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LANCASTER, PA - Western Division Champions Franklin & Marshall College placed three players on the All-Centennial Conference men's basketball second team announced at the Centennial Conference Office by Executive Secretary Steven Ulrich. F&M's dominated the front line with the selections of center Steve Juskin (So., East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park), and forwards Alex Kraft (Sr., Lansdale, PA/Lansdale Catholic) and Cas Thomas (Sr., Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy). A 2001 All-Centennial Conference forward, Thomas ranks 10th in rebounding (645), seventh in steals (184) and third in blocked shots (94) at the College for his career. He ranks first in steals (2.0), seventh in offensive rebounds (2.60), 10th in blocked shots (0.88), 11th in rebounding (6.6) and is tied with Kraft for 13th in defensive rebounds in the latest Centennial Conference statistics. Joining Thomas at second team forward is Kraft, the 2000 and 2001 Centennial Conference Player of the Year. A 2000 and 2001 NABC All-American, Kraft ranks 12th in rebounding (6.2) and assists (2.40), 13th in defensive rebounds (4.04), 14th in offensive rebounds (2.16), 19th in scoring (11.0). It marks the fourth year that Kraft has been honored with All-CC honors as he was named to the second team in 1999 and the first team in 2000 and 2001. For his career, the 6-5 forward ranks fourth in points (1,543) and rebounds (681), eighth in three-point field goals (106) and 14th in assists (222) in the history of the sport at Franklin & Marshall College. Offensively, the team has been led by the play of Juskin, who is averaging a team high 14.0 points per game to rank 13th in the Centennial Conference. Juskin makes his first appearance on the All-CC team after placing second in blocked shots (2.16), seventh in the CC in rebounding (6.9), field goal percentage (51.8), 9th in defensive rebounding (4.52) and 10th in offensive rebounding (2.36). Last week, the sophomore center blocked four shots versus Johns Hopkins in a 61-54 win on Saturday to reset the single season and career blocked shot records. Midway through the second half, Juskin tipped a shot for his 54th block of the year and the 104th of his career as the sophomore swatting sensation erased the single and career records. Previously, Darren Sanborn '98 held the single season record of 53 from the 1995-96 season, while All-American Chris Finch '92 held the career mark of 102. Against Elizabethtown in a 83-80 win on November 20, he registered his second career double-double by blocking a school record 10 shots, scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. On January 31, 2001, he scored 14 points, ripped down 16 rebounds and dished out 10 assists to record the first triple-double in Franklin & Marshall history in a 90-48 romp over Western Maryland College in the Mayser Center Further, his blocked shot tally obliterated the previous best of 8 blocked shots held by Vince Hill from a game against Muhlenberg College during the 1972-73. It marks only the second time in nine years that F&M has not placed at least one player on the first team as the Diplomats failed to yield a first team All-CC player in 1997. Thomas, Kraft, Juskin and the rest of the Western Division #1 seeded Diplomats will open the 2002 Centennial Conference playoffs on Wednesday, February 20 at 8:00 p.m. in the Mayser Center versus the East's #2 seed, Ursinus College. F&M, which won the regular season meeting by a 52-46 final in Collegeville on January 9, leads the all-time series that began in 1914, 71-21, and has won six straight at the Mayser Center against the Bears. Ursinus' last win over the Diplomats was an 89-82 triumph at home in 2000. The Bears have not defeated Franklin & Marshall in Lancaster since a 69-58 win in the 1981 NCAA Regionals. F&M (21-4, 11-2 CC) would seem to have history on their side, as well, as the Diplomats have won all three of their Centennial titles in even-numbered years (1994, 1996 and 2000). However, over the last eight years the home team in the Centennial semifinals is just 9-7 in the 16 semifinal contests and just 1-5 over the past three years. Three seasons (1997, 1999, 2001) have seen both home teams lose in the semis and in each of those seasons, the home team has lost in the final as well. Further, all 15 men's basketball teams that won 20 games advanced to the NCAA Championship Tournament. 89.1 FM, WFNM will carry a live broadcast of the F&M-Ursinus semi-final game at wfnm.fandm.edu beginning at 6:00 p.m. for the women's playoff game versus Swarthmore in the Mayser Center and continuing until the final horn of the men's game. The broadcast is also available over radio in the Lancaster community at 89.1 on the FM dial. 2002 All-Centennial Conference Men's Basketball Team
First Team
Name Cl / Ht Hometown/High School
F-Mark Lesko, Muhlenberg * Sr / 6-8 Scranton, PA/West Scranton
F-Dan Luciano, Ursinus Jr / 6-8 Delran, NJ/Delran
F-Steve Adams, Johns Hopkins # Jr / 6-6 Butler, PA/Butler
G-Curtis McNeil, Gettysburg + Sr / 6-0 Alexandria, VA/St. Stephen's & St. Agnes
G-Terence Callahan, Gettysburg Sr / 6-2 Bay Shore, NY/St. Anthony's Second Team
Name Cl / Ht Hometown/High School
F-Steve Juskin, Franklin & Marshall So / 6-6 East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park
F-Tony Beers, Dickinson % Sr / 6-5 Walnutport, PA/Northampton
F-Alex Kraft, Franklin & Marshall * Sr / 6-5 Lansdale, PA/Lansdale Catholic
G-Billy Hagan, Dickinson Jr / 5-10 Media, PA/Cardinal O'Hara
G-Cas Thomas, Franklin & Marshall # Sr / 6-5 Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy
Honorable Mention
Name Cl / Ht Hometown/High School
F-Bryan Mason, Washington Sr / 6-3 Wilmington, DE/Tatnall School
G-Dennis Stanton, Ursinus So / 6-2 North Wales, PA/LaSalle
* 1st-team All-Centennial in 2000 and 2001
+ 1st-team All-Centennial in 2001
# 2nd-team All-Centennial in 2001
% Honorable Mention All-Centennial in 2001 Player of the Year: Mark Lesko, Muhlenberg, Sr, F
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