Last year, Lehigh showed signs of contending when they made a great non-league run, but they didn’t get it done in league play. This year, the Mountain Hawks were the best team for much of the season, and they carried that into the league tournament with three wins for the title. A big reason for that was, oddly enough, a freshman. C.J. McCollum wasted no time becoming a star, as he won Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors, the first player in league history to do so. He was second in the league in scoring overall, but it was in league play where he shined the most as he led in scoring, was sixth in rebounding and field goal percentage, third in three-point percentage and seventh in assists and assist/turnover ratio.

McCollum is symbolic of something else that is different about the league, which is the young talent. Oftentimes, young players in a league like this take a back seat to the veterans, but the Patriot League had a lot of young talent this year. Five of the top ten scorers, four of the top nine rebounders and five of the top seven three-point marksmen were underclassmen. McCollum wasn’t the only freshman on his team to be a key player, as Gabe Knutson was also a starter and key player for the Mountain Hawks. Bucknell placed three players on the All-Rookie team, the first team in league history to do that, and all played significant roles for the Bison this season along with sophomore Bryan Cohen, an All-Rookie selection a year ago. Lafayette got to the final in no small part due to the work of sophomores Jim Mower and Ryan Willen. Holy Cross was at times carried by sophomores R.J. Evans and Devin Brown. Jordan Sugars was the main complement to senior Chris Harris at Navy. Stephen Lumpkins teamed with George Mason transfer Vlad Moldoveanu for a solid 1-2 punch inside for American.

While the league is looking different, the young talent is evidence that there is good basketball ahead for the league in the immediate future. The difference in the standings shows that teams have done their best to rise to the level that Holy Cross and Bucknell were at just a few years ago, and some have succeeded.

Final Standings

League Tournament

The story of the Patriot League Tournament was the dominance of eventual champion Lehigh, as the Mountain Hawks won all three games by at least 15 points. They took care of Army in the quarterfinals by pulling away late, while Lafayette and American won at home and Holy Cross was the lone road team to pull out a win as they knocked off Bucknell 67-64 in Lewisburg. The Mountain Hawks weren’t seriously challenged by American in a 79-57 semifinal win, while Lafayette won a back-and-forth battle with Holy Cross 66-63. That set up a championship game between two arch-rivals.

Lehigh led from start to finish, but was challenged in the second half by Lafayette. The Leopards made several runs at the lead, but could never tie the game. The final ten minutes were dominated by Lehigh senior Zahir Carrington, who took home the tournament MVP honors as he helped the Mountain Hawks pull away for a 74-59 win. Lehigh finished the game on a 12-1 run.

Postseason Awards

Player of the Year: C.J. McCollum, Lehigh

Rookie of the Year: C.J. McCollum, Lehigh

Defensive Player of the Year: Bryan Cohen, Bucknell

Coach of the Year: Fran O’Hanlon, Lafayette

All-Conference Team

Chris Harris, Sr. G, Navy

C.J. McCollum, Fr. G, Lehigh

Jared Mintz, Jr. F, Lafayette

Vlad Moldoveanu, Jr. F, American

Kyle Roemer, Sr. F, Colgate

Season Highlights

• Marquis Hall, who had a fine freshman season of his own three years ago, finished his career most importantly with a Patriot League title, but also with a great accomplishment. The two-time Patriot League Scholar Athlete of the Year graduates as the only player in league history to surpass 1,500 points and 500 assists.
• Army got a lot of buzz in non-league play, as new head coach Zach Spiker was getting results right away. The Black Knights haven’t lacked talent in recent years, so their record before league play wasn’t a big surprise. They rode winning streaks of five and four games to a 10-4 mark.
• Vlad Moldoveanu made an instant impact for American once he was eligible in December after transferring from George Mason. He was third in scoring and rebounding in league games, as he didn’t play in enough games to qualify for the overall lead in any categories.
• Lehigh was eighth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage at just under 40 percent from behind the arc.

What we expected, and it happened: Bucknell was more like the Bucknell of a few years ago. The Bison were hit hard by injuries in 2008-09 and also had a coaching change to adjust to. With a year under Dave Paulson and a good freshman class, the Bison had some growing pains in non-league play but finished second in the league behind Lehigh.

What we expected, and it didn’t happen: Holy Cross was the pick of many as the favorite before the season, but they didn’t come close to that, finishing 9-22 and seventh in the standings, a game out of last place. The Crusaders struggled at the defensive end for much of the season, and it showed in the win-loss column. Sean Kearney lasted just one season as the head coach, replaced by former Mount St. Mary’s head coach Milan Brown.

