Men's Basketball Readies for Long Beach State

December 26, 1998

Northwestern Wildcats (6-2)
vs.
Long Beach State 49ers (3-6)

Sun., Dec. 27, 1998
1 p.m. CST
Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)

Radio: WGN AM 720

NU faces Long Beach State on Sunday in its final Big Ten Conference tuneup. The Wildcats, currently riding a six-game home winning streak, open conference play next Sun., Jan. 3, against Iowa in Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tipoff time for that game will either be noon or 3 p.m. CST, and is expected to be announced Monday by the Big Ten office.

The 'Cats are coming off a come-from-behind 69-59 victory over Boston College on Wednesday. NU came out hot, leading by as much as 10 points at 18-8 midway through the first half. The Wildcats held a 35-29 advantage at halftime. BC opened the second half with a 9-0 run to take the lead for the first time at 38-35 with 17:14 left in the game. With the contest tied at 51-51 and 4:29 remaining, the Wildcats defense stepped up, holding BC without a field goal until just 25 seconds were left in the game. Evan Eschmeyer notched his Big Ten-leading fourth double-double of the season with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Sean Wink tallied a season-best 20 points, including 6-of-12 three pointers.

Northwestern-Long Beach State, The Series
This is the first-ever meeting between NU and LBSU on the basketball court.

Wildcat Probable Starters

Pos.  No.  Name            (height, weight, class, hometown)        ppg   rpg
F    #33   Tavaras Hardy   (6-8, 210, Fr., Joliet, Ill.)             9.8  4.9
C    #42   Evan Eschmeyer  (6-11, 255, Sr.-6, New Knoxville, Ohio)  21.3  8.9
G    #04   Julian Bonner   (6-1, 198, Sr., Detroit, Mich.)           3.0  1.8
G    #22   Sean Wink       (6-2, 176, So., Brea, Calif.)             9.8  2.3
G    #24   David Newman    (5-11, 165, Fr., Des Moines, Iowa) 10.1   2.4

Off the bench

F    #05   Joe Harmsen     (6-9, 248, Sr., Fond du Lac, Wis.)        1.1  2.3
G    #10   Matt Kammrath   (6-0, 185, Jr., Boca Raton, Fla.)         0.0  0.0
F    #11   Danny Allouche  (6-5, 200, Sr., Omer, Israel)             3.0  2.0
F    #14   Steve Lepore    (6-5, 200, Fr., North Olmstead, Ohio)     3.8  5.0
G    #31   Nate Pomeday    (6-2, 201, Sr., Cedar Grove, Wis.)        1.8  0.8
G    #32   Collier Drayton (6-1, 175, Fr., Lyons, N.Y.)              0.0  3.0
C    #35   Aron Molnar     (6-11, 242, Jr., Mississauga, Ontario)    0.8  2.0
G    #44   Jeff Eschmeyer  (6-2, 192, So., New Knoxville, Ohio)      0.0  0.5

Head Coach Kevin O'Neill
Kevin O'Neill (McGill, 1979) is in his second season at the helm of the Wildcat basketball program. This is his 11th season as head coach at the Division I level and 13th overall as a collegiate head coach. He also has served as head coach at North Country CC (1980-82), Marycrest (1982-83), Marquette (1989-94) and Tennessee (1994-97).

O'Neill owns a 16-19 record at NU and a 156-139 record as a Division I head coach. Known as one of the best recruiters in the nation, O'Neill resurrected the Marquette and Tennessee programs, taking two teams which had not enjoyed recent success to postseason play.

Top-Notch Defense
Entering today's play, the Wildcats rank second in the Big Ten in scoring defense (55.4) and lowest opponent's field goal percentage (.358). Since Kevin O'Neill took over the helm of the Northwestern program, the Wildcats have held opponents to fewer than 70 points in 25 of 35 contests.

In the Dec. 15 NCAA rankings, NU was eighth nationally in field goal percentage defense and 10th in scoring defense. NU is one of only three teams to rank in the NCAA top 10 in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense. The other two are Stanford and Missouri. The next NCAA rankings will not be released until January 4.

In the November 21 win against Oakland, the Wildcats set a couple of defensive standards:
* The 13 points scored by Oakland in the first half tied the Welsh-Ryan Arena record for fewest points in a half, done four times previously.
* Of the five times that NU has held an opponent to 13 points in a half in Welsh-Ryan Arena history, four have come since Kevin O'Neill took over as head coach. Last year, NU held Chicago State, Wisconsin and Illinois to 13 points in a half.

