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LOCATION: Buffalo, NY
CONFERENCE: Mid-American (East)
LAST SEASON: 5-24 (.172)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 1-17 (7th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Bulls
COLORS: Royal Blue & White
HOMECOURT: Alumni Arena (8,500)
COACH: Tim Cohane (Navy '67)
record at school 78-92 (6 years)
career record 222-235 (17 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Frank Valenti (Rollins '70)
Eric Eisenberg (Brooklyn '79)
Dean Cooper (Aquinas '92)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 18-13-17-15-5
RPI (last 5 years) 157-211-134-191-279
1998-99 FINISH: Did not qualify for postseason.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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The Bulls knew the 1998-99 season would be tough, and it was everything they expected and more. Jumping from the Mid-Continent Conference, ranked 23rd-strongest in NCAA Division I, into the Mid-American Conference, rated 11th, was more than many teams could handle. After a fairly strong start a 3-2 record after winning at Manhattan on Dec. 1 the bottom fell out. Buffalo lost 21 of its next 22 games, including 16 in a row from Dec. 30 to Feb. 17, and didn't record its initial MAC victory until Feb. 20. That historic victory, 57-47 at Northern Illinois, was all Buffalo had to show for its first run through the MAC. Through all the losing, however, the Bulls did a lot of growing up. Coach Tim Cohane has a solid nucleus of five players with a year of experience in the league who know what it takes to compete. A recruiting class of seven players, all with solid potential, adds some optimism.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT C INTANGIBLES C
One thing working in Buffalo's favor is a revised format for the conference tournament. Instead of only eight of the 13 members participating, everyone goes. The Bulls were never in contention last season. Although they never packed it in a credit to the players and coaches a shot at the tournament would have provided an extra boost down the long home stretch. "Every year there's always a Cinderella story," Cohane said. Buffalo is an improved, more athletic team from top to bottom with players who have the talent to compete in the MAC. On the downside, this shapes up as another strong year for the league. "The MAC is the best it has ever been with a lot of teams peaking,"Cohane said. "It's hard to tell where we'll be in the league. If we go out every day and compete hard like I know we will, we should do well." Better? Yes. But not enough to challenge for the championship. |
Buffalo lost six players from last year, the most notable being point guard Ryan Peterson (2.3 ppg, 4.3 assists), a starter, who transferred to Seton Hall after two seasons with the Bulls. Also gone are forwards Will Campbell (7.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and Bogdan Karebin (3.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg), guards Koran Godwin (5.1 ppg) and Malik Winn (1.7 ppg) and center Nate Johnson (3.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg). "We now have 10 to 11 players who have the talent to compete in the Mid-American Conference day in and day out," Cohane said. "We just have to put it all together." Cohane wasn't surprised by anything last season. He made a comparison of the MAC to the Big East, where he worked as a Boston College assistant from 1991-93. "My overall feeling is there isn't a league in the country where the kids play harder than in the MAC," he said. "You have kids in the league who were overlooked by the Big East and the SEC, so they're hungry. You have a lot of transfer students who came in who didn't get a chance to play as much as they wanted in other conferences, and they're hungry." Cohane said the only noticeable difference on the court between the MAC and the top leagues is the size of the inside players. "They're probably a couple inches shorter, and that means they play harder," he said. Buffalo's candidate for All-MAC honors is 6-2 junior guard Louis Campbell, who had a sensational first year. Campbell was the leading scorer (12.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg) despite getting double-teamed, and one of the best shooters (.440 FG). He deserved at least honorable mention all-league recognition. Campbell has the ability to hit from outside, but is especially tough driving to the basket. Alexei Vasiliev is one of several foreign imports on the roster and also provides a scoring threat at the shooting-guard position. Vasiliev, a 6-3 sophomore guard from St. Petersburg, Russia, was third on the team in scoring (8.