The Lion’s Eye Eve on SPOI'ts October 27, 2003 Men’s hoops: Is bigger better? Lions add size, and count on experience, to take next step By JOHN HICKEY Lion’s Eye staff writer JWH244@psu.edu Penn State Delco's men's basketball team is coming off a relatively solid fin- ish last season. With a 10-6 record in the conference (CCAC), the Lions missed a trip to the playoffs by a mere tiebreaker loss. No one likes to see a season end like that, and anyone who saw last year's squad in action knows it had the heart and skill to advance, but lacked one other key ele- ment for a successful basketball team ... size. With that in mind, head coach Frank Farnese, along with assistants Jimmy Halligan (a former But size alone won't win games. The coaching staff now faces the challenge of finding the right blend of players along with a different strategy to accommodate their new "bag of tricks." One thing's for certain, we can expect to see more rebounds and blocks than before. We also might anticipate a slow- er-paced game with less transition, but can we expect more? You better believe coach Farnese is planning for more, a lot more. "We have a new offensive system that will utilize our power forwards and size. We can also afford to play some more zone, trapping, and half-court defense," he said. When asked about returning players, Farnese mentioned PSU student-athlete) and John Daniels, set out to mend the bro- ken link with strong recruiting, the logical yet sometimes diffi- cult solution. Kenny Jackson G Hisham Rahmi F Jacque Hall G Tyrone Lecato GF ; Sesa Bowman GF "Our goal this | Frank Flaim & year was to focus on | Mike Johnson F recruiting height and | will Stewart C size," said coach | Rob Harris F Farnese. "Most of our | Chris Pearse G team was usually | Chris Spinosa GF forced to play out of | Rob Clupp GF position last year due | Brandon Easley F to our lack of size." Steve Fuller F With some hard Oliver Garcia C MEN’S BASKETBALL ROSTER Kenny Jackson, Rob Clupp, Chris Pierce, So. 6-0 Msgr. Bonner Sesa Bowman, and % 60 Unger Derty Oliver Garcia as key J. 59 West Catholic | contributors. Jr. 6-0 Coatesville Now that we So. 6-1 Sunset Fla. | have the size we So.60 Rnd-Mcn, Ga | Deed, my returning So. 6-2 Haverford guys can go back to Fr. 67 Conestoga their natural posi- Fr. 64 Mercy Catholic | tions," said Farnese. So. 5-10 Springfield It seems as Fr. 6-2 Springfield though the recruits Jr. 63 Interboro will not only be an Fr. 6-3 Overbrook asset to the program Jr. 6-4 University City | as a whole, but to Jr. 6-5 Conestoga the returning veter- work and a new, very appealing four-year eligibility amendment, the Lions wel comed a few new bodies during tryouts, and large ones at that. New recruits such as Steve Fuller (an extremely talented transfer from DCCC), Brandon Easley, Rob Harris, Mike Johnson, and Will Steward, ranging from 6-foot-3 to 6-8, should definitely resolve the size deficit. "This is the first time in five years that I'm not worried about my post play, forwards or centers," said Farnese. “Now I'm more concerned with our guards and contributors in the backcourt. ans as well. “I expect us to have a great season,” said Jackson. “We have a lot of experi- ence for leadership and now we have the size we needed. “I expect us to be very successful.” If the personnel changes aren't dras- tic enough for fans, they can expect to see some other new things going on this season. For the first time, Penn State Delco has been invited to play teams in western Pennsylvania during the season as opposed to a playoff-only experience. The team will travel to Pittsburgh on two Photo by John Hickey Steve Fuller, 52, is a 6-foot-4 transfer from Delaware County Community College tak- ing advantage of PSU Delco’s new four-year eligibility. separate weekends, hotel accommoda- tions and all. Not only will this attract a larger range of competition, but it will also give the players something to look forward to. Take returning sophomore Sesa Bowman for example. "We get to travel out west this year to places like Pittsburgh. That should defi- nitely make for a more interesting sea- son," said Bowman. As we approach the start of the 2003- 04 season, it might be hard to recognize the PSU Delco men's basketball team. With players nearing 7 feet, new offensive coordination and strategy, and returning leaders from last year, who knows what we're about to witness? Sometimes you just have to wait and see. The wait ends Monday, Nov. 17, when the Lions visit archrival Delaware County Community College. DiAntonio gives women’s hoops a fresh start By STACIE MANN Lion’s Eye staff writer SMM450@psu.edu It's that time again; the changing of seasons. The fall sports teams have finished their seasons, and the winter sports are starting. If you haven't been paying attention the last few weeks, here's what has happened in the world of Penn State Delco sports. The women's volleyball team was shocked to find out its season was over after a win against Schuylkill Oct. 7. The team ended with a record of 9-7 in the CCAC. Although the Lions missed advancing to playoffs by a game — even after they thought they'd clinched a berth — they finished third in the Southern Division. The team will look to improve next year with a few return- ing players. With women's volleyball going to four-year eligibility, the team has high hopes of building an even stronger program in the years to come. The coed tennis team finished University Park Oct. 19. The team, led by Jacquelyn Clark, Oahn Dinh, and Emily Jackson went on to take second in the doubles tournament. The team made a lot of progress this year with a lot of new players under a new coach. The team is hoping to build upon a new style of coaching and a good foundation of returning players for next year. Of course, with these sports ending, a different sport is taking over — basketball. The women's basket- its season ‘at ball team started practicing and the team has a new coach in Joe DiAntonio. This is the second sport DiAntonio is part of at Delco, as he's also the assistant baseball coach. The women's basketball team is in the process of rebuilding after many changes from last year. In addition, the team has only one returning player in Stacie Mann, but has a 10-player roster to work with. The Lions’ first game is Nov. 13 when the team plays Philadelphia Community College at home at 6 p.m. in the Commons Building gymnasium. A full pre- view will appear in the next edition of the Lion’s Eye. Stacie Mann is a member of the Penn State Delco vol- leyball and basketball teams.
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