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General Information Location. Newark, Delaware 19716 Administration President: Dr. David P. Roselle Sports Medicine/Athletic Training Sports Medicine Physician: Dr. Vincent
Disabella Sports Information Sports Information Director: Scott Selheimer 1999-2000 Men's Basketball Team Information Head Coach: Mike Brey (George Washington '82) Mike Pegues (Sr., F, 6-5, 21.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 49.5% FG,
78.2% FT; America East Player of the Year; 2nd team
All-ECAC; 1st team All-NABC District III Team) Starters Lost : 2 John Bennett (C, 6-10, 7.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 93 blocks) Other Lettermen Returning: 6 Kestutis Marciulionis (Sr., G, 6-2, 12.0 ppg, 39.4% 3 pt.
FG) Other Lettermen Lost: 3 Fred Gonzalez (F, 6-9, 0.8 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 13 games) Newcomers: 3 Billy Wells (Jr., G, 6-2, Transfer from Tulane) Transfers (Ineligble in 1999-2000 per NCAA Transfer Rules): 3 Ajmal Basit (Sr., C, 6-9, Brooklyn, NY; tranfer from
Massachusetts) 1999-2000 Delaware Men's Basketball Outlook
Well-Stocked Blue Hens
Eyeing Third Straight League Crown;
The University of Delaware men's basketball team has electrified the First State, winning back-to-back America East Conference titles and making two straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Now the 1999-2000 Blue Hens really want to do something special. And the good news for UD fans, and bad news for Blue Hen opponents, is that this year's squad may be the best ever to hit the hardwood at Delaware. Head coach Mike Brey, who has orchestrated a magical two-year stretch in Newark, is confident he has the team that can not only capture a third straight America East title, but also make some noise in the NCAA Tournament. The facts certainly support his confidence. The Hens, who shared their second straight league regular season title a year ago, posted the second best mark in school history in 1998-99, going 25-6 and rolling through the league tournament. The Hens, who received votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll during the season, earned the No. 13 seed in the NCAA East Regionals in Charlotte, NC before falling to fourth seed and 20th-ranked Tennessee 62-52. Granted, the Hens have suffered casualties. The 6-10 John Bennett, a three-year backup who moved into a starting role just before the season and simply led America East in rebounding (8.4 rpg) and blocked shots (93); and point guard Tyrone Perry (8.6 ppg), the heart of last year's squad who never missed a game or practice during his career, have both graduated. The steady influence of those co-captains will certainly be felt, although Perry will still be with the team as an assistant coach this season. But a strong nucleus, headed by America East Player of the Year Mike Pegues and All-America East guard John Gordon, returns to place the excitement in the Delaware camp at a fever pitch. "It certainly has been exciting around here the last two years," said Brey, who has led the Blue Hens to a four-year record of 75-44. "With back to back championships and sellout crowds, basketball has really become the thing to do in the state of Delaware. We've got a veteran club coming back and we can certainly challenge for the league title once again. Our kids have talked all spring about winning another title, getting back to the NCAA Tournament, and maybe doing something special. They've seen what the Valparaisos and the Gonzagas of the world have done. They want a little more. We've shared the conference regular season title the last two years so winning it outright this year is something we are focusing on. But winning an NCAA Tournament game is something this group certainly is capable of doing." The excitement revolves around Pegues, a 6-5 forward with uncanny inside moves who ranked 18th in the nation a year ago with a 21.6 point per game scoring average; the homegrown Gordon, who transferred home from Maine and thrilled fans with his deadly outside shooting; super-sub Kestutis Marciulionis, who always provided just the right spark the Blue Hens needed; and the athletic Darryl Presley, a former America East Tournament MVP who returns after missing all of last season for academic reasons. "We have an outstanding senior class that's not only talented but also gives us great leadership," said Brey. "Mike Pegues is such a complete player who gives us a great threat in the low-post. With Gordon we have one of the clutch players in the nation. I can't believe there is a better shooter in college basketball today. And Marciulionis is an explosive scorer who can really get you going." Pegues, a two-time first team All-America East selection, set school records for points and field goals in 1998-99 when he averaged a league-leading 21.8 points per game and scored 30 or more eight times. A first team NABC All-District and second team All-East forward, Pegues has outstanding moves inside and possesses great foot work despite his burly 6-5, 240 lb. frame. He enters the season needing just 351 points to pass Greg Smith (1,712 points in 1993-97) as the Hens' all-time leading scorer. Gordon, a 5-10 guard, returned to his home state after playing two seasons at league foe University of Maine and made the Bob Carpenter Center his own private shooting gallery. Gordon averaged 15.6 points per game, earned first team All-America East honors, and was the America East Tournament MVP as he averaged 22.6 in three games. He hit a school record 86 three pointers, connecting on 46.2 percent of his shots. In the month of February alone he connected on 35 of 54 (.648) shots from beyond the three-point arc and averaged 22.9 ppg. Marciulionis, a 6-2 senior lefthander, provided the spark off the bench for the Hens before taking over the full-time starting guard spot for the final 11 games. He averaged 12.0 ppg, including a 33-point outburst in a mid-season home win over league foe Drexel. Presley, a transfer from the University of Virginia and a high school teammate of Pegues at famed DeMatha, was an instant hit for the Hens in 1997-98, averaging 12.9 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game and earning America East Tournament MVP honors. But he