Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 101

PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS SPORTSWEEK THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1996 PAGE S-5 THE PERFECT 10 Or, the 10 best games in the city this season mm Saturday Dec. 14, CoreStates Center Marc Jackson is just the third player in John Chaney's 14 seasons as head coach at Temple to lead the team in scoring and rebounding in the same season. The breakdown: An early measuring stick for the Wildcats. Or is that the other way around? DICK JERARDI GEORGE REYNOLDS DAILY NEWS Avg. Leading rebounderAvg, Season Leading scorer Monday Dec.

23, duPont Pavilion The Holy War at the Ski Lodge. Who could-, ask for anything more? 0 1 1982- 83 Terence Stansbury 24.6 Charles Rayne 6.1 1983- 84 Terence Stansbury 18.6 Granger Hall 7.1 1984- 85 Granger Hall 18.0 Granger Hall 8.5 1985- 86 Ed Coe 15.6 Tim Perry 9.5 1986- 87 Nate Blackwell 19.8 Tim Perry 8.6 1987- 88 Mark Macon 20.6 Tim Perry 8.0 1988- 89 Mark Macon 18.3 Duane Causwell 8.9 1989- 90 Mark Macon 21.9 Donald Hodge 8.2 1990- 91 Mark Macon 22.0 Mark Strickland 6.9 1991- 92 Mik Kilgore 14.5 Mark Strickland 6.0 1992- 93 Aaron McKie 20.6 Eddie Jones 7.0 1993- 94 Eddie Jones 19.2 Aaron McKie 7.2 1994- 95 Rick Brunson 16.7 Rick Brunson 5.9 1995- 96 Marc Jackson 15.7 Marc Jackson 9.9 4 it aJs, Wednesday Jan. 15, Palestra Finally, the natural rivalry that West Philly has craved for so long. Monday Jan. 20, CoreStates Center The first meeting between what could be." the best two teams in the Big East Saturday Jan.

25, McGonlgle Hall The first meeting between what should be the best top teams in the Atlantic 10 Eastl- I BUailWiMUiailMilMtf I Sunday Feb. 9, Phys. Education Athletic Center The two best teams in the newly named America East played three great games last season. f4 til asked him before. What coach do I not want shooting threes for me in a contest, any contest, even one for charity? Speedy Morris, La Salle.

For a man who "has made his living coaching the three and saw its value way before many of his colleagues, Morris has a technique that would make his friend, Herb Magee, the coach at Philadelphia Textile and a recognized shooting authority, cringe with every release. What coach would want to teach life lessons to every kid who just doesn't get it? John Chaney, Temple. Once you get past all the savings and the metaphors and the sometimes obscure references, you discover that in a world where truth is elusive, John Chaney speaks the elusive truth. What coach do I think one day will get an offer he can't refuse, leave town and win big wherever he goes? Bill Herrion, Drexel. I love the way he coaches and how his teams play.

The Dragons play fast; they play hard; they play right. That they beat Memphis in the NCAA Tournament was no fluke. It was a result that was inevitable. How many NBA players are lurking in the city? Could be a half dozen or more. And most of them are at Villanova.

Lawson will be in the league next season. Thomas will be in the league when he decides it's time. Williams has the skills. Rafal Bigus has unique offensive skills for someone his size (7-1); he has a chance. Temple's Marc Jackson will be in the NBA next season if he decides to come out a year early.

Who is the best player the sc. Clockwise from left: Villanova's Jason Lawson, Penn coach Fran Dumphy and St Joe's coach Phil Martelli He) Tuesday Feb. 11, Palestra Petey Carril's gone to the NBA, but this still is as good as it gets in the Ivy League. 1 i mi "Yah" Davis at St. Joe's, Lamont Barnes, Julian Dunkley and Pepe Sanchez at Temple, Geoff Owens, Michael Jordan and Matt Langel at Penn, Malik Allen, Brian Lynch and T.J Caoutte at Villanova and Joe Linderman, Bryant Coursey and Tom Dearborn at Drexel.

And don't forget Frankford High's Pet-rick Sanders who is sitting out at Drexel because of Proposition 48. Of all the high school players in last season's terrific local class, Sanders was the most fundamentally sound. Also don't forget two sophomores who were not allowed to play last season because of Prop 48 Rob Haskins at St. Joe's and Rasheed Brokenborough at Temple. Haskins is said to be able to fly and Brokenborough was the City Player of the Year two seasons ago when Bigus was at Archbishop Carroll and Massachusetts' Lari Ketner was at Roman Catholic.

