Kutztown University Vital Sports

Gorski as consistent as they come

2009-04-10T14:49:00.003-04:00

With June’s major league baseball entry draft only two months away, now is as good a time as any to check up on the major league potential of Kutztown University’s own Darin Gorski. The left-handed starting pitcher was ranked as the fourth best prospect in Division-II by Baseball America and has been outstanding so far this season. Gorski is a junior and could return for his senior season, but the odds are pretty good that he will get drafted in the early rounds of the entry draft.

I did an extremely in-depth analysis of each of Gorski’s pitching appearances since his arrival at Kutztown prior to the 2007 season. He has made 33 appearances in his career (as of April 9), which includes 25 starts. His numbers, which I’ll get to in more depth shortly, have been noticeably consistent over the last three seasons, but it’s not hard to see the progressive improvements from start to start. Since only 10 of his 166 1/3 career innings pitched were of the relief variety, I’m going to scrap them and focus only on his contributions as a starter.

Gorski made just six starts in his rookie season back in 2007. In 30 1/3 innings of work as a starter, he struck out in impressive 27 opposing hitters, while walking 13. His ERA was 2.67, WHIP was 1.12, and opponents hit just .191 against him. An ideal pitching prospect would strike a lot of people out, induce ground balls, and avoid walks and fly balls. Gorski proved he had potential to meet those requirements in his freshman campaign, but his 3.9 BB/9 and 30:26 GO/FO ratio needed improvement.

The southpaw went on to make 12 starts in 2008 and, although he showed improvement in several categories, his numbers through 2 seasons all but mirrored his stats after his freshman campaign. In that sophomore season, he struck out 83, walked 27, and allowed 63 hits in 81 1/3 innings of work. His ERA was 2.43, his WHIP was 1.11, and opponents hit .210 against him. His K/9 improved to 9.2 and his BB/9 was slightly better at 3.0. Although he struck out hitters at a higher rate, Gorski allowed his GO/FO ratio to even out at 101:101. Because homeruns are hit at a much lower rate in division-II (as opposed to the major leagues), Gorski can thrive despite the 1.00 GO/FO ratio. However, that is a figure that will need improvement as he works his way through the minor leagues.

Gorski’s batting average on balls in play (BABIP) increased from .244 his rookie season to .265 his sophomore year. For you advanced stats beginners, this means that balls hit into the field of play by opposing hitters were falling in for hits at a higher rate. On the other hand, his left on base percentage (LOB%) increased quite a bit from 67% to 74%. BABIP is widely considered to be all but uncontrollable by the pitcher and the 74% LOB% is probably closer to where his career average will end up. All that being said, it’s safe to say that Gorski pitched better his sophomore season, but was a bit less lucky.

Heading into his junior season, there was plenty reason to believe Gorski was the real deal and would be even better. So far, he has not disappointed. In seven starts, he has tossed 44 innings, allowing 27 hits, while striking out 51 and walking 13. Although there is still quite a ways to go this season, his 1.23 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, .172 opponent batting average, 1.77 fielding independent ERA (FIP), 10.4 K/9, and 2.7 BB/9 are all career bests. His GO/FO ratio has remained right on his career average at 34:35.

Taking a look at Gorski’s numbers in 25 career starts, it is clear to see what is attracting major league baseball scouts. In 155 2/3 innings of work, he has allowed just 111 hits, while striking out 161 and walking 53. Despite the 135:136 FO/GO ratio, he has allowed only 6 career homers, including none thus far in 2009. His career ERA is 2.14, WHIP is 1.05, FIP is 2.87, opponent’s batting average is .196, K/9 is a whopping 9.3, and BB/9 is 3.1.

That’s about all you need to know about Darin Gorski. It looks like he will be an early round pick in the entry draft, which is set for June 9-10. Meanwhile, Gorski and the Kutztown University Golden Bears, ranked in the top 15 in Division-II, will look to win the PSAC Championship, before heading off to compete at the Regional and National level.

Keep up with Darin’s progress and that of the Golden Bears at Kutztown University Vital Sports or by logging on to the official KU Athletics website at www.kubears.com.

*This story was also posted at RBI Magazine and can be seen here.

Now Accepting Donations!

2009-04-02T23:31:00.006-04:00

I recently announced that I would be spending less time posting here at KU Vital Sports and more time actually earning some pocket change by covering Major League Baseball for RBI Magazine.

Although that is going very well, I do miss covering KU Athletics. Unfortunately, I write for KU Vital Sports without any compensation whatsoever. The chance to make some cash at RBI Magazine only made sense.

That said, I put a donations tab in the upper right of this site. If I can earn a few bucks here and there via donations, I'll use that incentive to continue banging out articles and analysis.

Thank you for supporting KU Vital Sports. Go Golden Bears!

Analyzing The Hitting

2009-03-25T15:32:00.004-04:00

Mark Renda

You might recall the projections I made for the 2009 KU baseball season based on advanced stats. How are they looking, you ask? Depends on how you look at it. Some of them appear to be not even close, while others are right on the money. The big difference maker (as is always the case) is Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP). A high one will inflate a hitter’s numbers, while a low one will distort them to the lower end of the spectrum. Generally, BABIP will revert close to the player’s average, but since most of these players will see less than 500 career at-bats, sample size is an obvious problem.

That all being said, BABIP is something we can look at to see what is probably going to happen as the season wears on. Since we are almost exactly halfway through the season, now is as good a time as any to take a look at a few of the team’s every day players.

Chad Lightcap – In his senior season, Lightcap is struggling to live up to the impressive numbers he put up the last three years. After notching a 1.013 and 1.050 OPS the last two seasons, respectively, he sits at .964 through 73 at-bats in 2009. The most notable area where has struggled is the strikeout department. After improving his K-rate from 17.4% in 2007 to 12.6% last season, it has ballooned to a whopping 28.8% so far this year.

Fortunately for KU fans, there is still a lot to like here. Lightcap’s walk rate has actually increased quite a bit. Despite his strikeout rate, an OPS almost 100 points lower than last season, and a huge drop in his slugging percentage, his OBP is actually not far off last year’s pace. His BABIP is a little bit higher than last season, which is actually not a good sign since he is struggling, but the K-rate appears to be the main issue. Once Lightcap begins turning his strikeouts into balls in play, he should be back to the player we’re used to seeing.

Corey Buletza – The Golden Bears’ leadoff hitter and centerfielder has been outstanding so far in 2009, showing a lot of improvement in his sophomore campaign. His OBP is up about 40 points to .383 and his OPS has jumped from .699 to .849. His strikeout rate is down about 8% to 10.2%, but is being mostly offset by a decline in walk rate. Buletza has walked just 4 times so far this year, a decline of over 3%.

His projections originally came in expecting him to be better than he was last year, but were worse than what he is actually putting up. This is mostly due to his .380 BABIP, which is well above the .338 mark he saw last season. I suspect that he won’t maintain the .380 BABIP and his numbers will drop slightly by the end of the season. That said, even with a slight decline, he will still be a more than capable leadoff hitter.

James Quigley – The team’s top option at designated hitter has put my projections to shame by maintaining an impressive BABIP. After putting up a .408 mark in 2008, he is up to .419 this season, albeit in just 52 at-bats. It is hard to imagine that staying above .400 for much longer, but a figure more in the .380 range seems possible. Thanks to the improved BABIP, his OBP and SLG are both well beyond where they were last season despite a slightly higher K-rate and a worse walk rate.
Expect a dip in BABIP, but not enough to really hurt Quigley’s production. He has proven to be a valuable commodity in the middle of the Kutztown order.

Brett Wigder/Mark Renda – The Wigder/Renda platoon at shortstop may not appear to be very productive on paper, but it’s not hard to see why either is struggling at the plate.

Wigder has seen a drop in BABIP from .333 last season to .235 this year. After being on base over 42% of the time last year, his OBP is down to .276 in 2009. Poor plate discipline appears to be the culprit here as his walk rate is down to 5.3% from 17.3% last season. On the plus side, his strikeout rate is down almost 10%. Wigder’s BABIP will likely improve down the stretch and his numbers should only improve.

Renda has also seen a drop in batting average this year, but has actually been more productive than in 2008. He is a prime example of why batting average is not a very good statistic to use in evaluating players. His OBP is up a ton to .391, his SLG is up to .378, and all this comes despite a bit of a BABIP decrease. Renda’s walk rate is up 5% and his K-rate has increased only slightly. Basically, Renda is turning singles from last season into walks and extra base hits this season. The fact that he is playing better than last year despite a lower BABIP means only good things are coming for him down the stretch.

Jared Frey – Frey, the team’s first baseman and cleanup hitter, has, as expected, seen somewhat of a balancing act by his BABIP. If you recall from the season preview, his BABIP was .406 in 2007, but dropped all the way down to .271 last year. This season, it sits at .299, which is still lower than where I think it will be by the end of the year.

His OBP is up a ton from last season thanks to an improved walk rate and the aforementioned better luck on balls hit in play. Frey appears right on track with my pre-season projection and should only get better as the year goes on.

Jeff Kistle/Mike Dugan – Like the first platoon we discussed, the Kistle/Dugan duo in right field has not blown the socks off of anybody this year. However, one half of this platoon has been way better than the other.

Kistle has seen a monstrous turn around in the BABIP department, as it is all the way up to .371 this year. However, his stats have not really mirrored that improvement as expected. His OBP is up slightly, but his slugging percentage is actually down to .321. We know Kistle needed to improve his strikeout rate and he has actually been a lot worse in his second season. As if his 37.5% strikeout rate wasn’t enough, his walk rate is also down slightly. Kistle will need to find a way to put the ball in play a bit more, or he will end up on the short end of the platoon.

Dugan has seen his production improve after a very impressive job in 149 plate appearances as a freshman. A lower strikeout rate and better walk rate appears to be the main reasons for his improvement. Dugan is one of the few to have maintained his BABIP from last season. However, despite only a .005 jump in that department, his numbers have increased more significantly than expected thanks to the improved K/BB figures. His OBP is up to .444 from .396 and his slugging is up over 20 points to .411. His .855 OPS is equivalent to the team average and, more importantly in terms of playing time, is light years ahead of Kistle.

Matt Kulbacki – Like Frey, Kulbacki was a victim of the “roaming-BABIP” his first two seasons at KU. Unlike Frey, his BABIP is actually even further off the map this season. After hitting .366 with a .419 BABIP in 2007, his average dropped to .276 with a .267 BABIP last year. This season the average is up to .377 thanks to a ridiculous .462 BABIP. Despite a lower walk rate and almost doubling his K-rate from the last 2 seasons, Kulbacki’s OPS is 1.026 this season as compared to .860 last year.

Obviously, KU’s top catcher is tearing the cover off the ball, but there is no way this keeps up. His homeruns are actually down from last year, and, as mentioned, he is not walking as much and is striking out way too much. His 3.25 K/BB ratio is second worst on the team behind only Kistle. Kulbacki is a great power hitter and will produce, but not at his current pace.

Mike Kacelowicz – After putting up a BABIP of .340 in 2007 and a .339 mark in 2008, predicting his numbers seemed pretty simple for 2009. Yeah, right. The team’s two-hitter and second baseman sports a .400 BABIP so far and has blown away his numbers from the last two years. Despite also seeing an increase in K-rate, he is one of the few Golden Bears to actually improve in the walks department. His OPS is up over 100 points to .940 and he’s been on base 46.3% of the time. He also has 8 steals, and in the irrelevant stats department, he is already closing in on his career highs in runs and RBIs.

Shayne Houck – Well this should be fun. I have no historical statistics to compare the club’s freshman third baseman to, so I’m flying blind on this one. Houck has been the team’s MVP at the plate so far this year, hitting a ridiculous .430, while clubbing 4 homers. His 1.235 OPS leads the team and his .538 OBP is outstanding.

If you read this entire article, you probably know where I’m going next: BABIP. His .465 mark is tops on the team and is all but unsustainable. Put it this way, since 1995, the highest BABIP among Kutztown players with at least 120 at-bats is .455 by Rob Ferry back in ’95.

That all being said, Houck is obviously an excellent hitter who will continue to produce. His K/BB ratio is one of the best on the team, he is hitting the long ball, and he is getting on base in several different ways. Houck appears to have one heck of a future ahead of him.

That will do it for now. Hopefully that is a good recap of the first half of the season and a good preview of the second half. I’ll get a similar analysis of pitching up as soon as I have some time.

Spring Fun

2009-03-24T11:43:00.001-04:00

I'm not promising anything for softball and baseball season this year, but I will occasionally work up some updates and analysis.

Good luck to the Golden Bears!

Dream Season Comes To An End

2009-03-17T20:36:00.003-04:00

The greatest season in Kutztown University men's basketball history has come to a close. The Golden Bears advanced as far the Sweet 16, but fell on Tuesday night in the Atlantic Regional Championship to top-seeded Gannon by a score of 84-73.

David Ben, in his final game as a Golden Bear, became the first KU men's basketball player to reach the 2,000 point mark in his career.

Kutztown concludes the season with an overall record of 28-5, with 3 of the 5 losses coming at the hands of Gannon. Tuesday was the final game for seniors Dave Ben, Andre Woodlin, and Mark Bower.

Men's team upends IUP

2009-03-15T18:38:00.005-04:00

The KU men's basketball team beat seventh-seeded Indiana University of Pennsylvania 92-86
on Sunday evening and will now advance to the Atlantic Regional Championship against top-seeded Gannon, who barely snuck by fifth-seeded Alderson-Broaddus in the semi-finals. That game will be Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Golden Bears, the three seed in the tournament, are now just one win away from the Division-II Elite 8. Kutztown is 0-2 against Gannon so far this season.

KU Men Win Regional Opener

2009-03-14T15:32:00.004-04:00

The men's basketball team defeated West Virginia State 99-88 on Saturday afternoon in the first session of the Atlantic Regional Tournament. The Golden Bears now advance to a second round showdown against seventh-seeded Indiana (Pa.). That game will be held tomorrow at 5 p.m.

March Madness in Kutztown

2009-03-09T09:46:00.003-04:00

It's official! The Kutztown University men's basketball team is headed to the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Golden Bears, ranked 21st in the nation, will be the three seed in the Atlantic Region and will open the tournament against six-seed West Virginia State (24-5) on Saturday at noon. The Atlantic Region Tournament will be held at top-seeded Gannon, the same place KU was defeated on Saturday for the PSAC championship.

There will be seven other regional tournaments going on while the Golden Bears are in action this weekend. The eight regional champions will advance to the Elite 8, which will be held in Springfield, Mass. from March 25-28.

See the entire field of 64 here.

Gannon beats KU, wins PSAC Title

2009-03-07T20:53:00.006-05:00

The men's basketball team fell to Gannon in Saturday's PSAC Championship by a score of 80-65. The Golden Bears fall to 26-4, with half of their losses coming at the hands of Gannon. Despite the loss, Kutztown's season is not over as they will likely be chosen to compete in the Regional Tournament, which will be held from March 14-17.

Steph Denlinger: Home Run Queen

2009-03-07T20:05:00.000-05:00

As of Saturday March 6, 2009, no Division II softball player has hit more homeruns in her career than Kutztown's own Steph Denlinger. She has now hit 62 long balls in her career and still has over half of her senior season to add to her mark. Congratulations, Steph!

Golden Bears Headed To Title Game

2009-03-06T22:29:00.003-05:00

The men's basketball team beat Slippery Rock 103-90 in one of two semi-final games played at Gannon University on Friday night. In the other semi-final contest, Gannon beat Cheyney 69-50, which means 21st-ranked Kutztown will need to beat the team ranked sixth in Division-II if they hope to win the PSAC Championship. In a meeting back on Jan. 3, Gannon beat the Golden Bears 88-58.

Tomorrow's PSAC Title game is set for 7 p.m.

Final 2008-09 Game Scores

2009-03-04T15:02:00.003-05:00

Here are the final 2008-09 Hollinger Game Score's for the women's basketball team:

1. McQuade 15.3
2. Wisemiller 11.2
3. Schroeder 8.1
4. Dellegrotti 5.3
5. Starr 5.3
6. Dovey 3.3
7. Melvin 2.5
8. Bonnano 2.0
9. Mertz 1.4
10. LeVan 0.4
11. Greaves -0.3

As I get time over the next few days and weeks, I will do more analysis of this past season and take a look at next year's roster, which should be one of the PSAC's best.

Playoff Update

2009-03-03T19:29:00.022-05:00

Both KU basketball teams competed in the first round of the PSAC Playoffs on Tuesday night.

The 3rd-ranked ladies were in Millersville to take on the 2nd-ranked Marauders. Despite keeping the game close throughout the night, the Golden Bears were eliminated by a score of 75-64. With the loss, Kutztown concludes the 2008-09 season with an overall record of 20-8.

In men's action, the top-seeded Golden Bears took care of business against 4th-ranked Mansfield by a score of 97-86. Kutztown will now head to Gannon University for the Final Four. The Golden Bears will take on Slippery Rock on Friday night with the PSAC title game set for Saturday.

Saturday Update

2009-02-28T14:30:00.008-05:00

The KU basketball teams will wrap up the regular season today at Bloomsburg.

The ladies opened the action with a 60-46 victory against the Huskies. The Golden Bears complete the regular season at 20-7 overall and 10-4 in the PSAC East. West Chester and Millersville will both win on Saturday, which means #3 Kutztown will open the PSAC playoffs at #2 Millersville on Tuesday. #4 Cheyney will be at #1 West Chester.