Quick Hits
* Of the 16 halves of basketball played this season by NU, the 'Cats have held an opponent to 30 points or less on 13 occasions. Only St. Francis, Maine and Seton Hall posted more than 30 points in a period.
* NU has led at halftime every game this season.
* The Wildcats have outscored opponents 270-194 in the first half, an average of 33.8-24.3 per game.
* Of NU's first eight opponents, five enter this weekend with .500 or better records: Seton Hall (8-3), Maine (6-3), Furman (6-3), St. Francis (5-3) and Dayton (4-4).
* With his six three-pointers last Wednesday, Sean Wink moved into third on NU's all-time three-point chart with 107, surpassing Geno Carlisle (103).

In Memoriam
The Wildcats will wear a patch on the left corner of their shorts for the remainder of the season bearing the initials "D.P." The patch is in memory of Don Pomeday, father of senior guard Nate Pomeday, who passed away on December 9.

Eschmeyer Among Big Ten Leaders
Sixth-year center Evan Eschmeyer currently ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounds (8.9 rpg) and third in scoring (21.3 ppg). He enters the Long Beach State game with 33 career double-doubles and has scored in double figures 49-straight games.

In late November, he was named one of 31 candidates for the Oscar Robertson Award, presented by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to the national player of the year. Eschmeyer was one of four Big Ten players on the award's preseason list (Mateen Cleaves, A.J. Guyton, Michael Redd).

While Eschmeyer's offensive numbers are stellar, don't discount his work on the defensive end. In the eight games this season, opposing teams' starting centers have shot just a combined 18-for-53 (.340) while averaging a mere 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.

Watching Esch in the Record Books
Evan Eschmeyer enters the Long Beach State contest with 1,407 career points, tied for fifth in NU history with current Wildcat Assistant A.D. Shon Morris. Cedric Neloms is fourth with 1,533 career points. Here's where Eschmeyer currently ranks among NU's all-time career leaders:

Category       Eschmeyer    Next Up
FG Pct.        1st - .606   ---
FT Attempts    2nd - 659    Cedric Neloms (676)
FT Made        3rd - 403    Kevin Rankin (458)
Blocked Shots  3rd - 98     Jim Pitts (123)
Rebounds       4th - 774    Jim Pitts (800)
Scoring        6th - 1,384  Jim Burns (1,368)
Reb. Avg.      7th - 8.5    Ron Kozlicki (8.6)
Scoring Avg.   9th - 15.5   Sibley/Ragelis (15.7)

Eschmeyer Preseason Honors
The following are some of the preseason honors gained by Wildcat center Evan Eschmeyer:

* Top candidate for the Wooden Award (L.A. Athletic Club)
* Top candidate for the Naismith Award (Atlanta Tipoff Club)
* Candidate for the Oscar Robertson Award (U.S.B.W.A)
* Preseason All-American, CNN/SI
* Preseason All-American, Street and Smith's
* Preseason All-American, Athlon
* Preseason All-American, Basketball News
* Preseason All-American, Playboy
* Preseason All-American, Blue Ribbon College Yearbook
* Named the second-best center in the country by Street & Smith's, The Sporting News and CNN/SI
* "The most underrated big man in the college ranks" by Preview Sports Publications (PSP)
* Best rebounder in the Big Ten, The Sporting News
* "All-Windex Team" (best rebounders in the country), Dick Vitale's College Basketball

Attendance Moving Up
Through seven home games, the Wildcats have increased their attendance 18 percent over last season. NU has drawn 25,033 fans at home this season, an average of 3,576 per game. Last year at this same point, 21,253 fans (3,036 average) had come through the Welsh-Ryan Arena turnstiles.

Wink Lights it Up at Welsh-Ryan
Sophomore guard Sean Wink has begun to find his shooting stroke. In his last five contests, Wink has hit 13-of-27 (.481) from three-point range. Wink has hit 107 three pointers in his 35 career games, the third-most threes in school history. For his career, Wink is shooting .431 (107-248) from three-point range.