What preseason basketball publications do you need? Only one: The Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. The rest are impostors. Blue Ribbon tells you more than you need to know. Which is perfect. You decide what you want.

Believe me, they've got it. public doesn't know much about? Jeff "Jay" Myers, Drexel. Following in the great tradition of Southern High players such as Temple's Nate Blackwell and La Salle's Lionel Simmons, Myers plays the whole game. There is no better individual defender in town. He has a terrific outside shot, quickness to get places on the court and a real feel for his sport.

On any all-city team, keep a spot open for Myers. What is the preseason all-city team? Lawson, Villanova; Williams, Villanova; Thomas, Villanova; Jackson, Temple; Myers, Drexel. How good are all the city's newcomers? Potentially very good. Who knows if, collectively, they will be as good as all the city players of recent vintage who now are playing in the NBA? Villanova's Kerry Kittles, Perm's Jerome Allen and Matt Maloney and Drexel's Malik Rose were among the best players ever to come through this town. The impact freshmen obviously will include Thomas, but there are more, much more.

Cases in point: Donnie Carr at La Salle, Arthur Saturday Feb. 22, McGonlgle Hall The best team in the A-10 West has fu-; ture pro Alexander Koull and the best little man in the game. Shawnta Rogers. (1 Sunday Feb. 23, CoreStates Spectrum Sure, UConn is down.

But everyone loves a good rout over the dreaded Huskies. be the first. What coach do I want if I absolutely have to have a big-time high school player? Steve Lappas, Villanova. What he has done in just four seasons is astonishing. Villanova never was a player for the best national recruits before Lappas arrived on the Main Line.

It is now. What coach do I want to talk to if I must have a quote with perspective, humor and insight? Phil Martelli, St. Joseph's. The man is a natural. As he himself said last season, he'd always had good lines.

It's just that nobody Tuesday Feb. 25, Memorial Fleldhouse Former Hawk Bruiser Flint makes his head-coaching debut at his alma mater. GEORGE MILLER DA1LYNEWS ill 1 11 0 1 74 a JrAwrw 7 LA SALLE ILLANOVA PENN Hfoj Coach: Steve Lappas (79-46 in four sea 11 Coach: Speedy Morris (183-119 in 10 seasons at La Salle). Last season: 6-24 overall, 3-13 (tied for fifth) in sons at Villanova; 135-108 in eight seasons overall). if 11 I Coach: Fran Dunphy (123-65 in seven Atlantic 10.

Last season: 2b-7 overall, 14-4 (second) in Big East; lost in second round of NCAA Tour I 1 JWnilJ nament to Louisville. seasons ai rennj. Last season: 17-10 overall, 12-2 (second) in Ivy League. Top returning scorer: Junior guard Top returning scorer: Junior guard Mike Gizzi (13.4 points per game). Top returning rebounder: Senior forward Everett Catlin (7.4 rebounds per game).

Strengths: The Explorers have more good athletes in the program than they had last season. Roman Catholic guard Donnie Carr, a 6-4 freshman, was a great catch and will provide scoring that was very hard to find last season. He is a hard-nosed defender who should allow Morris to play some man-to-man defense, something he couldn't play much last 6-5 Gizzi, the shooting guard, has made himself into an A-10 player. He shot 40 percent from the three-point arc last season, making up for his lack of quickness with an understanding of the game. 6-6 Catlin has become an inside scoring threat and a solid Travar Johnson, a 6-8 shot blocker, rebounder and runner, should start at power forward and give La Salle some ingredients it hasn't had in years.

Weaknesses: This team has gotten into a losing habit that won't be broken "Reds" Smith, a 5-10 junior who was counted on to be the point guard of the future, is having trouble holding on to his position. Carr, a natural wing guard, has been the first-team point in preseason Explorers shot just 37.2 percent from the field and 63.2 percent from the foul line last season. There just aren't enough good shooters in a program that, because of its lack of inside scoring, has had to depend so much on outside shooting since Lionel Simmons graduated in 1990. Outlook: Grim was the word last season. This season, it's hopeful.

One more good recruiting class and La Salle is a player, if not a contender, in the A-10. If the Explorers could get to 10 wins this season, that would be a positive sign they're on their way back. Any more than 10 would be terrific. The non-conference schedule, brutal last season, is more manageable. But this team, like last year's, has little margin for error.