What we didn’t expect, and it happened: Lafayette was in contention for the top spot and made it to the championship game. The Leopards won eight games a year ago and didn’t look the part of a contender coming in, but they were right in the mix for the top spot and gave Lehigh a good game in the final of the tournament before a late run put the game away.

Team(s) on the rise: Bucknell. The Bison are back and the likely preseason favorite next year after a good showing in league play. Four of their top five were freshmen or sophomores this past season.

Team(s) on the decline: Colgate. A couple of years ago, the Raiders were in the title game. Now Kyle Roemer and Ben Jonson are gone from a team that finished sixth in the league.

2010-11 Patriot League Outlook

With the younger talent in the league, the future is bright. Just about every team projects to be better next season, so the league should improve on its non-league mark in addition to having a hotly contested race for the top starting in January. Six of the ten all-league players return, and all of the All-Rookie selections should contend for spots on that team before long.

Lehigh will have a chance to repeat, but the early favorite has to be Bucknell as the Bison bring back a lot of young talent that will only get better. Lafayette should be in the mix as they also bring back a lot, while American had growing pains with a less experienced roster this year. Holy Cross and Army each have the personnel to potentially make a jump into the top half as well.

If the league has the kind of year it could next year, ultimately it would be safe to say that the rest of the league succeeded in getting better to catch up to Holy Cross and Bucknell. They had little choice but to do so, and having done so the Crusaders and Bison are certainly not dominating the league any longer and not because they have fallen apart.

The key factors:

• As noted the Army offense stepped up. The Cadets shot 51 percent from the field and were led by senior swingman Cleveland Richard with a game-high 15 points. Of greater significance was the contribution of Chris Walker. The 6-9 senior came off the bench to score 14 points (7 of 9 from the floor) and give Army a strong low post presence. “(Navy’s) defense didn’t collapse on me,” Walker said. “I had opportunities and felt good out there.”
• The defense of Army saw the Midshipmen held to a 37 percent shooting performance, including 1 of 19 from beyond the arc. “A lot of teams you can make a pass or two and get a shot,” said Navy guard O. J. Avworo. “With Army you need to be patient and make three or four passes before you get a good shot.”
• The Army defense forced senior guard Chris Harris, Navy’s deadliest scorer, into a four-point afternoon. Harris was 2-17 from the floor and missed all seven attempts from three. “I don’t think they did anything strategically different on Harris,” Navy coach Billy Lange said of Army. “He had four or five looks that just didn’t go down. If he hits them I’m not saying we win but it could have changed the game’s complexion.”
• The victory put Army at 14-12 (4-8 in the Patriot League). Navy is now 13-14 (7-5).  “We don’t have a perfect record but do have a winning record,” Army coach Zach Spiker said. “We hope to be playing our best ball in march.”The schedule leaves Army with two home games to close out the Patriot League campaign. The league postseason tournament follows. In the Patriot , where parity is the key word, it would be wise not to count Army out in the conference tournament. The Cadets, for their part, certainly aren’t.
• The crowd of 5,163 set a Christl Arena record. “Hopefully the time will come when we can get a crowd like this on a Wednesday night,” Spiker said. “You play at a high level, then people will come out.”
• Lange on the Patriot: “I see the results and notice three games we won and could have lost and three we lost but could have won. There is tremendous parity in this league. At times it can be a humbling league. If you lose you can‘t dwell on it. Learn what you did wrong, correct your mistakes and move on to the next opponent.”
• The last game in the home and home of the annual series is designated the ‘Star Game’. This was Army’s first Star Game triumph since 2002.
• Harris had 30 against Army four weeks ago as Navy edged the Cadets in Annapolis.

Notes from the women’s game

• In the opener the Navy women pulled out a 54-48 decision over Army. Navy led 30-18 at the half before the Cadets began to find the range. The game was a one-possession affair in the stretch with Navy never losing its lead. “I think if we got the lead we could have found a way to pull it out,” said Army coach Dave Magarity.
• Junior forward Erin Anthony paced Army with a game-high 22 points. “We didn’t get the perimeter scoring we needed,” Magarity said. “That’s something we struggled with all year.”
• Army is 10-16 (4-8). Navy is now 15-12 (7-5 in the Patriot).
• Junior point guard Angela Myers came up big for Navy. She led the Midshipmen in scoring with 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out 4 assists. Meyer also made a succession of big plays at crunch time to allow Navy to protect its lead. “She is an excellent player,” Magarity said of Myers. “She is a veteran and one of the best players in our league.”

