– The battle against the Missouri Valley’s best continues

This Saturday our #5 ranked Cards (5-1) return to the KFC Yum Center after their second place finish in The Battle 4 Atlantis. They will face the Illinois State Redbirds (5-1) from the Missouri Valley Conference.

In the off season the Redbirds hired an alumnus Dan Muller to be their head coach. He was hired after Tim Jankovich left to be the coach in waiting at SMU. This is Muller’s first head coaching job, and often when a new coach takes over, he inherits trouble, plus lots of losses. But that’s not the case here. The Redbirds return all of their core players and are currently ranked in the top 20 in three division 1 categories. 10th in points with 85 per game, 11th in assist with 18.3 a game and 14th in field goal% at .505. They also have decent wins against UAB and Drexel on their 5-1 record. On Thursday Jay Bilas put out a list of his top 68 teams in the country and the Redbirds came in at 64. This is another very good team in the very underrated Missouri Valley conference and the combination of talent and experience, plus the enthusiasm of a new coach who knows the place, could land them a spot in the postseason.

Coach Dan Muller: “We’ve got good talent level,” “We’ve got good athleticism. We’ve got good skill. We have depth.”

In-conference offense: 1.04 points per possession (4th)
In-conference defense: 1.05 points allowed per possession (8th)

Jackie Carmichael SR (16.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg) 6-9 F is one of the top returning players in the Missouri Valley. A year ago he led the league in rebounding and defensive rebounding, was third in blocked shots and eighth in field-goal percentage (.533). He has scored 97 pts this season and 41 rebounds in 157 min.

Tyler Brown SR (18.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg) 6-4 G is the number 2 returning scorer and a year ago, he was the best shooter on a team full of them, making .454 of his 3-point attempts (79 of 174). During the NIT last season he shot 97% from the three point line through 2 games. He’s shooting 40% this season and 50% from the field. He has scored 113 pts this season and played 159 min.

Anthony Cousin SR (2.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg) 5-11 G is a combo guard, but can play multiple positions. Coach Muller: “he is more of a quiet competitor, but he has shown great leadership.” He has scored 10 pts this season and played 32 min.

John Wilkins SR (3.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg) 6-9 G/F is the fourth returning starter. He has good perimeter skills and adds versatility to this team. He has scored 18 pts this season and played 113 min.

Bryant Allen JR (13.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg) 6-0 G started his collegiate athletic career on the University of Minnesota football team, was a scoring spark off the bench in his first Redbird season and should continue in that role. He is a really good shooter 44 % from 3 pt land and is a really defender. Has has 78 pts this season and has played 158 min.

Jon Ekey JR (8.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg) 6-7 F posted the Redbirds’ best offensive rating last season he shot .407 from 3 (59 of 145) and was the Redbirds’ second-leading rebounder. He has scored 51 pts this season and has played 144 min.

Zeke Upshaw JR (1.8 ppg 1.0 rpg) 6-6 G has scored 9 pts this season and has only played 28 min.

Johnny Hill SOPH (6.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg) 6-3 G is one of the players sharing minutes in the back court. He has 36 pts this season and played 125 min.

Jordan Threloff SOPH (4.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg) 6-10 C is a really good rebounder on both ends if the floor. He has 25 pts and has played 59 min.

Geoffrey Allen SOPH (3.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg) 6-6 G has 15 pts and has only played 37 min.

John Jones SOPH Has not played this season.

Kaza Keane FR (4.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg) 6-1 G who was on schedule to join the college ranks in 2013-14 until he reclassified. He averaged 11 assists in his final season at Christian Faith Center (N.C.) Academy. He has 27 pts this season and has played 134 min.

Nick Zeisloft FR (5.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg) 6-4 G redshirted las year. He has 31 pts this season and played 104 min.

“Louisville gives our team a chance to play in an unbelievable environment,” Muller said. “It’s something I wanted our guys to experience.”