The men's team also wrapped up the regular season with a victory, smoking the Huskies 105-74. The Golden Bears improve to 24-3 overall and 13-1 in the PSAC East. The top-seeded division champs will take on #4 Mansfield at Keystone Hall on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the first round of the PSAC Playoffs. #2 Cheyney will play host to #3 West Chester in the other Eastern division first round game.

Game Scores - Divisional Play

2009-02-26T10:41:00.003-05:00

With one game left to play in the regular season, here is each player's average Hollinger Game Score during PSAC East play.

Ladies: (Full Season)
1. McQuade 12.4
2. Wisemiller 10.8
3. Schroeder 7.7
4. Starr 5.3
5. Melvin 4.6
6. Dovey 3.5
7. Dellegrotti 3.2
8. Mertz 1.1
9. Greaves 0.1
10. LeVan -1.4

Men: (Full season)
1. Ben 16.5
2. Dennis 14.3
3. Woodlin 13.5
4. Washington 11.7
5. Bower 5.8
6. Gray 2.5
7. Coffey 0.8
8. White 0.6
9. Wenner 0.3
10. Coombs 0.3
11. Vrabel 0.2
12. Ford-Bey -0.1

Wednesday Update

2009-02-25T19:53:00.006-05:00

The basketball teams are in action against Cheyney on Wednesday in what will be both team's regular season home finale.

The ladies opened the action with a convincing 82-65 victory to clinch at worst a top 3 seed in the playoffs. Melissa McQuade tied her career high with 30 points and set a new career high with 19 rebounds. The Golden Bears are now 19-7 overall and 9-5 in the East. Millersville and West Chester both won, so KU still sits third in the East. Cheyney clinched the final playoff spot in the East thanks to a loss by Shippensburg.

The men's team completed the season sweep of the Wolves, taking Wednesday's game by score of 82-76. The win improves the Golden Bears to 23-3 overall and 12-1 in the PSAC East. With the win, Kutztown, which is ranked 24th in Division-II, clinches the Eastern division regular season title.

Saturday Update

2009-02-21T14:51:00.005-05:00

The KU basketball teams were in action against Shippensburg at Keystone Hall on Saturday.

The ladies opened the day's action with a 74-68 victory, clinching themselves a spot in the PSAC Playoffs. The Golden Bears improve to 18-7 overall and 8-4 in the PSAC East. West Chester and Millersville won their games and both improve to 9-3 atop the division. Cheyney also won and has a comfortable 2 game lead on the fourth and final playoff spot at 7-5.

The men's team also game away with a win, thrashing the Red Raiders 103-75 to clinch at least a share of the PSAC East title. The victory improves the Golden Bears overall record to 22-3 and their divisional record to 11-1.

Game Scores: Last 3 Games

2009-02-19T09:40:00.004-05:00

As I mentioned last week, I'm having trouble getting recaps on here for each and every game due to time constraints. As a consolation prize for you, here is each player's average Game Score for the last three games:

Games included: Mansfield, Millersville, West Chester

Women:
1. Wisemiller 13.9
2. Schroeder 10.3
3. McQuade 8.4
4. Starr 6.2
5. Melvin 3.9
6. Dellegrotti 1.5
7. Dovey 1.5
8. Greaves 1.3
9. Mertz 1.3
10. LeVan -2.4

Men:
1. Ben 16.1
2. Dennis 14.2
3. Woodlin 12.5
4. Washington 10.5
5. Bower 2.5
6. Coombs 2.2
7. Coffey 1.1
8. Vrabel 0.0
8. Ford-Bey 0.0
8. Wenner 0.0
11. Gray -0.4
12. White -0.4

Wednesday Update

2009-02-18T19:55:00.008-05:00

The KU basketball teams were in action at home against West Chester on Wednesday evening.

Despite a questionable decision to bench 4 starters with a 17 point lead in the late stages of the first half, the ladies team managed to hold on for a 63-60 win, which completes the season sweep of the Golden Rams. KU went almost 10 minutes without hitting a single field goal, a run that started with about 6 minutes left to go in the first half. This allowed WCU to cut the halftime deficit to 11. The Golden Rams carried the momentum into the second half and the teams played on the seesaw until WCU did the inevitable, tying the game with just over 5 minutes to play. The Golden Bears managed to retake the lead, however, and beat the division-leading Golden Rams by 3. The decision to go with the second team against a desperate WCU squad almost cost KU a huge PSAC East game. Fortunately, the players game through late and held on.

KU is now 7-4 in the PSAC East and third in the division. WCU drops to 8-3, but is still tied with 8-3 Millersville, who beat Cheyney (now 6-5). Shippensburg, now 5-6, was upset again on Wednesday, falling to Bloomsburg, who is already eliminated. ESU, now 5-6, beat Mansfield, who is now all but out of the playoff race.

The men's team also came away with a win, beating the Golden Rams 77-67. The Golden Bears improve to 10-1 and still hold the top spot in the PSAC East. With Millersville's upset of Cheyney, KU now has a commanding 2 game division lead with just 3 games left to play. If the Golden Bears win the division title and get past the first round of the PSAC playoffs, they will host the entire PSAC tournament.

Up next is Shippensburg at home on Saturday. After that, there are only 2 more regular season games for each team.

Ladies look to rebound against East-leading Golden Rams

2009-02-18T11:09:00.003-05:00

P.S.A.C. East Women’s Basketball
2/18/2009 Keystone Hall
West Chester Golden Rams (16-7, 8-2) @ Kutztown Golden Bears (16-7, 6-4)
Radio: Golden Bear Network - Mike Clay/Jimmie Johnson

The Golden Bears come into the game at 16-7 overall this season, which includes a 6-4 record in the P.S.A.C. East. Despite their impressive overall record, Kutztown has actually lost 2 games in a row and 3 of its last 4. The Golden Bears latest action was a heartbreaking 73-69 loss at Millersville on Saturday.

Despite the loss to Millersville, Kutztown was bailed out by virtue of three other PSAC East upsets on Saturday. West Chester, Cheyney, and Shippensburg were all upended, which has made the PSAC East race the tightest it’s been since the early stages of divisional play with just 4 games left to play.

PSAC East Standings:
1. West Chester 8-2
2. Millersville 7-3
3. Kutztown 6-4
4. Cheyney 6-4
5. Shippensburg 5-5
6. ESU 4-6
7. Mansfield 3-7
8. Bloomsburg 1-9 (Eliminated)

The Golden Rams come into this game with the exact same overall record as Kutztown at 16-7, but the Golden Rams, as mentioned, are two games better in divisional play at 8-2. They are coming off a trip to Bloomsburg on Saturday where they were upset 63-61 by the formerly-winless Huskies.

These teams met for the first time this season back on Jan. 28 at West Chester. Led by 17-plus points from Katie Dovey, Rachel Wisemiller, and Melissa McQuade, the Golden Bears erased a double-digit second half deficit en route to a 67-60 victory.

Probable Starters:
WCU:
Sr - F- #12 – Dana Weems
Jr - F- # 25 – Janelle Garber
Fr – G- # 3 – Allison Hostetter
So - G- # 13 – Megan Stewart
So - G- # 32 – Dominique Adams

West Chester is coached by Deirdre Kane and she is assisted by Kiera Wooden.

Kutztown:
Jr - C- # 33 – Chauntelle Schroeder
So - F- # 23 – Melissa McQuade
Jr – F - # 32 – Katie Dovey
Jr - G- # 11 – Rachel Wisemiller
So - G- # 13 – Meredith Starr

Kutztown is coached by Janet Malouf and the assistant coach is Steve Hahn.

Saturday Update

2009-02-14T14:33:00.006-05:00

The KU basketball teams are in action at Millersville today with the PSAC East playoff situation beginning to shape up.

The ladies began the action with a tough 73-69 loss to the Marauders, falling for the third time in four games. The Golden Bears drop to 16-7 overall this season and 6-4 in the PSAC East. Fortunately for KU, Shippensburg was upset by East Stroudsburg, West Chester was upset by Bloomsburg, and Cheyney suffered a surprise loss to Mansfield. This means that the Golden Bears remain tied with Cheyney for the three seed in the East, trailing 2nd place Millersville by just one game. They lead 5th seeded Shippensburg by 1 game.

The men's team managed their 9th straight win with a 77-61 win against the Marauders. With the win, the Golden Bears improve to 20-3 overall and maintain their hold of first place in the PSAC East at 9-1.

Keepin' busy

2009-02-12T15:35:00.002-05:00

I recently accepted a job covering major league baseball for www.rbimagazine.com, which means more writing about baseball and less writing about Kutztown University athletics. For now, I will continue to post, but the game-by-game analysis will likely be the first thing to go once basketball season concludes. After that, my plan is to continue with occasional editorials and analysis.

I'd love to continue putting a ton of man hours into this site like I have been for the last year, but the new opportunity I've been presented with is actually a paid job. Since I have absolutely no income to show for this site, I'd be silly not to spend more time writing for some spending money, rather than just for fun.

I hope you will continue to check Kutztown University Vital Sports for updates and be sure to check out my work at www.rbimagazine.com!

In case you're interested, here are links to my first two stories:
1. Alex Rodriguez took steroids 5 years ago. Who cares?
2. Don't overlook a revamped Braves rotation.

Wednesday Update

2009-02-11T18:48:00.005-05:00

The KU basketball teams were in action at Mansfield on Wednesday evening.

The ladies were upset by the Mounties in the opener by a score of 59-56 and fall to 16-6 overall and 6-3 in the PSAC East.

The men's team managed an 84-79 victory against the Mounties, improving their overall record to 19-3 and PSAC East record to 8-1.

Don't read much into Barton

2009-02-10T16:27:00.003-05:00

I had a hunch that you might be able to predict the baseball team's performance in the upcoming season based on it's success during it's annual season-opening trip to Barton. Here is the research:

Year: Record vs. Barton_Overall Record_PSAC Record

2008	:0-4	31-26	11-9
2007	:4-0	49-7	19-1
2006	:1-3	44-14	15-5
2005	:2-2	39-18	10-8
2004	:3-0	37-16	15-5
2002	:0-3	36-24	NA
2001	:2-2	38-19	17-7
2000	:1-3	26-24	9-15
1999	:1-3	36-18	19-5
1998	:1-1	29-17	11-12

As you can see, there is little correlation, which both proves my hunch wrong and actually does make sense. The Golden Bears play Barton so early in the season that it is basically the time of the year where Coach Blum is still experimenting with the lineup and pitching staff, not to mention there tends to be inclement weather in February, not to mention the players are rusty, etc.

Well, so much for that. In case you had a hunch like me, I did the work for you. Enjoy.

'09 Baseball: An early look

2009-02-10T15:48:00.005-05:00

The baseball team has 4 games under it's belt after splitting with Barton this past weekend. Now that all the pre-season speculation is aside and the games are underway, we can take a look at Coach Blum's depth chart to this point.

Batting Order:

1. Corey Buletza - The righty appears, as expected, to be the leadoff man. He started and led off all 4 games.

2. Mike Kacelowicz - Another righty, the veteran has started all 4 games at second

3. Chad Lightcap - PSAC standout and right handed hitting Lightcap has started all 4 games in left

4. Jared Frey - The first lefty, Frey has started all 4 games at first.

5. Shayne Houck - The right handed hitting freshman started all four games at third.

6. Mike Dugan - The sophomore righty has started 2 games at DH and 2 in right field

7. Catcher Spot - Matt Kulbacki (1 start), Dom Fantanarosa (2 starts), and rookie Johann Knee (1 start) appear to be 1-2-3 on the catching depth chart, respectively

8. Jeff Kistle (2 starts in right), Cody Montz (1 start at DH), and Brad Stoudt (1 start at DH) manned the 8 spot over the weekend

9. Brett Wigder (2 starts) and Mark Renda (2 starts) will split the shortstop duty and bat ninth.

Pitching Rotation:

1. Darin Gorski (LHP) - The ace will be drafted into the majors later this year
2. Mike Bucklin (RHP) - The right lasted 3+ in his first '09 start
3. Ryan Cassidy (LHP) - Was very effective in his first start of 2009
4. Kevin Morganti (RHP) - First start after missing 07 and 08 seasons

Bullpen:
Closer - Trent Mertz (RHP) - Already 3 apperances: 1 save, 1 blown save
Setup - Jason Herr (RHP) - 1 appearance
Setup - Jordan Smith (LHP) - 1 appearance
Setup - Adam Maini (RHP) - 1 appearance
Setup - Anthony Fegely (RHP) - 1 appearance
Setup - Matt Patterson (RHP) - 1 appearance

Obviously this only includes active players so far this season. A few guys who will see action are missing, with the most notable being 3B/DH James Quigley, who is suffering from mild back pain. Coach Blum is optimistic that it is not serious.

2/7: KU 93, East Stroudsburg 70

2009-02-08T15:20:00.002-05:00

The Golden Bears avenged their only divisional loss of the season by smoking East Stroudsburg 93-70 on Saturday afternoon.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Woodlin 26.9 - The Ben/Dennis/Washington trio has stolen the show for most of the 2008-09 season, but it was Woodlin who went crazy on Saturday, scoring 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, while grabbing 10 rebounds and distributing 7 assists.
2. Ben 19.0 - Scored a ton as usual, hitting 9-of-16 shots for 25 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds
3. Dennis 13.8 - 6-of-15 shooting for 18 points, but did most of his damage in other areas: 6 assists, 9 boards, and 4 steals
4. Bower 9.2 - Another solid effort for Bower, who seems to be improving as his senior season winds down: 3-of-5 for 9 points and 6 rebounds
5. Washington 2.8 - Not his best effort, but did what he had to do underneath, scoring 8 points and hauling in 4 boards
6. Gray 2.0 - Just 1-of-5 from the field for 5 points to go with 2 boards and 3 assists
7. Coffey 1.2 - Missed both of his shots, but hit a pair of free throws and grabbed 2 boards
8. Coombs 0.0 - Played just 2 minutes
9. Wenner 0.0 - Only a minute of action in this one
10. Ford-Bey 0.0 - Nothing here in 2 minutes of work
11. White -1.5 - Missed shot, 2 boards, a foul, and a turnover in 10 minutes

Inactives:
Vrabel

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

2/7: KU 67, East Stroudsburg 59

2009-02-07T21:01:00.004-05:00

Rachel Wisemiller was the standout for Kutztown on Saturday, pacing the Golden Bears with 17 points and 9 rebounds.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Wisemiller 14.8 - Led the team with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting, which included 3-of-4 from long range. Also added 9 boards, 5 assists, and 2 steals in what was a solid all-around effort.
2. Schroeder 9.0 - Struggled to defend Yandrisevits, but had a good offensive day, scoring 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting to go with 7 rebounds
3. Dovey 5.9 - Played a team-high 32 minutes and and answered the call with 13 points and 6 rebounds
4. Starr 5.0 - Only 1-of-6 in the shooting department, but had 6 rebounds and 6 assists
5. LeVan 3.0 - Was solid in 8 minutes of action, hauling in 4 rebounds and scoring once
6. Greaves 2.6 - 1-of-3 for 4 points and a rebound in 5 minutes
7. Mertz 2.0 - 3 boards and a block in just 5 minutes of action
8. Melvin 1.2 - Only shot twice in 21 minutes of work, but scored 4 points and snagged 5 rebounds
9. McQuade 0.2 - A rare poor shooting day from McQuade, who was 0-for-8 from the field and turned the ball over 7 times. She did manage a plus day with 6 free throws, 4 boards, 3 assists, 4 steals, and a block.
10. Dellegrotti -0.7 - Struggled in 16 minutes, turning it over 3 times, missing her only shot, and scoring just 2 points

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Saturday Update

2009-02-07T14:59:00.003-05:00

The KU basketball teams were in action at home against East Stroudsburg on Saturday.

The ladies came away with a 67-59 victory, improving to 6-2 in the PSAC East and 16-5 overall.

The men's team dominated the Warriors en route to a 93-70 win. The Golden Bears improve to a division-leading 7-1 record and to 18-3 overall.

Next up is a trip to Mansfield on Wednesday.

Back to the diamond

2009-02-06T10:16:00.003-05:00

Both the softball and baseball teams will kick off of their season on Saturday.

The softball team will be in Aiken, S.C. to take part in the South Carolina-Aiken Tournament, while the baseball team will hit the road to take on Barton College in doubleheader action on both Saturday and Sunday.

When possible, I'll do analysis on the teams, but due to time constraints, I will not be doing recaps of each game at this point in the season. For all scores and recaps visit www.kubears.com.

