|
LANCASTER, PA -- The Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team remained among the elite of Division III as the staff at Basketball America magazine ranked the Diplomats second in the January 1, 2002 edition of the organization's national Division III poll. F&M (10-0, 2-0 Centennial Conference), which has not played since a 66-47 win over Salisbury State on December 8, has jumped out to the best start in program history since a 19-0 run to open the 1995-96 season. In 1995-96, F&M rolled out to a 12-0 Conference record on their way to an appearance in the NCAA Division III Final Four. However, Muhlenberg College would break up the perfect season on February 7, 1996 with a 66-49 win in Allentown to shatter a 42 game Conference winning streak which dated back to January 23, 1993 versus Lebanon Valley College. Historically, F&M's best all-time start is held by the 1994-95 Diplomats who jumped out to a 25-0 start to open the year to mark the most consecutive victories ever by an F&M basketball squad. To date, two-time All-America forward Alex Kraft (Sr., Lansdale, PA/Lansdale Catholic) is among the team's leaders as the 6-5 forward is averaging 13.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Kraft, who inched closer to the all-time scoring record of 1,695 points held by Donnie Marsh '79, raised his career total to 1,399 points, one short of becoming only the fifth F&M player in school history to record 1,400 points. The total keeps Kraft in fifth place all-time at the College in scoring, as he supplanted the previous fifth place performance of Dennis Westley '81 (1,357) with 20 against Muhlenberg in a 66-63 win and 13 against Albright in a 100-68 victory on Monday. Further, he moved within 101 points of joining Jeremiah Henry '96 (1,502 points), Will Lasky '92 (1,608), Terry Scott '88 (1,663) and Marsh as the only players to score 1,500 points. To date, he is one of three Centennial Conference players to rank among the Conference's top seven all-time in scoring and rebounding. His 1,399 points are seventh on the all-time Centennial list, while his 621 career caroms are fifth all-time in the CC and 11th in F&M history. He has a chance to become the first player in school history to be named a three-time All-American, as seven other F&M players - Charlie Detz '96, Chris Finch '92, Jeremiah Henry '97, Jannetta, Will Lasky '92, Mike Mehaffey and Marsh - were honored twice. In addition, he can become the first Diplomat since Marsh was named the Middle Atlantic Conference Player of the Year in 1976, 1977 and 1979 to earn a conference's highest honor three times. In the Centennial Conference, he is now tied with Jannetta for the most Player of the Year nods as the senior forward has garnered the award twice. For the year, Kraft is shooting 51.0 percent from the floor (49-96), 42.1 percent from three point range (8-19) and 64.1 percent (25-39) at the foul line for 131 points. On the boards, he ranks third on the team in rebounds with 70, one behind runner-up Cas Thomas (Sr., Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy) and 13 boards back from sophomore center Steve Juskin (East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park).
Overall, Juskin leads the team in field goal attempts (12.1), field goals (6.6), points (15.7), rebounds (8.3), offensive rebounds (3.6), defensive rebounds (4.7) and blocked shots (2.5) per game. To date, the 6-6 center has registered 25 blocks, 66 field goals, 157 points, 83 rebounds, 36 offensive rebounds and 47 defensive rebounds while starting all ten games. At guard, F&M has received solid play from the trio of senior Larry Fain (Sr., Crum Lynne, PA/Chester) and sophomores Jackiem Wright (So., Sicklerville, NJ/Moorestown) and Duran Searles (So., Camden, NJ/Peddie School). Against Albright in a 100-68 win, Wright knocked down seven-of-nine field goal attempts, including four-of-six from three-point range, for a team high 18 points as F&M downed the Lions in the Mayser Center, 100-68. The 6-2 transfer from Division I LaSalle University would hit four-of-five from long range in the first half, as the Diplomats set a pair of new school records with 14 three-point shots off 28 attempts. In addition to Wright, six other Diplomats would connect for three-pointers as they shattered the previous record for most three-point shots in a game set by the Diplomats in a November 18, 1990 game versus Swarthmore in which F&M converted 12-of-25 attempts. In addition, the team's 28 attempts tied the record for most tries in a game held by F&M from a pair of games on February 19. On February 19, 1992, the blue and white made 8-of-28 versus Muhlenberg, and repeated the feat with 10-of-28 two years to the day versus Washington. Wright now leads F&M in field goal percentage by connecting on 21-of-38 field goal attempts for a team best average of 55.3 percent. Fain, who transferred from Division II Cheyney last year, and Searles lead the team in every other statistical category. Searles, a December 11th Centennial Conference Honor Roll recipient for scoring a game high 15 points in a 66-47 rout of Salisbury University, leads the team in steals (22) and assists (34), while Fain is tops in free throw attempts with an average of 4.7 per contest. Statistically, F&M has defeated its opponents by 18.2 points per game while holding teams to a miserly 60.2 points per game as the Diplomats possess the most potent offense and staggering defense in the Centennial Conference. Historically, F&M dominated Western Maryland and Salisbury earlier this year by holding the programs to 47 points in back-to-back games, marking the fewest points allowed by a Diplomats squad since January 31, 2001, a 90-48 victory in the Green Terror's last visit to Lancaster. Overall, F&M is the only Centennial Conference team ranked nationally. Elizabethtown College, who fell 83-80 to the Diplomats on November 20, jumped to #16 in this week's poll following a #17 ranking in the December 18th Basketball America poll after receiving no votes in the December 4th voting. Franklin & Marshall will look for its eleventh win of the season on Thursday, January 3 when the team returns to the court at the Mayser Center versus Lincoln University in the 7:00 p.m. game of the 2002 Lancaster Rotary Tip-Off the New Year Tournament. In the first game, nationally ranked Clark University will face Frostburg State at 5:00 p.m. The Diplomats will be looking for their 17th Rotary Championship and their 13th in the last 14 years. F&Ms' lone loss in the last 13 tournaments came in 1998 when Alvernia defeated the Diplomats 86-76. Last year, the Diplomats knocked off Lincoln 88-57 in the first round, before pulling away from St. Mary's College of Maryland for an 83-76 victory. The Basketball America Division III Top 25 is released every Tuesday during the college basketball season at www.basketballamerica.com. Basketball America Division III Top 25 (January 2, 2002)
Rank Team 2001-02 Record
1. Carthage 7-0
2. Franklin & Marshall 10-0
3. DePauw 7-0
4. Hampden-Sydney 9-0
5. Wheaton 8-0
6. Gustavus-Adolphus 9-0
7. Washington (MO) 9-1
8. Wittenberg 10-1
9. Millsaps 7-1
10. Wisconsin-Whitewater 10-1
11. Maryville (TN) 8-1
12. Amherst 6-1
13. Catholic 8-1
14. Christopher Newport 8-1
15. Rochester 9-0
16. Elizabethtown 8-1
17. Williams 7-0
18. Ramapo 7-3
19. Calvin 8-3
20. Brockport State 8-0
21. Randoph Macon 9-1
22. Mississippi College 8-0
23. Otterbein 10-1
24. Wooster 8-3
25. Kings 7-1
|