Our cards had a good run in Atlantis and in the game against Missouri they found good shots and hit them. But like last season they continue to shoot a low percentage from the field and are currently ranked 198th among division 1 schools at .428. They are also not getting to the free throw line enough which is one of the biggest reasons they lost to Duke. In these next 2 games we have teams that are capable of wearing that giant killer label. First up is Illinois State on Saturday and then College of Charleston on (Dec.4). Poor shot selection and not getting to the free throw line are a few of the things that could allow teams like this to sneak out a win. Will be watching to see if these things are addressed and if our Cards start to improve on these areas.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 86 Illinois State 78

– Battle 4 Atlantis round 2

Our Cards survived a tough first round match-up with Northern Iowa as they shoot 31% in the 51-46 win. Russ Smith led the Cards in scoring with 16 pts. They will now advance to face the Missouri Tigers of the SEC who beat Stanford on their opening round game 78-70. The Tigers did go 22-25 from the FT line which helped in their win. They didn’t shoot very well from the floor and outside of Laurence Bowers 9-15, made just 17 of 56 shots.

On paper this team looks as talented, if not more so, than the 2012 edition. But what made Missouri click last season was the fact that the players had played with each other for so long. This season coach Frank Haith finds himself charged with the task of rebuilding his team after losing 5 seniors. The Tigers have plenty of depth on this years squad but Haith must work to fit his talented newcomers, transfers Alex Oriakhi, Keion Bell, Earnest Ross, and Jabari Brown, in with his returning backcourt stars Phil Pressey and Michael Dixon. In my opinion folks aren’t gonna want any part of this team in March. But right now they are learning on the fly and still recognizing their potential.

Coach Frank Haith: “I go back to our identity,” “We’re not going to be fluid right now, offensively. That takes time. But we are gonna be tough. That’s what we can challenge them to do is play with toughness.”

In-conference offense: 1.15 points per possession (1st Big 12)
In-conference defense: 1.04 points allowed per possession (6th Big 12)

Phil Pressey JR (15.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg) 5-11 G is one of the nation’s top returning point guards after handing out 223 assists a season ago. He excels at penetrating and either getting to the free throw line or passing to shooters. He has scored 46 pts this season and played 96 min. He had 18 pts against Stanford.

Tony Criswell JR (4.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg) 6-9 F The junior college transfer will be asked to provide depth down low. Last season at Independence (Kan-sas) Community College, he averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds. He has scored 13 pts this season and played 49 min. He had 2 pts against Stanford.

Keion Bell SR (9.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg) 6-4 G played 78 percent of Pepperdine’s minutes and took 33 percent of their shots in 2010. Bell scored 1,365 in his Pepperdine career, an average of 16.4 points per game. He’s also a stat sheet stuffer. In his sophomore season, he ranked among West Coast Conference leaders in steals, assists, free-throw per-centage and rebounding. He has scored 28 pts this season and played 72 min. He scored 8 pts against Stanford.

Michael Dixon, Jr. (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 6-1 G was suspended indefinitely by Haith for unspecified reasons in October. Averaged 26 minutes and was the Tigers’ second-leading scorer in Big 12 play when he shot 52 percent from the field. He made the trip to Atlantis and is available if Coach Haith decides to play him. He was as after the Stanford game and said it would be unlikely.

Laurence Bowers SR (15.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg) 6-8 F took a redshirt last season. He is known for his efficient offense, his defense is very good also. In his two seasons as a starter, he put up good block rates and good steal rates a rare combination for a big man. He has scored 46 pts this season and played 75 min. He scored 19 pts against Stanford.

Earnest Ross JR (13.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg) 6-5 G averaged 13.1 points per game in 2010-11 at Auburn before finding greener pastures with Haith in Columbia. He led Auburn in rebounding 13 times as a sophomore. Has scored 40 pts this season and played 74 min. He scored 10 pts against Stanford.

Alex Oriakhi SR (13.3 ppg, 11.7 rpg) 6-9 F at his best he is an efficient post player who is great on the offensive glass. He is a familiar foe from the Big East transferred to Mizzu after NCAA sanctions against UCONN. He has scored 37 pts this season and played 78 min. He scored 13 pts and had 4 reb against Stanford.

Ryan Rosburg FR (1.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg) 6-10 F has scored 3 pts this season and played 19 min. He scored 5 pts against Stanford.

Stefan Jankovic FR (5.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg) 6-11 F is a big body, but his strength at this point lies in his jump shot and on the perimeter. He has scored 15 pts this season and played 40 min. He didn’t score against Stanford.