2/4: KU 75, Cheyney 73

2009-02-05T13:28:00.003-05:00

Stephen Dennis paved the way to Wednesday's 75-73 victory at Cheyney with 28 points and 8 rebounds.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Dennis 19.5 - Scored 13 of his team-leading 28 points from the charity stripe and added 8 rebounds.
2. Ben 14.1 - 6-of-14 in this one for 17 points, 4 boards, 2 dimes, 2 steals
3. Bower 9.5 - Had another nice game, hitting 5-of-7 shots for 13 points and added 4 boards
4. Woodlin 8.8 - Just 2-of-8 for 10 points and added 3 boards and 4 assists
5. Washington 4.0 - Shot only twice (making both) in 38 minutes of work and had just 4 boards. Also had 4 assists and 2 steals.
6. Coffey -0.7 - Missed a shot in 2 minutes of action
7. Coombs -0.9 - Missed shot, 2 missed free throws, 2 boards, foul, in 7 minutes
8. Gray -1.2 - 1-of-3 for 2 points, 3 fouls, turnover, assist in 10 minutes

Inactives:
Wenner
White
Ford-Bey
Vrabel

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

2/4: KU 76, Cheyney 83

2009-02-05T10:59:00.003-05:00

It's been another injury-plagued season for senior Lara Dellegrotti, but she led the way for KU with 15 points in Wednesday's loss at Cheyney.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 14.6 - 4-of-8 on the day for 14 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks
2. Schroeder 11.3 - An impressive 7-of-9 from the field for 14 points. Also had 6 boards, but was in foul trouble again with 4.
3. Dellegrotti 7.0 - 3 of her 4 of her baskets were from long range, leaving her with a team-high 15 points.
4. Wisemiller 5.8 - 9 of her 12 shots were from long range and she converted on 4 of them, which added up to a 12 point evening to go with 4 boards and 2 dimes
5. Mertz 4.2 - Hit her only shot and had 3 points in the game to go with 4 boards and a block in 10 minutes
6. Starr 4.2 - 2-of-6 for 7 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers
7. Dovey 2.5 - 2-of-6 for 6 points and 2 boards in just 9 minutes
8. Melvin 2.3 - 5 points, 3 assists, 3 turnovers in 18 minutes
9. Greaves 0.3 - Foul and an assist in 3 minutes
10. LeVan -0.7 - Only a missed three in 2 minutes

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Wednesday Update

2009-02-04T21:30:00.003-05:00

The KU basketball teams were in action at Cheyney on Wednesday evening.

The ladies opened up the action with a 83-76 loss the Wolves and fall to 5-2 in the PSAC East. Cheyney improves to 5-2 in the division with the win.

The men's team, which was tied with Cheyney atop the PSAC East heading into the game, came away with a 75-73 victory. The win moves KU into sole possession of first place in the PSAC East at 6-1.

Up next is a meeting with East Stroudsburg at home on Saturday.

Full recaps Thursday.

1/31: KU 88, Bloomsburg 63

2009-02-02T15:05:00.004-05:00

Ryan Washington added another double-double to his resume on Saturday with a 16 points, 11 rebound effort against the Huskies.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Ben 28.3 - 10-of-16 on the day for 31 points, 6 boards, and 5 steals. Man is he on a roll.
2. Washington 17.5 - 16 point, 11 rebound effort for the sophomore
3. Dennis 16.1 - Scored 20 points on 19 shots. Also had 9 rebounds and 4 dimes
4. Bower 3.9 - 6 points, 4 rebounds in 20 minutes before fouling out
5. Coffey 2.7 - Missed shot, rebound, assist, 2 steals in 11 minutes
6. Gray 2.4 - 4 points, including a three pointer, and 3 steals highlighted his 15 minutes
7. Wenner 2.4 - Bucket and an assist in 3 minutes
8. Woodlin 1.0 - 2-of-8 from the field for 5 points, 4 rebounds
9. White 0.0 - 2-for-2 for 4 points, but fouled out and had 2 turnovers in 11 minutes
10. Ford-Bey 0.0 - Nothing doing in 2 minutes
11. Vrabel -0.9 - Had a chance to finally score a point, but missed 2 free throws
12. Coombs -1.8 - The struggles continue: 2 fouls, 2 turnovers in 8 minutes

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

1/31: KU 66, Bloomsburg 56

2009-02-02T14:38:00.003-05:00

Vivian Melvin scored 11 points and hauled in 8 rebounds in Saturday's 66-56 win over Bloomsburg.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 16.6 - A monster 18 point, 15 rebound, 4 steal evening for the sophomore
2. Melvin 9.5 - 11 points, 8 boards
3. Wisemiller 7.3 - Only 8 points, but had 5 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 dimes
4. Schroeder 6.9 - Did a nice job on Kegerreis, but was whistled for 4 fouls. Still had 11 points, 2 steals, 3 rebounds in 22 minutes
5. Dellegrotti 4.6 - First game back from concussion: 0-for-5, but hit 6 free throws and had 4 boards
6. Starr 3.4 - 8 points, 3 boards, 2 dimes
7. Mertz 1.4 - 4 points and 3 fouls in 10 minutes
8. Dovey -0.2 - 0 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
9. Greaves -0.8 - 2 missed shots, rebound, foul, block in 9 minutes

Inactives:
LeVan

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Saturday Update

2009-01-31T22:18:00.002-05:00

Both the women's and men's teams were victorious on Saturday night, knocking off the struggling Bloomsburg Huskies in both games.

The women opened the evening with a 66-56 win to improve to 15-4 overall this season, which includes a 5-1 PSAC East record.

The men followed with an 88-63 thrashing of the Huskies, which improves their overall record to 16-3 and their divisional record to 5-1.

Men prepare for Huskies

2009-01-30T16:06:00.003-05:00

P.S.A.C East Men’s Basketball
1/31/2009 @ Keystone Hall
Bloomsburg Huskies (4-14, 1-4)
@ Kutztown Golden Bears (15-3, 4-1)

Radio: Golden Bear Network on www.kubears.com
(Mike Clay/Jimmie Johnson/Tyler Schueck)

The Golden Bears come into the game at 15-3 overall this season, which includes a 4-1 record in the P.S.A.C. East. Kutztown has won 4 straight and 6 of its last 7 games. The Golden Bears recent win streak included an 88-65 win at home against Millersville, an 85-69 home win against Mansfield, a close 69-68 win at Shippensburg, and finally, a 97-71 thrashing at West Chester on Wednesday.

The Golden Bears recent win steak has moved them into a tie with Cheyney for the top spot in the PSAC East at 4-1. East Stroudsburg, West Chester, and Mansfield follow at 3-2. Shippensburg at 2-3, Bloomsburg at 1-4, and Millersville at 0-5, round out the division.

The Huskies, as mentioned, have just one divisional win and are 4-14 overall this season. Their latest action was a 60-58 loss at home to Shippensburg on Thursday.

The Golden Bears came up victorious in both meetings between the teams last season. Kutztown won by a score of 67-52 on the road before taking care of business at home by a score of 97-68.

Probable Starters:
Bloomsburg:
So - C- # 50 – Marko Vucajnk
So - F- # 43 – Michael Varanavage
Sr - F- # 32 – Bryson Mills
Fr - G- # 20 – Jesse Betar
Fr - G- # 12 – Mark Wartman

Bloomsburg is coached by John Sanow. He is assisted by Mark Prusch and student assistants Michael Hamlin and Buddy Rose

Kutztown:
Sr - C- # 44 – Mark Bower
So - F- # 52 – Ryan Washington
Sr - G- # 34 – Dave Ben
Sr - G- # 24 – Andre Woodlin
Jr - G- # 14 – Stephen Dennis

Kutztown is coached by Bernie Driscoll. He is assisted by Tom York, Rich Hicks, and Andre Coles.

Ladies set to host slumping Huskies

2009-01-30T15:59:00.001-05:00

P.S.A.C East Women’s Basketball
1/31/2009 @ Keystone Hall
Bloomsburg Huskies (8-10, 0-5)
@ Kutztown Golden Bears (14-4, 5-1)

Radio: Golden Bear Network on www.kubears.com
(Mike Clay/Jimmie Johnson/Tyler Schueck)

The Golden Bears come into the game at 14-4 overall this season, which includes a 4-1 record in the P.S.A.C. East. Kutztown has won 5 of its last 6 games, including a win at the then-division-leading West Chester Golden Rams 67-60 on Wednesday.

That win over West Chester moved Kutztown to a three way tie with the Golden Rams and the Red Raiders of Shippensburg atop the PSAC East. Each team sports a 4-1 record. Cheyney and Millersville are each 3-2 in the division, while East Stroudsburg sits at 2-3. Mansfield and today’s opponent, Bloomsburg, sit in the basement at 0-5.

Bloomsburg, as mentioned, has yet to win a game in divisional play and is 8-10 overall this season. The Huskies latest action was a 57-50 loss at home to Shippensburg on Thursday. Despite their disappointing 0-5 record, the Huskies have been competitive for the most part in divisional play. Two of their losses were by 1 point in overtime, while two others were by less than 10 points.

The Golden Bears came up victorious in both meetings between the teams last season. Kutztown won by a score of 71-52 on the road before taking care of business at home by a score of 76-56.

Probable Starters:
Bloomsburg:
Sr - C- # 25 – Colleen Kegerreis
So – F- # 23 – Niemah Brooks
Fr - G- # 13 – Kelsey Gallagher
Sr - G- # 20 – Kelly Joyce
Sr - G- # 21 – Lauren Healy

Bloomsburg is coached by Bill Cleary and he is assisted by Diane Decker, Jennifer Cughan, and Sy Fulton

Kutztown:
Jr - C- # 33 – Chauntelle Schroeder
So - F- # 23 – Melissa McQuade
Jr – F - # 32 – Katie Dovey
Jr - G- # 11 – Rachel Wisemiller
So - G- # 13 – Meredith Starr

Kutztown is coached by Janet Malouf and the assistant coach is Steve Hahn.

1/28: KU 97, West Chester 71

2009-01-29T13:55:00.004-05:00

As if he hasn't done enough over the past few weeks, David Ben stole the show again on Wednesday, scoring a career high in points (36), while nailing a school single game record 8 three pointers.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Ben 31.1 - Scored a career high with 36 points on 12-of-16 shooting, which included a school record 8 three points (on only 9 shots). Also had 7 assists in the big win.
2. Woodlin 20.4 - Added to the scoring barrage, shooting 10-of-13 for 24 points, 3 dimes, 3 steals
3. Washington 15.4 - 5-of-8 for 13 points, 5 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks
4. Gray 5.1 - 2-of-6 for 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
5. Coffey 4.3 - 4 points, 2 boards, 1 dime in 8 minutes
6. Dennis 4.2 - A surprisingly mediocre game for the West Chester native: 4-of-8 for 9 points, 3 assists, 3 boards
7. White 2.6 - Managed 3 points, a rebound, and a foul in 5 minutes
8. Bower 2.1 - 1-for-3 for 2 points, 2 steals, 1 assist in 28 minutes
9. Vrabel 0.7 - 1 minute of work, 1 assist
10. Ford-Bey 0.3 - Only a rebound in 1 minute
11. Coombs -0.4 - Missed shot and rebound in 4 minutes

Inactive:
Wenner

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

1/28: KU 67, West Chester 60

2009-01-29T10:22:00.004-05:00

Melissa McQuade was dominant in Wednesday's 67-60 victory at West Chester, scoring 17 points and hauling in 12 boards.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 20.7 - It's nice to see the first huge game from McQuade in quite a while as she was 5-of-7 for 17 points, 12 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 steals
2. Dovey 14.9 - I said it last year and I'll say it again: Aggressive players like Schroeder and Dovey are a recipe for success in the PSAC. Dovey was huge again last night, scoring a team-high 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go with 5 boards, 3 steals
3. Wisemiller 6.6 - 6-of-15 shooting for 17 points and 3 rebounds
4. Starr 3.5 - 2-of-9 for 6 points, 6 assists. Single-season assist record update: If she continues to average 4.94 a game, that would leave her 15 assists short at the end of the regular season. The further KU goes, the better her chances.
5. Schroeder 2.5 - Not her best effort, but still was productive: 4-of-14 for 9 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
6. Mertz 1.3 - Block, dime, foul, rebound in 5 minutes
7. Melvin 0.1 - Back out of the starting lineup and back to mediocrity: Failed to score on 3 shots, had 3 boards, 3 assists, and 3 fouls
8. Greaves -2.0 - Continues to struggle, turning it over twice in 3 minutes
9. LeVan -2.4 - Missed two shots and turned it over once in 2 minutes

Inactives:
Dellegrotti - Injured (Head)

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Wednesday Update

2009-01-28T19:45:00.005-05:00

The KU basketball teams were in action at PSAC East rival West Chester on Wednesday evening.

The ladies pulled off a huge 67-60 win over the Golden Rams and move into a tie with West Chester for the lead in the PSAC East. Both teams divisional records sit at 4-1.

The men's team also came away with a win against the Golden Rams, taking it by a score of 97-71, improving to 4-1 in PSAC East play.

Both teams now sit atop the PSAC East standings the midway point of divisional play approaches.

Full recaps on Thursday.

Ben's Big Night

2009-01-26T15:35:00.007-05:00

Against Mansfield at Keystone Hall on January 21, Dave Ben became the Kutztown University men's basketball all-time leading scorer. Here are a few photographs from that evening. As always, they were taken by Tony Vasquez.

1/24: KU 69, Shippensburg 68

2009-01-26T14:58:00.006-05:00

It wasn't easy, but the Golden Bears slipped by the Red Raiders on the road on Saturday.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Washington 15.6 - Another big all around day for the sophomore: 5-of-10 for 14 points, 9 boards, 6 assists, and 5 blocks. We could do without the 4 fouls, 4 turnovers
2. Ben 10.6 - Scored 20 points, but on 20 shots! Also added 8 boards, 4 assists, 4 blocks, 3 steals
3. Bower 9.8 - Played 34 minutes in this one, scoring 8 points and grabbing 8 boards
4. Woodlin 7.3 - 5-of-13 for 14 points, 6 boards, 3 steals
5. Dennis 5.7 - Scored 11 points on 9 shots and grabbed 10 rebounds before fouling out
6. Coombs 1.3 - Scored and had a rebound in 4 minutes
7. Coffey -0.3 - 2 boards, 2 turnovers highlighted 8 minutes of work
8. Gray -1.6 - Missed shot, rebound, and 4 fouls in 13 minutes

Inactives:
White
Vrabel
Wenner
Ford-Bey

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

1/24: KU 60, Shippensburg 71

2009-01-26T14:22:00.006-05:00

Like a wise man once said, one picture is worth a thousand words. Unfortunately for the Golden Bears, the number shown most in this photograph was responsible for Shippensburg's 71-60 victory on Saturday as the Red Raiders nailed a ridiculous 14 three pointers.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Wisemiller 12.5 - 14 points, 4 steals, 3 dimes, and, as always, a single block
2. Schroeder 11.0 - Hit 7 of her team-high 14 shots for a team-best 16 points to go with 5 boards, 2 steals, and 3 assists
3. McQuade 9.3 - Missed another double-double by a rebound: 11 points, 9 boards
4. Starr 5.6 - 4 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and a 4:1 assist:turnover ratio
5. Melvin 5.2 - Another solid game as a starter: 6-of-13 for 15 points, 4 boards, 3 assists.
6. Dovey 0.6 - Still working her away back from injury: 0-for-3, 3 boards, assist, block
7. Mertz -0.1 - 2 fouls, block in 9 minutes
8. Greaves -1.9 -An ugly 4 minutes: 2 missed threes and 2 fouls
9. LeVan -3.1 - Ouch, again. 0-for-3 and a turnover in 5 minutes

Inactives:
Dellegrotti - Injured (Head)

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Saturday Update

2009-01-24T14:26:00.004-05:00

The women's basketball team suffered a hard luck loss at Shippensburg on Saturday afternoon by a score of 71-60. Despite erasing an 18 point halftime deficit, the Golden Bears could not overcome a ridiculous 14 made three pointers by the Red Raiders. Kutztown drops to 3-1 in the PSAC East, while Shippensburg improves to 3-1.

The men's team won 69-68 against the Red Raiders and improve to 3-1 in the PSAC East.

1/21: KU 85, Mansfield 69

2009-01-22T10:06:00.002-05:00

David Ben is shown here hitting a free throw with 1:36 left to play on Wednesday evening. The point, coupled with another one seconds later, gives him 1,684 points for his career at Kutztown, which breaks the school record formerly held by Lock Jennings. Congratulations to Dave!

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Gray 16.4 - Ben's record stole the show, but Gray actually had the best all around game, hitting 5-of-9 shots (4-of-5 from long range) for 16 points, 2 boards, 4 assists, and a steal
2. Dennis 14.3 - Good outing for Dennis: 6-of-9 for 15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
3. Ben 13.8 - 7-of-19 from the floor for 22 points, 1 of which broke KU's career scoring record, 2 boards, 2 steals, and 5 assists
4. Woodlin 12.0 - Hit 6 of his 13 shots for 15 points and also had 10 boards to complete the double-double.
5. Washington 10.7 - Another good effort for the power forward, who hit 7-of-10 shots for 15 points and 12 boards.
6. Bower 1.6 - Had 4 rebounds, but failed to score in 24 minutes
7. White 0.0 - Not much of an impact in 3 minutes
8. Vrabel 0.0 - Nothing doing in 2 minutes
9. Wenner -0.4 - Missed shot and rebound in 2 minutes
10. Coombs -0.5 - Scored once, but had a turnover and 3 (yes, three) fouls in 3 minutes
11. Coffey -0.8 - Missed shot, foul, turnover, steal, rebound in 8 minutes
12. Ford-Bey -1.0 - 2 minutes of work, 1 turnover to show for it

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

1/21: KU 61, Mansfield 59

2009-01-22T09:41:00.003-05:00

Meredith Starr scored 9 points, hauled in 6 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists in Wednesday evening's victory over Mansfield.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 14.2 - Scored 16 points (on 18 shots), had 4 assists, 2 blocks, and a whopping 16 rebounds, including 7 on the offensive end.
2. Melvin 12.2 - Another start, another outstanding performance: 3-of-7 from the floor for 8 points, 7 boards, 2 steals, and 6 assists. Oh, and we can't forget the game-winning layup.
3. Wisemiller 11.4 - A fantastic shooting day for Wisemiller, who hit 8-of-13 shots for a game-high 18 points, while also adding 4 rebounds and 2 steals
4. Starr 9.0 - A solid game for Starr, who finally got back in the assist groove: 9 points, 6 boards, 7 assists
5. Schroeder 7.9 - Missed a few easy shots early on, but bounced back with a solid 5-for-11 shooting day to go with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
6. Mertz -0.4 - 2 rebounds and a block were the highlights of her 8 minutes of work
7. Greaves -1.5 - Missed 2 shots and committed a foul in 5 minutes
8. Dovey -2.0 - Played only 1 minute off the bench in her return from injury and turned it over twice
9. LeVan -2.7 - Missed a shot and turned it over twice in 5 minutes

Inactives:
Dellegrotti - Injured (Head)

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Wednesday Update

2009-01-21T19:49:00.004-05:00

The women's basketball team came back in the second half to defeat Mansfield 61-59 on Wednesday evening. The Golden Bears improve to 3-0 in the PSAC East and are 13-3 overall this season.

