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LOCATION: Hamilton, NY
CONFERENCE: Patriot League
LAST SEASON: 14-14 (.500)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 7-5 (4th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Red Raiders
COLORS: Maroon, Gray & White
HOMECOURT: Cotterell Court
COACH: Emmett Davis (St. Lawrence '81)
record at school 14-14 (1 year)
career record 14-14 (1 year)
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ASSISTANTS: Rod Balanis (Georgia Tech '94)
Dennis Csensits (Allentown '90)
Kevin Curley (Penn State '93)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 17-15-12-10-14
RPI (last 5 years) 118-158-210-246-177
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference semifinal
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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There are certain phrases each of us hopes never to hear. "IRS audit" and "root canal" spring to mind. Some people have more specific fears. President Clinton, for example, no doubt would sleep much easier if he knew the words "Ken Starr", "Matt Drudge" and "federal subpoena" would never again be uttered in his presence. For Colgate head coach Emmett Davis, the biggest bogeyman is "sophomore jinx," in more ways than one. First, Davis is entering his second year after a reasonably successful debut season. Taking over after Jack Bruen died of pancreatic cancer two years ago, Davis led his depleted team, dented by graduation losses, to a .500 record and a winning Patriot League season. Two victories came over Lafayette; they were the Leopards' only two conference losses. There were some bumps along the way, most notably a 53-point loss at Syracuse, and an 18-point defeat at Penn, but all in all the Red Raiders were consistent, never losing more than two in a row. Colgate played Lafayette for a third time, in the Patriot League tournament semifinals, and lost a two-point heartbreaker to the conference's eventual NCAA Tournament representative. "Last year we established a foundation for our program based on hard work and strong defense," Davis said. "We were able to mesh some experienced players with a talented freshman class who believed in this philosophy. The success we enjoyed last year should benefit us this season." In all that coachspeak can be found the second reason for Davis to fear the sophomore jinx: The Red Raiders return seven second-year players. Among them are the returning Patriot Rookie of the Year and a member of the league's All-Rookie squad. Davis will need these sophomores to continue improving their game, as Colgate deals with the graduation losses of its starting backcourt and a solid reserve.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT D+ BENCH/DEPTH D
FRONTCOURT B INTANGIBLES C+
Last season was a mildly pleasant surprise for Colgate, but Red Raider fans shouldn't read any more into it than that. Five hundred is .500, after all. Similar to last season, graduation has taken a heavy bite out of the Red Raiders, this time in the always-critical backcourt. A combination of inexperienced returnees and freshmen will start at guard, and the frontcourt is thin. "Going into this season, we are going to be very youthful at those (guard) positions," Davis said. "It can spell trouble, but it can also provide tremendous opportunities for young players to develop. I think that's the high road we're going to try to take." High roads aside, given the potential negatives, it is imperative that second-year forwards Pat Campolieta and Jordan Harris refine their games. Sophomore slumps from these two will spell disaster for Colgate. The problem is that the Patriot League is littered with guys who stumbled after impressive rookie seasons. Only the special few are able to continue to build their levels of play in a straight line up. So, assuming Campolieta and Harris avoid second-year jinxes, the Red Raiders appear to be on course for a season similar to last year's. Pat Diamond should provide a competent presence at center, and will be Colgate's only graduation loss next spring. Davis thinks he has unearthed eventual starters, some as early as this year, among his new recruits. But they'll all need time to rid themselves of green. Right now, the talent at the top of the Patriot appears too formidable to be shunted aside by a squad built on what-ifs and hope-sos. Davis' primary job this season will be to find a couple of guys, among the many vying for time at guard, on whom he can depend. If he is successful, the Red Raiders will be poised to strike next year. |
The Red Raiders look solid up front, where 6-6 sophomore Pat Campolieta (13.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg) returns as the starting power forward and 6-5 sophomore Jordan Harris (7.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg) comes back to start at small forward. Campolieta was the league's rookie of the year and its third-leading scorer, reaching double figures in 22 of 28 games. A true all-around player, he was talented enough to make the all-conference second team. He was also just the second Patriot freshman to earn all-league honors. To say big things are expected of him this year is an understatement. Indeed, Davis has identified Campolieta as the Red Raiders' go-to guy. Not that the role is unfamiliar. After cracking the starting lineup in the fourth game of the season, he went on and led Colgate in scoring and rebounding last season. The athletic Harris started 21 games last season on his way to joining Campolieta on the Patriot's All-Rookie team. Colgate's fourth-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, he crashed the boards exceptionally hard for someone his height. Harris complemented his offensive skills with 41 assists, 17 blocks and 26 steals, and his versatility will allow Davis to experiment with the rotation and insert him into the two slot. "Jordan has probably the most potential to get better," the coach said. "He is very good now, but I think he can continue to improve. I saw some tremendous improvement from the day he stepped on campus to the day he left in the spring." With depth at forward a bit iffy, it's reasonable to expect Campolieta and Harris to see substantial minutes, although if last season proved anything, it is that Davis doesn't mind throwing his newcomers into the deep end of the pool to see whether they can swim. If the coach wants to show a big look to the opposition, he will probably call on 6-9 freshman Chris Fox (McQuaid Jesuit HS/Rochester, N.Y.). Fox graduated from high school two years ago, then spent a season averaging 15.