Negus Webster-Chan FR (6.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg) 6-7 G Has 20 pts this season and played 90 min. He scored 3 pts against Stanford.

Dominique Bull FR Has not played this season.

Corey Haith FR Has not played this season.

Danny Feldmann FR Has not played this season.

Perhaps the most anticipated match-up of the tournament is the game between the Cards and the Blue Devils. The battle in the paint between Plumlee and Dieng would feature two of college basketball’s premier big men going head-to-head. But first Gorgui will have to battle with a pretty decent big man in Oriakhi. Will be interesting to see how Gorgui responds to his toughest competition yet down low.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 79 Missouri 71

– Battle 4 Atlantis first round

Ok Cards fans here we go. The team will be in the Bahamas this week but it will not be a vacation. Our 3-0 Cards will take the next step up in level of competition Thursday as they face a very formidable foe in 3-0 Northern Iowa from the Missouri Valley.

UNI won 20 games for the fourth straight season last year and they appear set on making it five. Like our Cards they are a team that is known for their hard nosed defense. But this year they have a new quality that may define the season for them. This is the deepest UNI squad coach Ben Jacobson has had and they are the only team in the Missouri Valley without any incoming recruits. To go along with their depth they are very athletic, experienced and will play either a nine- or 10-man rotation. They return the top four scorers from last year and lost just one starter. They have solid size, especially for a mid-major, bringing four players off the bench who are 6-foot-6 or bigger.
 The Panthers were the slowest-paced team in MVC play, and a three-point shot is typically their first offensive option. They will try to play their brand of basketball and avoid an up-and-down game.

Coach Ben Jacobson: “We want to put together a schedule that if we do well against it, when we start Valley play, we’ve positioned ourselves to get an at-large bid if we finish in the top three or the top four in our league,” “This year’s schedule is as difficult as any we’ve had in the time I’ve been here.”

The Panther players:

Deon Mitchell SOPH (17.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg), 6-1 PG was a MVC all-freshman team member, He started 24 games, including the last 11 last year. He has scored 53 pts this season and played 84 min.

Chip Rank JR (6.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg), 6-6 F “He’s got a toughness to him, and he’s got a real passion for playing,” I wouldn’t be surprised to see him shoot low-to-mid 40 percent from the 3-point line” Jacobson said of Rank. He has scored 18 pts this season and played 44 min.

Matt Bohannon FR (9.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg), 6-4 G the best perimeter shooter on a good perimeter shooting team, he redshirted last year. He has scored 29 pts this season and played 81 min.

Seth Tuttle SOPH (12 ppg, 7.0 rpg), 6-8 F made two All-MVC teams All-Newcomer and All-Freshman, became the first freshman to ever lead the Valley in field goal percentage, excels at drawing fouls; he made 66 percent of his twos and nearly two-thirds of his attempts are the result of cuts, put backs, or paint touches. Of all D-I freshmen, only Tuttle and Cody Zeller had usage rates of 20 percent or more while also notching offensive ratings over 120. He has 36 pts this season and played 69 min

Marvin Singleton SOPH (5.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg), 6-6 F one of several players figures in the mix at forward, He has scored 17 pts this season and played 38 min.

Nate Buss SOPH (8.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg), 6-9 F gives UNI a taller look than usual from the forward position, added 20 pounds to his 6-9 frame in off season, and his outside shot and speed will cause match-up problems. He has scored 24 pts this season and played 39 min.

Jake Koch SR (11.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg), 6-9 F led the team in blocks and assists and finished second in free-throw percentage last season, “He led us in assists; he led us in blocks. He made 30-some 3s; he gets to the free-throw line. He does a little bit of everything” Jacobson said. He has scored 35 pts this season and played 75 min.

Matt Morrison JR (4.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg), 6-0 G averaged nearly 12 minutes a game and played in 30 contests last year. “He was able to have some big games for us,” Jacobson said. He has scored 14 pts this season and played 41 min.

Marc Sonnen SR (7.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg), 6-3 G will reprise his off-the-ball role, started at least 21 games last year and averaged more than 28 minutes a game. He has scored 23 pts this season and played 91 min.

Max Martino SOPH (1.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg), 6-5 G vying for a key role on the perimeter, He has scored 3 pts this season and played 38 min.

