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Lake
Erie College Athletics
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Coaches |
2003-04 Men's
Basketball With five seniors returning, including first-team All-AMCC selection
Tony Tibayan and third-team honoree Michael Rustifo, the Lake Erie College
men's basketball team boasts high hopes for the 2003-2004 campaign.
The Storm's veteran leadership has the potential to guide Lake Erie
to the top of the conference standings. This year's squad will look
to improve on a fourth place regular season AMCC finish and semi-final
appearance in the conference tournament while trying to break a school
record for victories, which they set last season with 12. Tibayan (Painesville, Ohio/Harvey) heads a long list of talented backcourt players that should help the team overcome the graduation of Brandon Henderson, Lake Erie's all-time leading scorer. The team's assist leader for the past two years returns as the starting point guard while Johnson, Crawford and freshman Robert Williams will battle for the starting job at the two. Johnson (Willowick, Ohio/Eastlake North) averaged 11.5 points per game as a junior while leading team with 42 three-point field goals. He also topped the AMCC in free throw percentage, shooting 84.4% from the charity stripe. Crawford, a fifth-year senior, will primarily serve as the team's sixth man, a role he has become quite familiar to filling. A defensive spark, Crawford (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood) saw action in all 26 games during each of the past two seasons. Meanwhile, Williams quietly grew into a capable starter during the Storm's preseason. The six-foot freshman, who starred at Richmond Heights High, has the abilities to control a game and should make an immediate impact. Freshmen J.D. Johnson (Warren, Ohio/Howland) and Howard Washington (Akron, Ohio/Akron North) will also look to contribute off the bench. "Every player we recruited can step in and play valuable minutes," Dolan said. "Our depth, especially at the guard spots, helps us match up with every team in the conference. Experience and playing time are the only unknowns." The Lake Erie balanced frontcourt blends a mix of seasoned post players and talented swingmen. First, the athleticism of Smith (Youngstown, Ohio/Chaney) and junior college transfer Replogle, both swingmen, balance the strength and size underneath. Replogle (Catoosa, Okla./Northeastern Oklahoma A&M) could step into the starting lineup while Smith will look to continue his steady improvement from prior seasons. Smith appeared in all 26 games last season after seeing action in 10 as a sophomore and 25 as a freshman. He has averaged 5.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in his three-year career. Replogle played two seasons at A&M, posting 5.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in less than 10 minutes per contest. Freshman Kevin Albany will also see minutes in the swingman role. Albany, an all-conference and all-county selection out of Brooklyn, Ohio, has battled injuries most of the preseason. "Athleticism and good size at this position should permit us to be more diverse on offense and defense," Dolan said. While the battle for time a the three-spot persists Dolan and his assistants, Brian Burg and Randy Bruback, will have little trouble with the post players. Rustifo (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Perry) and Malensek both return to their starting positions. Both started each of Lake Erie's 26 games last season, combining for over 20 points and nearly 10 rebounds per contest. Another fifth-year senior, Rustifo, who is 14 points away from joining the 1000-point club, posted an 11.6 scoring average while pulling down 5.8 rebounds per game. He also started all 26 games as a junior and earned honorable mention status as a freshman in the 1999-2000 season, averaging 14.2 points and 5.2 rebounds over 24 games. Meanwhile, Malensek (Burton, Ohio/Berkshire) pulled down 4.1 rebounds per game while averaging 8.9 points. The two post threats can also stretch defenses with their shooting range. Together they shot 31-of-70 (.443) from three-point range. Sophomore Dan Purcell, a teammate of Malensek at Berkshire, and the freshman duo of Jajcen Harris and Phil Stewart will also vie for minutes inside. Harris averaged 18 points per game at Villa Angela-Saint Joseph before suffering a season-ending back injury while Stewart (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) was an honorable mention all-conference selection as a senior at Euclid. Purcell saw action in five games last year for the Storm. "(Rustifo and Malensek) are two special people wo have the burning desire to lead our underclassmen," Dolan said, noting, "Each day they get more exciting to watch." With high hopes surrounding them, the Storm are set for their 16th season. Lincoln Gymnasium's final season as the home of Lake Erie athletics will begin with a non-conference match-up against Mount Union on Dec. 3 at 7:00. Prior to that the Storm will participate in two tournaments. On Friday, Nov. 21 the team will travel to Westminster (Pa.) for the Buzz Ridl Classic to face Centre, a Kentucky-based school, at 6:00. The championship and consolation games will be held the following evening at 6:00 and 8:00. The second tournament, the Cleveland Cage Classic, will take place at John Carroll University over Thanksgiving weekend. The Storm open against Hiram at 6:00 on Friday, Nov. 28 and will face either John Carroll or Case Western Reserve at 3:00 or 5:00 on Saturday, Nov. 29. "With the utmost effort, this team and coaching staff wants to bring uncharted athletic success to the Lake Erie College family," Dolan said. "We are ready for the games to begin."
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