Northwestern University Athletics
Men's Basketball Tips off Big Ten Season
1/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2000
NORTHWESTERN MEN'S BASKETBALL (4-7) vs. Iowa (6-5)
DATE: Jan. 5, 2000 at 7 p.m. CT
SITE (capacity): Carver Hawkeye Arena (15,500)
TV: ESPN Regional
RADIO: WGN 720-AM
THE MATCHUP
Northwestern opens the Big Ten season in Iowa City against the Hawkeyes. NU was defeated by Oakland University, 60-41, on Sunday. Iowa enters league play with a 6-5 record after defeating Drake in double overtime, 83-76. Iowa leads the all-time series with the Wildcats 98-45 and won both meetings last season. This is the only meeting between these two teams this year.
THE SERIES: Iowa leads 98-45
SCOUTING THE HAWKEYES
Iowa began the year with an upset of preseason No. 1 UConn, 70-68, and a loss to now No. 1 Stanford, 72-58, in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Since that tournament, the Hawks have enjoyed additional success ? defeating Eastern Illinois, Texas Southern, Ohio U., and Northern Illinois ? and endured some setbacks ? losing to Creighton, Maryland, Iowa State and Missouri. The Hawks are led by junior point guard Dean Oliver and senior center Jacob Jaacks. Oliver leads the team in scoring at 14.7 ppg and in assists with 48. Jaacks is second in scoring at 14.0 ppg and tops in rebounding at 6.9 rpg.
OAKLAND RECAP
Northwestern suffered its second-straight defeat with a 60-41 setback to Oakland University. The ?Cats struggled in the first half, shooting 17 percent from the floor as Oakland surged to a 35-13 halftime lead. NU closed to within 15 points in the second half, but could get no closer. Freshman Ben Johnson led the Wildcats with 15 points. Classmates Winston Blake and Aaron Jennings added seven apiece. Brad Buddenborg paced the Golden Grizzlies with 19.
COMING HOME
Four of the 10 scholarship players for the Wildcats hail from the state of Iowa. Sophomore guard David Newman returns to Iowa for the second time in his career. Newman was named Mr. Basketball in Iowa his senior year at Herbert Hoover High School in Des Moines. Three freshmen will be making their first trip back to the Hawkeye state. Center Aaron Jennings was first-team all-state, all-region and all-conference at Benton Community High School. Forward Brody Deren was named all-state in both football and basketball at Harlan Community High School. Forward Adam Robinson was an honorable mention all-state his senior season at Cedar Falls High School.
HEAD COACH KEVIN O'NEILL
Now in his third season at the helm of the Northwestern basketball program, Kevin O?Neill has brought his own brand of intensity, excitement and basketball talent to Evanston. In just two seasons, O?Neill has turned the Wildcats into postseason contenders. Northwestern made postseason play for the third time in the school?s history last season when they were selected to play in the National Invitation Tournament. O?Neill?s work was nothing short of miraculous considering the ?Cats started three freshmen and played in a conference that had seven teams ranked in the top 25 for most of last season. O?Neill owns a career record of 189-179 (.514) and is 29-38 in his tenure at NU. O?Neill?s intensity translates to the court as pressure defense, and the Wildcats proved last season to be one of the best in the country on that side of the floor. NU finished ranked third in the NCAA in field goal defense (.373) and sixth in the NCAA in scoring defense (57.1 ppg). O?Neill, 42, knows what it takes to turn around a program. In 1994, he inherited a Tennessee program which won only five games the previous campaign, and took them to the NIT two seasons later. At Marquette, the two-time Great Midwest Conference Coach of the Year took over a program which, like Tennessee, hadn?t enjoyed a winning season in many years. In 1990-91, his first season, he guided the Golden Eagles to a 15-14 record and an appearance in the NIT. Three seasons later (1993-94), he directed Marquette to a 20-8 mark and a spot in the NCAA tournament. The next season, he coached the Golden Eagles back to their glory days by advancing to the Sweet 16 and finishing with a 24-9 record. He left Milwaukee with an impressive mark of four winning campaigns in five years and a Great Midwest Conference championship in 1994. Tabbed as one of the nation?s top recruiters, O?Neill has already overhauled the Northwestern program in just two recruiting classes.
AGE BEFORE BEAUTY - ?Cats Are Youngest In The Nation
According to statistics compiled by Stats Inc., Northwestern is the youngest basketball team in Division I basketball. NU has 99.9 percent of its minutes played by freshmen and sophomores. Walk-on Jeff Eschmeyer?s two minutes are the only minutes played by an upperclassman. No other Big Ten team is in the top 10. Michigan is 11th at 82.15 percent. Illinois is 42nd at 62.9 percent. NU is also the least experienced team in America. Stats Inc. rated all 319 Division I basketball teams experience based on eligibility of the athletes and the percentage of minutes played by each class. NU grades out at 1.574 (1.00 = freshmen have played 100% of minutes, 4.00 = seniors have played 100% of minutes). Michigan is fifth at 1.631, while Minnesota is 31st at 2.128.
LEPORE NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Steve Lepore was named the Big Ten?s Player of the Week for his play during the week of Dec. 13-19. Lepore helped NU run its win streak to three games with a pair of stellar outings last week. Against Jacksonville, he scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting (4-of-6 from three point land) as NU won, 67-59. In the ?Cats 78-54 win over Western Carolina, he scored a career-high 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting (5-of-6 from three-point) and added four boards and two assists. Lepore scored 19 of his 25 points against WCU in the first half when Northwestern set the tone for the victory. Overall, Lepore is averaging a team-high 14.4 points per game, has 35 rebounds and 11 assists.