The Maggie Dixon Classic is a relative newcomer to the “world’s most famous arena” and is catching on as a premier event. The first classic was on the campus of West Point. It was held November of 2006, just months after the tragic passing of the former Army women’s coach. And it was a day of sadness and emotion to say the least.

The second one was held at the Garden last season and with another classic that brought in nearly 10,000 on Sunday, it appears to have found a home.

The Dixon Classic featured Army against Rutgers followed by Penn State and UConn. The thoughts of Maggie are still with us but the classic has now evolved into a celebration. The celebration of her life, love and passion of the game and the devotion to the women she coached at West Point.

The scores:
Rutgers 59, Army 38
UConn 77, Penn State 63

In the opener Army fell behind 14-2 early yet battled back. Army simply had a tough time handling Rutgers’ inside-outside combination. Senior center Kia Vaughn scored 12 points while grabbing seven boards, while Epiphanny Prince scored a game-high 25 points. The junior guard shot 3 of 4 beyond the arc.

“Prince was a big difference in the game,” noted Army coach Dave Magarity.

The Cadets trailed 33-21 at the half. They struggled to score in the second half, going the first six and a half minutes without a field goal. Still, they dug in and kept working each possession. Midway through the half they had an opportunity to get the deficit to single digits and missed an easy layup.

“That play was really huge,” Magarity said.

From that point on Rutgers maintained the double-digit lead and was in command. “We didn’t get out to a good start and I was disappointed with out defensive positioning,” Magarity said.

On the other hand, Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer was pleased, not just with the win but the face the Scarlet Knights had only 11 turnovers. “We are trying to do a couple things well and one is cut down on turnovers,” Stringer said.

The Scarlet Knights went into the contest averaging 17 turnovers per game. One reason is the point guard by committee, as Stringer puts it. The lead guard spot has been a problem thus far, as highly-touted freshman Nikki Speed is still adjusting and different combinations have been tried. Brittany Ray ran the point against Army and had a commendable 12-point, 8-rebound, 3-assist outing with no turnovers. “Point guard is such an important position,” Stringer said. “It’s more about a mind set than a skill set.”

Alex McGuire led the Cadets with 16 points. Despite the loss, army earned Rutgers respect for their hustle and resiliency. “Those (Army) girls were strong out there today,” Vaughn said of her opposition on the blocks.

In the second game, UConn received a strong challenge but had too much for Penn State. The Huskies triumphed 77-63 to run their record to 6-0. The teams were even a good part of the first half. In the latter stages UConn achieved some separation and went into the locker room with a 34-21 lead.

The second half saw Penn State continuously hang around. Each time UConn would get the lead to 13 or 15, Penn State responded. “They are aggressive,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said of Penn State. “They can beat you off the dribble and go right by you. They came out and pushed the pace, not a lot of teams are willing to run against us. We are fortunate we got a few late blocks that helped us put the game away.”

Tina Charles was a force Penn State couldn’t answer and dominated inside for UConn with 29 points and 18 rebounds. Each time the Lady Lions made a serious run, Charles or teammate Maya Moore (21 points) responded to stop the bleeding.

Tyra Grant, Penn State’s junior guard, was very effective off the dribble and led her club with 26 points. Penn State also made life tough for the Huskies on the defensive end. UConn came into the contest shooting 60 percent from the field. For the afternoon they shot 26 of 69 for a 38 percent mark.

“There are a lot of good teams out there,” Auriemma said. “Penn State came in 5-4 but they can play and showed it.”

Notes

• Auriemma discussed the shooting that saw UConn make 7 of 30 from three-point range and attempt 44 percent (they normally average 31 percent) of their shots beyond the arc. “As a team I don’t know if we remembered basketball is a game of makes and misses. As a coach it’s a dilemma.” As Auriemma noted, shooters missing have to keep shooting to find their groove. Still, there is a time to look inside.
• Charles, a 6-4 junior center, has motivation for this season. “During out team meeting after losing to Stanford (in the Final Four) last spring coach (Auriemma) said we are set at the guards and wings and not sure about the middle. That motivated me and inspired me to work hard all summer.” Charles entered the game a force in the paint, averaging 16.2 ppg and 7 rebounds per outing.
• CARE foundation, involved in heart disease prevention and awareness, ran an expo at the Garden the day of the classic. Free ECG screening and blood pressure tests were available.