The men's team also came away with a win against the Mounties, taking the nightcap 85-69. In the win, Dave Ben set the KU career scoring record. The men also improve to 13-3 overall this season and are 2-1 in divisional play.

Recaps will be up on Thursday.

Ladies look to avoid letdown

2009-01-21T14:36:00.001-05:00

P.S.A.C East Women’s Basketball 1/21/2009
Mansfield Mountaineers (4-11, 0-2) @ Kutztown Golden Bears (12-3, 2-0)
Keystone Hall
Golden Bear Network on www.kubears.com - Mike Clay/Joe Balco

The Golden Bears come into the game at 12-3 overall this season, which includes a 2-0 record against P.S.A.C. East opponents. They are currently on a three game winning streak, which includes the two P.S.A.C East victories, both of which will likely prove to be huge wins once the playoff chatter begins in about a month.

A week ago today, the Golden Bears opened up divisional play with a 54-49 victory at East Stroudsburg. This past Saturday, in what was their most recent action, Kutztown ended a 15 game draught to Millersville, defeating them 60-56 right here at Keystone Hall. Both Lara Dellegrotti and Katie Dovey were inactive in that game and both are unlikely to play here tonight.

Meanwhile, the Mounties enter this game dead last in the PSAC East with a record of 4-11, which includes an 0-2 mark in the PSAC East. Mansfield opened divisional play last Wednesday with an 80-69 loss at home to Shippensburg before falling on the road to Cheyney 65-49 on Saturday.

Last season, the Mounties struggled to a 1-11 record in the PSAC East and were 6-21 overall. Kutztown, on the other hand, was 11-16 a year ago, which included a 4-8 record in the PSAC East.

The Golden Bears came up victorious in both meetings between the teams last season. Kutztown took care of business at home by a score of 59-51 before taking the second meeting 63-49.

Probable Starters:
Mansfield:
Fr - F- # 10 – Mallory Moore
Fr - F- # 52 – Rebecca Pollack
Sr - G- # 34 – Clarissa Correll
Sr - G- # 25 – Alicia Espiph
Fr - G- # 35 – Nicole Pender

Mansfield is coached by Ruth Hermansen and assisted by Ryan Van Noy

Kutztown:
Jr - C- # 33 – Chauntelle Schroeder
So - F- # 23 – Melissa McQuade
Jr – G - #41 – Vivian Melvin
Jr - G- # 11 – Rachel Wisemiller
So - G- # 13 – Meredith Starr

KU is coached by Janet Malouf and the assistant coach is Steve Hahn.

1/17: KU 88, Millersville 65

2009-01-19T11:22:00.003-05:00

It wasn't the tough Millersville squad we're used to seeing, but it always feels good to see Ryan Washington and company get a win over the rival Marauders.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Washington 18.5 - You could make a case that Washington has been this teams most consistent/all around best player this season...and he's only a sophomore! On Saturday, he was 6-of-8 for 16 points, 9 boards, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals.
2. Woodlin 17.7 - What a shooting day! Woodlin was 8-of-11 for 18 points and also chipped in 4 assists, 4 boards, and 2 steals.
3. Dennis 16.9 - You know your team is playing well when it's leading scorer comes in third in this list. Dennis paved the way in the scoring department with 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting.
4. Ben 12.2 - Similar to my point about Dennis, it's really amazing to see the only player on the team who recored a double-double fourth on this list. Ben had 19 points on 5-of-14 shooting and also contributed 12 rebounds and 4 assists.
5. Bower 6.4 - Failed to hit a field goal, but had 4 rebounds, 3 points, 1 assist, and a whopping 5 steals.
6. Gray 2.3 - Only played 11 minutes in this one, hitting 1-of-3 shots for 3 points
7. Coombs 0.2 - Missed a shot and 2 free throws, but did grab 3 rebounds in 7 minutes
8. Coffey 0.0 - Nothing in the boxscore in 5 minutes
9. Vrabel 0.0 - Nothing doing in 4 minutes
10. Ford-Bey 0.0 - Only 1 minute of work for the freshman
11. Wenner -0.1 - 2 boards and a missed shot in 2 minutes
12. White -0.1 - Hit his only shot in the game, but had 2 fouls and a turnover in 5 minutes

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

1/17: KU 60, Millersville 56

2009-01-19T10:43:00.004-05:00

With Katie Dovey and Lara Dellegrotti on the shelf with injuries, Vivian Melvin [Pictured] was called on to step into the starting lineup and boy did she respond. An offensive sparkplug in the win, Melvin ended with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. The victory ended a 15 game losing streak to Millersville and vaults KU to a 2-0 divisional record.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Schroeder 11.8 - Only 3-of-10 from the field, but hit all 10 of her free throws en route to a 16 point, 7 rebound evening.
2. Wisemiller 9.1 - Shot 50 percent in this one, nailing 6-of-12 shots for 16 points and 6 boards
3. Melvin 9.0 - Melvin was inserted into the starting lineup with Dellegrotti and Dovey inactive and boy did she respond. 5-of-9 from the field for 12 points to go with 5 boards and 4 assists
4. McQuade 3.7 - Hasn't shot the ball well as of late, struggling to a 3-of-11 day from the floor for just 7 points. As always, she did damage anyways, hauling in 10 boards and assisting on 4 buckets.
5. Mertz 1.6 - Did a nice job, scoring once and grabbing 3 rebounds in 9 minutes
6. Starr 1.2 - Hit 2-of-9 shots for 7 points in 36 minutes of work, while grabbing 5 boards and assisting on only 2.
7. Greaves -1.0 - Only a turnover in 5 minutes
8. LeVan -1.7 - Only a missed shot and a turnover in 8 minutes

Inactives:
Dovey - Injured (Knee)
Dellegrotti - Injured (Head)

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Saturday Update

2009-01-17T20:08:00.003-05:00

The KU women's basketball team pulled off a shocker on Saturday evening, outlasting Millersville for a 60-56 victory. The win ends a 15 game drought to Millersville and drops the Marauders, who went undefeated in PSAC East play last season, to 0-2 in the division in 2008-09. The Golden Bears, who played without the injured Katie Dovey and Lara Dellegrotti, improve to 2-0 in the PSAC East.

The men's team also game up victorious, knocking off the Marauders in convincing fashion, 88-65. The Golden Bears improve to 1-1 in the PSAC East with the win.

Huge test on tap for ladies

2009-01-16T14:18:00.002-05:00

I don't have time to write up a full preview for Saturday's games, but in preparing for my broadcast of the ladies games, I wrote up an outline of the transcript I will use on the air. The following is tidbits of that transcript, which will serve as the preview for the women's game. Enjoy.

P.S.A.C East Women’s Basketball 1/17/2009
Millersville Marauders (11-3, 0-1) @ Kutztown Golden Bears (11-3, 1-0)
Keystone Hall
Golden Bear Network on www.kubears.com - Mike Clay/Tyler Schueck

Both the women’s and men’s teams will play host to the rival Millersville Marauders here tonight in what will mark the first home P.S.A.C. East contest of the 2008-09 season for both teams.

The Golden Bears come into this game at 11-3 overall this season, which includes a 1-0 record against P.S.A.C. East opponents. That lone win against an eastern division foe game came in Kutztown’s most recent action, which was on Wednesday at East Stroudsburg. In that game, the Golden Bears led for most of the way and despite letting a 29-15 halftime lead slip away, they held on for a big 54-49 road victory.

Meanwhile, the Millersville Marauders also enter this game with an 11-3 record, but are 0-1 in the PSAC East after falling by a score of 64-54 to West Chester in overtime in their divisional opener on Wednesday evening. Despite the loss, Millersville has proved that it will be a contender yet again this season, with one of its 11 victories coming against nationally-ranked Indiana.

Last season, the Marauders were the class of the PSAC East, notching a perfect 12-0 divisional record, which was part of an impressive 24-6 overall regular season record. Millersville advanced as far as the first round of the NCAA Division II East Regional, where they were eliminated by California University of Pennsylvania. Kutztown, on the other hand, was 11-16 a year ago, which included a 4-8 record in the PSAC East.

Last season, Millersville won the first meeting between the teams by a score of 65-40 right here at Keystone Hall. The Golden Bears kept it closer on the road in the second meeting, falling 56-43. The only returning Golden Bear to have scored in double figures in either one of those games was Chauntelle Schroeder, who scored 13 points in only 8 minutes of work in the team’ second meeting.

Probable Starters:
Millersville:
Jr - F- # 3 – Jenna Craig
Sr - F- # 22 – Gladine St. Julien
Sr - G- # 32 – Jenna Philo
Jr - G- # 34 – Aiesha Bellamy
Jr - G- # 35 – Ashley Moyer

Millersville is coached by Mary Fleig and assisted by Darlene Newman and Branden Lippy

Kutztown:
Jr - C- # 33 – Chauntelle Schroeder
So - F- # 23 – Melissa McQuade
Jr - F- # 32 – Katie Dovey
Jr - G- # 11 – Rachel Wisemiller
So - G- # 13 – Meredith Starr

KU is coached by Janet Malouf and the assistant coach is Steve Hahn.

Other Game Notes:
Coach Mary Fleig sports a 28-11 record versus Kutztown. The Marauders have beaten Kutztown in 15 straight games dating back to the 2001-02 season.

Millersville was picked to finish 2nd in the East, behind only Shippensburg. Kutztown was picked to finish fourth.

1/14: KU 73, ESU 77

2009-01-15T10:19:00.002-05:00

Stephen Dennis (pictured) and Ryan Washington converted on just six of their 29 combined shots on Wednesday night and it certainly showed on the scoreboard.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Ben 17.9 - Ben picked up where he left off in last year's trip to ESU, hitting 9 of his 14 shots for 24 points, 8 boards, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
2. Bower 9.2 - One of his better efforts this season: 3-of-5 from the floor for 8 points and 7 rebounds
3. Woodlin 7.9 - 4-of-9 for 11 points and 4 boards
4. Dennis 7.6 - Hit only 3 of his 15 shots, but still scored 14 points to go with 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 boards
5. Washington 5.0 - Like Dennis, struggled from the field, managing just 7 points on 3-of-14 shooting, but did manage 5 blocks and a whopping 17 rebounds
6. Gray 4.3 - Started and went 3-of-5 for 9 points
7. White 0.0 - Nothing to show here in 3 minutes
8. Coombs -0.1 - Only a rebound and a foul in 4 minutes
9. Coffey -0.1 - 4 rebounds was only highlight in 11 minutes

Inactives:
Vrabel
Ford-Bey
Wenner

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

1/14: KU 54, ESU 49

2009-01-15T09:27:00.003-05:00

Katie Dovey was instrumental in Wednesday's win over East Stroudsburg, which vaulted the ladies to a 1-0 record in the PSAC East.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Dovey 8.5 - Last time, I mentioned she was improving every game. Against ESU, she made me look brilliant by dominating the game out of the gate. She ended up 7-of-14 from the field for a team-high 15 points. She also hauled in 7 boards in the win.
2. Starr 6.0 - If you told me I had to guess who the player is based simply on her rebound and assist totals, Starr would be the last person I would choose based on a line of 7 rebounds, 0 assists. Nonetheless, Starr found a way to contribute without netting a single assist, scoring 9 points to go with her effective work on the glass.
3. McQuade 5.8 - Didn't show particulary well (2-of-7), but as always, contributed in other ways: 8 rebounds, 8 points, 5 assists, 2 blocks.
4. Wisemiller 4.8 - An ugly 3-of-12 from the floor, but 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals isn't a bad night
5. Dellegrotti 3.5 - Hit a huge three pointer in this one to put KU up for good and ended up with 10 points
6. Mertz 0.7 - Only a block in 5 minutes
7. Greaves 0.0 - Nothing doing in 3 minutes
8. Melvin -1.0 - 1 point and 5 rebounds are not enough to offset 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 24 minutes
9. LeVan -1.7 - Missed a shot and turned it over in 2 minutes
10. Schroeder -4.5 - Ouch! Coming off a huge weekend, Schroeder fell back to earth on Wednesday: 1-of-5 for 2 points, 6 rebounds, 5 turnovers.

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Wednesday Update

2009-01-14T19:49:00.002-05:00

The KU basketball teams were in East Stroudsburg on Wednesday night, kicking off PSAC East play. The women's team came away with a 54-49 victory, while the men's team fell to the Warriors by a score of 77-73.

Next up is a matchup with PSAC East foe Millersville at Keystone Hall on Saturday evening.

Weekend Recap - Men

2009-01-12T14:25:00.003-05:00

Saturday's bout with Edinboro was no walk in the park, but it was all fun and games for the Golden Bears against Lock Haven on Sunday.

Hollinger Game Score (includes Edinboro & Lock Haven games):

1. Washington 21.0
2. Dennis 20.4
3. Ben 19.5
4. Woodlin 9.8
5. Gray 4.9
6. Wenner 1.9
7. Coffey 1.9
8. Ford-Bey -0.1
9. Bower -0.5
10. White -0.7
11. Coombs -0.9
12. Vrabel -2.3

Edinboro Boxscore
Lock Haven Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Note: I'm pretty busy, which is why there is no analysis with this weekend's game score.

Weekend Recap - Women

2009-01-12T13:55:00.007-05:00

While 'Big Ben' was leading the Steelers over the Chargers, Pittsburgh native Melissa McQuade was carrying the Golden Bears to a weekend split with Edinboro and Lock Haven.

Hollinger Game Score (includes Edinboro & Lock Haven games):

1. McQuade 16.1
2. Wisemiller 11.5
3. Schroeder 11.4
4. Dellegrotti 8.6
5. Starr 2.8
6. Dovey 2.5
7. Mertz -0.2
8. Greaves -1.5
9. LeVan -2.3
10. Melvin -3.7

Inactives:
Bonanno (Suspended for remainder of season)

Edinboro Boxscore
Lock Haven Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Note: I'm pretty busy, which is why there is no analysis with this weekend's game score.

Sunday Recap

2009-01-11T14:42:00.005-05:00

The KU basketball teams were in action at home against Lock Haven on Sunday.

The women's team came up victorious over the Lady Eagles by a margin of 77-72, improving its record to 10-3 this season.

The men's team smoked LHU by a score of 98-58 to improve its record to 11-2.

Next up is the PSAC East openers at East Stroudsburg on Wednesday evening.

Check back Monday for the full weekend recaps.

Saturday Recap

2009-01-10T17:39:00.006-05:00

The KU basketball teams were in action at home against Edinboro on Saturday, with the women's team falling 88-84 and the men's team winning 91-85.

The women blew a double digit second half lead in their loss, while the men erased a second half deficit in their win.

The women fall to 9-3, while the men improve to 10-2. Both teams are in action at home again tomorrow when they will play hose to Lock Haven.

Check back Monday for the game recaps.

Hey Edinboro...

2009-01-08T11:07:00.002-05:00

...this is what you're going to have to deal with on Saturday. I honestly don't recommend messing with this guy.

Men look to rebound at home

2009-01-07T10:33:00.004-05:00

What: Edinboro Fighting Scots @ Kutztown Golden Bears
When: Saturday, January 10, 2009 @ 3 p.m.
Where: Keystone Hall on the campus of Kutztown University

The KU men’s basketball team will take on Edinboro on Saturday afternoon to open up the home portion of its 2008-09 PSAC schedule. The Golden Bears began this season strong, exploding to 9-0 record, before being swept at the hands of Gannon and Clarion this past weekend. KU was the pre-season pick to win the PSAC East, but there may be some questions now that they are off to a disappointing 0-2 start against teams in the conference. Gannon smoked KU 88-58 on Saturday before Clarion used a last second shot to take Sunday’s game 87-85. Fortunately for the Golden Bears, they still have Saturday’s game against Edinboro and Sunday’s contest at home against Lock Haven to gather some momentum for PSAC East play, which will begin on Jan. 14 at East Stroudsburg.

Meanwhile, the Edinboro Fighting Scots enter the contest at 10-1 and are fresh off a weekend sweep of Mansfield and Bloomsburg. EU took care of MU on Saturday by a score of 86-77 before handing BU a 94-78 loss on Sunday. Edinboro was a regional contender last season and appears to be a threat again this time around. One year ago, the Fighting Scots fell in the PSAC title game to California (Pa.) 73-65 before advancing to the NCAA East Regionals where they were eliminated by Millersville 64-61.

Speaking of last year, these teams did meet once early last season at Keystone Hall. The Golden Bears led 41-38 at the half, but the Fighting Scots battled back and overcame late-game free throw shooting woes to hold on for an 87-84 victory. Stephen Dennis was the game’s high scorer, dropping 30 points, while also hauling in 10 rebounds. Joe Jones scored 23 points to lead the Scots.

