SOME NAMES HAVE CHANGED, BUT CHAMPIONSHIP GOALS REMAIN FOR BUCKNELL IN

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1 The Bison Making our own history

2 Season Outlook SOME NAMES HAVE CHANGED, BUT CHAMPIONSHIP GOALS REMAIN FOR BUCKNELL IN Pat Flannery has been in the coaching business long enough to know about the dangers of comparing young players to the stars who have come before them. He also knows a thing or two about how to replace standout seniors, as evidenced by Bucknell s annual success in the Patriot League throughout his 13-year tenure. So while casual fans may be wondering how on earth the Bison can survive the graduation of five of their all-time greats Abe Badmus, Kevin Bettencourt, Donald Brown, Charles Lee and Chris McNaughton in a two-year span, Flannery is quick to shift the conversation to the 13 players on the current roster who appear to have the right mix of experience and talent to keep this era of prominence alive. While the five players mentioned above will always be a part of the program s lore, and their work ethic has undoubtedly rubbed off those that are still in the program, Flannery says comparing them to the current lot is unproductive. Having been through it before, there are no quick fixes in the sense that you don t just get players to be other players who have been successful before them, Flannery states. But what you do get are young guys who follow the upperclassmen and know what it takes to win. This season is a perfect example. We have some upperclassmen who have been extremely successful, we have some young guys who have been waiting their turn, and we have freshmen who don t quite know what they re getting into yet. Our job as coaches is to bring that all together. Flannery is also quick to point out that John Griffin Rob Thomas Bucknell s three senior co-captains have played major roles in the team s unprecedented success over the last three years. In fact, the trio of John Griffin, Darren Mastropaolo and Rob Thomas has combined for 73 victories, only 14 shy of the record set by the Class of Even as underclassmen, Griffin and Mastropaolo were both vocal and emotional leaders of the 2005 and 2006 Patriot League championship teams that later went on to win first-round NCAA Tournament games. We ve had some really good years, but we re at the stage this year where this is a new year and a new team, and we can make our own mark, just like the teams before did in those three historic seasons, Flannery offers. This team just needs to realize the time and effort you have to put into it. With Mastropaolo likely to miss the first part of the year due to an offseason knee injury, Griffin becomes the natural floor leader. Not only is he the likely starting point guard with 96 career games under his belt, but even without the title of captain Griffin has been one of the team s emotional catalysts since early in his Bucknell tenure. John is a coach on the floor, Flannery lauds. He s certainly a guy we are counting on heavily to be a big leader and big scorer. We re looking forward to a big year from him. He knows what to do and where to go. He carries himself as a basketball player because [as the son of former Saint Joseph s and Siena head coach John Griffin Sr.] he s been around the game for so long. He knows what it s going to take to be good, and it s nice to have a guy like that. He s been a big part of all the success that we ve had. Beyond the senior class, the Bison may not be loaded with household names who have posted gaudy numbers, but on paper, this young group freshmen included appear to have a solid blend of athleticism and versatility, making this potentially one of Flannery s deepest teams. We have guys who can score, Flannery says. We pass the ball well. We can penetrate. We can run. And at the other end of the floor we are capable of guarding people. The whole key will be how quickly we can bring along that team confidence, even though we have individuals who can do everything. I look at this as a year where we are going to be able to play nine or 10 guys who can contribute night in and night out. I do like our depth, and I like that we can play a lot of different ways. We feel like we have all the ingredients sitting there on the counter, but now we have to see what it looks like after you bake it. Juniors Jason Vegotsky and Justin Castleberry and sophomores Patrick Behan and Stephen Tyree may still be underclassmen, but they all played critical roles down the stretch for the Bison last season. One of the Patriot League s top sharpshooters, Vegotsky was a key reserve as a freshman during the 2006 championship season, and he broke into the starting lineup early last year. Castleberry proved to be a wonderful surprise in , going from little-used sub to the first guard off the bench. With all the talent in front of them, Behan and Tyree were eased into the lineup as freshmen, but later in the year, particularly after Brown went down with a broken wrist midway through the league schedule, both