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Friday, November 09, 2007
Let's get ready to rumble
The 2007-2008 season tips off tonight with a trio of games -- Colgate hosting Monmouth, Wagner at Lafayette and Navy at Longwood. Here is a look at the first three non-league opponents of the season.

SCOUTING MONMOUTH: After six straight winning seasons, including three that culminated with a trip to the big dance, Monmouth suffered through a tough 12-18 season last year, failing to even make the Northeast Conference tournament one year after winning the league title. Hard to say whether the Hawks will be better this season, but for certain they will be different. Only two players who saw significant time last year -- NEC rookie of the year Jhamar Youngblood and junior guard Whitney (I have an Ivy League name) Coleman. The rest of the roster, which includes no seniors and just a pair of juniors, consists of "our players who saw occasional-to-minuscule action and five who haven't played one second of college basketball." Picked to finish 10th in the 11-team NEC, the Monmouth game notes say the Hawks, who have not started a freshman since 2000, will open with a smallish three-guard lineup of Youngblood, Coleman and three guys -- a redshirt freshman and two true frosh -- seeing their first collegiate action. reports from Monmouth's exhibition win over William Paterson and a closed scrimmage with Lafayette say the Hawks are pressing and trapping more than they have in the past.
BONUS LINK: Monmouth-Colgate livestats

  • Scouting Wagner -- The Seahawks are the mirror opposite of their NEC mates from New Jersey. If you look up inexperienced in the NEC hoops dictionary and find a Monmouth team picture, you'd probably find a pic of Wagner under the word experienced. The Seahawks' mature starting five includes 6-7 fifth-year senior Durrell Vinson and four guys (including two redshirt juniors) who are in their fourth season at Wagner. Lafayette knocked off the Seahawks in last season's opener on Staten Island, but Vinson did not play in that one. The 2005-2006 NEC all-league first team pick sat out last season after being involved in a dormitory altercation. If he approaches his 2005-06 form, when he averaged nearly a double-double per game, he should make an impact for the Seahawks, who are Picked to finish 3rd in the NEC. Wagner coach Mike Deane is also a seasoned vet. Deane, who needs six wins to reach the 400-wins plateau, has taken three other teams to the NCAA Tournament in his career.
    BONUS LINKS: Wagner game notes | 'Pards out to prove pickers wrong (Morning Call) | Gametracker


    SCOUTING LONGWOOD: Still giddy over its big gridiron win last weekend, Navy opens the hoops season at Longwood, a school in its first season as a full-fledged Division I team. Longwood is a school without a conference, and a team with next to know media coverage (the local paper reprints Longwood press releases for its "sports report"). The Lancers return two starters and two guys who played significant minutes from last season's 9-22 team that took the Mids to OT last season in Farmville. It is the first of two meetings between the two. Longwood will visit Annapolis in January. It could be an interesting matchup between two teams shy on legitimate post players. Both are expected to start just one guy over 6-6. They are calling for a "whitewash" in Willett Hall. That is what is called a "whiteout" elsewhere -- all fans please wear white. Hard to say how intimidating it might be, though. Last season Longwood averaged less than 1,000 fans per game.
    BONUS LINK: Livestats

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    • Published at 9:15 AM by Hoop Time.
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