Probable Starters:
Edinboro:
F- # 13 – Vlad Kovalevsky
F- # 34 – Justin Moore
G- # 11 – Kyree Brown
G- # 5 – Joe Jones
G- # 2 – Gil Cummings
Kutztown:
C- # 44 – Mark Bower
F- # 52 – Ryan Washington
G- # 34 – Dave Ben
G- # 24 – Andre Woodlin
G- # 14 – Stephen Dennis

Scouting Report:
The Golden Bears are led by the two-headed monster of junior guard Stephen Dennis and senior guard David Ben [Pictured at top of page]. Dennis leads the team with 21.8 points per game and 55 assists and is tied with Ben for the team lead in steals with 30 a piece. Ben averages 21.2 points a game. Both players are shooting above 50% this season and both have exactly 61 rebounds in 2008-09. Sophomore Ryan Washington will start at power forward. He averages 11.8 PPG, fourth best on the team, while hauling in a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game and shooting a team-best 62.5% from the field. He is also third in assists (36), first in blocks (24), and fourth in steals (14). Senior guard Andre Woodlin averages just less than 13 points and just under 4 rebounds a game. He is fourth on the team with 34 assists and third with 25 steals. The fifth starter will be senior center Mark Bower, who replaced junior Jeremy Coombs in the lineup earlier this season. Bower plays just under 19 minutes a game, averaging 5.2 PPG and 3.7 RPG.

Freshman guard Julius Gray is the top reserve for KU this season, playing 22.5 minutes per game. The rookie is scoring 6.5 points a game, has 22 assists, and 12 steals. Sophomore guard Steve Coffey and freshman guard Omar Ford-Bey are also likely to see a few minutes of work in backcourt.

Although he has played sparingly while recovering from injury, Coombs is the top reserve in the frontcourt. Freshman forward Ryan White should see about 10 minutes of action, while freshmen forwards Jordan Wenner and Chris Vrabel could see a few minutes as well.

Edinboro is led by senior guard and PSAC leading scorer Joe Jones, who scores just over 23 points a game. He shoots 52.9% from the field, 37% from long range, and leads the team with 28 steals and 49 assists. Senior guard Gil Cummings is second on the team, averaging 15.7 PPG, while fellow starters junior forwards Vlad Kovalevsky and Justin Moore each contribute 8.3 PPG. Kovalevsky has 18 blocks and averages 6 RPG, both of which lead the team, while Moore hauls in a 5.7 boards a game, which is good for second best. Senior guard Kyree Brown has started the last few games for EU and will likely be the fifth starter. Junior guard/forward Chris Bess and senior guard Larry Bryant are likely to see significant minutes off the bench.

Prediction:
This game should be pretty evenly matched, as both teams are expected to contend for the PSAC title. The Fighting Scots have already proved they are for real this season, while KU disappointed this past weekend against Gannon and Clarion. That said, The Golden Bears are too good to drop three straight against the PSAC West. Expect the Dennis-Ben duo to come up big at home on Saturday en route to a relatively slim victory against a tough Edinboro squad.

Edinboro 81
Kutztown 86

Ladies set to host Edinboro

2009-01-06T11:02:00.004-05:00

What: Edinboro Fighting Scots @ Kutztown Golden Bears
When: Saturday, January 10, 2009 @ 1 p.m.
Where: Keystone Hall on the campus of Kutztown University

The KU women’s basketball team will play host to Edinboro on Saturday in what will be the team’s first home PSAC Crossover game of the 2008-09 campaign. The Golden Bears are 9-2 this season, which includes a 2-1 record against PSAC West teams. KU kicked the season off with a 66-51 victory over Slippery Rock as part of November’s Kutztown Classic and this past weekend split against two western division foes, falling 98-59 to Gannon before taking care of Clarion 87-69.

Meanwhile, Edinboro comes into town at 7-4 and is fresh off a weekend sweep of PSAC East contenders Mansfield and Bloomsburg. The Fighting Scots beat MU 88-65 on Saturday before crushing BU 77-55 on Sunday. Edinboro, coached by Stan Swank, went 17-10 last season, including 6-6 in the PSAC West.

In last season’s only meeting between the teams, Edinboro snuck out of Keystone Hall with a 48-46 victory in what was a solid defensive game by both teams. The score was 18-17 at the half in favor of Edinboro, which used 23 points from Samantha Reimer to carry them to the eventual 2 point victory. Melissa McQuade was the high scorer among returning players for KU, notching 8 points.

The Golden Bears will be looking to prove that their 9-2 early-season record is no fluke. With their nine wins coming against a less than impressive cast of opponents for the most part (SRU, Pitt-Johnstown, USP, Lincoln, Columbia Union x2, PSU-Berks, Chestnut Hill, Clarion), the Golden Bears need to get a few strong games in against top PSAC teams before divisional play begins next week.

Speaking of which, following tomorrow’s home PSAC West crossover contest with Lock Haven at 1 p.m., the Golden Bears will head to East Stroudsburg on Wednesday to open up PSAC East play against the Warriors. That game is set for 6 p.m.

Probable Starters:
Edinboro:
F- # 22 – Kelsey Conklin
F- # 32 – Renee Brown
F- # 14 – Micki Cerchiaro
G- # 33 – Samantha Reimer
G- # 20 – Casey Heller
Kutztown:
C- # 33 – Chauntelle Schroeder
F- # 23 – Melissa McQuade
F- # 32 – Katie Dovey
G- # 11 – Rachel Wisemiller
G- # 13 – Meredith Starr

Scouting Report:
The Golden Bears are led by superstar sophomore forward Melissa McQuade, who is undoubtedly one of the PSAC’s finest players. McQuade is averaging 17.2 points and 8.9 rebounds this season, which are team bests. Her 31 steals, 50% three-point percentage, and 56.3% field goal percentage are team best and her 43 assists are second best.

Junior Rachel Wisemiller [Pictured at top of story] will start at the 2 or 3 position and will be relied on for her three point shooting ability. Wisemiller has made 40% of her 80 three point attempts this season and is second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.2 PPG. Junior center Chauntelle Schroeder didn’t see much action her first two seasons at KU before jumping into a starting role this season, but has answered the call by averaging 9.5 points and 6.3 rebounds a game. Sophomore point guard Meredith Starr has struggled as of late, but is still one of the PSAC’s best in terms of assist/turnover ratio. Her 62 dimes this season put her on pace to break the school’s single-season record.

Senior guard Lara Dellegrotti or junior forward Katie Dovey will man the other starting spot, but both should see significant action regardless. Dellegrotti has been a starter since arriving at KU, but has been plagued by injuries and is working her way back into the lineup as she tries to get back to 100% health. She averages 12 points per game when she plays, has 26 assists, and is one of the team’s best shooters. Dovey has done a fine job replacing Dellegrotti in the starting lineup and could get the nod this weekend. She has scored just under 6 points and grabbed just above 4 rebounds a game. [Update: It was confirmed this week by Coach Malouf that Dovey will start in place of Dellegrotti once again this weekend.]

Freshmen forwards Brittany Le Van, Hannah Mertz, and Brittany Greaves are expected to see limited action off the bench. Junior guard Vivian Melvin and freshman guard Vanina Bonanno, who made her debut against Gannon on Saturday, will spell the backcourt for time.

Edinboro is led by junior guard Samantha Reimer, who paces the team with 21.9 PPG and 46 assists. Her 179 shots, including 68 threes, and 58 turnovers show that she isn’t afraid to try and make plays, so KU will need to try and frustrate her with its stingy defense. Meanwhile, two other Fighting Scots are averaging double figures in scoring this season, with junior forward Kelsey Conklin managing 19.7 a game and freshman forward Renee Brown contributing 13.2 a game. The other two starters are expected to be freshman forward Micki Cerchiaro (9.5 PPG) and junior guard Casey Heller (4.5 PPG). Conklin leads the team with 8.5 rebounds a game and 30 steals, while Brown paces the way with 12 blocks.

Prediction:
It’s still a bit too early to know how PSAC teams are going to match up, but Edinboro made a big statement this past weekend when they smoked Bloomsburg and Mansfield. The Golden Bears disappointed against the West’s top team in Gannon on Saturday, but did bounce back strong with a thrashing of Clarion on Sunday.

I expect KU to come out strong this weekend against an extremely talented Edinboro squad. The Golden Bears have the firepower to win this game if they shoot well and I believe they will carry the momentum from Sunday into this game, keeping it close throughout. In the end, KU will slip by thanks to a Rachel Wisemiller last second three pointer.

Edinboro 58
Kutztown 60

Weekend Recap - Men

2009-01-05T13:29:00.003-05:00

Ryan White saw 28 minutes of work this weekend and answered by converting on four of his five shots.

Hollinger Game Score (includes both the Gannon and Clarion games):

1. Ben 15.8 - Scored an impressive 45 points in the two games, despite not making a single three pointer. He was 21-of-28 from the charity stripe and also had 13 boards and 5 steals
2. Washington 12.5 - Continued his strong play by scoring 30 points on 13-of-19 shooting, while also managing team highs with 15 boards and 4 blocks
3. Dennis 12.1 - Hit less than half his shots, but scored 32 points to go with 10 assists and 13 rebounds
4. Gray 2.8 - You'll notice quite a drop off after the top 3 with Gray leading the best of the rest, scoring 10 points and dishing 3 assists in 36 minutes.
5. Woodlin 1.9 - KU will need more from Woodlin, who was just 3-of-16 from the field for 9 points in 62 minutes over the two games.
6. White 1.1 - Hit 4-of-5 shots in 28 minutes, but had 5 fouls and 2 turnovers
7. Coombs 1.0 - Played only 6 minutes, scoring once and hauling in a rebound
8. Bower 1.0 - 5 points, 4 rebounds in 37 minutes for the top center is disappointing
9. Ford-Bey -0.7 - Didn't do much in 4 minutes on Saturday
10. Coffey -1.6 - A disappointing weekend for the reserve guard, who had 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, and only 2 points in 13 minutes

Inactives:
Wenner
Vrabel

Gannon Boxscore
Clarion Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Weekend Recap - Women

2009-01-05T09:38:00.004-05:00

Chauntelle Schroeder, shown here earlier this season, stood out for KU this weekend, scoring 21 points and hauling in 15 rebounds in 2 games.

Hollinger Game Score (includes both the Gannon and Clarion game):

1. Schroeder 13.6 - The starting center stood out this weekend, notching 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting and also had a team-high 15 rebounds and 7 assists, while committing only 4 fouls.
2. McQuade 10.5 - Struggled against Gannon, but bounced back on Sunday, completing a weekend that included 25 points, 14 boards, 4 steals, and 5 assists.
3. Dellegrotti 9.8 - Led the team with 30 points and 7 dimes, but was only 7-of-19 from the field (all but one shot coming from long range) and had a team-worst 9 turnovers.
4. Wisemiller 7.8 - 9-of-17 for 26 points and 11 rebounds. The 6 assists help, but 6 fouls and 8 turnovers are a bit too much.
5. Dovey 6.4 - Seems to be getting better every game. Scored 18 points on the weekend and hauled in 6 rebounds, while committing only 1 foul and 2 turnovers.
6. Starr 2.9 - Scored only 6 points and had a disappointing 6:4 assist-turnover ratio.
7. Bonanno 2.0 -Made her debut on Saturday and made it memorable by hitting a three pointer in her first career shot and ended up with a 9 point weekend.
8. LeVan 0.3 - 5 points on 2-of-6 shooting, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers
9. Melvin -0.3 - Scored 6 points and turned it over 4 times
10. Mertz -0.4 - 0-for-3 with a pair of boards and had 5 fouls
11. Greaves -1.9 - 0-for-5 from the field with 4 rebounds and 3 fouls

Gannon Boxscore
Clarion Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

1/4: KU 85, Gannon 87

2009-01-04T18:14:00.005-05:00

The KU men's basketball team fell to Clarion 87-85 on Sunday afternoon. The Golden Bears fall to 9-2 with their second straight loss.

The recap for this weekend's games is available here.

Box

1/4: KU 87, Clarion 69

2009-01-04T15:26:00.004-05:00

The KU women's basketball team rebounded from Saturday's loss to Gannon with a 87-69 thrashing of Clarion on Sunday afternoon. The Golden Bears improve to 9-2 with the win and are 1-1 against the PSAC West this season.

The recap for this weekend's games is available here.

Box

1/3: KU 58, Gannon 88

2009-01-03T16:41:00.005-05:00

The KU men's basketball team fell to undefeated Gannon 88-58 in its PSAC opener on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Bears fall to 9-1 after the loss to conference newcomer Gannon, which improves to 9-0.

The recap for this weekend's games is available here.

Box

1/3: KU 59, Gannon 98

2009-01-03T14:31:00.006-05:00

The KU women's basketball team fell to PSAC West-leading Gannon 98-59 in its PSAC opener on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Bears fall to 8-2 after the loss to conference newcomer Gannon, which improves to 9-1.

The recap for this weekend's games is available here.

Notable stats:
Dellegrotti: 19 points
Wisemiller: 9 points
McQuade: 4 points
KU Turnovers: 25
GU Shooting %: 52.9%
Box

12/30: KU 127, PSU-Abington 65

2008-12-30T21:34:00.001-05:00

Steve Coffey scored a career-best 14 points off the bench as KU cruised past PSU-Abington on Tuesday evening by a 127-65 score.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Dennis 23.9 - Cruised to 23 points on 10-of-19 from the field, while assisting on 6 and notching a whopping 7 steals
2. Washington 22.2 - What a shooting day for the sophomore! 10-of-12 for 21 points, 7 boards, and 6 dimes
3. Woodlin 19.6 - Proved to be one of his better games this season: 7-of-11 for 18 points, 7 boards, 6 assists
4. Ben 17.8 - Wasn't the star in this one, but contributed 15 points, 6 assists, 6 boards, 4 steals
5. Coffey 15.0 - Scored 14 off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting and had 6 assists
6. Bower 14.9 - Had the team's only double-double, with 14 points (on 6-of-8 shooting) and 11 boards in 22 minutes of action.
7. White 8.9 - 8 points, 7 rebounds in 17 minutes
8. Gray 6.5 - Just 2-of-6 from the floor, but helped the cause with 7 points, 4 assists, 3 steals
9. Ford-Bey 6.0 - 7 points, 3 rebounds in 12 minutes
10. Vrabel -1.1 - A shot and a foul in 4 minutes

Inactives:
Wenner
Coombs

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

12/30: KU 76, Chestnut Hill 65

2008-12-30T21:33:00.002-05:00

KU had little trouble taking care of business against Chestnut Hill on Tuesday, improving its overall record to 8-1 as PSAC play looms.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 24.4 - Paved the way to victory once again with a 7-of-11 shooting day for 20 points and 9 rebounds. She also chipped in 5 assists and 3 steals.
2. Schroeder 14.9 - Great game for the center, as she knocked down 4 of her 7 shots for 12 points, while snagging 7 boards and stealing 3.
3. Wisemiller 12.8 - Just 5-of-13 from the floor, including 1-of-5 from long range, but ended up with 15 points, 4 boards, 3 blocks, and a pair of steals/assists.
4. Dellegrotti 7.3 - Scored 9, assisted on 5, and stole 3, but had 4 turnovers
5. Melvin 5.5 - 8 points on 8 shots and had 4 dimes
6. LeVan 1.7 - Hit her only shot and had 4 rebounds, but also committed 4 fouls in 6 minutes. Ouch!
7. Starr 1.0 - Only played 17 minutes, missing her only shot and turning it over 3 times. She did, however, help the cause with 4 assists and 2 steals.
8. Mertz 0.9 - 2-for-3 for 4 points in 19 minutes
9. Greaves -0.4 - A bucket, turnover, and foul in 7 minutes
10. Dovey -0.6 - Not her best work, but not an awful day: 2-of-6 for 4 points, 4 boards, 2 fouls, and 3 turnovers

Inactives:
Bonanno - Suspension (until 2009)

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

12/20: KU 68, Philly U. 60

2008-12-20T21:13:00.003-05:00

The Golden Bears improved to 8-0 with the win over Philadelphia on Saturday.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Dennis 16.7 - 23 points on 21 shots in 39 minutes. Also had 8 boards, 4 assists, and 3 steals
2. Ben 13.3 - Nailed half of his 14 shots for 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists
3. Washington 6.5 - Fouled out, but still put up a full day's work, scoring 6 points, hauling in 10 boards, assisting on 5, and swatting away 4
4. Bower 3.4 - Started and played 16 minutes, contributing 3 points and 4 rebounds, but also had 4 fouls
5. Coombs 2.7 - A better outing for Coombs: 5 points, 4 boards in 13 minutes
6. Woodlin 2.5 - Just 2-of-11 for 8 points, while adding 7 boards and a pair of steals
7. Coffey 2.3 - 2 points and a rebound in 9 minutes
8. Gray -0.4 - Back-to-back rough outings for Gray: 1 points, 4 fouls in 17 minutes
9. White -0.4 - Missed a shot and had a rebound in 7 minutes

Inactives:
Ford-Bey
Vrabel
Wenner

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

12/20: KU 64, Philly U. 68

2008-12-20T20:46:00.005-05:00

The Golden Bears finally lost on Saturday, but it was more of the same from Melissa McQuade, who knocked down 17 points to go with 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 20.4 - Is there any doubt that McQuade could play all five positions effectively? 7-of-13 for 19 points, 7 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals
2. Wisemiller 12.3 - Led the team with 22 points on 15 shots and added 5 boards
3. Schroeder 5.1 - Couldn't seem to get a shot to fall, but still managed a solid 8 point, 10 rebound day
4. Dellegrotti 4.5 - Still not 100%, but chipped in 8 points, 3 assists in 17 minutes off the bench
5. Dovey 3.1 - Got another start at the 4 and answered with 4 points and 8 rebounds, including a team-best 7 on the defensive boards
6. LeVan 0.0 - Nothing doing in 4 minutes of work
7. Mertz -0.5 - Much to my surprise, only saw 4 minutes against a tall Philly U. squad, failing to score, while hauling in a rebound and committing a pair of fouls
8. Melvin -0.7 - Missed her only shot in just four minutes of work
9. Greaves -2.2 - Showed her inexperience today, struggling to 1 rebound, 2 fouls, a turnover, and a missed shot in 6 minutes
10. Starr -3.3 - Not a good day for Starr as she was just 1-of-8 for 3 points and had 4 turnovers to offset her 4 assists

Inactives:
Bonanno - Suspension (until 2009)

Boxscore

YTD Hollinger Game Score

Are you for real?