rookies were handed increased responsibility. One veteran worth watching early in the year is junior center Josh Linthicum. The 6 11 New Mexico native is a terrific athlete, but with guys like McNaughton and Mastropaolo accounting for most of the minutes in the post, Linthicum has played sparingly over the last two seasons. Now, with McNaughton playing professionally in Spain and Mastropaolo sidelined, Linthicum could be in for a major promotion this season if he can rise to the challenge. He gained wonderful experience this summer touring Eastern Europe with the East Coast All-Stars, and if he can be productive in an expanded role the Bison will be tough up front. Making the graduation losses a bit easier to swallow is the arrival of an extremely promising freshman class, consisting of 6 4 wing G.W. Boon, 6 0 point guard Darryl Shazier and 6 11 center Todd O Brien. All three will be asked to contribute quickly. While some of the names and faces have changed, one thing that certainly will not is Flannery s attention to defense. Bucknell has annually ranked among the nation s defensive leaders last season they gave up only Bucknell Men s Basketball 34

3 points per game, ninth-best in the country. With a deep array of long and athletic wings, such as Tyree, Boon, Thomas, Vegotsky, Castleberry and even sophomore Zach Evans, the Bison may be able to force the issue a bit more on the defensive end. We re going to have to be a little more aggressive on the defensive end of the floor in order to take teams out of their patterns, Flannery predicts. We have the people to do it, but it will be an important preseason in terms of getting guys to the right spots on the floor and developing that chemistry. Offensively, Bucknell has plenty of scoring options in the backcourt and might just have more 3-point threats than it has ever had during Flannery s tenure. The development of O Brien and Linthicum will be key to the inside game. We have always been good enough in the half-court set to be able to take it at people when we ve wanted to, but now we re going to have to find ways to get some easier shots, says Flannery. We are more skilled on the perimeter and have a number of guys who can really shoot it from out there. Those subtle changes in the way we play are what make the anticipation of the season so exciting, especially at a place like Bucknell, where you know when you start developing a freshman that you are going to have him as a senior. Once again this winter the Bison will prepare for the grind of Patriot League play with a demanding non-conference schedule. Unlike last season, when they played only two nonleague home games prior to the start of the Patriot League schedule, there will be plenty of home action for the rabid Sojka Psychos to enjoy, starting with the season opener on Nov. 10 against two-time defending America East champion Albany. Marist, La Salle and Ohio University will make their very first Sojka Pavilion appearances, while traditional rivals Cornell and Saint Francis (Pa.) will also come to town. Bucknell will make return trips to Villanova and Wake Forest, two teams that visited Lewisburg in the last two years, and the Bison will also rekindle a pair of old East Coast Conference rivalries with road games at Towson and Drexel. Just after Christmas, the Bison head to Berkeley, Calif., for the Golden Bear Classic, featuring host Cal and three 20-win teams from a year ago in Bucknell, North Dakota State and Long Beach State. For the third straight year, Bucknell will participate in the O Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters showcase. This year the Bison will play on the road on Feb. 22 or 23 against an opponent to be determined. The non-conference season will certainly be worth watching throughout the Patriot League this season, as the conference figures to be wide open. All five First Team All-Patriot League selections have graduated, and virtually every team in the league will be looking to replace high-profile players. Patriot League play begins on Jan. 11 when Navy visits Sojka Pavilion for an ESPNU-televised game. The first championship rematch with Holy Cross comes a week later, also on ESPNU, in Worcester, Mass. The Crusaders come Jason Vegotsky back to Lewisburg on Saturday, Feb. 16 for a 6 p.m. affair on ESPN2. The Bison will be challenged with three straight road games to end the regular season. After the BracketBusters game, Bucknell finishes up at Lehigh and at Army. The Patriot League Tournament follows the same format as last season, with every game played on the home floor of the higher-seeded team. First-round games will be played on March 5, with the semifinals to follow on March 9. The Patriot League title game will be Friday, March 14 at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2. THE BACKCOURT Pat Flannery should have all sorts of options in the backcourt this season. Not only do the Bison have strength in numbers at the guard position, but they have versatile players who can