St. Peter's Preview
November 18, 2004 03:14 PM | General
November 18, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Fans coming to see West Virginia’s season-opener Saturday night against St. Peter’s will witness college basketball’s most prolific scorer.
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| D'or Fischer scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in last Monday's exhibition win against Pan American University.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
He’s Keydren Clark, a 5-foot-10 product of New York City’s Rice High School, who led the nation in scoring last year with an average of 26.7 points per game. Clark was the first sophomore since Larry Fogle of Canisius to win the national scoring title in 1974 and the first Division I scoring champion from a New Jersey school since Seton Hall’s Nick Werkan did it in 1963.
Through two full seasons Clark has already scored 1,497 career points to put him seventh on the Peacock’s career scoring list. Clark is only 246 points shy of the school career record and should get that sometime before January.
Last year Clark made 233 of 562 field goal attempts for 41.5 percent, including 112 of 295 three-point tries (38.0 percent). Clark reached the 30-point level nine times and scored at least 20 points in 25 of 29 games.
“They have probably the most exciting player in the country,” said West Virginia coach John Beilein. “I don’t know if we’re ready or not but we’re going to find out.”
St. Peter’s won 17 of 29 games and finished third with Fairfield in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference behind Manhattan and Niagara.
This year St. Peter’s is picked to finish sixth in the MAAC behind Manhattan, Fairfield, Niagara, Iona and Rider.
The Peacocks will be without three players that helped it to a 17-12 record last year. Sophomore guard Shane Nichols, the older brother of WVU freshman guard Darris Nichols, was the team’s second-leading scorer last year but has since transferred to Wofford.
According to the Jersey Journal, 6-foot-6 senior forward Ron Yates is serving an eight-game administrative suspension after averaging 10 points and five rebounds per game in 2004. And 6-foot-7 senior Jamie Sowers (10.3 ppg., 6.4 rpg.) is academically ineligible for the first semester and may not return to school at all.
“It’s going to be a difficult start, especially in the non-conference games,” said St. Peter’s coach Bob Leckie, who led the school to its best finish in almost a decade last season.
Peacock players that should see more duty now include senior guards Corey Hinnant and Terrence Watrkins and 6-foot-9 Ivan Bozovic and 6-foot-11 Kinzey Reeves.
Watkins was the most productive of the group last year, averaging 7.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Hinnant played in all 29 games and averaged 4.7 points per game.
St. Peter’s plays an up-tempo style averaging 75.7 points per contest. The Peacocks also gave up and average of 75.3 points per game.
“They are very, very quick,” said Beilein. “They’re a lot like the Northeastern team we saw last year which we paid a very big price in that game.”
West Virginia will be at full strength for its home opener Saturday and hopes to avoid the same result as last year’s home opener when WVU dropped a 91-84 decision to Northeastern.
All five starters from last year’s 17-14 NIT team are back. Six-eleven center D’or Fischer led the team in scoring with an average of 10.8 points per game. Fischer is the top returning shot blocker in the Big East with 124 swats.
Six-seven forward Tyrone Sally boosted his scoring average to 10.2 points per game, while 6-foot-10 forward Kevin Pittsnogle averaged 10.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
The backcourt returns intact with 6-foot-6 Joe Herber manning the off-guard position while 5-foot-10 junior J.D. Collins handles the point.
Six-four St. Bonaventure transfer Mike Gansey made headway during the team’s European trip and during preseason practices and may work his way into the lineup.
Promising freshmen Darris Nichols and Luke Bonner should also see plenty of action, along with sophomore forward Frank Young and junior sharp-shooter Patrick Beilein.
“I think we’re a little more athletic, especially with Mike and Darris Nichols. They give us that little more quickness that we did not have in the past and sometimes it is that amount that makes a difference,” Beilein said.
After Monday’s exhibition game Beilein still wasn’t sure which five he’s going to start Saturday.
“If we play small then who do you come off the bench with?” asked Beilein. “That means Kevin comes off the bench and then who comes in with him? You want to make sure you have three or four scorers (in the game) and guys with good quickness. I think we’re getting pretty close but what order they go in is probably the difference.
“Starting should not be the goal,” Beilein added. “Playing time and contributing should be the goal.”
Gansey was the team’s top scorer in its only public exhibition game of the fall, scoring 22 points Monday night against Pan American University. Fischer contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Tickets can be purchased by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office toll-free at 1-800-WVU GAME or by logging onto MSNsportsNET.com.
Tip off for Saturday’s game is 7 pm.