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and tossed in 47 three-pointers, hitting 47 for 155 (.303 percent). The former member of Russia's Junior National Team finished the year strong with 28 points against Ball State. Adding to the shooting-guard depth are transfers Damien Foster and Kerry Hendrickson. Foster, a 6-5 junior, is a hometown product from Buffalo Traditional High School who sat out last year as a transfer from Boston College. He played sparingly at Boston College (1.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg in six games) but was part of a Big East championship team. He is a potentially good scorer who could take some of the defensive pressure away from Campbell. Foster scored 2,336 points in a four-year high school career. With Cohane promising a more uptempo style of play, Hendrickson appears to be a good fit. He's a 6-4 sophomore who scored big (23.8 ppg) in his one season at College of the Desert in Palm Desert, Calif. He was an All-Brooklyn player from Tilden High School as a high school senior. His high school coach was current Buffalo assistant Eric Eisenberg. "If we can create some disruption and force steals on the defensive end, we have the wing players in Louis Campbell, Damien Foster and Kerry Hendrickson that can score in transition," Cohane said. "I think our team will be much more exciting on the perimeter this year." They'll be joined by two new additions at point guard. Khalid Coursey played two seasons at Dixie Community College in St. George, Utah. Coursey, a 5-10 junior, didn't score much, but was a big contributor, averaging 8.0 assists and 3.1 steals for a 25-7 team that finished sixth in the NJCAA Tournament. Coursey has great quickness and the ability to pressure defensively. His high school, Shabazz in Newark, N.J., also produced former Buffalo star and current administrative assistant Kelvin Robinson. "Coursey could be the quickest player we've had," Cohane said. Canadian import Ryan Chaffe of Governor Simcoe High School in St. Catherines, Ontario, is a stocky 5-7 freshman who had 21 assists in one high school game and 11 three-pointers in another. Chaffe was an excellent free-throw shooter (84 percent) at St. Catherines. The Bulls feature one of the MAC's biggest front lines, anchored by 6-11, 240-pound center Nikolai Alexeev, a junior from Minsk, Belarus. Alexeev possesses the rare qualities of inside beef and a soft shooting touch from outside. He was second on the team behind Campbell in scoring (9.0 ppg) and led in rebounding (5.0 rpg) while finishing fifth in the MAC with 33 blocked shots. He was Buffalo's best free-throw shooter, sinking 72 of 92 (.783 percent). Cohane said Alexeev has adjusted quickly to the American college game. Buffalo's only senior is 6-7 forward Jon Kleidon, a part-time starter last season. Kleidon (3.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg) provides a spark with his relentless hustle, tenacity and fearless play. One of the stars of Buffalo's only MAC victory was 6-8 junior forward Maliso Libomi (6.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg), a native of Africa who played high school ball in France. Libomi had an incredible eight blocked shots in the streak-stopping win at Northern Illinois, but unfortunately, he'll miss the season after suffering a knee injury while playing this summer in France. Libomi tore the anterior cruciate ligament and had surgery on Aug. 9. His rehabilitation will take six- to eight months. Some other newcomers will add depth to the frontcourt and perhaps make up for the loss of Libomi. Sophomore Mike McKie of Tilden High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., was a partial qualifier and sat out last season. McKie, a 6-8 forward, is a defensive specialist. He was the leading shot-blocker (4.5 per game) in the Public Schools Athletic League. He also played quarterback for Tilden's football team. Freshman Clement Smith of Westinghouse High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., is a 6-7 forward with "great quickness and the potential to be a significant contributor to this year's team," Cohane said. Smith was chosen third team all-city. Transfer Rick Fox of Owens Community College in Toledo, Ohio, is a 6-8, 230-pound forward. Fox played only one season at Owens and has three years of eligibility. "We are going to be a young team again this year with the new guys coming in and only one senior on the roster," Cohane said. "The next few years as these players gain some experience and learn to play together, that will be our window of opportunity in the MAC."
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