play any of the backcourt positions. The most experienced of the lot is senior cocaptain John Griffin, a scrappy, intense guard who has yet to miss a game in his Bucknell career. A former Patriot League All-Rookie selection, Griffin joined the starting lineup last season and did a little bit of everything for the Bison. He scored a career-high 10.5 points per game, continued to be a long-range threat with a team-high 65 3-pointers, and posted an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio. The big thing with John is that he s going to be asked to score more this year, Flannery offers. He s always had a scorer s mentality, but we re going to run some things through him, and we want him to shoot the ball and be very aggressive. We re going to move him around so he just doesn t play the point, but the 2-guard as well. Juniors Jason Vegotsky and Justin Castleberry figure to be significant players at the 2 Justin Castleberry Season Outlook and 3 spots, and Castleberry can even play the point if necessary. Vegotsky is one of the Patriot League s premier 3-point shooters. He started the final 24 games of last season, when he averaged a career-high 7.4 ppg. He drained 56 3-pointers, including last-minute game-winners against Xavier and Cornell. Probably best suited for the shooting guard position, Vegotsky also played quite a bit of small forward and held his own defensively, where he was usually guarding a bigger player. Jason Vegotsky has great range, and as opponents have started crowding him he s done a much better job putting the ball on the floor, says Flannery. He continues to work defensively, and that will be a key for him. We ve put him in some tough matchup situations, but he has gotten much better at keeping guys in front of him. He s another guy who has been through the mill with us, so we re counting on Jason as a guy that has been a big part of our success. His teammates want him taking big shots. Castleberry was arguably the most improved player in the program, and perhaps even in the Patriot League, last season. After playing sparingly as a freshman, and in the first four games of , he was given an extended look against Yale in game No. 5 and scored 11 points in a Bucknell victory. He was the team s first guard off the bench from that point forward and was very productive, particularly against rival Holy Cross with three double-digit scoring efforts. Castleberry shot a solid 40.0 percent from 3-point range and averaged 5.3 ppg on the year. You really have to be excited about a guy like Justin Castleberry, beams Flannery. He came on last year and was a major key to our success. He was like instant offense. Justin has become very committed to the weight room and has been in great shape. He s always known how to play and how to score, and you can just tell he s having a lot of fun out there. He s shoot Bucknell Men s Basketball 35

4 Season Outlook Stephen Tyree ing the ball with confidence and is the kind of player who knows his way around the floor. He takes some shortcuts and can get to the ball and draw fouls. Whether he ends up starting or coming off the bench, he s a guy we re counting on to score from the perimeter. Senior co-captain Rob Thomas is a prime example of a player who could play any one of three different positions on the floor this fall. Thomas is a tremendous athlete who can provide an instant spark off the bench. He is a good shooter who also likes to penetrate and crash the glass. He played in 28 of the team s 31 games last season and averaged 2.3 ppg while shooting 46.0 percent from the field. His career highlight came against Wake Forest last season, when he scored 16 points in Bucknell s overtime loss. Rob is a veteran who has had big games for us, Flannery says. We are looking for him to consistently give us that veteran lift that a player who has been around the program and been successful can do. He has matured a lot and gotten bigger and stronger every year. We are going to move him around and might even play him some at forward. He is a good enough athlete where he can rebound inside, and since he knows our program so well we are hoping to be able to move him around in three different spots. Sophomore Stephen Tyree joined the regular rotation in the fourth game of Patriot League play a year ago and was impressive at both ends of the floor. A passionate competitor with excellent quickness and long arms, Tyree has a chance to be a force defensively at any of several different positions. Offensively, last season he was aggressive on the boards and showed off excellent ballhandling and passing skills. Tyree made 12 of 18 shots from the field (.667), including a couple of 3-pointers, and had a positive (19-14) assist-to-turnover ratio. Stephen really gave us big minutes as a freshman, whether it was the ability to shut somebody down defensively or getting us going with his penetration, he did a lot of things well, Flannery says. He falls into that category where you can play him at the 2, 3 and even the 