Team preview: Niagara
Blue Ribbon Yearbook previews the 2009-10 season, exclusively on Insider
Editor's Note: ESPN Insider has teamed with Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook to provide a comprehensive look at all 334 Division I teams. To order the complete 2009-10 edition of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, visit www.blueribbonyearbookonline.com or call 1-877-807-4857.
(Information in this team report is as of Oct. 1.)
COACH AND PROGRAM
Thousands of acts have performed in the Niagara Falls area over the years, and few have enjoyed a run as successful as the Niagara University basketball team's last season.
The Purple Eagles won 26 games, the program's most since the 1921-22 season, posted their best conference record (14-4) since joining the MAAC, won 15 games away from home, reached the MAAC championship game for the fifth time in eight seasons and hosted an NIT game for the first time in school history.
"We had a great year, but we didn't go to the NCAA Tournament, so we did not accomplish everything that we wanted to," coach Joe Mihalich said.
PLAYERS
With four starters returning, including first-team All-MAAC selections in seniors Tyrone Lewis (16.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.6 spg) and Bilal Benn (13.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.4 spg), expectations are high on Monteagle Ridge this season.
Niagara knows it won't be able to sneak up on opponents and that last season's success does not guarantee anything this season. The Purple Eagles also have a hole to fill in the middle after the graduation of 6-10 center Benson Egemonye (12.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.6 bpg), a second-team All-MAAC selection and big-time force in the middle.
"It's going to be a big loss, pun intended," Mihalich said.
With senior Rob Garrison (10.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.5 apg 1.3 spg) and junior Anthony Nelson (8.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1.5 spg) returning alongside Lewis and Benn, the Purple Eagles will still be able to run, spread the floor and create matchup problems for opposing defenses. "It is a special group," Mihalich said of his core four. "We love how they play together, how unselfish they are, and not only how much they love to win, but how much they hate to lose."
The Purple Eagles' desire to win is evident on the defensive end. Known primarily as an offensive team throughout Mihalich's tenure, Lewis (12th) and Benn (19th) both ranked among the top 20 in the country in steals. They staged a friendly competition throughout the season, and that was the first column they checked on the stat sheet after games.
"As a coach you are excited that they like that and care about that," Mihalich said.
The 5-11 Lewis, who was chosen the MAAC's Defensive Player of the Year, has been making plays throughout his Niagara career. He became the first freshman to be selected MAAC Tournament MVP in 2007. He hit a 30-foot bank shot at the regulation buzzer to tie Rider in last year's semifinals in a game Niagara eventually won 93-89 in two overtimes.
He led the MAAC in steals and three-point field goals made, ranked third in scoring and fourth in free-throw percentage (.799 FT), and Mihalich says he's even better off of the court.
"He has this exuberance about him," Mihalich said. "He is not just the face of our program, he is the face of our university. He just walks into a room and it lights up."
Benn, a 6-5 wing from Philadelphia, and Garrison, a 6-2 guard from Niagara Falls, both joined the Purple Eagles last season after transferring from Big East schools (Villanova for Benn and Connecticut for Garrison). They fit in perfectly.
"The credit goes to them," Mihalich said. "The reason those two guys are successful is because they love basketball. You can't get them out of the gym. They can't wait to play, and they might be the first two guys to drown in their own sweat."
Benn led the league in rebounding, including a MAAC-best 3.6 offensive boards per game, and was second in steals and 11th in scoring. He also led the league with 11 double-doubles in the regular season.
Benn is a versatile defender who can guard taller players inside or smaller players on the perimeter. He also has a knack for making plays with the game on the line.
"He's just got that thing beating in his chest that is just unequalled," Mihalich said.
Garrison came home to play and found his niche. A teammate of former Syracuse stars Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris on powerhouse teams at Niagara Falls High School, Garrison did well because he didn't try to do too much.