Chris Olivier FR (5.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg), 6-8 F suffered a broken foot last fall and redshirted, “Olivier is big and left-handed but needs to gain strength and improve his conditioning to impact the club,” Jacobson said. He has scored 5 pts this season and played 16 min.

Matt MacDougall FR 6-4 G Has not played this season.

Austin Pehl SR (2.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg), 6-10 C averaged 7.4 minutes a game last season, He has scored 2 pts this season and played 9 min.

Tyler Lange JR 6-6 F has not played this season.

Anthony James SR 6-0 G was an honorable mention All-MVC pick for the second straight season and led the Panthers in scoring. He scored in double digits 21 times despite coming off the bench for UNI’s final 10 games. He was suspended for the first 3 games of this season but will play against the Cards.

Three questions going into this game:

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 80 Northern Iowa 73

The 2012-13 season rolls on Sunday in the KFC Yum Center as the Miami (OH) RedHawks come to town to take on our Cards. The RedHawks come into this game 1-1 after beating Grambling St 80-54. The Cards come into this game 2-0 after a dominating win over Samford 80-54. Yes, those scores are right and make me wonder how many times teams have played each other coming off an identical score in their previous wins.

Miami (OH) begins a new era with the hiring of Tennessee State’s John Cooper after 70-year-old Charlie Coles announced his retirement in his 16th and final season serving as his alma mater’s coach. Cooper arrived in Oxford after engineering a remarkable turnaround at TSU. One of his games that some of you might remember is when Cooper’s team was the only one to beat Murray State in the regular season last year. During a three-year period in Nashville, Cooper’s teams improved each year. Miami (OH) is winningest program in the MAC and have had 17 NCAA appearances. But Cooper will have another tall task ahead of him as they were not very good last season and their best player Julian Mavunga was a senior. Despite the loss of Mavunga Miami does return a few decent offensive players.

Coach John Cooper: “Obviously I was very familiar with the university for the basketball program,” They’ve had some unbelievable tradition. Look at the staffs there. Charlie Coles. (Before him) Herb Sendek was the coach with Thad Matta and Sean Miller as his assistants. Now it’s about how to bring that back to fruition.”

The RedHawk Players:

Geovonie McKnight FR (4.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg), 6-3 hails from Middletown High School, averaged 20 points and six rebounds during his senior year and chose Miami after Cooper’s arrival. Has played 44 min this season and has 9 points 6 rebounds.

Reggie Johnson FR (13.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg), 6-1 played at St. Joseph’s High School, He signed with Tennessee State last November, but joined Cooper and his staff at Miami. Has played 42 min this season and has 27 points 7 rebounds.

Josh Sewell JR (6.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg), He’s the team’s top returning 3-point shooter. Has played 17 min this season with no points and 3 rebounds.

Quinten Rollins JR (7.7 ppg, 3.2 apg), might be Miami’s most indispensable player as the only true point guard on the roster, He led the RedHawks and ranked sixth in the MAC with 1.6 steals per game. Has played 47 min this season 7 points no rebounds.

Allen Roberts JR (14.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg), a projected starter last season who didn’t play a minute as he underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee in December. Roberts averaged 7.9 points in 24.0 minutes per game as a sophomore. Has played 59 min this season with 28 points 3 rebounds.

Bill Edwards JR (9.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg), a 6-6, 245-pound junior who spent his freshman year at Penn State. Has played 40 min this season with 19 points 8 rebounds.

Will Felder JR (8.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg), 6-7 power forward averaged 11.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks for St. Francis (PA) in 2010-11 before sitting out his transfer season last year. Has played 40 min this season with 17 points 9 rebounds.

Jon Harris JR (7.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg), Classic stretch four who’s more comfortable on the perimeter than in the post. Drilled 37 percent of his 3-point attempts (58 of 155) while taking just 60 shots inside the arc all year. Has played 49 min this season with 15 points 12 rebounds.

Drew McGhee JR (5.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg), made 20 starts last year and his 59.2 percent field-goal shooting made him the only RedHawk to hit better than 46 percent from the floor. Has played 25 min this season with 11 points 7 rebounds.

Joe Mezher SOPH Has only played a total of 3 min this season no points no rebounds.

Jared Tadlock SOPH 6-9, played just 10 minutes last season, but three of his four shots during that stretch came from 3-point range. Has only played 3 min this season with 2 points 2 rebounds.

