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LOCATION: Towson, MD
CONFERENCE: America East
LAST SEASON: 6-22 (.214)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 4-14 (9th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 1/4
NICKNAME: Tigers
COLORS: Gold, Black, & White
HOMECOURT: Towson Center (5,000)
COACH: Mike Jaskulski (St. Norbert '76)
record at school 14-42 (2 years)
career record 76-90 (6 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Julius Allen (Southern Nazarene '81)
Jay Dull (Iowa '80)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 12-16-9-8-6
RPI (last 5 years) 183-137-220-238-262
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference quarterfinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Mike Jaskulski's first two years at Towson were like a long poker game where he continued getting hands no better than nine-high. Yet he was forced to play the hand he was dealt. Jaskulski was hired late his first year (1997-98) and had to take the court with someone else's players. Last year, many of the players he recruited got hurt. The result has been just eight America East victories in two years and consecutive ninth-place finishes. That doesn't mean Jaskulski is ready to fold. He is just ready to look forward. "I don't want to even talk about last year," the third-year Towson coach said. The Tigers' biggest setback came before the season began when Torin Ragin, a transfer from Wyoming, went down with continuing stress fracture problems in both legs. Ragin missed the first six games, then tried to give it a go in two brief stints just before Christmas. He finally gave in to the inevitable. Ragin had bone graft surgery just after the beginning of the new year. The player Jaskulski anticipated as his catalyst has now gone virtually two full seasons without competing. "When the first guy you brought here and he's your team captain plays three minutes in two years and you don't have any margin for error like we have, I think that sets you back," Jaskulski said. "We've finally got some flexibility with what we can do now, and a healthy Torin is what provides that for us."
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT D BENCH/DEPTH C+
FRONTCOURT C+ INTANGIBLES C
The return of a healthy Torin Ragin keys any possible improvement for the Tigers. He has been a leader for two years at Towson, but in name only. Now third-year head coach Mike Jaskulski needs his first signee to get on the court and show why he was selected a captain before he was even eligible to play. With Ragin healthy, the other pieces of the lineup fall into place and Towson can certainly expect to do better than last season's six wins. Marlin Wise returns as a solid, if not spectacular point man. If Ragin falls in as the other guard, then Josh Davalli, Brian Barber and Mike Shin make up the frontcourt. Barber was one of the league's most improved players in 1998-99. Shin has a chance to be among the top newcomers in America East this year. "We have much more flexibility to put more scorers on the floor and those scorers will not be defensive liabilities," Jaskulski said. The offense must get better. It can't be any worse. Towson also has to learn how to play on the road. The Tigers lost 12 of their 13 games away from the Towson Center by an average of more than 17 points. With the new talent and the experience gained by some of the younger players, Towson is bound to improve on that mark. None of the gains will be enough to get the Tigers out of the lower division. Jaskulski's program is coming, but it's coming slowly. |
The surgery has appeared to leave the 6-5 senior healthy. He will be penciled in as a starter on the wing. Ragin is a good shooter, a leader, and, despite averaging just 3.2 points three years ago at Wyoming, he gives the Tigers a legitimate offensive threat. That's something Towson did not have a year ago. Jaskulski's bunch finished last in the league in scoring for a second straight season. This time, the Tigers didn't even average 60 points. They scored under 50 six times. The fact that the Tigers' second-leading scorer came off the bench speaks volumes. Six-foot-two senior guard Pete Mauro averaged 11.0 points, second only to 6-6 junior forward Brian Barber's 12.3, and neither would be considered a go-to guy. Mauro is a solid shooter (50 of 130 on three-point shots) and Barber (4.9 rpg, .489 FG) is an interior grinder. Barber made huge strides from his freshman season, when he was barely used and averaged just 2.1 points. A similar improvement this season would be a big boost. "I just think the sky is the limit for Brian," Jaskulski said. "He is such a joy to coach and he is like a sponge." An even larger lift is expected from 6-7, 235-pound sophomore and Pittsburgh transfer Mike Shin, a big body who should slide into the center spot vacated by Alphonso Hawes (7.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg). Shin saw limited time in his one season as a Panther, averaging 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds. "Mike's not afraid of contact, and he's not afraid to bang around. He'll be a nice physical presence for us with a year of experience in the Big East," Jaskulski said. As Towson adds Ragin and Shin, it must unexpectedly say goodbye to Tel Aviv native Guy Zenou. The 6-8 would-be sophomore apparently decided, with little word to the coaching staff, to remain in his native Israel to play professionally. Zenou played all of last season with a stress fracture in his foot. He missed just one game and averaged 5.2 points and 2.4 rebounds. He appeared to have a bright future at Towson. Zenou's departure could open the door even wider for 6-6 junior swingman Josh Davalli, who was the only Tiger to start every game last year. Thrust into more minutes than expected, Davalli responded well as the Tigers third-leading scorer (7.3 ppg) and third-leading rebounder (3.8 rpg). Six-foot-eight sophomore center Shaun Holtz (4.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg) got off to a slow start, but became more valuable late in the year. He reached his season-highs with 10 points and nine rebounds in a near- road upset of Maine in the final game of the regular season. Holtz played just over 14 minutes a game behind Hawes, and his role will likely be much the same, serving as Shin's backup this season. Six-foot-six sophomore Kerry Augustus (0.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 16 games) may see a moderate increase in his minutes this season, but is likely still on the outside looking in. Despite those injuries and inexperience, the frontcourt held up its end of the bargain. Other than Mauro, the guards did not. Towson had the least productive starting backcourt in the conference in point guard Marlin Wise (6.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 94 assists, 47 steals) and shooting guard Raul de Pablo (5.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg). Wise was decent after missing the first 10 games because of academic problems. His assist and steal totals led the team. The 6-2 senior also reached double figures five times, but he just didn't score enough to compensate for the holes elsewhere. However, he seems to have matured and was unquestionably the floor leader and defensive stopper in the second half of the season. The point-guard spot is Wise's to lose unless something strange happens. Five-foot-11 senior Damon Cason (3.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 77 assists, 24 steals) started at the point with Wise out. He will again back up his classmate. Cason isn't going to score much, but he is dependable with a 1.6-to-1.0 assist to turnover ratio. The 6-1 de Pablo just didn't score enough, period. He and Mauro split time almost evenly and Mauro was unquestionably better. A three-year starter, de Pablo is still fairly one-dimensional. He attempted only 14 two-point field goals and had just 31 assists in 22 games. A healthy Ragin and the arrival of two newcomers could mean less playing time for last year's co-captain. Jaskulski plucked 6-2 freshman guard Gerald Weatherspoon out of the highly successful Cardinal Ritter High School program in St. Louis. Weatherspoon scored 20.1 points per game in his two seasons at Cardinal Ritter, surpassing the marks of players like Chris Carrawell (Duke), Jahidi White (Georgetown) and Loren Woods (Arizona). Last season, Weatherspoon scored nearly 24 points a game and was elected first-team all-state in Missouri. He is an aggressive offensive player who knows how to score something Towson hasn't had in its backcourt in two years. Five-foot-11 freshman combo guard Brian Allen will also get an early opportunity. Allen averaged 14.0 points and 6.0 assists at Middle Township High School in southern New Jersey. Jaskulski likes his versatility, and Allen could be a valuable reserve at both guard spots. Davalli may also get a look at the off guard, all of which means 6-1 sophomore Danny White (0.8 ppg, 0.3 rpg, 17 games) will have another difficult time cracking the rotation.
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