Blue Ribbon Previews
Take an Inside look at the MAAC with Blue Ribbon's 2009-10 team reports: 
| Canisius Fairfield Iona Loyola (Md.) Manhattan Marist Niagara  Rider Saint Peter's Siena |
"Rob just needed to be Rob, and he did it," Mihalich said. "He just does a little bit of everything."
The success of those around him almost allows the 6-1 Nelson to fly under the radar, but Mihalich knows how good he is. Nelson ranked second in the MAAC in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5) and finished eighth in steals.
"There are a lot of real good point guards in this league and I respect them all, but I wouldn't trade Anthony Nelson for any of them," Mihalich said. "He is the straw that stirs the drink. He sees the game in slow motion and our guys just know they can rely on someone to get them the ball at the right time and in the right situation."
Niagara may lean on 6-5 sophomore Austin Cooley (2.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg) a bit more as Lewis, Benn and Nelson all played more than 34 minutes per game last season.
The only other guards on the preseason roster are 6-1 junior walk-on Chris Armstrong (0.3 ppg) and 6-3 sophomore transfer Kevon Moore (9.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg), who will sit out this season after transferring from UNC Wilmington.
Demetrius Williamson (7.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg), a 6-6 senior, provided a spark off the bench with his outside shooting last season (46-of-147 3PT) and could be one of the top sixth men in the league if he does not start.
Mihalich may have to take a wait-and-see approach to see who will step into the role vacated by Egemonye with senior Kamu Gordon, sophomore Kashief Edwards, redshirt freshman Eric Williams and freshman Scooter Gillette all possibly fitting into the mix.
"If you could throw them all in a blender, mix them up and shake it, you'd have the MVP of the league," Mihalich said.
Edwards (3.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg), who is a bit undersized at 6-5, is the Purple Eagles' most athletic frontcourt player.
"He is an incredible worker and has really, really improved," Mihalich said.
Gordon (2.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg) is 6-7 and has the most experience. He has battled conditioning issues during his career, and Mihalich is hoping his last season will be his best.
Mihalich describes the 6-8 Williams, a native of Hope, British Columbia, as a "banger" who is "country strong."
"Once he gets the ball on the block, he's tough to stop," Mihalich said.
Gillette, whose given name is Andre, is the latest Purple Eagle to migrate north from Philadelphia, where Mihalich was a longtime assistant at La Salle.
He is 6-8 and earned second-team all-city honors from the Philadelphia Daily News after helping Neumann-Goretti to the Catholic League championship and a No. 25 national ranking by averaging 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.7 blocks.
Gillette is a talent who should contribute immediately, but Mihalich doesn't want to place too much pressure on him as a freshman.
"We'd like to be able to let Scooter learn the system and let him develop," Mihalich said.
Luuk Kortekaas, a 6-11 freshman from the Netherlands, sat out last season and will need more time to develop.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
BACKCOURT: A+
BENCH/DEPTH: B-
FRONTCOURT: B
INTANGIBLES: A
Niagara has all of the ingredients to make its third NCAA trip under Mihalich, but this team also needs to remember that nothing will come easy this season.
Lewis, Benn, Garrison and Nelson give the Purple Eagles four players who can carry them on a given night and they also have developed a chemistry that makes each of them better.
"Everyone just feeds off each other," Mihalich said. "Our team has a circle of trust, and when you are juniors it's easy to have that. When you are seniors it isn't as easy, and there is a healthy fear of being complacent."
Not that the Purple Eagles will take anything for granted, but they rely so heavily on their four returning starters that an injury or off shooting night could be quite costly. Niagara will also miss Egemonye, whose presence allowed his teammates to take chances on defense.
Mihalich will likely find a player (or players) to step up in the frontcourt, but Niagara could have matchup problems against taller teams.
The Purple Eagles have the ability to play with any team in the league, including Siena, and it would be a major surprise/disappointment if they did not finish in the top three this season.
For the most comprehensive previews available on all 334 Division I teams, order the "Bible" of college basketball, the 2009-10 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, at www.blueribbonyearbookonline.com or call 1-877-807-4857.
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