Will Sullivan SOPH (2.1 ppg) is Miami’s other backcourt option with experience, walked on last fall with the promise of a scholarship this year, wound up making 10 starts and playing 13.7 minutes per game. Has only played 14 min this season no points 4 rebounds.

John Hawkins SOPH Has not played this season

Vince Legarza SR (1.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg), made three starts last year and averaged 9.7 minutes per game. While he shot just 37 percent on his limited attempts, he handed out 21 assists versus 12 turnovers to enjoy the best assist-to-turnover ratio on the squad. Has played 19 min this season with 4 points 4 rebounds.

Three questions going into this game:

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 80 Miami 51

– Cards vs Bulldogs

The most anticipated early season tournament of the year “The Battle for Atlantis” kicks off Thursday with the preliminary games. Our Cards will face the Southern Conferences Samford Bulldogs in their opening round at the KFC Yum center.

Samford begins a new era with the hiring of Indiana assistant Bennie Seltzer. He spent the last six years working under Tom Crean at Marquette and Indiana. The Birmingham native took over at Samford on April 5. The job is Seltzer’s first as a head coach, but after everything he saw in Bloomington, he thinks he has the tools and poise to tackle the task ahead of him. The Bulldogs don’t have a Senior on the roster but do return three starters and a couple key contributors off of a team that won 11 games last season. Seltzer and his newly formed staff rounded up a five-player recruiting class that includes a pair of Florida high school players of the year.

-In-conference offense: 1.05 points per possession (3rd)
-In-conference defense: 1.08 points allowed per possession (12th)

Coach Seltzer: “We have some skill players and we’ve got a couple of tough guys,””That skill set and that toughness, that gives you a chance.”

The Bulldog Players:

Tyler Hood SOPH (11.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg) All-SoCon freshman team last year. Hit 47 percent of his shot attempts last year. Sports the highest scoring average of any returning player.

Raijon Kelly SOPH (9.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg) All-SoCon freshman team last year. Hit 46 percent of his shot attempts last year.

Will Cook JR (8.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg) Is the lone member of the junior class who started on a regular basis last season. The 6-4 guard started every game. Grabs an unusual number of boards for a 6-4 guard.

The guys above are the three returnees who started on a regular basis last season.

Connor Miller SOPH (2.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg) Gained valuable experience last season averaged more than 10 minutes per game off the bench.

Brandon Haymen SOPH (3.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg) Gained valuable experience last season averaged more than 10 minutes per game off the bench.

Levi Barnes JR (6-10, 205) Didn’t see the floor much a year ago.

Gregg Wooten JR (6-2, 195) Redshirted because of a leg injury suffered in the preseason.

Hamilton Bailey JR (6-4, 190) Didn’t see the floor much a year ago.

Arthur McMillan JR (6-6, 220) After starting his career at Morehead State, McMillan played at Lawson State (Ala.) Community College last season.

Clide Geffrard, Jr. FR (6-5, 215) Florida high school player of the year. Expected to be a great scorer.

Russel Wilson FR (5-11, 170) Florida high school players of the year. Has shown the capability of being a hard-nosed defender.

Jaylen Beckham FR (6-0, 160) Seltzer believes Beckham, might end up being a steal. And says he is a high major player.

Tim Williams FR (6-8, 210) Chicago product who originally signed with FIU before Isiah Thomas left the school. Seltzer believes he can contribute right away.

Seltzer is a defensive minded coach who will have his team playing a hard nosed style. They won’t be afraid to lock it up with the Cards Thursday and he will have them expecting a win.

Coach Seltzer: “I’m going to take the same approach we took at Indiana,” “We’re going to try to win every single game. We’re going to be prepared to win every single game. We’re going to prepare like we’re trying to win a championship.”

Our Cards are coming off a decent performance in their first game, but do expect improvement in some areas. I know I’ll be looking for Wayne Blackshear and Luke Hancock to have better games and become more involved in the scoring. We will also see if the offense continues to improve as the players become more conditioned and acclimated to the season. I do expect a big night from our frontcourt, but will the rebounding be better?

