Defense. It is something that Columbia does best ? better than the other seven teams in the Ivy League, better than the other teams in the East and certainly better than the rest of the teams in the country. At the end of last season, the Lions boasted the best scoring defense in Division I basketball. And when you return the team leader in shot blocks and rebounds, losing four starters does not seem so bad.
There is no denying that this year will be a rebuilding season. Working with only one player that has averaged more than 12 minutes a game, the Lions have their work cut out to condition a youthful, but very athletic team. ?Losing seven seniors, we don?t have a lot of guys with playing experience returning. We will be a young team, and we will try to develop our young players,? said head coach Armond Hill.
Columbia finished sixth in the Ivy League last season with a 4-10 conference record, 11-17 overall. The Lions lost key players to graduation, including 2000 Ivy League Player of the Year Craig Austin, Treg Duerksen, Mike McBrien, Joe Case, Derrick Mayo and Victor Mu?oz. Austin led the team in scoring with 16.0 points per game, while all but two of the other players averaged for over 27 minutes per game. The 2001-02 team lost by six points or less in seven games, including the last three of the season against Harvard, Penn and Princeton. The Lions also held their opponents to just 57.0 points per game, averaging more rebounds, blocks and assists than their counterparts.
With defense being key to this year?s squad, the best shot blocker in the League will be joined by a fresh, athletic and youthful supporting cast. Here is the breakdown by position of what to expect from the Lions for the upcoming season.
The center position brings the most experience to the team. Senior co-captain Chris Wiedemann (Pleasanton, Calif.) returns as the starter and will be key to the Lions? defense. Arguably one of the best big men in the League, the 6-10 center has led the conference in shot blocks for the past two seasons. In just three years, Wiedemann has the most career blocks in school history. ?Wiedemann is our anchor on defense,? said Hill. He averaged team-highs of 7.0 rpg and 2.5 bpg, as well as 7.9 ppg last season, playing in 26-of-28 games.
Wiedemann will receive back-up from sophomores Matt Land (Tulsa, Okla.) and Dave Bizgia (Plainview, N.Y.). Land, 6-6, saw action in 11 games for the Lions last season. Bizgia, who did not play last season, is the Lions? first seven-footer since Dave Newmark ?68.
Senior co-captain Marco McCottry (Cleveland, Ohio) and junior Grant Clemons (Goodman, Mo.) return as the Lions? experienced forwards. McCottry, a 6-4 small forward, saw increased minutes in the final eight games of last season, playing in 21 games total (including one start). He hit career highs in almost every statistical category with 11 points vs. Harvard, nine rebounds vs. Yale and two assists vs. Dartmouth. ?Marco has had some important minutes for us,? said Hill. ?Like Chris, we are hoping to have his leadership. He has made a lot of progress as a player, both mentally and physically. Hopefully, we will be able to use him in a couple of positions, both guard and small forward.? McCottry averaged 3.7 ppg and 2.7 rpg last season.
Clemons, a skilled 6-7 forward, looks to avoid the injury problems he has had, and should continue to contribute solid minutes to the squad. He saw action in 24 games his sophomore season, hitting a career-high four points against Providence and three rebounds against Penn.
Sophomore Matt Preston (Wantagh, N.Y.) also should contribute at the forward position for the Lions. Preston, 6-4, played in only eight games, averaging 2.3 ppg. He hit four-of-five 3-pt. attempts, and also scored a career-high five points against San Diego State and had three rebounds against Providence. ?Preston has shown a lot of progress as a young player developing,? said Hill. ?He has a pretty good upside, loves to play and has a good shot. He is also making the adjustment from center to small forward.?
Junior Maurice Murphy (Seattle, Wash.) will see time at the Lions? point guard position. He averaged 8.4 minutes per game last season, contributing 21 points, 14 assists, eight rebounds and seven steals in 18 games. The 6-0 guard saw some significant minutes last season, but set his career highs his freshman year when he had his best game against Mt. St. Mary?s with 12 points, five assists and four steals.