2008-12-18T14:57:00.003-05:00

A lot of people are asking me the same question: Is this women’s basketball team better than the teams from the last few years or is their 7-0 record simply a product of an easy schedule. While I may not have a simple answer to that question, I did some research and learned a few things. Enjoy.

First of all, here is KU’s record through seven games over the last four seasons, including this year:
2008: 7-0
2007: 2-5
2006: 5-2
2005: 4-3In 2008, the Golden Bears are 7-0 and have outscored their opponents (Slippery Rock, Pitt-Johnstown, USiP, Lincoln, Columbia Union (x2), and PSU-Berks) by an average score of 73-47. Over the last three seasons, KU has taken on teams from that group on 18 occasions and is 14-4 in those contests, outscoring them by an average score of 69-55. So, based solely on that, they are clearly better than they have been.

Here is a more detailed breakdown, which will show the team’s success against each of their to-date 2008 opponents over the last four years, including this year’s games:

Slippery Rock:
2008: Won 66-51 (+15)
2007: Won 67-60 (+7)
2006: Lost 51-63 (-12)
2005: Lost 57-58 (-1)
05-07 Average Score: 58-60 (-2)

Pitt-Johnstown:
2008: Won 86-72 (+14)
2007: DNP
2006: Lost 56-65 (-9)
2005: DNP

USiP:
2008: Won 64-52 (+12)
2007: Won 57-50 (+7)
2006: Lost 62-66 (-4)
2005: DNP
05-07 Average Score: 60-58 (+2)

Lincoln (Pa):
2008: Won 75-48 (+27)
2007: Won 79-54 (+25)
2006: Won 62-58 (+4)
2005: Won 79-53 (+26)
05-07 Average Score: 73-55 (+18)

Columbia Union:
2008: Won 72-37 (+27)
2008: Won 76-30 (+27)
2007: Won 87-72 (+15)
2007: Won 52-45 (+7)
2006: Won 78-54 (+24)
2006: Won 69-54 (+15)
2005: Won 78-59 (+19)
2005: Won 80-56 (+24)
05-07 Average Score: 80-57 (+23)

PSU-Berks:
2008: Won 74-38 (+36)
2007: Won 81-54 (+27)
2006: Won 71-34 (+37)
2005: Won 84-40 (+44)
05-07 Average Score: 79-43 (+36)

There you have it. If you’re keeping score at home, you’ll see that of their six opponents this season, they’ve widened the scoring margin compared to the average of the last three seasons against 5 of the 6 teams with the PSU-Berks margin of victory remaining the same.

This data does seem to indicate that the Golden Bears are playing better, but the teams they are playing are not only teams they usually beat, but could also conveniently be having down years. For example, Slippery Rock, who KU was 1-2 against the last three years before beating them this year, is picked to finish last in the PSAC West this season.

In conclusion, I think it is safe to say that the 2008-09 version of the KU women’s basketball is better than teams from the last couple of years. How good? That is hard to say. Once the Golden Bears get a few PSAC games under their belt, we will have a much better idea where they are going this year. Right now, it looks like they could manage a PSAC East record near 9-5, which would mean a return to the postseason.

Regardless of their schedule, they are still a perfect 7-0. You don’t get there by accident.

12/17: KU 95, DoC 56

2008-12-18T10:20:00.005-05:00

David Ben was the man of the hour, but Ryan Washington (pictured) was impressive as well, scoring 13 points, while also chipping in 11 boards, 6 assists, and 4 steals.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Ben 30.2 - All but single-handily won the game with a huge second half. Ended up 14-of-23 for 32 points, 7 assists, 4 steals, 4 rebounds
2. Dennis 23.6 - Another outstanding shooting day, 9-of-14 for 23 points, 8 boards, 4 dimes
3. Woodlin 19.1 - 7-of-11 for 19 points, 4 assists, 4 boards
4. Washington 18.9 - Ben stole the show, but how about this game for Washington: Put up a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds and also chipped in 6 assists and 4 steals.
5. Bower 6.9 - Started again for Coombs and answered with a half dozen points and boards in 21 minutes
6. Coffey 1.7 - Missed his only shot in 7 minutes, but had a rebound, assist, and 2 steals
7. Vrabel -0.4 - Only a foul on the sheet in 3 minutes
8. Wenner -0.7 - 0-for-1 in 4 minutes
9. Ford-Bey -0.7 - See Wenner
10. White -1.0 - 2 points and 3 rebounds in 8 minutes, but had 2 fouls and a turnover
11. Coombs -2.9 - Apparently not back to 100% quite yet, he played just 8 minutes, failing to score, grabbing only 1 board, and committing 2 fouls and a turnover
12. Gray -3.3 - Easily his worst day as a Golden Bear, Gray suffered through a 0-for-5 outing and didn't do much else in 21 minutes of work

Inactives:
N/A

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

12/17: KU 76, Columbia Union 30

2008-12-18T09:56:00.002-05:00

Rachel Wisemiller had 15 points and 7 assists for the Golden Bears on Wednesday.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 18.4 - Hit 6 of her 8 shots for 15 points and notched 5 boards and 5 assists
2. Wisemiller 13.4 - Hit a third of her 9 threes for 15 points and chipped in 7 assists
3. Starr 9.2 - A solid 6 points, 8 assists in 23 minutes, but was 0-for-3 from long range
4. Dellegrotti 8.4 - 4-for-5 in her first game back from injury for 11 points
5. Schroeder 8.2 - Looked impressive in the lane, shooting 4-of-7 for 9 points, but just 2 rebounds in 22 minutes is disappointing. And don't think I didn't see those 2 steals.
6. LeVan 7.7 - 3-of-5 for 7 points, a pair of assists, and a trio of steals
7. Melvin 6.6 - Only 1-for-4 for 3 points in her first action since the opener, but did have 6 assists and 4 steals
8. Dovey 6.0 - Back in the starting lineup after missing a game, shot 3-for-7 for 6 points and hauled in 7 boards
9. Mertz 1.4 - The seven rebounds is what Coach Malouf is going to need from Mertz in regularity, but she will need to improve on just 2 points in 18 minutes
10. Greaves -2.2 - Back-to-back rough outings for Greaves: 1-for-5 for 2 points and 3 turnovers

Inactives:
Bonanno - Suspension (until 2009)

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Looking ahead to 2009-10

2008-12-16T16:21:00.003-05:00

Two young ladies have already signed on to play basketball at KU next season.

Jackie Burg
Position: Guard
Hometown: West Chester
High School: Bishop Shanahan

Notes from www.kubears.com: "Burg was a three-time letter winner. In her junior season she was the leading scorer and named to the all-conference and all-area teams."

Other notes: Here are two of her recruiting videos from Youtube. She runs the point in high school, appears to have a ton of speed, and, as you can see, can make some very athletic plays.
Video 1
Video 2

Melanie Mahan
Position: Shooting Guard
Hometown: Mullica Hill, N.J.
High School: Clearview Regional

Notes from www.kubears.com: "Mahan is a three-time varsity letter winner for basketball and was named first team South Jersey. She is also a letter winner in lacrosse for two years and cheerleading for two years."

Other notes: You’ll notice she is from Mullica Hill, NJ, which happens to be the hometown of recent KU standout Mercedes Van Wagner. Van Wagner does not have to worry about her breaking her rebounding record, however, since Mahan is not a center like Van Wagner, but rather a guard. I spoke to Van Wagner about Mahan and she had this to say: “She plays really hard. She likes to drive to the basket and is a really good defender. She has a lot of energy on and off the floor.” I don’t have her exact height, but Van Wagner said she is around 5’9”.

Beat Up Bears

2008-12-16T15:50:00.002-05:00

I know several of you are wondering about the status of a few of your favorite Golden Bear basketball players, so here is the scoop on a few of them…

Men’s Basketball:

Jeremy Coombs: Coombs has averaged 8 less minutes a game and his production has been down across the board this season as opposed to a year ago. According to Coach Bernie Driscoll, this can be traced to a lingering severe ankle sprain suffered earlier this season. “He is getting better each week and should be ready to go full speed soon,” said Driscoll via email on Tuesday.

Mike Connolly: Connolly is done for the year after suffering a torn meniscus. He had surgery on Monday, which accounts for his third knee surgery in the past two years.

Nate Edwards: As reported prior to the start of the season, Edwards received an injury redshirt for the 2008-09 season and will return to the court for his third year of eligibility next season.

Women’s Basketball:
(Note: I’m still waiting to hear back from Coach Malouf with an update on the status of the injured players. I’ll update this as soon as I have new information)

Vivian Melvin: Has been out with an injured finger since the season opener, but should be back by the end of this month.

Lara Dellegrotti: Has been out with an injured wrist since the team’s third game on November 22, but isn’t expected to be out much longer.

Vanina Bonanno: The freshman has yet to play this season due to suspension. She is expected to make her debut in 2009.

Linzie Stahl: Stahl is transferring from KU and will not play for the Golden Bears.

Cecily Scavicchio: She is also transferring from KU and will not play for the Golden Bears.

A Starr in the making?

2008-12-11T14:48:00.005-05:00

With the women’s basketball team off to an impressive 6-0 start this season, it’s about that time where we will begin debating whether or not this team is for real or not. One way to do that is to review the improvement of some of the team’s key players.

Melissa McQuade, Lara Dellegrotti, and Rachel Wisemiller have received most of the spotlight for the early success, and while it is certainly warranted, the success of those three should not be much of a surprise. All three players were outstanding a year ago and are continuing that trend here in the early portion of 2008-09.

One player who doesn’t jump out in the scoring column of the boxscore, but who deserves a lot of credit for both her improvement this season and for the team’s strong start is sophomore guard Meredith Starr.

After hitting a game-winning three pointer off the bench in her first collegiate game, Starr was thrown into the starter’s role just two games later and suffered through some growing pains throughout the year.

This year, Starr entered her sophomore season as a starter in the backcourt and has quietly been sensational. She’s shown improvement in almost every single statistical category, which begs the question, is she for real or is this simply a product of the team’s relatively easy early season schedule? We won’t know for sure until PSAC games start in a few weeks, but it’s never too early to check out her progress. I’m usually a stickler for sample size, but I compared Starr’s numbers from last season to her numbers so far in six games this year.

Shooting Percentage:
Starr has been shooting the ball better this season, improving her overall field goal percentage from 29% to 34%. That is not a mind-blowing improvement, but it is easy to trace. Last season, 56% of her shots were from beyond the three point arc. This season, only 43% of her shots have come from long range. So, despite the fact that she has seen her three-point percentage drop one point to 27% this year, she has still improved her overall shooting percentage simply by improving her shooting percentage on 2 point field goals from 30% to 40%.

I already mentioned she is taking less three pointers per game, but another statistic that jumped out at me was the fact that she is actually taking slightly less total shots per minute of action, which is not a bad thing, as it opens up the opportunity for her to improve in other categories, which is a good segue (I’d swear that word was spelled ‘segway’ until today) to…

Assists:
This is where Starr has really stood out this season. She has more assists per minute this season (.201) than all but one Golden Bear (J. Needham 94-95) has managed since 1992. After notching 69 dimes in 685 minutes of 27 games as a freshman, she already has 40 assists this season in 199 minutes of 6 games. At this pace, she will put up 180 helpers this season, which would absolutely shatter Megan Bainbridge’s KU single-season record of 148. As of December 11, Starr leads the entire PSAC in assists and assists per game. Having committed only 11 turnovers this year (1.8 per game), she is also first in assist/turnover ratio.

Points:
Let’s be honest, Starr’s number one priority is not scoring. Her job is to run the point and set up her outstanding shooters with easy scoring opportunities. We know she’s done that well, but how well is she doing when she actually does have to shoot? Well, we already mentioned she is shooting more efficiently and taking fewer shots. That has translated into an increase in points per game from 4.1 to 5.7 and an increase in points per minute from .162 to .171. So, there is not much change here, but the improvement is worth noting.

Rebounding:
Am I really going to discuss a point guard’s rebounding statistics? Yes, I am. Starr already has already hauled in 31 rebounds this year, which is exactly half of her total for 2007-08. She is averaging 5.2 total rebounds per game (.156 per minute) compared to 2.3 RPG last year (.091 per minute). Her offensive rebounds are actually slightly down, which means many of her boards are coming on the defensive glass. Again, rebounding isn’t a priority for a point guard, but hey, 5 rebounds a game are 5 possessions a game.

Minutes:
In an article I wrote a few weeks ago about Head Coach Janet Malouf (Malouf ’08: Time for Change), I mentioned Malouf’s trend of giving her players a ton of minutes in their first year, just to see them drop considerably in their sophomore season. That has not been the case with Starr. After seeing 25.4 minutes per game last season, she has seen her floor time rise to a hefty 33.2 MPG. You are probably thinking “Holy Cow, that is a lot of minutes!” You’re right it is, but there is a good reason for it. The suspension of Vanina Bonanno and the injuries to Vivian Melvin and Lara Dellegrotti have left Starr and Wisemiller as the only healthy true 1-2 guards on the roster. Expect Starr’s minutes to drop under the 30 minute mark once Melvin and Dellegrotti return.

Other Notes:
Starr is also doing several of the little things better in her sophomore campaign. She is averaging one foul every 3 games this year after committing 1.6 fouls per game last season. Her free throw percentage is up from 67% to 75%. Finally, she is snatching 1.3 steals a game after averaging 0.7 last year.

In conclusion, is this enough evidence to anoint Meredith Starr as one of the PSAC’s best point guards? Probably not. Is it enough evidence to show that she has improved from last season and is a player who can effectively run the point for the Golden Bears over the next three years? Yes, it probably is. My only disclaimer here, is that KU has played what some would call “easy” opponents and Starr will need to prove herself once the PSAC games start in a few weeks. The moment she begins putting up 6 points, 5 boards, 8 assists, 1 foul, and 2 turnovers in 34 minutes against teams like West Chester, Millersville, and Shippensburg is the moment we can anoint her Saint Starr. I like the sound of that.

12/6: KU 90, PSU-Berks 49

2008-12-09T13:55:00.005-05:00

David Ben paved the way to a win over PSU-Berks with 24 points.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Ben 28.0 - Outplayed Dennis in this one: 9-of-16 for 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 9 (yes, 9) steals. Sheesh.
2. Dennis 20.5 - Just 5-of-14 for 15 points, but did his thing with 7 boards, 6 dimes, 4 steals, and 4 blocks. Not bad for a point guard.
3. Woodlin 8.9 - Not his best showing, but scored 11 and had 4 steals
4. White 6.9 - Hit 4 of his 6 shots for 8 points and hauled in 6 boards in just 14 minutes
5. Coffey 6.1 - Started over Woodlin and managed 6 points, 6 boards in 28 minutes
6. Gray 5.9 - 9 points and a pair of assists and steals in 23 minutes
7. Bower 3.7 - Only a field goal and a pair of free throws in 11 minutes from the starting center
8. Coombs 3.0 - Scored 3 points, grabbed a rebound, and committed a foul in 3 minutes
9. Washington 2.7 - 6 points, 7 rebounds in 18 minutes is about right, but 3 fouls and 4 turnovers is sloppy for a normally solid performer like Washington
10. Wenner 2.3 - Scored once, grabbed a rebound, and snagged a steal in 5 minutes
11. Ford-Bey 1.0 - 1-of-2 from the field during a relatively quiet 9 minutes of work
12. Vrabel 0.3 - Only one rebound in the boxscore in 5 minutes of work

Inactives:
Connolly - Injured - Out for season

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

12/6: KU 74, PSU-Berks 38

2008-12-09T13:33:00.003-05:00

Schroeder and the Golden Bears had a relatively easy go of it at Penn State-Berks on Saturday despite playing with just seven players.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 19.5 - Another game, another double-double: 15 points, 13 boards to go with 4 each in the steals and assists department
2. Wisemiller 14.0 - Another solid shooting night: 16 points, 5 boards, 3 dimes, 3 steals
3. Starr 13.7 - Only 2-of-7 from the field for 4 points, but did her thing at the point with 9 assists and an impressive 6 steals. Also had an odd 7 rebounds.
4. LeVan 11.3 - Went for a team high 16 points (as did Wisemiller) in her first career start.
5. Schroeder 9.6 - Only hit a third of her shots, but 8 points and 6 rebounds is solid
6. Mertz 7.9 - 10 points in 20 minutes, but there is more to be desired in the rebounding department (3)
7. Greaves -1.5 - Far from her best effort: 2-of-11 for 5 points, 4 fouls, and a pair of turnovers

Inactives:
Dellegrotti - Injury (Wrist)
Dovey - Personal
Melvin - Injury (Finger)
Bonanno - Suspension (until 2009)

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Weekend Games

2008-12-05T19:26:00.004-05:00

I'll be in Pittsburgh this weekend (at the Cowboys-Steelers game), so I will not be able to post my recaps (including the Game Scores) of the PSU-Berks games until Tuesday.

