02-17-2019, 02:13 PM
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#2
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Rookie
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Re: Coach Jervis Hailey
2007-2008 Preview
From the perspective of new St. Francis (NY) head coach Jervis Hailey, the painful start to the 2006-07 season is a distant memory. He prefers to focus on how the team he is taking over hit their stride in February, winning three straight over upper echelon teams to close out the regular season and earn an NEC Tournament berth for the 16th time in the last 17 years. However, a loss to eventual conference champion Central Connecticut State in the quarterfinals ended the season on an abrupt note.
Hailey has designs on making a serious postseason run in 2007-08, perhaps using his team’s late-season charge both as a motivational tool and as a reflection of the Terriers’ true potential. One thing is certain: with four returning starters and six of the top-seven scorers back in the fold, St. Francis will be one of the more experienced teams in the conference.
The centerpiece of the Terriers is 6’5” senior forward Robert Hines, a high octane talent who earned second team all-NEC recognition last season, his first with the program. Despite his 250 lb. frame, he sacrifices little in the way of quickness and is one of the best in the conference both in the low post and at creating his own shot off the dribble. With surprising range on his jumper and the ability to locate open teammates from the high post, Hines was clearly the Terriers’ go-to scorer a year ago when he ranked fifth in the conference with 16.5 ppg and also added 5.9 rbg and 2.4 apg.
Doing his best to feed Hines the ball will be junior guard Jamaal Womack, a 5’8 jitterbug whose tireless play and hustle often served as a momentum changer for the Terriers. He ranked third on the club with 10.6 ppg and by adding a reliable three-point shot to his arsenal, helped spread the floor and open up the middle of the lane for a team loaded with slashers. Womack finished seventh in the NEC with 67 treys on the year, including nine in a career-high 31 point outing in the Terriers’ win over Robert Morris in mid-February. Sharing playmaking duties with Womack will be 6’3” senior guard Marcus Williams. A physical player who isn’t afraid to mix it up underneath, Williams possesses outstanding court vision and led the Terriers with 2.8 apg. He also ranked seventh in the conference with 1.7 spg and averaged 8.2 ppg and 5.1 rpg on the year. Junior Otis Campbell, a 6’2”, 215 lb. guard who was a former high school teammate of Williams at powerhouse St. Anthony’s in New Jersey, will be a welcome addition to the backcourt after sitting out last season with injuries.
A pair of experienced hands will flank Hines in the frontcourt in senior Bassith Yessoufou and junior John Gooden. Active on both ends of the floor, the lithe, 6’9” Yessoufou (5.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg) started 25 games for St. Francis last season, hitting 53.2 percent shots from the floor to lead the team. The rugged Gooden (4.6 rpg, 3.9 rpg) has a nose for the hoop and at 6’6”, 220 lbs., has provided the Terriers with a spark off the bench in each of the last two years. Athletic swingman Kayode Ayeni (3.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg) came on strong in his freshman season, displaying terrific leaping skills and the ability to convert in the open court. Others looking to break into the regular frontcourt rotation include senior three-point specialist Sami Pekkola and sophomores David Burton and Rainier Rickards.
While the Terriers were the top rebounding team in the NEC last season with a +3.9 margin, St. Francis made it a priority to shore up the team’s outside shooting in the offseason. St. Francis shot just 41.2 percent from the field in 2006-07, but that could be remedied with the addition of 6’3” freshman guard Rocco Rubino, one of New York City’s top three-point shooters last season when he was selected to the CHSAA first team after averaging 15.0 ppg at Archbishop Molloy. Another backcourt addition, 6’2” Ricky Cadell, is a polished point guard prospect who finished his senior season at The Patterson School in North Carolina averaging 15.0 ppg, 7.0 apg and 5.0 rpg. St. Francis added a third guard over the summer in 5’8” Lateef Willis out of Cardinal Hayes in the Bronx.
Projected Starters
Jamaal Womack (G): 10.6 ppg, 1.8 apg, 67 3PFG
Marcus Williams (G): 8.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.8 apg
Otis Campbell (G): injured last season
Robert Hines (F): 16.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.4 apg
David Burton (F): 1.1 ppg, 1.2 rpg
St. Francis (NY) Roster
No
| Player
| Pos
| Ht
| Wt
| Yr
| Hometown
| 1
| Rainier Rickards
| G
| 6-5
| 195
| SO
| Queens, NY
| 2
| Otis Campbell
| G
| 6-2
| 215
| JR
| Trenton, NJ
| 3
| Jamaal Womack
| G
| 5-8
| 170
| JR
| Brooklyn, NY
| 4
| Lateef Willis
| G
| 5-8
| 150
| FR
| Brooklyn, NY
| 5
| Marcus Williams
| G
| 6-3
| 220
| SR
| Camden, NJ
| 10
| Sami Pekkola
| F
| 6-7
| 220
| SR
| Croatia
| 11
| Ricky Cadell
| G
| 6-2
| 175
| FR
| Wilmington, NC
| 13
| Robert Hines
| F
| 6-5
| 250
| SR
| East Rutherford, NJ
| 20
| Bassith Yessoufou
| C
| 6-9
| 218
| SR
| Cameroon
| 21
| David Burton
| F
| 6-5
| 220
| SO
| Philadelphia, PA
| 32
| Kayode Ayeni
| F
| 6-5
| 180
| SO
| Bronx, NY
| 44
| John Gooden
| F
| 6-6
| 220
| JR
| Bronx, NY
| 45
| Rocco Rubino
| G
| 6-3
| 170
| FR
| Brooklyn, NY
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2007-08 Schedule
N 9 - Hartford
N 14 - at St. John’s
N 17 - at Maine
N 21 - Hofstra
N 24 - at Manhattan
N 28 - Fairfield
D 2 - Ohio
D 6 - at QUINNIPIAC
D 8 - at WAGNER
D 10 - at Columbia
D 15 - at Albany
D 22 - at South Florida
D 29 - Navy
J 3 - MOUNT ST. MARY’S
J 5 - C. CONNECTICUT
J 10 - at LONG ISLAND
J 12 - at F. DICKINSON
J 17 - QUINNIPIAC
J 19 - MONMOUTH
J 24 - at SAINT FRANCIS (PA)
J 26 - at ROBERT MORRIS
J 31 - at MOUNT ST. MARY’S
F 2 - SACRED HEART
F 9 - at C. CONNECTICUT
F 14 - SAINT FRANCIS (PA)
F 16 - ROBERT MORRIS
F 21 - at SACRED HEART
F 23 - F. DICKINSON
F 28 - LONG ISLAND
Preseason Top 25 - Oct 28, 2007
#1 Kansas
#2 North Carolina
#3 Memphis
#4 Michigan St.
#5 Louisville
#6 Georgetown
#7 UCLA
#8 Tennessee
#9 Duke
#10 Marquette
#11 Wisconsin
#12 Kentucky
#13 Arizona
#14 Pittsburgh
#15 Oregon
#16 Texas A&M
#17 Arkansas
#18 Texas
#19 Florida St.
#20 Indiana
#21 Illinois
#22 Clemson
#23 Ohio St.
#24 Syracuse
#25 Georgia Tech
Northeast Conference Preseason Poll
#1 Robert Morris
#2 Wagner
#3 Sacred Heart
#4 Central Connecticut State
#5 Quinnipiac
#6 Long Island
#7 Saint Francis (PA)
#8 Monmouth
#9 Fairleigh Dickinson
#10 Mount Saint Mary’s
#11 Saint Francis (NY)
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