Murphy will be joined by three sophomores: Tito Hill (Woodland Hills, Calif.), Jeremiah Boswell (Jasper, Ga.) and Allan MacQuarrie (Wexford, Pa.). Hill, a 6-3 guard, saw the most action out of the freshman class last season, playing in 19 games. He hit a career-high four points and three rebounds against Yale, with two assists vs. Dartmouth. Boswell, 6-3, played in four games and hit a career-high five points and two rebounds in just two minutes of play for the Lions against Yale before injury kept him out for the rest of the season. MacQuarrie, a 6-0 guard, only saw action in three games last season, but should have an impact on the squad this year. ?It was an adjustment to Division I ball for MacQuarrie,? said Hill. ?He is learning what it takes to play at this level. I believe he can play an integral part.?
There is one transfer and four incoming freshmen that will make up the new faces on the court for Columbia. Each new player has a chance to contribute immediately with the loss of seven seniors to graduation.
Junior transfer Chris Owens (San Antonio, Texas) comes to the Lions from Temple College (Texas), where he averaged 19 ppg, 9 rpg and 4 apg and earned all-region and first-team all-conference honors. As a senior at John Jay High School, he averaged 15 ppg and 8 rpg. Owens, 6-5, will play small forward for Columbia.
First-year Arnel Scott is a 6-4 small forward and comes to Columbia from Markham, Ontario, where he was the York Region Player of the Year, averaging 20 ppg, 18 rpg and 3 steals per game as a senior. He also was selected as a York Region all-star all four years as a shooting guard.
First-years Dragutin Kravic (Zrenjanin, Serbia) and Dodson Worthington (Kinston, N.C.) are both big, solid forwards with good fundamental skills. Kravic, 6-8, brings both a local and international background to the squad. He played as a small forward for the Dwight School in Manhattan, averaging 28 ppg as a senior on a team that won its league championships and posted a 21-9 record.
At 6-9, Worthington is the tallest newcomer to the squad. He averaged 15 ppg and 10 rpg his senior year for a squad that finished second in the state with a 25-4 record. He was selected to the all-region and all-conference team while playing for Kinston.
Rounding out the freshmen is 6-2 guard Dalen Cuff (Palm Harbor, Fla.). He should add some stability to the guard position. Cuff comes to the Lions from East Lake, where he averaged 17.8 ppg, 7 rpg and 7 apg and led his team to the state playoffs. Cuff played in AAU nationals as a sophomore in high school and earned all-district and all-county honors as a junior and senior.
There is no denying that this year will be a rebuilding season. Working with only one player that has averaged more than 12 minutes a game, the Lions have their work cut out to condition a youthful, but very athletic team. ?Losing seven seniors, we don?t have a lot of guys with playing experience returning. We will be a young team, and we will try to develop our young players,? said head coach Armond Hill.
Columbia finished sixth in the Ivy League last season with a 4-10 conference record, 11-17 overall. The Lions lost key players to graduation, including 2000 Ivy League Player of the Year Craig Austin, Treg Duerksen, Mike McBrien, Joe Case, Derrick Mayo and Victor Mu?oz. Austin led the team in scoring with 16.0 points per game, while all but two of the other players averaged for over 27 minutes per game. The 2001-02 team lost by six points or less in seven games, including the last three of the season against Harvard, Penn and Princeton. The Lions also held their opponents to just 57.0 points per game, averaging more rebounds, blocks and assists than their counterparts.
With defense being key to this year?s squad, the best shot blocker in the League will be joined by a fresh, athletic and youthful supporting cast. Here is the breakdown by position of what to expect from the Lions for the upcoming season.
The center position brings the most experience to the team. Senior co-captain Chris Wiedemann (Pleasanton, Calif.) returns as the starter and will be key to the Lions? defense. Arguably one of the best big men in the League, the 6-10 center has led the conference in shot blocks for the past two seasons. In just three years, Wiedemann has the most career blocks in school history. ?Wiedemann is our anchor on defense,? said Hill. He averaged team-highs of 7.0 rpg and 2.5 bpg, as well as 7.9 ppg last season, playing in 26-of-28 games.
Wiedemann will receive back-up from sophomores Matt Land (Tulsa, Okla.) and Dave Bizgia (Plainview, N.Y.). Land, 6-6, saw action in 11 games for the Lions last season. Bizgia, who did not play last season, is the Lions? first seven-footer since Dave Newmark ?68.