Last Wednesday vs. Boston College, Wink hit 6-of-12 from three-point range, marking the fifth time in his brief NU career that he has hit six three-pointers. All five of those have come at home, the most recent being last season vs. Ohio State.

Newman Coming Through in the Clutch
Freshman point guard David Newman currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten in assists (3.6 apg), sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.45-to-1) and tied for 10th in three-pointers made (2.0 tpg).

He has made several clutch plays this season down the stretch. Against St. Francis, Newman hit three pointers with 56 and 48 seconds left to tie the game at 66-66. He then followed his own missed shot on the game's final possession, tipping the ball to Julian Bonner who hit the game-winning three pointer with 0.4 seconds left.

In the win against Furman, Newman hit a three pointer with 2:27 left to give NU a 56-50 lead. He also made 3-of-4 free throws in the final 48 seconds to help the Wildcats secure the victory. Against Dayton, Newman scored eight of his 11 points in the second half, all of which came in the final 10 minutes after the Flyers had cut the NU lead to three points. Against BC, he hit 6-of-8 free throws in the final 38 seconds to seal the win.

Big Ten Stat Leaders
Here's where the 'Cats rank among the Big Ten and NCAA stat leaders (Big Ten as of Dec. 27, NCAA as of Dec. 14):

Individual
Scoring: Evan Eschmeyer - 3rd Big Ten, 40th NCAA (21.3 ppg)
Rebounds: Evan Eschmeyer - 2nd (8.9 rpg)
FG Pct.: Evan Eschmeyer - 4th Big Ten, 10th NCAA (.656)
Assists: David Newman - 4th (3.6 apg)
FT Pct.: David Newman - 11th (.781)
3pt Made: Sean Wink - 3rd (2.6 tpg); David Newman - t10th (2.0 tpg)
Blocks: Evan Eschmeyer - 6th (1.8 bpg)
Asst/TO ratio: David Newman - 6th (1.45-to-1)
Offensive Rebs: Evan Eschmeyer - 2nd (3.4 orpg)
Defensive Rebs: Evan Eschmeyer - t3rd (5.5 drpg)

Team
Scoring Defense: 2nd Big Ten, 10th NCAA (55.4 ppg)
FG Pct. Defense: 2nd Big Ten, 8th NCAA (.358)
Asst/TO ratio: 2nd (1.12-to-1)
Assists: 4th (16.8 apg)
Rebound Margin: 4th (+5.1 rpg)

Home Court Advantage
In Kevin O'Neill's first season as head coach, the Wildcats made Welsh-Ryan Arena a tough place to play. The 'Cats went 10-6 at home, the first time in a decade that NU had won 10 games in their own arena. That mark included a seven-game home winning streak.

Northwestern has a 16-7 home court record under O'Neill, which is a marked improvement considering that, in the three seasons prior to O'Neill's arrival in Evanston, NU won just 14 home games.

Nationalism
Freshman guard Steve Lepore spent part of this past summer representing the United States at the Junior World Championship qualifying tournament in the Dominican Republic. He started all six games during the tournament, leading the USA to a perfect 6-0 record and the gold medal.

Lepore paced the team in three-point shooting, hitting 13-of-29 (.448) from beyond the arc, and was tied for the team lead with 11 steals. Lepore finished third on the team in scoring, averaging 12.8 points (in only 21 minutes) per game.

The Brothers Esch
For the second-straight season, the Wildcats will have two Eschmeyers on the team (Evan and Jeff). Last year was the first time the duo was able to play together on the same team due to the fact they are four years apart in age. In fact, Jeff's first collegiate field goal (last year vs. Minnesota) came on an assist from Evan.

Letter-of-Intent Signees
During the November early signing period, the Wildcats signed five players to National Letters of Intent to begin playing basketball at NU next season:

Johnson (No. 60) and Blake (No. 95) are each ranked among the top 100 players in the country by Bob Gibbons. Deren was "Southwest Iowa Player of the Year" as a junior, while Jennings and Robinson were both named All-Americans this season by various publications.

NCAA Recognizes Wildcat Greats
In its recently-released book "Men's Basketball Finest," the NCAA recognized three former Wildcat players and two former NU coaches. Wildcat All-Americans Otto Graham, Max Morris and Joe Reiff were among the 396 players chosen while Dutch Lonborg and Harold Olsen were among the 119 coaches to earn a place among the best in NCAA history.