Among those on hand for the Classic were Maggie’s mother Marge, sister Julie and brother Jamie who made the trip in following his Pitt team’s win a day earlier. It was a special moment to see Jamie, in the white Maggie Dixon Classic shirt, help out in a post-game clinic for young players, held right on the Garden floor.
New York Mayor Bloomberg proclaimed it “Maggie Dixon Day”. Halftimes were featured with presentations and video highlights of Maggie Dixon’s career and remarks from featured guests. Following the first game Rutgers and Army players were joined on the floor by UConn and Penn State for a special presentation.
The current senior members of Army and of course head coach Dave Magarity were on that 2006 Army team that captured the Patriot League title and went to the NCAA tournament. They all have great memories and their own recollections of Maggie Dixon.
Players Megan Evans, Courtney Wright and Alex McGuire spoke about the tournament being a testament to her legacy and a celebration of a special person who truly loved life. “The classic is a celebration of her life,” Wright said. “We are taking what we got from her and passing on her legacy.”
Magarity noted the mention of Maggie, “immediately brings a smile. I have nothing but great memories working with Maggie. Our seniors were freshmen during her year here and they and everyone are all better people for having known her. Mention Maggie’s name and you see them smile. Maggie was only in their lives six months and she had that effect she had on them.”
Yes, Maggie Dixon was present six months in their day-to-day lives, but her influence is for a lifetime.

Army may not have the won-lost record to show it, but the Black Knights look like they can be a tough out in an improved Patriot League. The biggest reason is that they have a number of scoring threats to go along with being athletic. After Monday night’s win at Bryant, ten different players have scored in double figures at least once this season, with three players doing it for the first time that night.

The Black Knights are 2-7, and while they clearly have the offensive ability, the players still haven’t fully grasped how to play just yet.

“We’ve got guys that get a little eager at times,” said head coach Jim Crews. “We’re trying to get a good balance; if you’re open after one pass, shoot it, but you can’t do it six straight times. We’re trying to get a better balance of passing the ball around. Sometimes we tell them to pass it around, and they pass it around too much.”

While Brown has reloaded in the backcourt with the emergence of Adrian Williams and Peter Sullivan, it’s the development of junior big man Matt Mullery that has been the biggest key. Mullery at times looked lost on the court early in his career, then emerged as a shot-blocker last season. Now he’s a key player at the offensive end in much the same way Mark MacDonald was last year before injuries curtailed his season.

“We want to get the ball inside to him,” said head coach Jesse Agel after Mullery scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds Tuesday night. “I said it after our Northwestern game, if you have a post guy who can cause a double team, you’re in business. After we lost that game to a tremendous Northwestern team, as we’re finding out, he was that guy.”

It’s hard to really know what to make of Boston College’s 7-2 record since the Eagles haven’t exactly played the cream of the crop thus far. They entered the week with an RPI of 59 with a strength of schedule in the three-digit range, and their win over Bryant (No. 270) won’t help that. But they look like a team coming of age slowly but surely. Corey Raji continues to emerge as a consummate garbage man inside, Joe Trapani continues to fill the stat sheet (he had his second double-double of the season on Wednesday with 11 points and 10 rebounds), and some balance is developing as shown by five players scoring in double figures on Wednesday.

The next chance to get a better sense of this team will be a week from Saturday, when they host Providence after being off for final exams.

Iowa bounced back from a tough loss at Boston College last week with two straight wins. The Hawkeyes have just one senior, Cyrus Tate, playing significant minutes, and also look to have several capable of leading the team in scoring on a given night. A number of players on the team can shoot from long range, evidenced by their 42 percent clip from long range. Leading the way there are freshmen Anthony Tucker and Matt Gatens, who shoot just under 50 percent combined from behind the arc.

Eight players average at least 12 minutes per game and no one averages 30, showing how interchangeable the players are. They like the depth and feel like everyone is capable, and it’s a reflection of the coach.

“I don’t know that there’s that much difference between the guys who start the game and the guys who come off the bench,” said head coach Todd Lickliter.

The economy hit a colleague earlier in the week when, as part of a major layoff by Yahoo, Rivals.com recruiting guru Justin Young was let go. He’s one of the best in the business and among the many colleagues I enjoy catching up with while on the road covering recruiting events. I have no doubt that come next spring, I’ll see Justin while on the road as he does great work for someone else.

“Our problem was we kept looking for (Damon) Huffman and (Mark) McAndrew,” Agel quipped after Brown beat Army on Wednesday.

The team he inherits lost the two biggest pieces from last year in its starting guards, who combined for over 32 points per game last season. Anytime you lose two starting guards, it’s difficult, but it’s doubly so when those two guards were your best players and meant so much to the team, as was the case with Huffman and McAndrew.