Dick Jerardi Garett Kreitz (8.9 points per game). Top returning rebounder: Sophomore forward Paul Romanczuk (4.1 rebounds per game). Strengths: George Mboya, a 6-6 sophomore forward, finally is eligible after sitting out last season as a transfer. He played as a first-year man at Jamie Lyren, a 6-3 senior guard, is healthy after missing all but four games last season with a broken Dunphy has three freshmen who could see immediate playing time. The best of the bunch is 6-1 guard Michael Jordan, from Abington Friends, who was good enough to receive scholarship offers.

Geoff Owens, a 6-11 center, and Matt Langel, a 6-5 swingman, also arrived with strong Dun-phy's bench presence helped convince Princeton's Pete Carril that retirement might not be such a bad. alternative. Weaknesses: Dunphy lost three starters who combined for 43 points per game, or 62 percent of the team's offense. As a result, three freshmen could see significant playing time. It also means there might be a void in the leadership department.

Bottom line: It might take a while for Dunphy to come up with a viable Frank Brown, a 6-5 sophomore forward, needs to play like the highly regarded recruit he was. Outlook: With Jerome Allen and Matt Maloney, Penn owned the Ivies for three seasons. Without them last season, the Quakers still beat Princeton twice and came within a play or two in a playoff with the Tigers of winning another title. Now that Tim Krug and Ira Bowman also are gone, that era officially is over. Princeton is the favorite.

Harvard and Dartmouth aren't shabby. Dunphy's working with a slew of new faces. And even the old ones come with question marks. The schedule is rugged. But the Quakers, once they get to know each other, at least should be Top returning scorer: Senior center Jason Law-son (12.3 points per game).

Top returning rebounder: Lawson (6.8 rebounds per game). Strengths: The Wildcats can go two deep at every position and there won't be much talent Lawson and senior point guard Alvin Williams have been major players in the program since their freshmen year. As quality seniors, a rare commodity in college basketball anymore, there shouldn't be many situations they haven't faced. The 6-11 Lawson is an intimidating defensive presence who shoots a high percentage and Williams, at 6-5, is a great athlete who has improved his outside shooting and his understanding of the point Power forward Chuck Kornegay, a 6-9 senior, apparently has recovered from the ankle injury that held him back last season. Tim Thomas has star quality.

He is a 6-9 player with guard skills who plays the total game and will be a very difficult matchup for any team defensively because he has the ability to shoot the three, get to the basket off the dribble and post The three other freshmen 6-10 Malik Allen, 6-6 Brian Lynch and 6-7 T.J. Caouette will press for minutes. Allen could start some at power forward. Lynch apparently is a more athletic version of Eric Eberz. Caouette might be the odd man out this season, but he could start for 80 percent of the teams in the Zeffy Penn, a 6- 6 senior forward, is a valuable role sophomore class of 6-3 guard John Celestand, 6-5 guard Howard Brown and 7- 1 center Rafal Bigus has almost been forgotten amidst the hype over the freshmen, but these guys can play.

Weaknesses: Not many. The three-point shooting is unproven. The fight for minutes could prove distracting if not handled correctly. Outlook: This team is a Final Four contender. This won't be Lappas' last chance for a long NCAA run, but it's hard to imagine he'll ever have a much better chance.

Dick Jerardi in the hunt come late February. Mike Kern irijiTFiiwpr -ii Nov. 30 at Mount St. Mary's, 7:30 p.m. Nov.

Dec. 3 T0WS0N STATE, 8 p.m. 29 American University of San Juan (Puerto Rico Tournament, San Juan), 9 p.m. Dec. 6 Southern Miss.

(Super Chevy Classic, Iowa City, Iowa), 7 p.m. Dec. 7 LEHIGH, 7 p.m. Nov. 30 Butler (Puerto Rico Tournament), 5 p.m.

Dec. 10 VILLANOVA, 7 p.m. Dec. 1 Tulane (Puerto Rico Tournament), 2 p.m. Dec.

21 at Temple, 3 p.m. Pec. 4 PROVIDENCE, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 28 Florida (Bank One Fiesta Bowl Classic, Tuscon, 7:15 p.m.

Dec. 7 at St. John's, noon, SportsChannel Dec. 10 at Penn, 7 p.m. Dec.

30 Robert Morris or Arizona (Bank One Fiesta Bowl Classic), 7:15 or 9:30 p.m. Dec. 14 DUKE (CoreStates Center), 3 p.m.. Channel 3 Dec. 21 MOUNT ST.

