Aug. 14, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- With exactly three months to go prior to the November 14 season opener at Maryland, head coach Dave Paulsen and the new Bucknell men's basketball staff are hard at work recruiting and preparing for the upcoming campaign.
Here is a summer splash of basketball information for those who can't wait for hoops to get started.
Complete Summer Prospectus in PDF Format 
New Era of Bison Basketball Begins
After the offseason retirement of 14-year head coach Pat Flannery, a new era of Bison Basketball begins in 2008-09 as Dave Paulsen takes over on the Bucknell sideline.
Paulsen, who will become Bucknell's 20th head men's basketball coach, led Williams College to the 2003 Division III national championship. In eight years at Williams, he posted a 170-53 (.762) record and was twice named the National Coach of the Year. Paulsen has also been the head coach at LeMoyne (1997-2000) and St. Lawrence (1994-97), and in 14 years as a head coach has produced a record of 262-120 (.680).
Also New to the Bench
With Dave Paulsen at the helm, Bucknell will have a completely new coaching staff this season. During the offseason Paulsen announced the hiring of assistant coaches Dane Fischer, Tim Sweeney and Michael Cotton, along with manager of basketball operations Aaron Kelly.
A Look Back at 2007-08
Coming off three consecutive 20-win seasons, hopes were high for Bucknell entering the 2007-08 campaign, even with the graduation of the winningest class in program history (Chris McNaughton, Donald Brown, Abe Badmus). However, a rash of key injuries and some offensive struggles prevented a fourth straight season at the top of the Patriot League, and the Bison finished 12-19 overall, 6-8 in the PL.
Senior co-captain Darren Mastropaolo, one of the team's emotional leaders and a key frontcourt veteran, tore an ACL in a summer pick-up game and was lost for half the season. Sharpshooter Jason Vegotsky missed most of the preseason and the first seven games of the regular season with stress fracture in his foot, and like Mastropaolo, Vegotsky was never really 100 percent even after returning. Another senior captain, sixth-man Rob Thomas, injured a knee early in the season opener and missed most of the year. And center Josh Linthicum, the heir apparent to McNaughton, had turned the corner with some outstanding play around the December holidays, but he too injured a knee and was out for much of the Patriot League schedule.
As a result, coach Pat Flannery was left with an unsettled rotation for most of the year. Eleven players started at least two games, an almost unheard-of number in recent team history. But despite the adversity, the team still had plenty of big wins.
Bucknell began the season with victories over Albany and Towson, then led No. 24 Villanova for most of the game before falling 70-64 in the third game of the season. An offensive slide followed, however, leading to a four-game losing streak. In December, the Bison enjoyed a one-point, comeback win over La Salle and a rout of Cornell, which would later run the table in the Ivy League. In January, the Bison won their first three Patriot League games, including a win over eventual league champion American and a solid road win at arch-rival Holy Cross.
On Jan. 26 the Bison defeated Colgate 65-61 at home, but they would only win three more times the rest of the way, all three coming in overtime.
The last of those victories was one of the most exciting in program history, an 87-86 triple-overtime thriller over Navy in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals. John Griffin's bank shot from just inside halfcourt at the final buzzer was the game-winner. The Bison trailed by 17 in the second half of that game before staging a late rally, and they tried to overcome another 17-point deficit in the semifinals at Colgate, but they could only get as close as four, thus falling short of the championship game for the first time in four years.
KEY RETURNEES:
Patrick Behan (Jr., F): Behan is a rangy "4" man who was one of the team's top players early in his sophomore year before slumping a bit in midseason. His ability to stroke long and mid-range jumpers and skills around the basket make him a key figure heading into 2008-09.
G.W. Boon (So., G/F): Boon is coming off a solid freshman year, when he played nearly 17 minutes per game as a reserve wing. A physically strong and gifted athlete, Boon has a good-looking lefty stroke, and he has showed signs of becoming an outstanding defender.
Justin Castleberry (Sr., G): One of the league's most improved players as a sophomore, Castleberry backed it up with a solid 2007-08 campaign in a more expanded role. He started 22 games and averaged 10.9 points per game. A very good outside shooter, Castleberry is also adept at driving the ball and getting to the foul line.
Zach Evans (Jr., F): Evans has played a reserve role during his first two years at Bucknell. Last year, his 36 total minutes came primarily at the "4" spot.
Josh Linthicum (Sr., C): Linthicum's confidence was soaring after a wonderful, all-tournament performance at the Cal Golden Bear Classic last December, but not long after he dislocated a kneecap and his promising season was derailed. With the graduation of Darren Mastropaolo and the transfer of Todd O'Brien to St. Joseph's, Linthicum will be the most seasoned of any of Bucknell's post players this winter.
Darryl Shazier (So., G): Shazier finished the 2007-08 season as Bucknell's starting point guard, quite a feat for a freshman. His ball-handling skills and his on-ball defense were mostly first-rate for a rookie, and this year he will be looking to round out the rest of his offensive game. Shazier struggled with his jump shot at times last season, although he did stroke two last-second 3-pointers to send games into overtime. Shazier has the potential to be one of the league's top floor generals.