Update:

Women: Won 74-38
Boxscore

Men: Won 90-49
Boxscore

12/3: KU 97, Chestnut Hill 77

2008-12-03T21:15:00.006-05:00

Stephen Dennis is shown here scoring his 1000th career point on Wednesday.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Dennis 21.6 - Another superb day: 10-of-14 for 28 points, 5 boards, 4 dimes
2. Woodlin 14.4 - 6-of-8 for 19 points, 4 boards
3. Ben 12.3 - Just 3-of-8 from the field with 7 turnovers, but 8-of-11 from the charity stripe for 15 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds.
4. Washington 11.2 - Missed just 1 of his 6 shots for 12 points and 5 rebounds
5. Gray 9.9 - 4-of-7 for 12 points in 25 minutes off the bench
6. Bower 6.0 - Started and went for 6 points and 7 boards
7. Ford-Bey 2.7 - Hit his only shot in 1 minute of work
8. Coffey 2.3 - 3 boards and 2 assists in 10 minutes
9. Wenner 1.9 - Only played one minute, but hit a pair of free throws and grabbed a rebound
10. Vrabel -0.4 - Only a foul in a minute of work
11. White -0.7 - 2 points and 2 fouls in 10 minutes
12. Coombs -2.2 - Only played 5 minutes off the bench, contributing only 3 fouls and a turnover

Inactives:
Connolly

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

12/3: KU 72, Columbia Union 37

2008-12-03T21:13:00.006-05:00

Meredith Starr in action this season

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 16.3 - Another double-double: 17 points, 10 rebounds
2. Wisemiller 15.2 - 5-of-8 from long range, 17 points, 3 dimes, 7 boards
3. Dovey 9.7 - Stellar in her second straight start: 11 points, 6 boards, 2 assists
4. LeVan 8.1 - 10 points, 5 boards, 3 assists off the bench
5. Starr 8.0 - Just 1-of-5 from the floor, but made up for it with 6 boards, 5 assists
6. Greaves 2.0 - 4 points, 4 boards in 20 minutes
7. Mertz 0.6 - 5 points, but 4 fouls and only 2 boards in 22 minutes
8. Schroeder 0.2 - Started, but struggled in 18 minutes of work: 4 points, 2 boards, 2 fouls, 2 turnovers

Inactives:
Dellegrotti - Injury (Wrist)
Melvin - Injury (Finger)
Bonanno - Suspension (until 2009)

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

11/30: KU 87, Holy Family 66

2008-11-30T22:25:00.005-05:00

Dave Ben in action earlier this season.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Dennis 26.3 - A 23 point night has come to be expected, making his 9 dimes and 7 boards the story of the night for the junior.
2. Ben 18.3 - Scored 21 points on 17 shots and hauled in 7 boards.
3. Woodlin 12.5 - Just 5-of-13 for 13 points, but had 5 assists, 5 boards, and 3 steals.
4. Washington 10.5 - 8 points/9 boards in 31 minutes
5. Bower 8.3 - Got the start again, scoring 11 and grabbing 4 rebounds in 27 minutes
6. Gray 7.7 - 9 points and 2 assists in 24 minutes
7. White 1.7 - Scored once in 4 minutes
8. Coffey 0.0 - Missed shot and assist in just 5 minutes of work
9. Wenner 0.0 - Nothing doing in one minute
10. Ford-Bey 0.0 - Nothing here in 2 minutes
11. Vrabel -1.4 - A foul and a turnover in one minute won't help your stock
12. Coombs -1.8 - Lost the starting job, now is losing playing time. In only 8 minutes, Coombs had 3 turnovers, failed to score, and grabbed only 1 rebound.

Inactives:
Connolly

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

11/25: KU 94, Goldey-Beacom 71

2008-11-25T23:00:00.004-05:00

Andre Woodlin hit an impressive 10 of his 12 shots on Tuesday.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Woodlin 24.0 - A ridiculous 10-of-12 from the floor for 22 points. 6 boards and 3 assists are nice on the side.
2. Dennis 17.1 - Hit less than half of his 17 shots, but scored 22, donated 5 dimes, and hauled in 5 boards.
3. Washington 15.3 - 5-of-7 for 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 blocks. Did I say 7 blocks? Jeeze.
4. Ben 12.0 - A nice shooting day (7-of-12) for 20 points and 3 boards.
5. Gray 6.6 - Doing a very nice job off the bench as a rookie: 3-of-4 for 8 points on Tuesday
6. Coffey 2.7 - Hit a pair of shots in seven minutes
7. Wenner 2.3 - Scored once and grabbed 3 boards in just 2 minutes
8. White 1.6 - Also scored on basket, while chipping in with a pair of rebounds in just 6 minutes
9. Bower 1.5 - Got the start over Coombs, but wasn't too impressive: 0-for-2 and 1 rebound in 16 minutes
10. Connolly 0.3 - Failed to take a shot in 5 minutes of work
11. Ford-Bey 0.0 - Nothing doing in 2 minutes of work
12. Coombs -0.7 - Missed his only shot in 2 minutes of work

Inactives:
Vrabel

Boxscore

11/25: KU 75, Lincoln 48

2008-11-25T22:38:00.004-05:00

Katie Dovey was superb off the bench for KU on Tuesday.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 24.0 - She can't really be this good...can she? 12-of-16 from the field for 27 points. Toss in 5 steals and 8 boards and that's not too bad a night, eh?
2. Wisemiller 12.1 - Definitely not afraid to shoot, she had as many shots as points (16), while chipping in 6 boards and 4 dimes.
3. Schroeder 11.0 -Oh, Canada! 5-of-7 for 10 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists in 19 minutes.
4. Dovey 10.0 - Finally a breakout game for Katie. She nailed half of her 8 shots for a dozen points and hauled in 7 boards.
5. Starr 8.0 - Converted just 1 of her 7 shots, but dished out 13, yes 13, assists. Maybe she should stick to passing!
6. Greaves 1.6 - She was busy in 10 minutes. 1 basket, 1 miss, 1 foul, 1 dime, 1 block, 1 steal...oh, and a pair of turnovers and boards.
7. Mertz 0.8 - 0-for-3 in 21 minutes. Not much else here, but she did manage 3 steals, which is something.
8. LeVan -1.7 - 2-of-7 for 5 points in 14 minutes and committed a trio of turnovers and fouls.

Inactives:
Dellegrotti - N/A
Melvin - Injury (Finger)
Bonanno - Suspension (0 games left)

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Hollinger Game Score: Year-to-date

2008-11-24T13:57:00.023-05:00

Hollinger Game Score
Women's Basketball 2008-09
(FINAL)

~Number shown is the player's average Game Score this season~

1. McQuade 15.3
2. Wisemiller 11.2
3. Schroeder 8.1
4. Dellegrotti 5.3
5. Starr 5.3
6. Dovey 3.3
7. Melvin 2.5
8. Bonnano 2.0
9. Mertz 1.4
10. LeVan 0.4
11. Greaves -0.3

Hollinger Game Score: Year-to-date

2008-11-24T13:51:00.023-05:00

Hollinger Game Score
Men's Basketball 2008-09
(Through 3/3/09)

~Number shown is the player's average Game Score this season~

1. Dennis 17.9
2. Ben 17.0
3. Washington 13.0
4. Woodlin 12.8
5. Bower 4.5
6. Gray 3.8
7. Coffey 1.8
8. White 0.9
9. Wenner 0.8
10. Ford-Bey 0.8
11. Coombs 0.3
12. Connolly 0.2
13. Vrabel -0.4

11/22: KU 79, USP 65

2008-11-22T19:37:00.001-05:00

David Ben in action at Keystone Hall last season

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Dennis 18.0 - Another outstanding effort: 10-of-15 for 22 points
2. Ben 11.7 - 6-of-11 from the floor for 17 points, while snagging 5 boards
3. Woodlin 10.6 - A better effort in game two: 14 points, 4 assists
4. Washington 10.0 - A solid 10 point/5 board effort
5. Gray 9.0 - Thrown right into the fire, 10 points in 32 minutes of work
6. Coombs 1.7 -Started, but played just 7 minutes, scoring one bucket
7. Coffey 1.3 - Scored one basket in three minutes
8. Connolly 0.0 - Not much in three minutes after missing the opener with an injury
9. Bower -1.2 - 3 fouls, no rebounds in 16 minutes
10. White -1.4 - Only a foul and turnover in his three minute collegiate debut

Inactives:
Vrabel
Ford-Bey
Wenner

Boxscore

11/22: KU 64, USP 52

2008-11-22T17:05:00.004-05:00

It took a total team effort for the ladies to knock off USP on Saturday.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Mertz 11.2 - Very impressive in 23 minutes. 4-for-5 from the floor for 8 points, 4 boards
2. Starr 9.6 - Another strong effort: 11 points, 5 boards, 5 assists
3. Wisemiller 9.3 - Hit 4 threes en route to 15 points, 6 boards
4. Greaves 4.2 - 5 points and 3 boards in 13 minutes
5. Schroeder 3.7 - A solid 9 points, 6 rebounds in 18 minutes
6. McQuade 3.3 - Not her best shooting effort: 2-for-8 for 5 points. 7 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals a nice side dish, but we could do without the 5 turnovers and 4 fouls
7. Dellegrotti 3.0 - Took all six of her shots from long range, making just one. 8 point, 3 assist day
8. LeVan 2.0 - Hit a three pointer in 6 minutes of work
9. Dovey -1.7 - Not much production in just 4 minutes of work

Inactives:
Melvin - Injury (Finger)
Bonanno - Suspension (1 game left)

Boxscore

11/19: KU 99, Wilmington 64

2008-11-19T22:45:00.004-05:00

Stephen Dennis in action last season.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Dennis 29.1 - So much for rust. 9-of-13 for 29 points to go with 5 steals and 5 dimes
2. Ben 20.9 - Made half of his 20 shots for 24 points and had a whopping 8 assists
3. Washington 13.9 - A solid evening; 5-for-7 for 12 points along with team-best 6 boards
4. Gray 6.5 - Solid debut for Gray: 5 points and 4 assists
5. Coombs 5.6 - Started at center and scored 8 in 14 minutes
6. Bower 5.1 - Played 21 minutes, snagging 4 boards and scoring 4 points
7. Woodlin 4.9 - Disappointing debut; 9 points, 4 steals in team-high 32 minutes
8. Coffey 2.4 - 4 points, 4 fouls, 2 dimes in 13 minutes of work
9. Ford-Bey 2.0 - Scored a bucket in 3 minutes of debut.
10. Wenner -0.4 - Scored in his first collegiate game
11. Vrabel -1.6 - 3 fouls and 2 turnovers in debut

Inactives:
Connolly - Injured
White - N/A

11/16: KU 86, UPJ 72

2008-11-16T17:35:00.010-05:00

Melissa McQuade - Tournament M.V.P.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 31.0 - What a game! 10-of-10 from the line leads to 30 point/14 rebound day
2. Wisemiller 19.5 - A nice rebound after a rusty opener. 21 points/8 boards/4 assists/4 steals
3. Schroeder 15.2 - 19 points/10 boards for first double-double...and only 2 personal fouls!
4. Starr 5.3 - 5 points and a solid 6 assists
5. Dellegrotti 5.1 - Only 2-for-8 today, but still managed 9 point, 5 assist day
6. Dovey 0.3 - Only two boards in 15 minutes of work
7. LeVan 0.0 - Nothing in the boxscore in 4 minutes of play
8. Mertz -2.0 - Two turnovers in two minutes of action
9. Greaves -4.0 - 0-for-4 from the floor with 3 fouls in nine minutes

Inactives:
Melvin - Injury (Finger)
Bonanno - Suspension (2 games left)

Boxscore

11/15: KU 66, SRU 51

2008-11-16T13:06:00.012-05:00

Lara Dellegrotti - Game high 21 points

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 22.2 - 1 game. 1 double-double. 16 and 10 in the opener.
2. Dellegrotti 13.9 - Showed no rust, knocking down game-high 21.
3. Starr 6.0 - Very nice opener. 7 points-2 assists-1 turnover
4. Schroeder 1.6 - Productive in only 7 minutes of work, but needs to stay out of foul trouble
5. Wisemiller 1.3 - Showed rust. 4 pts on 2-of-9 shooting, but had 6 boards and 4 assists
6. Mertz 0.6 - Man is she tall! 3 boards in her debut
7. Greaves 0.1 - 5 points in her debut, but 1 rebound is disappointing
8. LeVan -0.5 - Didn't do much in her first collegiate game
9. Dovey -1.5 - Only 1-of-6 from the floor
10. Melvin -1.7 - 0-for-4 from the charity stripe and 5 turnovers overshadows 7 boards.

Inactives:
Bonanno - Suspension (3 games left)

Boxscore

KUVS Plan of Attack

2008-11-14T16:16:00.002-05:00

With the women's basketball season set to begin tomorrow at 3 p.m., now is a good time to let you know what my plan is for this season in terms of coverage.

Like last season, I will cover women's basketball, men's basketball, baseball, and softball. Obviously, the next few months will be mostly basketball with baseball and softball coming around this spring.

I won't begin extensive previews for men's and women's basketball games until divisional play begins in a month or so. In the meantime, I will recap as many non-conference games as possible. I'm going to use a customized version of the Hollinger Game Score (similar to the Clay Player Rankings I used last season) to rank player production on a game-by-game basis and will chart these in each game recap. Each player's year-to-date rank will be available on the main page. Hopefully this will allow fans to get good idea of which players have been the most productive.

Aside of previews and recaps, I will continue to post as many statistical studies and editorials as possible. Basically, you can expect much of what you saw last season with a bit more statistical analysis this time around.

Good luck to both basketball teams this winter and here's to another season of solid coverage by Kutztown University Vital Sports!

Malouf ’08: Time for Change

2008-11-13T15:38:00.005-05:00

Rich Scarcella wrote an excellent article in the Reading Eagle yesterday about women’s basketball head coach Janet Malouf’s plan for change in 2008. Let me be the first to say: it’s about time.

(In bold is the article. In regular font is some analysis.)

Janet Malouf, bothered by missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in her career, knew that something had to change.

Why stop there? Coach Malouf was a fairly impressive 64-32 in PSAC East games during her first eight seasons at KU, which included not one losing season against divisional opponents. Since then? 32-40 over the last six years including just one season with a record above .500 against the division. Only four times in school history, all under Malouf, have the ladies advanced past the first round of the PSAC Playoffs. Never have they won a PSAC crown.

It was her.

"We've had to change a lot, and I've had to change a lot," said Malouf, the Kutztown University women's basketball coach. "I felt I needed to make changes and trust my players a little bit more. I have to let them know they're making mistakes out there and let them ride through them.

"I have to learn to have a little more patience with them."

It is no secret that half of the team’s problem over the last few years has been player management. For whatever reason, the seniors tend to have the shortest leash on the team and the freshmen have the longest. Each season, it seems that the freshmen get way too much work, which is fine in a rebuilding year, but hey, you can’t rebuild every year and expect to win.

Last season, Meredith Starr was thrown into the point guard role as a freshman and certainly had her share of growing pains. Melissa McQuade was one of those superstar talents that deserved to be in the starting lineup immediately, but, again, it’s going to be hard to succeed when you continually lean on freshmen. Furthermore, Malouf has had a bunch of freshmen standouts over the last few seasons, but they rarely seem to improve on their freshman year production. Maybe McQuade can turn the tide on that trend.

What is most interesting about Coach Malouf’s use of player personnel is not simply that she overuses freshmen—it’s more of what happens to those freshmen the next year. I did a little study on players who played significant roles as freshmen by taking a look at how much playing time they had their sophomore year. Of the 26 freshmen that played at least one minute during the four seasons spanning from 2003-04 to 2006-07, all but eight of them saw less minutes their sophomore season. This is partially a result of 10 of them leaving the team, but of the nine players who played at least 275 minutes in their freshman season (not including two who left the team), only three of them saw more work the following season.

Players who saw at least 275 minutes of work as a freshman:

Freshman Season
Player Name – Freshman year minutes – Sophomore year minutes

2003-04
Bainbridge – 910 – 718
Brady – 474 – 582
Daley – 300 – 162 (Left team)

2004-05
Reyna – 302 – 273
Weidensaul – 777 – 564
Harlor – 275 – 148
Van Wagner – 694 – 670

2005-06
Dellegrotti – 556 – 784
McElmoyle – 582 – 0 (Left team)

2006-07
Wisemiller – 295 – 521
Melvin – 610 – 513

If that doesn’t prove at least some sort of freshman bias, I don’t know what will.

Malouf will need plenty of that in her 15th season with the Golden Bears. She has six freshmen and just one senior on her roster as Kutztown tries to return to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

It shouldn’t take too long to see if Malouf really has changed. Lara Dellegrotti, Rachel Wisemiller, Melissa McQuade, Meredith Starr, Vivian Melvin, Katie Dovey, and Chauntelle Schroeder return from last year’s team and all seven can be effective at this level. There is no reason each of them shouldn’t get an opportunity to earn minutes early in the season while the freshmen are slowly worked into the mix. The strategy of throwing the rookies right into the fire hasn’t worked. It’s time to try something different.

A few days ago, I emailed Coach Malouf to ask if she had chosen a starting five yet and while her response was not a total shocker, it was a pleasant surprise. She listed a “main crew”, which consisted of 10 names. The first seven listed were the names of the seven returning players. No complaints here.