4 and he can play a lot of minutes. He s as long as some of our big men are if you go finger to finger, so in areas like trapping and defensive positioning and getting in the passing lanes, he s a guy who can cause havoc. Stephen has a great nose for the ball and can handle well, so every position but the 5 he can play. Impressive-looking freshman G.W. Boon will be battling for playing time on the perimeter as well, and if preseason workouts are any indication, Boon will be logging some playing time very soon. The strong lefthander has already made his presence known physically, both on the court and in the weight room. Offensively, Boon has good range on his jump shot and also likes to drive the ball to the basket. At the other end, his athleticism will help him fit right into Bucknell s defensive system. Boon averaged about 18 points and eight rebounds as a senior at Sparkman High School in Harvest, Ala. G.W. comes into the program with a great understanding of the game, praises Flannery. He shoots it very well and is a big, wide-body type player with great strength. The big thing for G.W. will be learning to play the 2s and 3s in college on the wing, which is the case for most guys coming out of high school at those positions. But he s going to have an impact on this program immediately. We think physically he can play at the college level right now. When Griffin is not handling the point guard duties, a prime candidate to be there is freshman Darryl Shazier. The Newport News, Va., native comes to Bucknell from a high school basketball hotbed, and the coaches feel that once he gets acclimated to the speed of the college game, Shazier has a chance to excel. Shazier was the 2007 Peninsula District Player of the Year and a second-team all-state selection. He averaged a league-high 22 points per game as a junior, and Flannery feels he could eventually be a scoring threat in college as well. Darryl is a guy who as he physically gets bigger and stronger is going to be able to do some things that he won t be able to do right now, Flannery says. But what he can do right now is get the ball up and down the floor. He s a tremendous passer and can shoot it with good range and get into seams. He has played really good competition, so nothing will faze him. He will be the kind of guy who can go out from day one and play against anybody. Sophomore George Medrano saw just a handful of minutes as a rookie in , but he gained valuable experience with the El Salvadorian national team this summer and now J.R. HOLDEN 98 PLAYS HERO AS RUSSIAN NATIONAL TEAM WINS EUROBASKET, CLINCHES 2008 OLYMPIC BERTH J.R. Holden 98 became a hero in Russia this past September when he canned a long jump shot with 2.1 seconds left to lift the Russian national team to a stunning victory over reigning world champion Spain in the Eurobasket 2007 championship game in Madrid. The former All-Patriot League guard, who played for coach Pat Flannery at Bucknell, now has dual American and Russian citizenship, allowing him to play for Russia in international events. The next time he dons the Russian national colors, it will be in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Spain, which earlier in the week handed Russia its only loss of the tournament, led and had possession of the ball inside 30 seconds to play. But Holden, who has gained quite a reputation throughout Europe for his defensive ability, stripped Memphis Grizzlies star Pau Gasol in the paint with 28 seconds to play. At the other end he made a dribble move and shot from just inside the 3-point arc. The ball popped up off the rim and fell back through. Gasol had a chance to win it for Spain, but his shot rimmed out at the buzzer. Holden finished with eight points and two steals in 39 minutes of action, and he averaged 11.6 points per game in the tournament, second on the squad. Andrei Kirilenko of the Utah Jazz scored 17 points to lead Russia and was named Eurobasket MVP. Russia head coach David Blatt, also an American, cited Holden s defense following the game, noting that in the final three victories he helped shut down three NBA players in Tony Parker, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Jose Calderon. It was Russia s first European title (the former Soviet Union won 14), and the unheralded team coming in now joins Spain and Lithuania as automatic Olympic qualifiers from Europe. Greece, Slovenia, Germany and Croatia move on to the pre-olympics qualifying tournament next summer. J.R. Holden Bucknell Men s Basketball 36