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 84 Samford 57

-GAME #1 Cards vs. Jaspers

It’s here folks! Our #2 ranked Louisville Cardinal basketball team starts their march to Atlanta on Sunday as they will face former UofL assistant Steve Masiello’s Manhattan Jaspers.

This will be a tough opening game for our Cards as Steve Masiello has created a winning attitude in his short time with the program. The Jaspers finished second in their conference in both offensive and defensive efficiency last season and return 80 percent of their possession minutes. In Steve Masiello’s first season at the helm, the Jaspers played a style very reminiscent of Louisville under Rick Pitino. So it’s no surprise that they have one of the best defenses in their league. They also have a pretty good offense as well.

2011-12 MAAC league rankings in offense and defense:

-defense: 0.94 points allowed per possession (2nd)

Senior George Beamon, Juniors Michael Alvarado, and Rhamel Brown will be the guys asked to lead this Manhattan team that has more depth than the program has seen in recent years. They return their entire starting lineup and have a roster full of guys that have seen major minutes. The offense flows nicely through George Beamon and point guard Michael Alvarado. Alvarado was injured near the end of last season, which led to Manhattan dropping five of their final eight conference games. But a healthy Alvarado and the development of point forward Emmy Andujar should give Masiello a variety of options for offense against our Louisville Cards.

Coach Masiello: “I think we have a lot of weapons this year. This is one of the deepest teams I have been around in all of my coaching and playing years.”

THE JASPER ROSTER:

George Beamon: 6-4 senior (19.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.5 spg), He is a guy that will stuff the stat sheet every time out. He’s one of the league’s top players, he led the MAAC in scoring and was third in 3-point percentage (.427).

Michael Alvardo: 6-2 junior (8.5 ppg, 3.2 apg, 1.4 spg), this hard-nosed point guard is consider the floor general of the Jasper squad.

Rhamel Brown: 6-6 Junior (7.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg), the forward, led the team in blocks with 84 and was voted the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. He is the first Jasper to earn the award, was 19th in the nation in blocks (2.8 bpg) and has 147 in his career.

Emmy Andujar: 6-6 Sophomore, MAAC All-Rookie Team selection, started 32 of 33 appearances averaging 8.5 points per game.

Paul Bayt: 6-4 Freshman, averaged about 15 points and shot nearly 40% from three-point territory in two seasons at Park Tudor High School.

Roberto Colonette: 6-7 Graduate, Played in all 34 games, starting 26 times, averaged 6.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and nearly one block in 18.1 minutes per game.

CJ Jones: 6-0 Freshman, Ranked in the top 30 for point guards in the 2012 recruiting class by ESPN.com.

Donovan Kates: 6-6 Sophomore, Played in all 34 games, starting 11 times, averaged 5.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and knocked down 23 three pointers in 16.6 minutes per game.

Mohamed Koita: 6-4 Senior, Appeared in 33 games, starting 25 games, averaged 2.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and swiped nine steals in 13.3 minutes per game.

Adam Lacey: 6-10 Freshman, Top-100 recruit at his position in the nation for 2012 according to ESPN.com.

Ryan McCoy: 6-9 Sophomore, Played in all 34 games, starting twice, scored 55 points, grabbed 34 rebounds and dished out 21 assists.

Ashton Pankey: 6-10 Sophomore, (Maryland Transfer): Played in all 32 games, making 17 starts, averaged 4.7 points and 4.9 rebounds over 20.3 minutes per contest, led the Terps in rebounding.

Shane Richards: 6-5 Freshman, Ranked 17th best prospect from New York State in the 2012 recruiting class by ESPN.com.

RaShawn Stores: 5-11 Sophomore, Sat out due to NCAA requirements.

Sky Williams: 6-2 Freshman, Tuckahoe High School’s all-time leading scorer with over 1,537 career points.

Mark Jackson, Jr.: 6-3 Redshirt Sophmore, (Louisville transfer): Appeared in three games for our Cards. He won’t play this season for the Jasper’s.

Beamon, Colonette, Brown and Alvardo are proven talents, but Masiello’s young players, including several newcomers need to contribute, too. Pankey arrives with the most hype, but he needs to show why he was an ACC recruit.

Beak Prediction:
Louisville 70 Manhattan 63

-(Last Minute addendum)
Manhattan star George Beamon will not play in the Jaspers game at Louisville on Sunday due to an ankle injury.