She will continue to run a structured offense, but with greater flexibility and freedom for her players. The Bears, at times, became paralyzed on the floor, worried more about where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to do than playing basketball.

As mentioned earlier, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to notice this was happening. Each player stands out in her own way and the head coach holds the responsibly of taking full advantage of those skills.

In no particular order, a list of a few things I’d like to see in 2008-09:

1. An isolation play for Vivian Melvin – Melvin has proved she has the talent to be in the starting lineup. Where she gets into trouble is turnovers. Often you will see Melvin get the ball on the wing, make a good move to get free of her defender, drive to the lane, and turn the ball over when three defenders block her shot or strip the ball. An attempt should be made to set up Melvin with an opportunity to make plays in the lane.

2. When in doubt, force the ball to Melissa McQuade – She proved in her freshman season that she is the team’s best player. The best way to win is to get her the ball on offense. Let her score some buckets and take some pressure off the rest of the team. When defenses begin keying on her, it will set up opportunities for players like Dellegrotti and Wisemiller to knock down a few threes or for McQuade to find Schroeder, Dovey, etc. open underneath for a layup. McQuade had 59 assists last year while also leading the team in scoring. Her court awareness is hard to find at this level and should be taken advantage of.

3. Rachel Wisemiller and Lara Dellegrotti can shoot the basketball…so let them – When McQuade isn’t dominating the inside of the perimeter, plays should be designed to get Wisemiller and Dellegrotti, both superb shooters, open looks from long range.

4. Pretend Chauntelle Schroeder is Monique Boykins – Remember how crazy “Mo” was? She wasn’t the best at making her layups in one shot, but she would usually get her own rebound if she missed and put it right back in. She was also an absolute monster on the boards. She managed to make such an impact because, despite her sometimes sloppy play, she simply was bigger and more aggressive than most players in the PSAC. Schroeder isn’t quite as tall as Boykins, but she plays a very similar style. She’s worth a look at the center position.

5. Don’t overreact to mistakes – Freshmen aside, the fear of God seemed to be on the mind of every player on the floor during the last few seasons. As mentioned, the leash got shorter as you aged and that meant that Coach Malouf wasn’t afraid to pull a senior starter off the floor a minute into a game if she turned the ball over. Furthermore, you’d see a veteran come off the bench, miss a layup, and get pulled immediately. That player usually wouldn’t see another second of play that day. Sure the bench player’s job is to be ready to come in and perform at any given moment. That said, it should be no surprise that a player is going to be nervous and overwhelmed knowing that this is their make or break moment. Going out onto the court with the mindset of “Okay, I have to make a play here and not screw up or I won’t see another second today” is no way to play. Not to mention it is a terrible confidence booster. And, in my irrelevant opinion, confidence is more important in basketball than any other sport.

Kutztown finished 12th (out of 14 teams) in the PSAC last season in scoring and last in turnover margin, committing almost six more turnovers a game than its opponents. Those numbers led to a 11-16 record and a change in Malouf's approach.

And that was an improvement from some of the jaw dropping turnover numbers put up in previous years. Over the last five seasons, KU has averaged 22.3 turnovers a game. Last year they actually were better than that when they averaged 21.6 turnovers a game, which, as Scarcella pointed out, was still high enough to put them last in the PSAC in turnover margin. If not for Malouf’s dominant defensive system, her teams would be lucky to win five games all season…at least that’s been the case for the last half decade.

"We want to keep the big picture in mind and not get bogged down in all the details," she said. "I think we did that too many times the last two years. We'd pass it around and pass it around and the next thing you know, instead of taking a shot, we'd have a turnover.

"We don't want them to pass up good shots."

Amen.

The Bears lost two of their three leading scorers, All-PSAC East first-team pick Mercedes Van Wagner and second-team pick Rachel Weidensaul. But they return sophomore Melissa McQuade, their leading scorer and rebounder last season, and Lara Dellegrotti, their best 3-point shooter and their only senior.

"Lara is the one who's been around the most and who has played the most," Malouf said. "She understands what college basketball is all about.

"We certainly have high expectations for Melissa. Our opponents are going to be more aware of her as well. "

Point guard Meredith Starr, another returning starter, will be in the backcourt with Dellegrotti. Rachel Wisemiller, a top reserve last season, moves into the starting lineup with Chauntelle Schroeder. Juniors Katie Dovey and Vivian Melvin, and 6-1 freshman Hannah Mertz also will be in the rotation.

Add Brittany Greaves and Brittany LeVan to that list and you have the players likely to make a significant impact in 2008-09. Expectations won’t be too high for a team that lost two of its best players in Van Wagner and Weidensaul, but I believe the team will actually improve this season. Not only does Coach Malouf claim she will open things up, but Dellegrotti-McQuade-Wisemiller is quite the trio. That said, the frontcourt is where games are won in this league and that is where the question marks lie. It shouldn’t take long to see where this team stands.

Kutztown has been strong on defense during most of Malouf's career. The Bears finished second in the PSAC in field goal percentage last season, the 13th consecutive season they've been first or second.

Coach Malouf is the defensive mastermind of the PSAC. No one will ever question her defensive prowess.

Their question mark, though, is how quickly they adapt to their new freedom on offense.

"We're not so rigid," Dellegrotti said. "Last year a lot of us were afraid to make mistakes within the offense. We really didn't deviate from plays to just play basketball.

"She (Malouf) has made an effort to make sure we know we can go out and play. Last year, I think, we lost that. It's amazing. It's just not as stressful. You feel a lot less pressure."

Hey Lara, you know that “stress” and “pressure” you felt on the court? If it is any consolation, know that it was as palpable as the scent of mushrooms at the Rt. 222 Business exit in Reading. Everyone in the arena knew the team was stiff and afraid to make a mistake or deviate from the play that was called. It’s too bad it took this long for Coach Malouf to realize it, but, hey, now is better than never.

In conclusion, I’m rooting for Coach Malouf to get this straightened out. She proved in her early years at KU that she can be an outstanding coach, but she has yet to push this team over the top. California University of Pennsylvania has proven that a PSAC team can win the Division II title, yet KU hasn’t even been a serious threat to make the field of 64 in its history. Kutztown University is growing every year and it is about time that the women’s basketball program begins to take advantage.

Lady Bears Production Rankings

2008-11-05T15:54:00.007-05:00

It’s time to have some fun with numbers.

In my possession are the statistics from each women’s basketball player from the 1980-81 season through the 2007-08 season. Unfortunately, minutes were not tracked by the KU Athletic department until the 1992-93 season, so my study will be using all player data from the 92-93 season through the 2007-08 campaign.

What I did was determine the most efficient players on a per-minute basis at several statistical categories. I removed any player who played less than 100 minutes in a particular season. The reason for this is to avoid a player making the list who, for example, played one minute in 1998 and had a steal, which would put that player at the top of the list.

Each category will have a player’s name followed by the notable season, which will be followed by the per-minute production. (eg. A ‘.104’ in the assist category means that player notched ‘.104’ assists per minute that season)

Points:
1. Janelle Needham 94-95: 1.209
2. Keri Suydam 99-00: .537
3. Robin Avery 94-95: .530
4. Hillary Worley 00-01: .526
5. Danielle Warntz 00-01: .515

Comment: Needham was second on the 94-95 team in scoring despite playing about a quarter of the minutes of the starters.

Three point baskets:
1. Danielle Warntz 00-01: .129
2. Danielle Warntz 01-02: .100
3. Amanda Zinobile 01-02: .080
4. Kelly Barger 92-93: .080
5. Danielle Warntz 03-04: .073

Comment: You can probably guess who is sixth on this list. Warntz loved to shoot from beyond the arc and is KU’s all time leader in three pointers made.

Free throws made:
1. Janelle Needham 94-95: .242
2. Jennifer Coss 95-96: .160
3. Brianne Homyak 98-99: .138
4. Becky Savage 01-02: .134
5. Trish Dudeck 04-05: .132

Comment: How did Needham score so much in so little time, you ask? Check the free throw line for the answer. Homyak is second all time in made free throws.

Rebounding:
1. Monique Boykins 05-06: .403
2. Monique Boykins 03-04: .364
3. Monique Boykins 02-03: .359
4. Keri Suydam 98-99: .342
5. Monique Boykins 04-05: .338

Comment: This one isn’t too exciting. “Mo” was a monster on the boards and one of KU’s all-time leading rebounders. Career KU rebound leader Mercedes Van Wagner’s four seasons rank eighth, tenth, seventh, and eleventh, respectively.

Personal Fouls (ability to avoid fouls):
1. Courtney Robinson 00-01: .014
2. Amanda Zinobile 02-03: .034
3. Patti Kline 98-99: .036
4. Janelle Needham 96-97: .037
5. Janelle Needham 95-96: .038

Comment: It’s much easier to score when you’re not sitting on the bench in foul trouble. Zinobile and Needham both played over 900 minutes during the 02-03 and 96-97 seasons, respectively.

Assists:
1. Janelle Needham 94-95: .256
2. Angie Holland 99-00: .168
3. Megan Bainbridge 05-06: .161
4. Jessica Pieczynski 02-03: .161
5. Amy Wahl 98-99: .151

Comment: Needham sure did it all her sophomore season, eh? Bainbridge was on pace to break Wahl’s career assist record, but only played for three seasons.

Turnovers (ability to protect the ball):
1. Lisi Reyna 07-08: .050
2. Molly Brown 06-07: .053
3. Katie Harlor 05-06: .054
4. Casey Reath 00-01: .054
5. Janelle Needham 96-97: .056

Comment: Lisi Reyna must seem pretty random, but it is no fluke. She protected the ball well in her time at KU.

Blocks:
1. Sophia Vucetaj 01-02: .105
2. Monique Boykins 03-04: .096
3. Mercedes Van Wagner 07-08: .095
4. Mercedes Van Wagner 05-06: .078
5. Becky Savage 02-03: .072

Comment: Like in the rebounding department, Van Wagner and Boykins are the dominant parties here. Savage’s 02-03 season mark of 68 blocks is a KU single-season record.

Steals:
1. Janelle Needham 94-95: .137
2. Amy Wahl 95-96: .106
3. Jen Wabby 95-96: .103
4. Amy Wahl 96-97: .099
5. Amy Wahl 97-98: .085

Comment: Wahl is KU’s career leader in steals.

In closing, was Needham’s 94-95 campaign the best season in KU history that nobody knows about? It sure seems like it. Simply looking at the stats from each season would do her no justice, but checking up on each player’s per-minute production really shows who makes the most of their time on the floor.

This seems like more than enough for one post, but if you’re wondering about a particular player, season, or category, let me know and I’ll do what I can for you.

PSAC Realignment

2008-10-30T16:44:00.002-04:00

There will be a new look to the PSAC this season with the addition of several new schools to the conference. Here is a look at the new division alignment in the projected finishing order as voted on by the PSAC coaches. You will notice that Shippensburg has moved from the PSAC West to the PSAC East and Mercyhurst and Gannon were added to the PSAC West.

Women’s Basketball:
East:
1. Shippensburg
2. Millersville
3. West Chester
4. Kutztown
5. East Stroudsburg
6. Bloomsburg
7. Cheyney
8. Mansfield

West:
1. Indiana (Pa.)
2. California (Pa.)
3. Gannon
4. Edinboro
5. Mercyhurst
6. Clarion
7. Lock Haven
8. Slippery Rock

Men’s Basketball:
East:
1. Kutztown
2. Millersville
3. East Stroudsburg
4. Cheyney
5. Mansfield
6. Shippensburg
7. West Chester
8. Bloomsburg

West:
1. Gannon
2. California (Pa.)
3. Edinboro
4. Indiana (Pa.)
5. Mercyhurst
6. Clarion
7. Slippery Rock
8. Lock Haven

A look ahead: 2008-09 Men's Basketball

2008-10-20T16:20:00.008-04:00

The 2008-09 Men’s Basketball team will return all of its starters and all but two players from last year’s PSAC contending squad. Here is a look at this year’s team, which should be a serious threat in the conference and could be a regional contender.

Returners:

Andre Woodlin (Senior Guard) – When considering the Golden Bears top scorers, Woodlin [Pictured to the right] might not be the first name that comes to mind. That, of course, is only because he playing on a team with the likes of David Ben and Stephen Dennis. Those two led KU in scoring one year ago, but Woodlin was the most consistent of the three throughout the season and was third on the team in scoring, notching 13.7 points per game. Compared to Ben and Dennis, he had less fouls, less turnovers, a higher shooting percentage, and a better three point shooting percentage. Furthermore, he had a better free throw percentage than Ben and more rebounds than Ben and one less than Dennis. So, while Ben and Dennis are the flashiest of the three, don’t forget about Mr. Woodlin, who will return to the starting lineup for his senior season.

Stephen Dennis (Junior Guard) – A Street & Smith’s pre-season All-American, Dennis [Pictured to the left] will return as KU’s starting point guard in 2008-09. The junior is the team’s leading scorer from one year ago and also paced the team in blocks (yes, blocks) and steals. If you’ve seen him play, you know Dennis is anything but your typical point man. He really can do it all and, when he is in the zone, can basically take over the game and score at will from anywhere on the court. His only weakness seems to be from beyond the arc, where he was just 10-of-54 (18.5%) last season. Dennis should only be better in his third year at KU. Just like a year ago, expect him and Ben to lead the way in scoring.

Steve Coffey (Sophomore Guard) – Coffey was a serviceable backup point guard in his rookie season a year ago and will likely serve the same role this year. He averaged just under nine minutes a game, did a nice job taking care of the ball, and was a very high percentage shooter. With Edwards now officially a redshirt for the 2008-09 season, Coffey will likely play a larger role in the backcourt.

Mike Connolly (Sophomore Guard) – Connolly quickly earned himself a reputation as sharpshooter last season when he entered games unafraid to fire up shots from beyond the arc. The backup shooting guard hit 15 three pointers, fourth best on the team, despite averaging just over 8 minutes a game. Another solid reserve guard, Connolly’s is unlikely to change with the entire backcourt back from last season.

Ryan Nemetz (Sophomore Guard) – Nemetz saw just 27 minutes of work in 2007-08 as a reserve guard and will likely not see significant time again this season with the entire backcourt back.

Dave Ben (Senior Guard/Forward) – One of the best players in the PSAC since his arrival in 2005, Ben [Pictured to the right] will head into his senior season attempting to lead his talented squad of veterans to a PSAC championship. Ben isn’t the best example of consistency, but, when he is hot, there is nobody better in the PSAC (just ask East Stroudsburg what happened on February 6). Ben averaged 17 points per game last season and played more minutes than anyone on the roster. The senior shot over 40 percent from the field, over 30 percent from long range, and 70 percent from the charity stripe. Furthermore, Ben snagged 5.3 rebounds per game, led the team with 88 assists, had 12 blocks, and was third best on the team with 46 steals. His team-high 73 personal fouls and 86 turnovers are partially a product of a ton more playing time than everyone else, but also an indicator of his sometimes erratic play. That said, sometimes erratic can be explosive—and explosive is a great word for Ben’s game. Ben will start, of course, and will once again be one of the most feared players in the PSAC.

Mark Bower (Senior Forward) – A candidate to start at center, Bower will have to unseat the incumbent Jeremy Coombs, who saw a majority of the starts at center one year ago. Regardless of if he starts or not, Bower will see significant minutes off the bench with fellow backup forward Kevin Hafera off to the real world. Bower averaged just under 11 minutes a game last year, so pencil him in for 11 a game this year plus a portion of Hafera’s 14 minutes a game as well.

Ryan Washington (Sophomore Forward) – Washington was a pleasant surprise for head coach Bernie Driscoll last season following the premature departure of center Sean McKeon. A redshirt freshman at the time, Washington stepped into the power forward position and made an impact throughout the entire season. He shot over 51 percent from the floor and averaged just over nine points per game, fifth best on the team. Washington was the team’s leading rebounder, hauling in 7.7 a game. He was second on the team with 38 blocks. Now in his second year of eligibility, Washington will be expected to continue his strong play on the block as the team’s starting power forward.

Jeremy Coombs (Junior Center) – As mentioned, Coombs is the incumbent starting center, but will need a strong preseason to hold off senior center Mark Bower. Coombs had nice chemistry with fellow big man Ryan Washington a season ago, but often gave way to Hafera and Bower after only a few minutes of action. With Hafera gone, Coombs will likely see an increase from the 15 minutes a game he worked a year ago…even if he loses the starting job to Bower.

Newcomers:
Julius Gray (Sophomore Guard) - Junior College transfer
Omar Ford-Bey (Freshman Guard) – Reserve guard. Check him out on Youtube.
Jordan Wenner (Freshman Center) – Reserve center
Ryan White (Freshman Forward) – Reserve forward

Subtractions:

Nate Edwards (Junior Guard) – UPDATE: Edwards was hurt during the summer and will redshirt for the 2008-09 campaign. He will return for his junior season next year. If this were the NBA, Edwards would’ve been a candidate for the “Sixth Man of the Year” award for his contributions off the bench for KU one year ago. Edwards appeared in 25 games, averaging just over 24 minutes a game, and scored just under 11 points per game. A playmaker, Edwards was second on the team in steals and led the team with a three point shooting percentage just above 37 percent. With all five starters back, Edwards would've returned to his role as the team’s sixth man…although he could easily start for just about any other team in the PSAC. He will likely get the opportunity to start next season when Ben and Woodlin graduate.

Forward Kevin Hafera - Graduation