Stephen Tyree (Jr., G/F): The 2007-08 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, Tyree did a little bit of everything for the Bison last season, which was his first as a starter. On defense he marked all types of opponents, including some much bigger foes at times. Offensively, Tyree has not yet been a prolific scorer (7.0 ppg last year), but he averaged a shade under 10 ppg in league games and shot a whopping 66.7 percent from the field against PL opponents.
Jason Vegotsky (Sr., G): One of the league's best 3-point shooters, Vegotsky will be looking to bounce back from a tough junior year in which he was never fully healthy. When physically 100 percent, he is a deadly shooter who has hit a number of pressure shots for the Bison late in close games.
New Faces:
The Bison will welcome four new faces this season. Early signees Enoch Andoh (6'8" post), Bryan Cohen (6'5" guard) and Probese Leo (6'9" post) join the squad, as will recruited walk-on Ryan Ebner (6'7" forward). Andoh starred for powerful Archbishop Mitty H.S. in San Jose, Calif. Cohen played at Abington Friends H.S. in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Leo, a native of the Bahamas, played high school ball in Houston, and Ebner, who will also play baseball at Bucknell, is a 2008 graduate of The Hill School in Pottstown, Pa.
Bison Open 2008-09 Season at Maryland
Non-conference games against teams from seven different conferences, including two from the Atlantic Coast Conference and three from the Atlantic 10, highlight Bucknell's 2008-09 men's basketball schedule. The Bison have 13 home contests scheduled, and they could add a 14th if they are picked as a home team for the ESPNU BracketBusters event in late February.
Dave Paulsen will make his debut on the Bucknell sideline on Friday, Nov. 14 when the Bison visit Maryland. It will be the first meeting between the Bison and Terrapins since the 1994-95 season, and it will be Bucknell's first visit to the six-year-old Comcast Center.
Bucknell's home opener is slated for Tuesday, Nov. 18 when Boston University makes its very first trip to Lewisburg in men's basketball. The two teams have met just once previously, that a Bison win in the 2005 Cable Car Classic, hosted by Santa Clara.
Other non-conference home games come on Nov. 25 against Old Dominion, Nov. 29 against Wagner, Dec. 9 against Binghamton, Dec. 20 against Drexel and Dec. 30 opposite St. Bonaventure. The Old Dominion game is a rematch of last year's BracketBusters game, won by the Monarchs in Norfolk, Va. Wagner is coming off a 23-8 season, including a 15-3 record in the Northeast Conference. Bucknell and Binghamton will be battling for the very first time, while Drexel and St. Bonaventure will be visiting Bucknell for the first time since 1991 and 1994, respectively.
In addition to the season-opener at Maryland, the Bison will have non-league road games on Nov. 22 at Saint Francis (Pa.), Dec. 2 at La Salle, Dec. 6 at Wake Forest, Dec. 22 at Richmond, Dec. 29 at Marist, Jan. 3 at Ohio and Jan. 6 at defending Ivy League champion Cornell. Richmond is another new addition to the schedule. The Bison and Spiders have played just once previously, a Richmond win in 1958. Six of Bucknell's eight non-league road games come against teams that had winning records last season, including Ohio and Cornell who both won 20 or more games.
Bucknell's 19th season of Patriot League competition kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 10 with a road game at Navy, the site of the Bison's thrilling triple-overtime win in the 2008 Patriot League Tournament semifinals. Another tough road test follows four days later against defending PL champion American.
The Patriot League home slate begins with a Saturday night (Jan. 17) home game against arch-rival Holy Cross. Lafayette and Colgate round out a three-game homestand, followed by three straight on the road against Lehigh, Army and Colgate. The regular-season wraps up with home games against Lehigh and Army.
For the fourth straight year, Bucknell will participate in ESPN's BracketBusters event. The "mid-major" showcase will take place on Saturday, Feb. 21, at a time and location to be determined. Bucknell is 1-2 in previous BracketBusters appearances, including a double-overtime loss at Northern Iowa in 2006, a home win over Towson in 2007 and a loss at Old Dominion last season.
The Patriot League Tournament will once again be played exclusively on the campuses of the higher-seeded teams. The 2009 quarterfinal round is scheduled for Wednesday, March 4, followed by the semifinals on Sunday, March 8 and the championship game on Friday, March 13.
