MAAC report

SportsLine.com Report
April 10, 2000

How do you replace 41 points worth of production from your guard tandem? That was the dilemma facing Purple Eagle coach Joe Mihalich, whose team tied for the regular season title in his first season at the helm.

Year two was not likely to be as smooth, as Jeremiah Johnson and Alvin Young, the nation's leading scorer in 1998-'99, were gone.

Enter Daryl Greene and Demond Stewart. While neither led the conference, much less the nation, in scoring, the duo actually produced more scoring than Johnson and Young, accounting for the majority of the offense.

Senior swingman Nate Bernosky also produced for Niagara, giving Mihalich a lethal perimeter trio, but unfortunately, the pieces inside just weren't there.

Shey Cohen was injured for most of the year, forcing Luis Villafane, Peter Strobl, and Christos DeFoudis to handle the center spot. None of them had more than slight success. Terry Edwards had a disappointing senior season as well, leaving Mihalich very little inside.

Despite that, the Purple Eagle guards nearly had enough to upset their way through the MAAC Tournament, blasting past Marist in an 83-65 quarterfinal victory, before falling 90-88 on last-second heroics by regular season champ Siena, which the Purple Eagles had on the ropes for the entire contest.

A glance at 2001

Greene and Stewart will be back, which means Niagara will be in contention. How good the Purple Eagles are will depend on the development of the frontcourt. Cohen, a heavily recruited junior from Jerusalem, Israel, could provide the difference, while fellow imports DeFoudis and Villafane got valuable experience last year that will hopefully pay off.

The Coach

Mihalich has established the type of offense he wants, relying on terrific guard play as the main ingredient. In his two-year stint, Mihalich has recorded 17-12 marks in both seasons, and has a regular season title under his belt.

Who'll Be Back

The backcourt of Greene and Stewart returns, and top backup point Rhossi Carron joins them. Up front, DeFoudis, Cohen, and Villafane are all back, as are 6-foot-10 Paul de Wet and former starter Danny Amponsah, who barely saw spot duty last year.

Who's Gone

Bernosky is the biggest loss as he takes away the only point production Niagara got from a frontcourt player, even though he was a taller guard. Edwards and Strobl, who both had disappointing senior seasons, leave the frontcourt dilemmas to the returnees. Luke Dobrich, a backup guard, also graduated.

Key Newcomers

Forward James Reeves may be the answer to Niagara's interior woes. The Rochester, NY product is physically built to provide the answer, entering the collegiate ranks at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds.