Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Open 1998-99 Season with Exhibition Contest Thursday
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
November 2, 1998
Quick Facts
Location: 1501 Central Street, Evanston, Ill. 60208Enrollment: 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: 10-17
Career Record (Division I only): 150-137
Overall Career Record (All Years): 170-158
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 Returning Letterwinners
Pos. No. Name (height, weight, class, hometown) ppg rpg G 04 Julian Bonner (6-1, 198, Sr., Detroit, Mich.) 9.0 2.8 F 05 Joe Harmsen (6-9, 248, Sr., Fond du Lac, Wis.) 3.9 3.1 G 10 Matt Kammrath (6-0, 185, Jr., Boca Raton, Fla.) 0.0 0.1 G 22 Sean Wink (6-2, 176, So., Brea, Calif.) 12.1 2.4 G 23 Napoleon Harris (6-3, 209, So., Dixmoor, Ill.) 4.9 5.1 G 31 Nate Pomeday (6-2, 201, Sr., Cedar Grove, Wis.) 3.5 1.2 C 35 Aron Molnar (6-11, 242, Jr., Mississauga, Ontario) 4.5 2.7 C 42 Evan Eschmeyer (6-11, 255, Sr.-6, New Knoxville, Ohio) 21.7 10.7 G 44 Jeff Eschmeyer (6-2, 192, So., New Knoxville, Ohio) 0.3 1.2
The 94th season of Northwestern Wildcats basketball opens with the first exhibition game of the season this Thur., Nov. 5. NU returns four starters and nine letterwinners from last year's team, including National Player of the Year Candidate Evan Eschmeyer.
Head Coach Kevin O'Neill - Kevin O'Neill (McGill, 1979) enters his second season at the helm of the Wildcat basketball program. This will be 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 10-17 record at NU and 150-137 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.
Eschmeyer -- "Power in the Post" - Wildcat center and National Player of the Year candidate Evan Eschmeyer returns to Evanston for a sixth year of eligibility. He sat out his first two seasons with a foot injury. Last season, Eschmeyer established himself as one of the best big men in the NCAA, ranking in the top 15 nationally in rebounding (11th, 10.7 rpg), scoring (13th, 21.7 ppg) and field goal percentage (13th, .610). The only other person to accomplish that feat was Pacific's Michael Olowokandi, who became the top pick in last spring's NBA draft. See the attached flyer for more details on Eschmeyer.
Eschmeyer Preseason Honors - The following are some of the preseason honors gained by Wildcat center Evan Eschmeyer:
Candidate for the Wooden Award
Candidate for the Naismith Award
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 and The Sporting News
"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
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.
Three other home contests could have easily gone the Wildcats' way. NU dropped the season-opener at home to Siena, 86-84, and lost in overtime to both Big Ten champion Michigan State and NIT runner-up Penn State.
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.
A Wink and a Nod - Sophomore guard Sean Wink broke the NU single-season three-point record last year, hitting 86 shots from beyond the arc. His 3.2 threes per game and .457 three-point percentage last year ranked second among all NCAA freshmen. Overall, he led the Big Ten and ranked 18th nationally in threes per game and was 20th nationally in three-point percentage.
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 that the duo was able to play together 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.
Incoming Freshman Class - Kevin O'Neill recruited four players in his first full recruiting class. Headlining the group is point guard David Newman, last year's Mr. Basketball in the state of Iowa. O'Neill expects Newman to step in and contribute immediately. Also playing a big role this season will be Lepore.
The lone Illinois product in the class is Tavaras Hardy from Joliet. Hardy is one of the best athletes on the team and should contribute on the offensive side. O'Neill's fourth recruit, Collier Drayton, is a strong defensive player who makes all of the "hustle plays," according to O'Neill.
All four players are expected to see a great deal of playing time, and O'Neill has indicated that they "have to become sophomores" as soon as possible in order for the 'Cats to be successful.
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.
