Monday, March 3, 2003

GREYHOUNDS TRAVEL TO FRANKLIN & MARSHALL FOR ECAC SOUTHERN QUARTERFINALS

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College men’s basketball team will make its second-ever appearance in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Southern Basketball Championships and the Greyhounds are the eighth seed, traveling to top seeded Franklin & Marshall College (22-5) for a quarterfinal contest on Wednesday, March 5th at 7:00 p.m. in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Wednesday’s other quarterfinals contest will have second seeded DeSales University (21-6) hosting seventh seed College Misericordia (16-11), third seed Penn State-Behrend (19-8) entertaining sixth seed Thiel College (16-11) and fourth seeded Grove City College (18-8) hosting fifth seed Neumann College (17-10). All games will start at 7:00 p.m. The winners of Wednesday’s quarterfinals games will meet on Saturday, March 8th for the semifinals and Sunday, March 9th for the championship game at the highest remaining seed.

The Greyhounds, who have an overall record of 16-10 this year, last competed in the ECAC Tournament in 1983-84 when Moravian won the ECAC title with victories over Richard Stockton and Jersey City. Moravian was knocked out of the Commonwealth Conference Tournament with a 71-62 loss at Elizabethtown College in the semifinals.

Moravian head coach Jim Walker has the Greyhounds in the postseason for the eighth time in his 23 years as head coach. Walker, who has an overall record of 317-260 at Moravian and 332-270 in 24 seasons, is trying to guide the Greyhounds to their first 17-win season since a 19-8 campaign in 1987-88.

Sophomore forward Brandon Zaleski (Hackettstown, NJ/Hackettstown HS) leads the team in scoring at 18.4 points per game, and he also leads Moravian with 7.5 rebounds per game. Zaleski, who was named the Lehigh Valley Small College Men's Basketball Player of the Year last month, has added 22 assists, 34 steals and 11 blocked shots while shooting 49.7 percent from the floor and 84.1 percent from the foul line. In 51 career games, Zaleski has moved within 44 points of becoming the 17th Greyhound to score 1,000 career points. Senior forward Ken Greb (Mount Holly, NJ/ Rancocas Valley Regional HS) is netting 12.1 points per game to go along with 6.7 rebounds per contest. Greb has a 52.0 field goal percentage, and he also has 44 assists, 36 steals and nine blocked shots.

Junior guard Steve Weiler (Edgewater Park, NJ/Burlington City HS) is averaging 11.7 points per game and 2.8 rebounds per contest, and he leads the team with 43 three-pointers. Weiler also has 50 assists and 41 steals while junior guard Kevin Wyers (Hamilton Square, NJ/Notre Dame HS) is netting 7.0 points per outing and grabbing 2.7 rebounds a game. Wyers has added 24 three-pointers, 26 assists, 21 steals and seven blocked shots. Senior guard Willie Reynolds (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) has 52 assists and he is also adding 5.7 points per outing and grabbing 2.2 rebounds a game while sophomore forward Mike Howell (Floral Park, NY/Holy Cross HS) is contributing 4.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest. Reynolds also has 57 rebounds, 24 three-pointers and 18 steals while Howell, who will miss the rest of the season with an injury, has five blocked shots, eight assists and seven steals.

Junior guard Lucas Malishchak (Wanamie, PA/Nanticoke HS) has dished out 105 assists while committing just 66 turnovers, and he has contributed 63 rebounds, 91 points and 40 steals. Freshman forward Geoff Wendel (Sparta, NJ/Sparta HS) is averaging 5.4 points per game, and he has added 81 rebounds, 14 assists and 13 steals while freshman guard Steve Wenderfer (Chester, NJ/Mendham HS), who will be out the rest of the season with an injury, has 13 points. Junior guard Kevin Burke (Turnersville, NJ/St. Augustine Prep HS) has added 40 points, 12 rebounds, 23 assists and 13 steals while freshman guard Chris Betley (Lenape, NJ/Lenape HS) has tossed in 81 points, grabbed 26 boards and dished out 12 assists. Freshman forward Ed Reid (Pen Argyl, PA/Pen Argyl HS) has netted 19 points and pulled down 12 rebounds this season. Sophomore guard Andy Fisher (Hatboro, PA/Hatboro-Horsham HS) has 18 points and 12 assists while freshman forward Zach Zsilavecz (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) has 13 points.

Franklin & Marshall, the defending ECAC Southern Champion, enters the game with an overall record of 22-5 this season. The Diplomats, under the direction of head coach Glenn Robinson, who is in his 32nd season with an overall mark of 645-231, were knocked out of the Centennial Conference Tournament with a 96-88 overtime loss to Ursinus College in the championship game.

Junior center Steve Juskin leads Franklin & Marshall in scoring at 15.3 points per game, and he has a team high 98 blocked shots this season. Juskin is also contributing 7.3 rebounds per contest to go along with 62 assists and 25 steals. Junior guard Jackiem Wright has connected on a team leading 79 three-pointers and he is netting 14.0 points per outing. Wright has also added 58 rebounds, 40 assists and 26 steals while shooting 91.2 percent (62 of 68) at the free throw line. Junior guard Duran Searles is averaging 10.7 points per contest, and he has added 75 assists, 73 rebounds, 42 three pointers, 42 steals and 11 blocked shots for the Diplomats.

Sophomore forward Bob Lynch leads Franklin & Marshall with a 64.1 field goal percentage (100 of 156), and he is scoring 9.6 points and grabbing 4.5 rebounds per game. Lynch also has 30 steals and 23 assists while senior guard Asaf Ganot leads the Diplomats with 108 assists and 48 steals this season. Ganot, who has committed just 38 turnovers, also leads the team on the boards with an average of 7.9 rebounds per game. He has added 45 blocked shots and 20 three-pointers. Senior forward Frank Hughes is averaging 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest to go along with 21 assists, 19 steals and 13 blocked shots. Freshman guard Brandon Smith is contributing 7.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per outing, and he has 49 assists, 27 steals and 20 three-pointers in his debut season at Franklin & Marshall.

DeSales enters the tournament with an overall record of 21-6 and the Bulldogs were knocked out of the Freedom Conference Tournament with a 72-65 loss to the University of Scranton in the championship game. DeSales also competed in the ECAC Southern Championships last year.

Penn State-Behrend has an overall record of 19-8 and the Lions lost to Pitt Bradford, 62-59 in the championship game of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Tournament. Penn State-Behrend competed in the ECAC Southern Championships last year.

Grove City has posted an overall mark of 18-8 and the Wolverines won the Presidents Athletic Conference title with a 60-59 victory over Thiel.

Neumann enters the tournament with an overall record of 17-19 and the Knights lost to Alvernia College, 80-73 in the championship game of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Tournament.

Thiel has an overall mark of 16-11 and the Tomcats lost to Grove City, 60-59 in the championship game of the Presidents Athletic Conference Tournament.

Misericordia has posted an overall record of 16-11 and the Cougars lost to Neumann, 97-65 in the semifinals of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Tournament. Misericordia competed in the ECAC Southern Championships last year.