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg at Lawrenceville Prep, in central New Jersey. He is a former All-New York State scholastic player with a soft touch. Colgate officials see similar skills in Fox as they do in Campolieta, and he will both spell Campolieta and play alongside him. Shoulder surgery kept 6-8 junior Terry Zinn off the court all last season. In 1997-98, he scored 15 points and snared 12 boards in 19 games. Zinn does not appear to be on the fast track to a ton of minutes this year. As at power forward, the backup ranks in the three slot are slim. LaMarr Datcher (4.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg), a 6-5 sophomore, showed some flashes of talent in playing nearly 12 minutes a game and appearing in every game. But Davis wants Datcher to improve his outside shot and deftness with the ball before entrusting him with more responsibility. That leaves the door open for 6-5 freshman Marques Green (Episcopal HS/Alexandria, Va.), a slashing swingman who averaged 19.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, and nearly five assists a game at his Virginia high school. A three-time all-conference selection and honorable mention All-Met (Washington, D.C.) pick by the Washington Post, Green will get a long look from Davis. Experience and depth in the pivot should help to offset any sophomore jitters at forward. The returning starter is 6-6 senior co-captain Pat Diamond (7.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg), a 50 percent field-goal shooter who offers Colgate a solid interior presence on the defensive end, despite his lack of size. Diamond, the only senior, has steadily picked up his game over the course of his collegiate career, and his leadership will be key to this young Red Raider team. The other co-captain is his primary backup, 6-9 junior Robert Akers (2.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg). Akers has played in 27 games each of his first two seasons, but he hasn't quite shown the progression of talent that would earn him significant minutes off the bat this year. He is a good shooter, but needs to display some maturity for Davis to call his number more often. Colgate insiders are quite high on Czech import Martin Marek, a 6-9 forward/center who played for his country's under-19 team in the University World Games, in Spain. Typical of most European players, Marek is raw but has a tremendous upside, including some solid footwork in the paint, a decent long ball, rebounding skills and an ability to run the floor. He played solidly for the Sparta-Prague Club, notching 12.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg and being selected to the All-Star Nike Europe squad in 1998. Dave Brown, a 6-7 junior, totaled two points and three rebounds in four games before an injury sent him to the bench permanently, while 6-5 junior Tom McElligott (0.9 ppg, 0.3 rpg) has appeared in just 18 games over two seasons. Like Zinn, they are initially earmarked for mop-up duty. While the frontcourt looks reasonably set at this early stage, the guard rotation presents many more question marks. Last year's starters, Mike Tilley and Chester Felts, have graduated and taken with them more than 16.0 ppg, nearly 6.0 rpg and a total of 152 assists and 90 steals. The bigger headache is trying to decide who replaces team MVP Tilley at the point. Recognizing that no one option stands out from the others, Davis sounds resigned to a system of floor general by committee. "I think you're going to find that somebody will earn the job," he said. "He probably won't earn 35 minutes a game; it's going to be a couple of guys probably playing 25 and 15 minutes apiece." The reason for the hesitation is that the returning point guards played a total of 81 minutes last season. Neither obviously distinguished himself. The brother of former Red Raider Brendan, 6-0 sophomore Devin Tuohey (0.6 ppg, 0.5 rpg) appeared in just 14 games. He is joined by 5-11 sophomore Bill Kern (0 points, 0.3 rpg), who played in 10 games. Tuohey and Kern spent considerable time with Colgate's JV squad. It's understandable, then, that Davis plans on putting his incoming freshmen through their paces. At the point he has a couple of options, in 6-2 Dave Hardy (East HS/West Chester, Pa.) and 5-10 Jeremy Ballard (North Atlanta HS/Atlanta, Ga.). Hardy, an all-county selection who averaged 21.0 ppg and six assists per game as a senior, plays tough defense. Ballard led his team to the Georgia state tournament, averaging 17.7 ppg and 11.1 assists, and shines in the transition game. Shooting guard also looks wide open in the early going. The returnees are 6-4 sophomore Rico Cabrera (3.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg) and 6-3 sophomore Jim Detmer (2.2 ppg, 1.1 rpg). Cabrera appeared in all 28 Red Raider games as a freshman and showed some defensive prowess and a decent outside shot. Detmer is the less experienced of the two, playing in 18 games. Colgate insiders like his shot, but at only 180 pounds, he could stand to add some beef. The best prospect in the backcourt might be versatile 6-5 freshman Tim Sullivan (Lawrenceville Prep/Skaneateles, N.Y.), who combines size, soft hands, smarts and an ability to put the ball in the basket. Sullivan ended his career at Skaneateles High School as its second-leading scorer, then spent a year at Lawrenceville Prep, where he averaged 18.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg and seven assists per game while leading his team to the Mercer County championship.
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