Coaches vs. Cancer
Head coach Kevin O'Neill is one of several coaches across the country who have joined together to help the fight against cancer. Fans are asked to pledge a certain amount of money for each assist the Wildcats make throughout the 1998-99 season. O'Neill will personally donate $5 for every assist this season to Coaches vs. Cancer. Fans can pick up pledge forms and brochures in the Welsh-Ryan Arena lobby during all home games.

Wildcats on the Air
Once again this season, WGN-AM 720 will be the radio home of Wildcat basketball. Dave Eanet handles the play-by-play chores while Joey Meyer will handle the color analysis. Every Wildcat game this season will be aired by WGN.

The Kevin O'Neill Show
Once again this season, Fox Sports Chicago will air "The Kevin O'Neill Show." Dave Eanet, play-by-play announcer for NU football and basketball on WGN radio, hosts the half-hour show. The next show will air Tue., Jan. 5, at 3:30 p.m. and replayed that night at 1 a.m. CST.

WILDCAT QUICK FACTS

Location: 1501 Central Street, Evanston, Ill. 60208
Enrollment: 7,400 undergraduates
Colors: Purple and White
President: Henry S. Bienen
Athletic Director: Rick Taylor
Home Arena (Capacity): Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Season: 94th, starting in 1904-05
Head Coach: Kevin O'Neill
Years as Head Coach: 2nd at NU, 11th in Div. 1, 13th overall
Record at NU: 16-19
Career Record (Division I only): 156-139
Overall Career Record (All Years): 176-160
1997-98 Record: 10-17
1997-98 Big Ten Record/Finish: 3-13 (t9th)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 9/1
Starters Returning/Lost: 4/1

Wildcat Season Bests

#4 Julian Bonner
Points: 8 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98)
Rebounds: 4 at Seton Hall (12/19/98)
Assists: 3 vs. Oakland (11/21/98) and vs. Dayton (12/5/98)

#5 Joe Harmsen
Points: 2 four times, last at Seton Hall (12/19/98)
Rebounds: 4 three times, last at Seton Hall (12/19/98)

#10 Matt Kammrath Points: none
Rebounds: none

#11 Danny Allouche
Points: 7 vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)
Rebounds: 4 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98)

#14 Steve Lepore
Points: 13 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Rebounds: 12 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98)
Assists: 5 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98) and Furman (11/28/98)
Steals: 3 vs. Maine (11/17/98)

#22 Sean Wink
Points: 20 vs. Boston College (12/23/98)
Rebounds: 5 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
Assists: 4 at Seton Hall (12/19/98)

3pt. FG: 6 vs. Boston College (12/23/98)

#24 David Newman
Points: 22 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
Rebounds: 5 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
Assists: 8 vs. Maine (11/17/98)

3pt. FG: 5 vs. Furman (11/28/98)

#31 Nate Pomeday Points: 6 vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)
Rebounds: 2 three times, last vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)
3pt. FG: 2 vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)

#32 Collier Drayton
Points: none
Rebounds: 3 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)

#33 Tavaras Hardy
Points: 18 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Rebounds: 10 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Assists: 5 vs. Boston College (12/23/98)

#35 Aron Molnar
Points: 2 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98) and vs. Boston College (12/23/98)
Rebounds: 5 vs. Oakland (11/21/98) and vs. Boston College (12/23/98)

#42 Evan Eschmeyer
Points: 28 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98) and vs. Dayton (12/5/98)
Rebounds: 13 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Assists: 4 vs. Dayton (12/5/98)
Blocks: 3 vs. Maine (11/17/98) and vs. Dayton (12/5/98)

#44 Jeff Eschmeyer
Points: none
Rebounds: 1 vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)

#4 Julian Bonner - Backup shooting guard ... Started all of last season at point guard ... Hit the game-winning three pointer against St. Francis with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock ... Ranks ninth in NU history with 220 career assists ... Ranks fifth in NU history with 88 career three pointers.

#5 Joe Harmsen - Reserve power forward/center ... Grabbed season-high four rebounds against Oakland, Dayton and Seton Hall... Very physical player.

#10 Matt Kammrath - Walk-on ... Saw game action vs. Oakland and UW-Milwaukee this season.

#11 Danny Allouche - Tallied season-bests of seven points vs. UWM and four rebounds against Oakland ... Reserve forward ... Sat out last season after transferring from Missouri.