was dismissed from school just days before the 1998-99 opener for violating the UD Academic Code. After spending the spring at a local community college, the athletic 6-6 forward returns at full force hoping to dominate the boards as he did the year before. Other Blue Hen players to watch include 6-4 junior swingman Greg Miller, a part-time starter the last two seasons who averaged 7.1 ppg and hit on 27 of 84 three-pointers a year ago. Junior 6-0 lefthander Billy Wells, who becomes eligible after transferring from Tulane, will take over the starting point guard spot vacated by Perry. Wells, a high school All-American at Dunbar HS in Baltimore, played two seasons as a key backup for the Green Wave before coming to Delaware. He gives the Blue Hens an instant leader with great ballhandling skills and scoring ability. Senior Madou Diouf, a 6-5 forward/guard, returns to reek havoc on defense and on the offensive boards once again. The Senegal native, who averaged 4.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game a year ago, has used his cat-like quickness and long arms to play a key role off the bench. He can also run the point. Senior Ndongo Ndiaye, the first seven-footer (7-1) in school history, looks to show continued improvement this winter after seeing limited action in his first season as a Blue Hen in 1998-99. A two-year backup at Providence, the Senegal native played in 20 games a year ago after becoming eligible after the fall semester. He averaged 2.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game and also blocked 11 shots while showing flashes of becoming a dominant big-man within the conference. Also returning for the Hens is 6-1 junior Dave Arnold, an athletic guard and three-point threat who scored seven points in 13 games a year ago. In addition to Wells, newcomers to the Hens this year are 6-8 freshman forward Dave Hindenlang and 6-1 freshman guard Austen Rowland. Both will provide solid backup support while working into the Delaware system. Hindenlang starred at Hilltop High School in Johnstown, PA where he also was a standout goalkeeper in soccer. Rowland, a point guard with great scoring and three-point shooting potential, was a standout at Pallotti High School this past season. The Blue Hens, who will host the America East Tournament at the Bob Carpenter Center for the fifth straight year in March, will face another challenging schedule in 1999-2000. Delaware will host 13 home games at the friendly confines of the 5,000-seat Bob Carpenter Center, opening the season with 1998-99 CAA champion and NCAA Tournament participant George Mason. The Hens will open America East play at home as well, hosting Vermont Dec. 11. The Hens will take to the road at the end of December, playing in the prestigious Fiesta Bowl Classic. Delaware will take on Southeast Conference contender Alabama while host Arizona will take on UNC Wilmington in the other first round game.
• TRIPLE CROWN? The Blue Hens will be shooting for their third straight America East Conference crown and NCAA Tournament berth and fifth NCAA bid this decade entering the 1999-2000 season. The Hens, who also advanced to the NCAA's in 1992 and 1993, will try to become just the third team in America East history to win three straight league tournament titles. Drexel won three straight league titles in 1994-96 while Northeastern won four straight in 1994-97. Drexel is the only America East team to win an NCAA Tournament game in the last 10 years having downed No. 5 seed Memphis in 1996. • TOP OF THE PECKING ORDER: Since Mike Brey took over the head coaching reigns at Delaware in 1995-96, only one team in the 10-team America East Conference has finished in the top half of the league standings each year - Delaware. The Hens are 46-26 (.639) in league play during that period. • DC Connection: The Delaware basketball team has a strong nation's capital flavor. Mike Brey, a Rockville, MD native, played and coached at famed DeMatha High School. Senior forwards Mike Pegues and Darryl Presley are also DeMatha products as is third year assistant coach Kenny Blakeney, a former player at Duke under Brey. Freshman Austen Rowland, a native of Hyattsville, MD who played at Pallotti HS, a DeMatha rival, adds to the Delaware-D.C. connection this season. • PACKING THE HOUSE: The Bob Carpenter Center has become the place to be in the state of Delaware. The BCC, which opened in 1992-93, hosted record crowds during the 1998-99 season. Delaware averaged a league-leading 4,815 fans (96.3 percent of capacity) for 14 home games last season, selling out nine times. Standing room crowds of 5,209 were on hand for the Hens' three America East Tournament games. Not surprisingly, Delaware has won 23 of its last 24 games at the Bob Carpenter Center and carry an eight-game home winning streak into the 1999-2000 season. The Hens will host the first three rounds of the America East Tournament for the fifth straight year this March. • MILESTONES: Mike Pegues enters the 1999-2000 season with 1,363 career points to rank No. 7 all-time at Delaware, 350 shy of the UD record 1,713 scored by forward Greg Smith in 1994-97...John Gordon has now scored 1,319 career collegiate points, including 854 in two seasons at the University of Maine...Mike Brey's 75 coaching rank him fourth all-time at Delaware. • STATS AND STUFF: Delaware continues to be one of the nation's top free throw shooting teams. The Hens have never shot lower than 71 percent over the last four seasons, shooting .741 in 1995-96 (12th in NCAA), .749 in 1996-97 (4th in NCAA), .717 in 1997-98 (2nd in America East), and .726 (2nd in America East) last season....during the 1998-99 season, the Hens ranked in the top five in every America East statistical category, leading in scoring margin (+9.5) and field goal pct. defense (.408) and ranking second in scoring (77.2), field goal pct. (.471), free throw pct. (.726), and three-point shooting (.372)...Greg Miller's younger brother, Dan, was one of the nation's top freshmen last season playing at the University of Maryland......the Blue Hens' 13-game winning streak last season was the second longest in school history...during the streak, the Hens won by an average of 17.1 points per game.
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