Reply To: Re: LU preseason picks have us at #2

[LU65Participant]

To: CHC8485

I agree with your analysis and remind all board readers that I was only quoting Rivals.com. Barring injuries, I do believe HC and LU will be the last men standing as the season comes to a close on Feb 27 when of all things the Crusaders visit Bethlehem. How nice.

I remind all LU fans that CollegeHoopsNet.com has yet to rank Lehigh in their Top 144 Preseason Picks. They are presently down to #52 in their countdown. Don’t look for us to make the list. The Crusaders, on the other hand, were ranked #131. Here’s what they had to say about the gang in purple:

Holy Cross Crusaders
Overall Rank: #131
Conference Rank: #1 Patriot League
2008-09: 18-14, 11-3
2008-09 postseason: none
Coach: Sean Kearney (First year at Holy Cross, 0-0 overall)

Coach Ralph Willard decided to leave Holy Cross after turning the Crusaders into one of the most successful programs in the Patriot League. The new coach, Sean Kearney, was not named until early July, which is much later than usual, but the transition should be pretty smooth. Coach Kearney is a quality coach who spent the last eight years as the associate head coach at Notre Dame and he is stepping into a situation where he can win right away.

Key Losses: F Colin Cunningham, G Pat Doherty, F Alex Vander Baan

Key Newcomers:

Holy Cross has a nice group of freshmen coming in, but it is St. John’s transfer Mike Cavataio who will make the biggest impact right away. The 6-4 wing never saw much playing time during his one year with the Red Storm, but he is a good athlete who can score around the basket and has the potential to dominate the Patriot League. Jordan Stevens and point guard Dee Goens will compete for playing time off of the bench. The same can be said for fellow freshmen Phil Beans and Eric Obeysekere in the frontcourt. Those two will likely spend the year learning from the bench, but they will make an impact in the coming years.

Projected Starting Five:

Andrew Beinert, Junior, Guard, 8.5 points per game
R.J. Evans, Sophomore, Guard, 13.4 points per game
Mike Cavataio, Sophomore, Guard, DNP last season
Andrew Keister, Junior, Forward, 8.5 points per game
Eric Meister, Senior, Center, 6.7 points per game