MARY'S, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 4 at Rice, 8:30 p.m. Dec. 23 ST.

JOSEPH'S, 7:30 p.m., SportsChannel Jan. 10 at Yale, 7 p.m. Dec. 28 RIDER, 2 p.m. Jan.

11 at Brown (Providence Civic Center), 6 p.m. Dec. 30 NORTH CAROLINA-WILMINGTON, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15 DREXEL, 7 p.m.

Jan. 2 SETON HALL, 7:30 p.m.. SportsChannel Jan. 18 ST. JOSEPH'S, 7 p.m.

Jan. 6 at Providence, 7:30 p.m., ESPN Jan. 21 at Maryland (Baltimore Arena), 8 p.m. Jan. 8 ORAL ROBERTS.

7:30 p.m Jan. 23 at La Salle (CoreStates Spectrum), 8 p.m. Jan. 11 MIAMI, noon. Channel 29 Pec.

7 Iowa or Grambling (Super Chevy Classic), 7 or 9 p.m. Dec. 10 AMERICAN, (CoreStates Spectrum), 7 p.m. Dec. 14 DREXEL (CoreStates Spectrum), 12:45 p.m.

Dec. 22 at Marquette, 6 p.m. Dec. 28 Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo (Golden Bear Classic, Berkeley. Calif), 7 p.m.

Dec. 29 Second round Jan. 4 HOLY CROSS (CoreStates Spectrum). 2:30 p.m. Jan.

8 MASSACHUSETTS (CoreStates Spectrum), 8 p.m. Jan. 11 DAYTON (CoreStates Spectrum), 12:45 p.m. Jan. 18 DUQUESNE (CoreStates Spectrum), 2 p.m.

Jan. 20 at Virginia Tech, 7 p.m. Jan. 23 PENN (CoreStates Spectrum). 8 p.m.

Jan. 25 at George Washington, 2 p.m. Jan. 28 at Temple, 9 p.m., ESPN2 Feb. 1 GEORGE WASHINGTON (CoreStates Spectrum), 8 p.m.

Feb. 3 XAVIER (CoreStates Spectrum), 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at Rhode Island, 7:30 p.m. Feb.

10 VIRGINIA TECH (CoreStates Spectrum), 7 p.m. Feb. 13 at Duquesne, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at St.

Bonaventure, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20 at Dayton. 7:30 p.m. Feb.

22 at Xavier, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27 FORDHAM (CoreStates Spectrum). 7 p.m. Mar.

1 ST. JOSEPH'S (CoreStates Spectrum), noon Mar. 5-8 Atlantic 10 Tournament (CoreStates Spectrum) Jan. 14 at Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ESPN2 Jan. Z7 at Larayene, p.m.

Jan. 18 RUTGERS, noon Channel 29 Jan. 31 at Columbia, 7:30 p.m. at Cornell, 7:30 p.m. Jan.

20 SYRACUSE (CoreStates Center), 7:30 p.m., ESPN Feb. 1 Jan. 25 at Boston College, 2 p.m., Channel 3 Feb. 7 HARVARD, 7 p.m. Jan.

27 at Georgetown, 7:30 p.m., ESPN Feb. 8 DARTMOUTH, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 1 at Syracuse, noon, Channel 29 Feb. 11 PRINCETON, 7 p.m.

Feb. 4 WEST VIRGINIA, 7 p.m., SportsChannel Feb. 14 BROWN. 7 p.m. Feb.

9 at Kentucky, 3 p.m.. Channel 3 Feb. 12 at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m., SportsChannel Feb. 15 YALE. 7 p.m.

Feb. 16 NOTRE DAME (CoreStates Center), noon. Channel 10 Feb. 21 at Dartmouth, 6:30 p.m. Feb.

19 ST. JOHN'S (CoreStates Spectrum). 9 p.m., ESPN Feb. 22 at Harvard, 7 p.m. Feb.

23 CONNECTICUT (CoreStates Spectrum), p.m.. Ch. 3 Feb. 28 CORNELL. 7 p.m.

Feb. 26 at West Virginia, 7 p.m., SportsChannel Mar. 1 COLUMBIA. 7 p.m. Mar.

1 at Rutgers, noon, Channel 29 Mar. 4 at Princeton, 7:30 p.m. Mar. 5-8 Big East Tournament (Madison Square Garden).