But for Agel, who succeeds Craig Robinson and was a major part of Vermont’s recent success as Tom Brennan’s long-time top aide, there’s something just as important as the personnel.

“All we want to do is make simple basketball plays, and we get caught trying to make great plays,” said Agel. “Great plays take care of themselves, they just happen.”

As it is, the Bears do have a few good guards in place now. Senior Chris Skrelja and sophomores Peter Sullivan and Adrian Williams lead the way, with Sullivan and Williams moving into the starting lineup after being capable reserves last season. The latter two were easily the most seasoned reserves among the holdovers, with players like Garrett Leffelman and Steve Gruber being next in line.

Skrelja was a point forward-type on last season’s team and makes this team go, albeit with a different offense. On Wednesday against Army, he had 15 points and a career-high 11 assists, but more importantly, came through when it mattered. With the game tied at 63, the Bears ran off nine unanswered points to take the lead for good, and Skrelja had a layup and three assists to be directly accountable for every basket in the run.

“Chris has got a lot of pressure on him,” Agel remarked. “He’s got to handle the ball, we’re facing a lot of pressure and he’s the one guy that’s forced to have to dribble the ball all the time and make the right decisions. It’s a hard job, but it’s a job he relishes.”

For his part, Sullivan has made a big leap, and not just in the scoring column. With the shooting ability he displayed last year, no one would be surprised that he made the leap to averaging 16.2 points per game after scoring a career-high 26 on Wednesday. But he’s also leading the team in rebounding with 6.4 per game and is improving his shot efficiency of late. After shooting poorly in the first three games, he was 5-8 (including 4-6 from long range) against Northwestern, then 9-15 (including 5-9 from deep) against Army.

“I think he was feeling the pressure early on having to score for us and make big shots, and I think he’s really settled down and stepped up and made shots and rebounded,” said Agel.

Williams has quietly made the jump to a 13.2 points per game average. Add him together with veteran forwards Scott Friske and shot-blocking Matt Mullery, and the Bears don’t have a bad unit to start the game with.

Damon Huffman and Mark McAndrew aren’t walking through the locker room doors at Brown now. But the players they have, in particular the guards, are still pretty good and improving. That will be the case even more if they stick to making the simple plays the coach wants them to.

The opener for both teams at Christl Arena began as a relatively competitive affair. In the latter part of the first half, Army knocked down two three-pointers, then converted off a turnover to push the lead to double digits. After that brief run Army was never seriously challenged. The Black Knights enjoyed a comfortable double-figure lead the remainder of the afternoon.

“It was a good win and a lot of guys produced,” Crews said. “We are still searching for ways to put guys in the right combination, but that’s on me to figure out.”

Army was paced in scoring by Nathan Hedgecock with 15 points. A sophomore guard, Hedgecock has a smooth touch from the perimeter. He shot 6-of-11 from the floor and was 3-of-5 from three point land. Hedgecock knocked down a few in transition and looks more comfortable in that role rather than trying to create his own shot. Richard Cleveland, a 6-3 swingman, added 11 points.

“We lost a guy Jarell Brown (graduation) who could get us 15-20 points every night out,” Crews said. “While we don’t have anyone like Jarell, we have a few guys who on the given night can come up with that type of scoring.”

In their favor the Black Knights have a veteran cast with four players back who started at least 15 games last season. They also have that workman-like effort on the defensive end. Alex Barnett, Dartmouth’s 15 ppg scorer from a year ago, paced all scorers with 18 points. Barnett worked for his points and for the most part seemed frustrated as he shot 5 of 13 from the floor. On the afternoon, Dartmouth was 16 of 43 for 37 percent and committed 21 turnovers. Army did a good job in man to man coverage especially in weak-side defense.

“We were active on defense,” Crews said, adding, “we anticipated and took charges. These are things we should be doing because we do a lot of drilling on defense.” Not surprising for a coach who played under Bobby Knight at Indiana.

Army also showed flexibility by using point guard Marcus Nelson and Cleveland to bring the ball up the floor. Both finished with 3 assists, but having two capable floor leaders affords Crews the luxury of flexibility and the option of resting or putting one of them at the two-guard spot.

The one area that does need addressing is inside play. Chris Walker, a 6-9 junior, had two points and three rebounds in 15 minutes of action. Army struggled to finish inside and that is a concern to Crews. He adjusted and got a great deal of mileage out of a smaller lineup that got out and pushed the ball on occasion. Overall, it was an encouraging and fruitful start for an Army club that was 14-16 a year ago and made its second consecutive trip to the Patriot League semifinals.