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LOCATION: DeKalb, IL
CONFERENCE: Mid-American (West)
LAST SEASON: 6-20 (.231)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 2-16 (6th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 1/4
NICKNAME: Huskies
COLORS: Cardinal & Black
HOMECOURT: Chick Evans Field House (6,044)
COACH: Brian Hammel (Bentley '75)
record at school 103-117 (8 years)
career record 194-187 (14 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Benjy Taylor (Richmond '89)
Andy Greer (SUNY-Brockport '84)
Ryan Marks (USC '93)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 19-20-12-10-6
RPI (last 5 years) 150-110-211-234-276
1998-99 FINISH: Did not qualify for postseason.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Somehow, Northern Illinois coach Brian Hammel maintained his composure during the ultimate season of frustration in DeKalb. Good things were expected from the Huskies last year. They were even picked to finish second in the West Divison of the Mid-American Conference. Then Murphy's Law took hold, the Huskies hit the skids and a 6-20 finish was the result. "There is life as we'd like it to be, and there's life as it is," Hammel said. "The lesson to be learned is you're going to hit adverse conditions. The alternative you have is to do the best with what you have." The same optimism exists this year, but with a more cautious approach. Everything revolves around 6-9, 245-pound senior center T.J. Lux, who received a favorable medical hardship ruling from the NCAA and was granted a fifth season of eligibility. Lux (13.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg) played in the first five games before he was sidelined by severe shin splints. Lux enters the season as the nation's leading active rebounder with 860 (9.7 rpg) in 88 games. He is only 218 shy of the school rebounding record. His 1,439 career points is only 415 away from the school mark.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH C+
FRONTCOURT B+ INTANGIBLES C
Northern Illinois resorted to everything, even acupuncture treatments, attempting to keep T.J. Lux going last year. Nothing worked. Without their leading scorer and rebounder, plus other key players, the Huskies were forced to regroup. That didn't work, either. "We went in hoping to push the ball and play up-tempo, but then we had to adjust to our numbers and lack of experience," Hammel said. "Mentally it's like going from wanting to win a 5K to a marathon." Lux is back apparently healthy again and that's good news. The youngsters who logged a lot of playing time also return, along with a good crop of recruits. The Huskies have plenty of options, if everyone stays healthy. Hammel said he has the ability to go with a big lineup, a quick lineup, a veteran lineup or a young lineup. "Hopefully, the most important lineup will be a healthy one," he said. |
In his first 88 games for the Huskies, he recorded 47 double-doubles. "We're ecstatic, specifically for T.J., our program and our fans," Hammel said. "We're ecstatic that he gained that extra year. It was a devastating loss for us last season. With a strong summer of rehab and rest, T.J. is anxious to have a sensational senior year and lead us into the postseason." Lux graduated in May and started post-graduate work this summer, picking up six hours of As in Mathematics Education. Northern Illinois was 3-3 when Lux was sidelined (he sat out the season opener), then other things started going wrong. Promising freshman Leon Rodgers (8.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg) came on strong with consecutive double-figure scoring games including a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds as a first-time starter against Ohio. Then the 6-6 forward came down with mononucleosis and missed four games. In the very next game, 6-9 forward Steve Determan (7.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) went down with a torn ligament in his right knee. Determan's sophomore season was cut to 10 games. The results after that were all too predictable. Northern Illinois missed a shot at the end of regulation and lost at Ball State in double-overtime. The Huskies hit the rim twice in the final eight seconds of a loss at Western Michigan. A late Central Michigan three-pointer sealed another defeat. Altogether, the Huskies lost 10 games by single-digit margins. Of those, six were by three points or less. "Losing two 6-9 starters will take a chunk out of any team's play," Hammel said. "We feel we'll be very improved just by getting healthy, plus the experience gained by all our first-year players who sometimes had to play too many minutes. And that doesn't even include what we can gain from the recruits, which feature a complement of all-around scorers." Only four players won't return from last year: forward Burton Anderson (11.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg), guard Phiffney Dukes (1.2 ppg, 1.0 rpg), forward Jeremy Roach (0.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg) and forward LaRoy Thompson (0.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg). Northern Illinois finished the season with an upset win at home against NIT-bound Toledo, providing some off-season momentum. Although the Huskies lost a double-figure scorer in Anderson, they have nine lettermen back and welcome five newcomers. Having Lux, Determan and Rodgers back certainly strengthens the inside game. Rodgers was a nice addition. "Leon started slow, coming in knowing that he had a lot to learn, but was very open-minded," Hammel said. "He started to produce and had a real setback with mononucleosis. He almost had two seasons in essence, because he came back from the sideline showing more improvement. There's no question the way he finished should serve as a springboard to even more." Center Matt Nelson (3.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg) is a 6-9, 220-pound sophomore who gained valuable experience as a first-year starter. Junior forward Charlie Ries (2.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg) also showed signs of maturing. Rey Jones, at 6-1, 200, is listed as a guard-forward on the roster. Wherever he plays, he gets the job done. Jones (10.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg), a senior, was voted Most Valuable Player, Most Influential Player and Best Defensive Player by his teammates. He averaged 13.3 points in the last seven games of the season. "When your peers acknowledge your play with three awards, I think it certainly sends a loud message about Rey Jones," Hammel said. "It clearly means you play at both ends of the floor." The leading scorer for the Huskies was 6-0 junior guard Mike Brown (10.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg). "Downtown" Brown ranked seventh in the MAC in three-pointers made per game (1.81) and three-point shooting percentage (.385). Junior-college transfer Ephraim Eaddy (7.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg) is a 5-10 senior point guard who was fourth in the MAC in assists (4.38). The other letterman in the backcourt is 6-0 sophomore Garrett Thomas (2.1 ppg, 0.8 rpg) who played 11 minutes a game. Hammel's recruits include two freshman big men from the Chicago area. Jerry Sanders, a 6-8 forward (Gordon Tech HS/Chicago), averaged 9.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots for a 21-6 team that shared the Catholic League North title. He shot .543 from the field. Michael Morrison, 6-9, 230, is a low-post prospect (Deerfield HS/Deerfield, Ill.) who posted averages of 13.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 2.5 steals. Morrison made 52 percent of his shots. Stephen Jones is a 6-3 junior guard (Kennedy-King JC/Chicago). He was the third-leading scorer (14.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.5 assists) on a team that finished fourth in the national junior college tournament to cap a 31-6 season. Marcus Jankus, a Canadian, also enrolled at NIU this year. Jankus (Cathedral HS/Hamilton, Ontario) is a 5-11 freshman guard who played with the Prep Stars Canada club team last year while satisfying NCAA initial-eligibility requirements. In 1998, he averaged 10.2 points and 5.8 assists when Cathedral won Canada's Class AAA (big schools) national championship with a 34-0 record. Morgan Thompson originally enrolled at Western Michigan as a walk-on in two sports but had a change of heart after three days of football practice and transferred. The 6-0 freshman (Oak Lawn Richards HS/Robbins, Ill.) averaged 11.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in high school. The Huskies also signed 6-4 freshman forward Sean Ezell (Wallace HS/Gary, Ind.) who is sitting out as a Prop 48. Ezell averaged 18.1 points and 4.1 rebounds as a senior.
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