DEREN BREAKS ELBOW, LOST FOR 4-6 WEEKS
Freshman forward Brody Deren broke his left elbow in the Nicholls State game on Dec. 11. Deren suffered a radial head fracture of his left elbow in the first half. Deren?s tentative return is scheduled for the Penn State game on Jan. 13.
JOHNSON SHINES IN FIRST YEAR
Freshman guard Ben Johnson has lived up to his advance billing coming out of De La Salle High School in Minneapolis, Minn. Johnson has started every game as a true freshman and has led the ?Cats in scoring in five games this season. At the Hoop and Quill Classic over Thanksgiving weekend, Johnson registered nine points against Evansville, 18 (career-high) vs. Nebraska, and 17 against Mississippi State. On Dec. 14 vs. Jacksonville, he equaled his career-high point total with 18 against the Dolphins. Johnson is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 ppg, ranks fifth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (30-of-37 from the line) and is averaging 3.8 rebounds per game. In addition, he leads the team in minutes played averaging 32.3 per game.
A BOY NAMED ?T?
Sophomore forward Tavaras Hardy recorded the third double-double of his career on Dec. 14 vs. Jacksonville. He scored 13 points and grabbed 10 boards against the Dolphins. Earlier this season, Hardy scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the loss to Nebraska on Nov. 27. The next day against Mississippi State, He came within one rebound of his second straight double-double when he registered 16 points and nine rebounds. Hardy leads the team in rebounding averaging 6.5 rebounds per game.
TOUGH ON ?D?
Last season, the ?Cats led the Big Ten and finished third in the country in field goal percentage defense (37.3%). NU was sixth in the nation in scoring defense (57.1 ppg). This season that trend continues as the ?Cats are fourth in the conference in scoring defense (59.5 ppg). O?Neill?s teams have held opponents to 13 points or fewer in a half five times in the past two seasons: Michigan, 2-4-99, 12 points, Oakland, 11-21-98, 13 points, Wisconsin, Chicago State and Wofford, all in the 1997-98 season, 13 points.
LEPORE FROM WAY DOWNTOWN
According to the Big Ten stats as of Dec. 31, Steve Lepore is third in the conference in three-point field goals made with 31. He is averaging 2.82 per game, which is also second in the Big Ten. Lepore set a career high with six three-pointers against Florida State. His six threes are the third most in a single game in NU history. He is tied with six other players. Todd Leslie holds the record with seven. Lepore?s 13 three-point attempts against FSU is also third most in a single game in NU history. On his career, Lepore has hit 83 threes which places him sixth on the all-time list. Geno Carlisle is fifth with 103 three pointers. Lepore has led the team in scoring in four games this year.
TRAVELIN' MAN
Sophomore Steve Lepore spent the summer traveling the globe playing basketball. Lepore was a member of the United States team at the World Junior Championships in Portugal. The Americans won a silver medal and Lepore finished second on the team in scoring with a 10.5 ppg average. He started all eight games and was tops in the team in three pointers, shooting 18-36 for the tournament. Lepore also traveled to Austria with a Big Ten All-Star team in August. The Big Ten team finished 3-3, as Lepore averaged 6.5 ppg and shot 47% from the field.
OLD SOPHOMORES
David Newman and Tavaras Hardy started all 29 games as freshmen a year ago. In just his second season, Newman ranks 8th on the career three-pointers made list with 65. Hardy is second on the team in minutes played this season averaging 30.5 per game. He is third on the team in scoring at 9.2 ppg., and is ranked in the top 15 in the Big Ten in four categories ? blocked shots (4th), rebounding (10th), , offensive rebounds (8th), and defensive rebounds (15th).
NU SIGNS YOUNG
Northwestern signed Jitim Young (guard, 6-2, 185, Chicago, Ill./Gordon Tech) to a National Letter of Intent to play basketball beginning in the fall of 2000. Young was the only player NU signed in the early signing period, the Wildcats have one scholarship remaining for this season. ?Jitim is a great get for our program,? said O?Neill. ?He will have a great senior year and come and make an immediate impact at Northwestern. We hope we can fill our other scholarship with as good a player as Jitim.? Young led Gordon Tech to a 22-8 record along with Catholic North and regional championships last season. He averaged 18.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, three assists and two steals per game. Young was named all-state by the IBCA and all-area by both the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times. This past summer, Young was named the Most Valuable Player of the 5-Star Camp All-Star Game and was given the 5-Star Sportsmanship and Defensive Awards. He is invited to play in the Reebok Capital Classic in April. Young is a four-year honor roll student and a member of the National Honor Society. Young chose Northwestern over Notre Dame, Michigan State, Penn State and Marquette.
WILDCATS ON THE AIR
All Northwestern regular-season games can be heard on WGN-AM Radio 720. Once again this season, Dave Eanet will handle the play-by-play duties while former DePaul head coach Joey Meyer handles the color analysis. Coach O?Neill can be heard after every game on his postgame show. At home, fans can stay and listen to the show live over the Welsh-Ryan Arena sound system.
THE KEVIN O'NEILL SHOW
Fox Sports Chicago is the home of the Kevin O?Neill Show. The half-hour show will appear 11 times during Northwestern's 1999-2000 season. The second show of the season will air Tuesday, Jan. 4 at 5:30 p.m. Central, then re-run at 2 a.m. and again at 3 p.m. on January 5 before the Wildcats start the Big Ten season at Iowa. Hosting the Kevin O?Neill show will be Dave Eanet. Eanet, sports director at WGN, has handled the play-by-play duties for WGN radio the past two seasons. Again for the 1999-2000 season, fans can submit questions to Coach O?Neill via NUSPORTS.COM, the official internet site of Northwestern athletics. Three questions will be chosen weekly and answered on ?The Kevin O?Neill Show.? Every fan who has their question read on-air will receive a special gift pack courtesy of Ameritech.
