F&M to Host Clark, Frostburg & Lincoln in 2002 Rotary Tip-Off Tournament on January 3-4

by Sports Information
1/2/02

LANCASTER, PA -- The #2 nationally ranked Franklin & Marshall College Diplomats will host Lincoln University, Clark University and Frostburg State University on January 3 and 4 in the Mayser Center for the annual 22nd Annual Lancaster Rotary Tip-Off the New Year Basketball Tournament.

First round pairings will be Frostburg State Bobcats versus the Clark Cougars at 5:00, and F&M against the Lincoln University Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 3 with the consolation and championship games set for 6 and 8 p.m. on Friday, January 4.

Franklin & Marshall, which is ranked third in the D3Hoops.com and second in the latest Basketball America weekly men's basketball national Division III polls, 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.

Overall, 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.

Lincoln, the Diplomats' first round opponent for a second straight year, will be looking for their first ever Rotary Championship in six attempts.

Previously, Lincoln's best performance was a runner-up finish in 1997 and 2000 with 90-66 and 92-79 losses to Franklin & Marshall, respectively.

This year, the Lions enter the Rotary Tournament with a 1-8 overall record, including a seven game losing streak. Their lone victory of the year came on November 18 at the Susquehanna Tournament as Lincoln outlasted Ursinus College 105-97 OT in the consolation game.

In their last game prior to the holiday break, Lincoln fell to Newport News 63-49 in the consolation game of the Rowan University Tournament following a 76-63 loss to Neumann College.

Guards Jake Royal (Jr., Coatesville, PA/Coatesville) and Shuaib Abdur-Rahman (So., Levittown, PA/Pennsbury) lead Lincoln in scoring with 112 points, while 6-8 center Linwood Gilmore (Philadelphia, PA/Diluth) is the team's leading rebounder with 51, five better than forward Andre McDuffie (Sr., Brooklyn, NY/Cedar Crest).

Historically, F&M is 6-2 against Lincoln, the only team in this year's field to ever defeat the Diplomats, having claimed the last six games since the Lions last series victory in 1951.

Frostburg State, which could face the #3 ranked Diplomats for the first time if the Bobcats get by #20 ranked Clark University, enters the tournament following a 80-71 loss to #2 nationally ranked Christopher Newport on December 22 to lower their record to 5-4.

To date, Frostburg has been led by the play of 6-5 forward Pierre Bowery (Jr., Kensington, MD/Albert Einstein and point guard Sean Brown (Sr., Baltimore, MD/North County) who are averaging 20.6 and 18.3 points per game, respectively.

Clark, which is making its third appearance in the Rotary Tournament, will be looking to improve of its #20 national ranking courtesy a possible finals matchup with Franklin & Marshall.

A 2001 Elite Eight team, the Cougars have won the NEWMAC Championship twice in the last three years (1999 & 2001) and are looking to continue the national prominence that the squad had as an NCAA Tournament participant in 11 consecutive seasons from 1978 to 1988.

Through nine games, Clark is 7-2 with losses to Wesleyan University (83-80) and Williams College (80-78 OT) as guard Sean Fleming (Jr., Smithfield, RI/Worcester Academy) leads the team in scoring with an average of 17.2 points per game. Overall, all five Cougar starters average double-digits per game as guard Dave McNamara (So., Worcester, MA/Worcester Academy), 15.9, forward Trevor Walker (So., Milford, MA/Milford), 15.6, center Chris Bagdis (Jr., Paxton, MA/Wachusett Regional), 10.2, and forward Amos Anderson (Sr., North Easton, MA/Bridgton Academy), 10.0, lead an offense which is scoring 88.1 points per game with an average margin of victory of 12.9 points.

In Rotary Tournament history, the Cougars finished third in the 1990 tournament with an 85-72 win over Tufts in the consolation game following an 88-81 loss to Susquehanna in the first round.

A potential clash of nationally ranked teams, an F&M-Clark final would be a rematch of the 1983 final when Clark bounced Bethany, 73-66, and the Diplomats handled Rochester Polytechnic (RPI), 78-54. In the championship game, the Diplomats picked up a 73-64 win over the Cougars behind an MVP performance from J. Allen Taylor '83.

In the game, the Diplomats came back from a 45-38 halftime deficit versus the favored Scarlets (as Clark was then known) behind 18 second half points from Taylor. After missing six of seven shots in the first half, Taylor scored 10 straight points on his way to a game high 22 as the Diplomats began the second half with a 19-7 spurt that saw them go from seven down to a 57-52 lead with 9:05 to play and take the nine point victory.

Historically, Clark is 0-2 against Franklin & Marshall as the Diplomats picked up a 48-40 in Worcester, Massachusetts on December 11, 1940 in both teams' season opener. F&M would finish the year 16-3, tying with the 1951-52 team for the most wins in a season until the 1975-76 team of current head coach Glenn Robinson went 17-8 in 1975-76 to shatter the mark.

Presented by Armstrong Industries, Inc., the 2002 Tip-Off the New Year Tournament is sponsored by the benefit of the Lancaster Community by the Rotary Club of Lancaster.

Admission is $5 for adults and $1 for students and children each night.