MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON IN
REVIEW
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
March 26, 2003
Contact:
Angela Aja
The Saint Michael’s
men’s basketball team found themselves in an unfamiliar situation this
season. The 2002-2003 season marked the first time the Purple Knights have
not made the Northeast-10 tournament in 13 years.
With a record of
(10-17) overall and (6-16) in the conference the Purple Knights’
postseason hopes may have fell short, but their hopes for the future
remain high. Graduating only two seniors, Adam Johnson (Washington,
D.C.) and Will Wither (Cleveland Heights, Ohio), Saint
Michael’s brought in one of it’s brightest recruiting classes in the
program’s history, much to the credit of sixth-year head coach Tom
O’Shea who became the third all-time winningest coach with 109
career victories. He surpassed his predecessor Tom Crowley, who
had 106 career wins during his seven years as head coach.
Freshman sensation Mike
Keating (St. Paul, MN), was named Northeast-10 Conference
Freshman of the Year, after leading all NE-10 freshmen as well as Saint
Michael’s with 15.9 points per game. Keating’s selection marks the
first time a Purple Knight has received the honor since teammate Jared
Chandler (Dorchester, MA), for the 1999-2000 season, and is the
fourth Purple Knight ever to receive the honor.
Keating also scored
back-to-back 30-point games, the first time a freshman has accomplished
the feat in over 25 years. The first came in a 77-67 win against
American International College, and the second was in a 97-95 loss
against the College of Saint Rose. He ended his first season leading
Saint Michael’s in both scoring and rebounding, and is the first
freshman to achieve the distinction in 50 years. The last freshman to
hold that honor was Bob Young in the 1952-1953 season.
The Purple Knights also
saw valiant efforts in junior Ben Smith (Southport Island, Maine)
late in the season, and sophomore Eric Swiezynski (Wilmington,
MA). Smith finished the season in scoring and rebounding, averaging
11.4 points and 4.7 boards per game. Swiezynski had 23 points in the
season opener against Caldwell College and went on to average 11.2
points and 4.1 rebounds per contest. His season high of 30 points came
in a 100-90, triple overtime win against conference rival Merrimack
College. The Purple Knights snapped a 10-game losing streak, their
longest streak since the 1979-1980 season where that squad ended up 5-21
overall.
Another freshman
standout was Chase Graves (West Chester, PA), who set the single
season assist record with 132 overall, averaging 4.9 a game. He had a
season high of 19 points twice this season, against Southern Connecticut
State University and Franklin Pierce. In the triple overtime win against
Merrimack College: Graves contributed an all around game of 15 points, 5
assists, and 6 rebounds. For the year, he averaged 8.8 points and 3.4
boards, while starting 22 out of the 27 games in his first year.
Local Vermont standout,
BJ Robertson (Burlington, VT), added depth to the Purple
Knight’s team, with his 8.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. At the
beginning of the season, Coach O’Shea starting lineup consisted mainly
of upperclassman, but that soon changed as the first years’ became
more comfortable with the level of play and proved their abilities. In
the second half of the season, the Purple Knights started three
freshmen, a sophomore, and a junior, and began winning key games,
including four out of their last five. The squad picked up confidence
building victories against Pace and Southern Connecticut State
University. Pace was stood fourth in the NE-10 iwhen Saint Michael’s
beat the Setters in its season finale at home, winning 95-76 in the
upset. The Purple Knights shot 56.3 percent from the floor and hit
sixteen out of nineteen free throws in the victory.
Ending the season with
several strong wins and returning all of their starters next year, a
young Saint Michael’s squad will work toward a berth in the conference
tournament and beyond.
-
Sports Information student intern Jess Hanchette ‘04
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