#14 Steve Lepore - Started first six games ... Crashes the boards hard ... Very quiet player on the court.

#22 Sean Wink - NU's top three-point threat ... Has hit 107 three pointers in 35 career games ... Hit six three-pointers against Boston College, tying his career best ... Also nailed four three-pointers against Oakland ... Set the NU single-season three-point mark (86) as a freshman.

#24 David Newman - Starting point guard as a true freshman ... Tallied a season-best 22 points and five rebounds against Furman ... Dished eight assists in his collegiate debut against Maine ... Has come through in several clutch situations this season ... Very gutsy player who plays with no fear.

#31 Nate Pomeday - Reserve shooting guard ... Plays with a lot of heart and emotion ... One of the team's most vocal leaders ... Can be very dangerous from three-point range when his shot is "on."

#32 Collier Drayton - Extremely quick athlete ... Is a stronger defensive player than offensive ... Grabbed three rebounds in seven minutes against Oakland.

#33 Tavaras Hardy - Scored in double figures three of his first five collegiate games ... Tallied first career double-double (18p, 10r) vs. Oakland ... Has been able to take advantage of the opponents' constant double teaming of Evan Eschmeyer.

#35 Aron Molnar - Backup center ... Pulled down five rebounds in 15 minutes against Oakland and five boards in 10 minutes against Boston College ... Also had three boards in nine minutes against Dayton.

#42 Evan Eschmeyer - National Player of the Year candidate ... Tied for the Big Ten lead with four double-doubles this season ... Averaging 21.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game despite playing against defenses designed specifically to stop him ... Has scored in double figures 49-straight games, a school record ... Gained approximately 20 pounds of muscle during the offseason.

#44 Jeff Eschmeyer - Younger brother of Evan Eschmeyer ... Walked onto the squad last season ... Saw action against Oakland and UWM ... Lone rebound came vs. UWM.

Wildcat Career Bests

#4 Julian Bonner
Points: 23 vs. Siena (11/22/97)
Rebounds: 7 vs. DePaul (12/6/97)
Assists: 9 three times, last vs. Michigan State (1/31/98)
Steals: 3 seven times, last at Penn State (1/22/98)

#5 Joe Harmsen
Points: 21 at Wisconsin (1/29/97)
Rebounds: 10 vs. Chicago State (1/27/98) and vs. Penn State (2/8/98)

#10 Matt Kammrath
Points: 4 vs. Central Michigan (11/26/96) and Penn State (1/25/97)
Rebounds: 1 four times, last vs. Illinois (1/10/98)

#11 Danny Allouche
Points: 20 vs. Kansas State (2/1/97)
Rebounds: 7 vs. Nebraska (1/22/97)
Assists: 4 vs. Oklahoma State (2/13/96)

#22 Sean Wink
Points: 24 vs. Ohio State (2/21/98)
Rebounds: 7 at Illinois (2/18/98)
Assists: 4 three times, last at Seton Hall (12/19/98)
3pt. FG: 6 five times, last vs. Boston College (12/23/98)

#24 David Newman
Points: 22 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
Rebounds: 5 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
Assists: 8 vs. Maine (11/17/98)
3pt. FG: 5 vs. Furman (11/28/98)

#31 Nate Pomeday
Points: 18 vs. Michigan State (2/19/97)
Rebounds: 6 vs. Md.-Eastern Shore (11/29/97)
3pt. FG: 4 five times, last vs. Iowa (2/25/98)

#32 Collier Drayton
Points: none
Rebounds: 3 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)

#33 Tavaras Hardy
Points: 18 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Rebounds: 10 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Assists: 5 vs. Boston College (12/23/98)

#35 Aron Molnar
Points: 12 at Illinois (1/10/98)
Rebounds: 7 vs. Sam Houston State (11/26/97)

#42 Evan Eschmeyer
Points: 37 vs. Penn State (2/8/98)
Rebounds: 18 vs. Seton Hall (12/13/97)
Assists: 8 vs. Troy State (12/2/97)
Blocks: 5 at Indiana (2/22/97) and at Seton Hall (12/9/95)

#44 Jeff Eschmeyer
Points: 2 vs. Minnesota (1/7/98)
Rebounds: 4 at Iowa (1/3/98)

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