upcoming year. Mitchell can shoot the three he had three straight games where he sank six in each game. "Antonio really improved last year and started the last 10 games," said Saulny. "He's a great story of a guy who kept working hard and getting better and earning a scholarship. Antonio is going to have some competition this year, but he's going to have to be beaten out. He's had an unbelievable summer and really gotten better. We look for him to have a great senior season." Also returning is 6-5 senior forward Jermaine Holliway (8.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg). Holliway played most of the year at power forward, though the Bison would like for him to play small forward. "We used Jermaine mostly inside last season at the power forward spot," said Saulny. "This year we want him to concentrate on playing the small forward. He can shoot it from the outside but needs to work on his ballhandling." Bryen Alvin, a 6-6 junior forward, got off to a great start and scored 37 points and 22 rebounds in Howard's first two league games. Then academic reports came in and Alvin missed the rest of the season. He earned a 3.2 GPA in the second semester and Saulny believes Alvin learned a valuable lesson. "It was a shame Bryen missed the second half of the season because he got off to a good start," said Saulny. "At Howard, we do things a little different and you go semester by semester by being eligible, where most schools go by year. I like the way Bryen responded in the classroom. He's our best returning inside threat and he'll play the power forward spot for us this year." Hoping to have a good year is 6-8 senior forward/center and enigma Garrett McCormick. McCormick came out of high school (Chester, Pa.) as a highly-touted player who was looked at by schools in the Atlantic 10. Saulny was excited about working with him going into last year, but he too got frustrated with his play. "Garrett had a couple of good performances, but then injuries hampered him," said Saulny. "He just hasn't gotten over the hump as a player, and hopefully as a senior maybe it'll happen this year. Garrett kind of teased us at times last year with some games, but we need him to do that every game." Last year, there wasn't much competition for playing time because of the lack of talent on Howard's roster. That is not the case this year. Saulny and his staff have recruited hard, going into Los Angeles for some talent that will push the older players for playing minutes. "We think we had a good recruiting year," said Saulny. "We answered some needs and got some players who can make an impact this season." Heading the newcomers is 6-6 junior forward Dante Lincoln. Lincoln played for two years at Los Angeles Trade Technical College. He was a first team all-conference performer last year and should play small forward this year. "Dante will be an inside-outside threat for us this year," said Saulny. "He can hit a three-pointer and has the potential to be an all-conference player in this league. We think he's a real high-quality find for us." Another junior-college transfer from Los Angeles is 6-2 shooting guard Reggie Morris, a three-point specialist who should share playing time with Antonio Mitchell. Morris played for Southwestern (Iowa) Community College last season. "Reggie should open up our outside game this season," said Saulny. "He really has great range on his shot, and he'll open up the court for us this year." The Los Angeles area also produced two freshmen for the Bison program. One could help right away and the other is a player for the future. Jonathan Stokes, a 6-3 shooting guard for Crenshaw High School, joins the Howard program after a productive high school career. "Jonathan played a lot of point guard in high school, but we plan to use him more as a two-guard," said Saulny. "He could also be a third point guard for us but what we like about Jonathan is that he's a winner. His high school coach tells me he's going to make us play him because he plays good defense, takes good shots and knows how to play the game." A player whose best years are ahead of him is 6-10, 190-pound freshman center Nick Dodson, who played for former UCLA star David Greenwood at Verbum Dei High School. "Nick is a player of the future for us, but you take chances on kids who are 6-10," Saulny said. "He's gotten stronger and has some skills that include a good jump shot. Nick was on a team that won a state title last year. We need him to put some weight on, but everything he's shown us that he's a hard worker and we'll work with him." The Bison did do some recruiting elsewhere besides Los Angeles. Two other newcomers will be looking for playing time this year: 6-5 sophomore swingman Darren Kennedy transfers into the program from Monmouth University and 6-1 guard Ron Williamson will come from Briggs High School in Columbus, Ohio. "Darren can play either the two guard or small forward," said Saulny. "He's a player who has good size for his position. Darren will help us on the boards because he rebounds well and he's a good athlete who is quick and will be able to cut people off on defense on the perimeter. . . . Ron Williamson knows how to play the point. He has great speed and will give us depth."
 | The 19th edition of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook is on sale now. To order, call 800-828-HOOP (4667), or visit their web site at
http://www.collegebaskets.com
|
| |
Conferences
America East
ACC
Atlantic 10
Big East
Big Sky
Big South
Big Ten
Big 12
Big West
Colonial
Conference USA
Independents
Ivy League
MAAC
Mid-American
Mid-Continent
Mid-Eastern Athletic
MCC
Missouri Valley
Mountain West
Northeast
Ohio Valley
Pac-10
Patriot
SEC
Southern
Southland
Sun Belt
SWAC
TAAC
WAC
West Coast
|