NEWS & NOTES
TOURNAMENT SUCCESS: Bucknell has an all-time record of 24-16 in 18 Patriot League Tournaments. Bucknell has beaten every team in the league at least once in the postseason. The Bison have reached the championship game six times, including wins in 2005 and 2006, and reached at least the semifinals in 15 of 18 years. Bison PL Tourney Log Year Seed Results 1991 4 def. Army 67-49; lost Fordham 82-76 1992 2 def. Army 74-55; def. Holy Cross 86-77; lost Fordham 70-65 1993 1 def. Lehigh 69-65; def. Colgate 75-73; lost Holy Cross 98-73 1994 5 lost Holy Cross 96-91 1995 2 lost Army 94-78 1996 4 def. Lafayette 56-55; lost Colgate 67-61 1997 2 def. Lehigh 84-54; def. Colgate 71-58; lost Navy 76-75 1998 3 def. Holy Cross 60-56; lost Navy 80-61 1999 3 def. Holy Cross 76-52; def. Lehigh 58-50; lost Lafayette 67-63 2000 3 lost Lehigh 73-62 2001 6 def. Colgate 75-68; lost Navy 88-64 2002 3 def. Army 70-59; lost Holy Cross 64-57 2003 5 def. Lehigh 52-47; lost Holy Cross 75-50 2004 4 def. Holy Cross 66-60; lost Lehigh 60-45 2005 2 def. Lafayette 70-34; def. American 53-35; def. Holy Cross 61-57 2006 1 def. Army 59-47; def. American 64-50; def. Holy Cross 74-59 2007 2 def. Navy 62-43; def. Army 68-47; lost Holy Cross 74-66 2008 7 def. Navy 87-86 (3OT); lost Colgate 54-40 championship games in bold.
SIDELINE STABILITY: Introducing a new head coach has not been a common occurrence at Bucknell. In fact, from 1975-76 through 2007-08 -- a 32-year span -- the Bison had only two head coaches, Charlie Woollum (1975-94) and Pat Flannery (1994-2008).
SUB-.500 PL RECORD A RARITY: Bucknell finished 6-8 in Patriot League play last season, marking only the third time in 18 Patriot League seasons the team has finished under .500 in the league. The Bison had been 38-4 in league play in the previous three seasons combined, and they are 162-76 (.681) in Patriot League regular-season games, the best record of any league team. Season Rec. Pct. Reg. Ssn. Fin. 1990-91 7-5 .583 4th 1991-92 11-3 .786 2nd 1992-93 13-1 .929 1st 1993-94 6-8 .429 5th 1994-95 11-3 .786 1st (T) 1995-96 8-4 .667 3rd (T) 1996-97 9-3 .750 2nd 1997-98 8-4 .667 3rd 1998-99 9-3 .750 2nd (T) 1999-00 8-4 .667 3rd 2000-01 4-8 .333 5th (T) 2001-02 8-6 .571 3rd (T) 2002-03 7-7 .500 5th 2003-04 9-5 .643 3rd (T) 2004-05 11-3 .786 2nd 2005-06 14-0 1.000 1st 2006-07 13-1 .929 1st (T) 2007-08 6-8 .429 5th (T)
ALL-LEAGUE HONORS: Bucknell had three players earn postseason honors last season. Senior John Griffin was named to the All-Patriot League First Team, sophomore Stephen Tyree was picked as the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and freshman Todd O'Brien was named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team. Tyree was Bucknell's second PL Defensive Player of the Year in the four-year history of the award. Bucknell has now had a first team all-conference player in 24 of the last 25 years, dating back to its days in the East Coast Conference.
TYREE ON TARGET: Stephen Tyree displayed the best basketball of his career once the calendar flipped over to 2008 last season. Tyree had never before scored in double figures, but he did it in 10 of the last 18 games, including a 16-point outburst at Colgate. In those final 18 games, Tyree shot 55-for-87 (.632) from the field. In 14 league games he shot 66.7% (46-69) from the field, No. 1 in the PL. He also ranked fifth in the league in assists (3.6) and assist-turnover ratio (1.38) in Patriot League play.
VEGOTSKY ON THE LIST: Senior guard Jason Vegotsky enters the 2008-09 campaign with 107 career 3-point field goals. That figure is tied for 11th (with Jake Ramage) on Bucknell's career chart, and is just three shy of the top 10.
CASTLEBERRY UPS PRODUCTION: Another rising senior guard, Justin Castleberry, is coming off his most productive season in Orange & Blue. Castleberry set career highs in every statistical category last year, when he became a starter for the first time. Castleberry scored 22 points in a game three times and averaged 10.9 ppg for the season, second on the team to John Griffin.
LINTHICUM ALL-TOURNEY AT CAL: Center Josh Linthicum had the best week of his career at the Golden Bear Classic in Berkeley, Calif., last December. He finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds against North Dakota State and nine points and 12 rebounds in a win over Long Beach State in the consolation game. Linthicum, who also had a double-double against Wake Forest earlier in the month, was named to the all-tournament team at Cal.
GRIFFIN'S MIRACLE SHOT GETS MAJOR HITS: John Griffin's amazing last-second shot from just inside halfcourt that gave the Bison an 87-86 triple-overtime win over Navy in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals was replayed countless times across the country on ESPN and other outlets. The play, accompanied by Doug Birdsong's breathless radio call, was ESPN's No. 1 play of the day, and as of July 22, the video clip had been viewed about 32,000 times on YouTube.