Senior co-captain Marco McCottry (Cleveland, Ohio) and junior Grant Clemons (Goodman, Mo.) return as the Lions? experienced forwards. McCottry, a 6-4 small forward, saw increased minutes in the final eight games of last season, playing in 21 games total (including one start). He hit career highs in almost every statistical category with 11 points vs. Harvard, nine rebounds vs. Yale and two assists vs. Dartmouth. ?Marco has had some important minutes for us,? said Hill. ?Like Chris, we are hoping to have his leadership. He has made a lot of progress as a player, both mentally and physically. Hopefully, we will be able to use him in a couple of positions, both guard and small forward.? McCottry averaged 3.7 ppg and 2.7 rpg last season.
Clemons, a skilled 6-7 forward, looks to avoid the injury problems he has had, and should continue to contribute solid minutes to the squad. He saw action in 24 games his sophomore season, hitting a career-high four points against Providence and three rebounds against Penn.
Sophomore Matt Preston (Wantagh, N.Y.) also should contribute at the forward position for the Lions. Preston, 6-4, played in only eight games, averaging 2.3 ppg. He hit four-of-five 3-pt. attempts, and also scored a career-high five points against San Diego State and had three rebounds against Providence. ?Preston has shown a lot of progress as a young player developing,? said Hill. ?He has a pretty good upside, loves to play and has a good shot. He is also making the adjustment from center to small forward.?
Junior Maurice Murphy (Seattle, Wash.) will see time at the Lions? point guard position. He averaged 8.4 minutes per game last season, contributing 21 points, 14 assists, eight rebounds and seven steals in 18 games. The 6-0 guard saw some significant minutes last season, but set his career highs his freshman year when he had his best game against Mt. St. Mary?s with 12 points, five assists and four steals.
Murphy will be joined by three sophomores: Tito Hill (Woodland Hills, Calif.), Jeremiah Boswell (Jasper, Ga.) and Allan MacQuarrie (Wexford, Pa.). Hill, a 6-3 guard, saw the most action out of the freshman class last season, playing in 19 games. He hit a career-high four points and three rebounds against Yale, with two assists vs. Dartmouth. Boswell, 6-3, played in four games and hit a career-high five points and two rebounds in just two minutes of play for the Lions against Yale before injury kept him out for the rest of the season. MacQuarrie, a 6-0 guard, only saw action in three games last season, but should have an impact on the squad this year. ?It was an adjustment to Division I ball for MacQuarrie,? said Hill. ?He is learning what it takes to play at this level. I believe he can play an integral part.?
There is one transfer and four incoming freshmen that will make up the new faces on the court for Columbia. Each new player has a chance to contribute immediately with the loss of seven seniors to graduation.
Junior transfer Chris Owens (San Antonio, Texas) comes to the Lions from Temple College (Texas), where he averaged 19 ppg, 9 rpg and 4 apg and earned all-region and first-team all-conference honors. As a senior at John Jay High School, he averaged 15 ppg and 8 rpg. Owens, 6-5, will play small forward for Columbia.
First-year Arnel Scott is a 6-4 small forward and comes to Columbia from Markham, Ontario, where he was the York Region Player of the Year, averaging 20 ppg, 18 rpg and 3 steals per game as a senior. He also was selected as a York Region all-star all four years as a shooting guard.
First-years Dragutin Kravic (Zrenjanin, Serbia) and Dodson Worthington (Kinston, N.C.) are both big, solid forwards with good fundamental skills. Kravic, 6-8, brings both a local and international background to the squad. He played as a small forward for the Dwight School in Manhattan, averaging 28 ppg as a senior on a team that won its league championships and posted a 21-9 record.
At 6-9, Worthington is the tallest newcomer to the squad. He averaged 15 ppg and 10 rpg his senior year for a squad that finished second in the state with a 25-4 record. He was selected to the all-region and all-conference team while playing for Kinston.
Rounding out the freshmen is 6-2 guard Dalen Cuff (Palm Harbor, Fla.). He should add some stability to the guard position. Cuff comes to the Lions from East Lake, where he averaged 17.8 ppg, 7 rpg and 7 apg and led his team to the state playoffs. Cuff played in AAU nationals as a sophomore in high school and earned all-district and all-county honors as a junior and senior.