5 Patrick Behan looks to compete for some time this season. A pure point guard, Medrano is a quick lefty with a good jump shot and solid ballhandling skills. Any time you come in as a freshman point guard and you ve got a senior like Abe Badmus there, you realize what your role is going to be, says Flannery. George played that role well, and now he comes back this year trying to gauge where he can earn some more minutes. He can take care of the basketball, and now he knows what we are doing at both ends of the floor. He s pretty strong physically, so he can defend you and he can run the show. THE FRONTCOURT The Bucknell coaching staff knew that the graduation of All-Patriot Leaguers Chris McNaughton and Donald Brown would leave some holes to fill in the frontcourt this season, but they were not counting on an offseason knee injury to dependable senior co-captain Darren Mastropaolo. Mastropaolo will likely miss a significant portion of the season, and while the team s low-post depth has taken a hit, the players who are ready to go are loaded with potential. Mastropaolo averaged 6.0 ppg and 4.1 rpg last season both career highs but even more important than statistics are the intangibles he brings to the floor every night. Whether it is setting screens, taking charges, defending big men in the post, playing help defense or picking up a teammate, Mastropaolo is one of the more underappreciated players in the league. Darren is one of those guys who is not going to have gaudy stats, but if we are picking guys for a pickup game, anybody that knows him is going to make him a first-round selection, says Flannery. He does all those things you need to win basketball games. He s probably the best post defender I ve ever been around. It s not that he is overly quick or athletic, but he s smart and tough as nails and will battle you for every inch on the floor. He s a guy who you can just sit and watch play, and you really admire what he does with his ability. He s probably the toughest player I ve ever had as far as what he does at both ends of the floor, and that s where we re going to miss him the most. Junior Josh Linthicum, sophomores Patrick Behan and Zach Evans, and freshman Todd O Brien comprise the likely frontcourt rotation. None of the four are blessed with a significant amount of playing experience, and the distribution of minutes will be based on their development during the preseason. Linthicum is the oldest of the group, but he has played a backup role behind McNaughton and Mastropaolo for the last two seasons. This may be his time to shine, however. Linthicum is big and athletic, and he has benefited from banging with McNaughton for two years, as well as his summer experience abroad. He averaged 3.5 minutes in 21 games last season, totaling 13 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. Josh is a junior now and he s played well in some big games, like Syracuse and Holy Cross, Flannery offers. He has a lot of confidence. He comes from a good athletic family, so he has the ability to step in and produce. We were excited about him before the year started, and now even more so with Darren out. He is a big presence with soft hands, and he can really run the floor. As his confidence grows and as he blossoms we think he could have one of those years where he does all the things you need. He s just got to get more confidence and get used to moving around with the rest of the team and fit into what he does well. With his size and athleticism we think we will be able to get up and down the floor quicker and do some things on the defensive end that will play to his strengths. Behan saw his playing time go up and up as his freshman year progressed. He played in 29 of 31 games, averaging 1.7 ppg. Behan was at his best late in the year while starter Donald Brown was out with an injury. Heralded coming in as an outstanding long-range shooter, Behan struggled a bit from long range bit was able to find other ways to be productive. He showed an ability to drive the ball to the basket and draw contact, and he finished well around the rim. Behan is probably best suited to the 4 spot, where he can create matchup problems for opponents with his offensive skills. Pat had a very productive freshman year, somewhat out of adversity with Donald Brown s injury, notes Flannery. He was playing well up to that point, but he really got thrown into the prime time. We thought he did a great job adjusting to the speed of the game. He was able to rebound with authority. He took the ball to the hole. At the defensive end he showed he has an attitude and a little nasty side to him. He competed really hard, and that is something we re really excited about. Now coming back as a sophomore we almost look to him as a veteran. He s an excellent passer and can shoot it from the perimeter, so he s another guy where we want to tailor some things to his game. Evans played sparingly last year, but he worked hard during the offseason and got an opportunity to play with the United States team in the European Maccabi Games in Rome in July, where he helped the U.S. to a silver medal. Zach got some good experience playing international ball over the summer, Flannery says. He s a very active player and he s long. So he s another guy who can get us some length playing in that 4 spot. We may not be physically tall there, but we re long, and in basketball those things go hand in hand. He can be a tough matchup for somebody at the 4 because he s really active on the baseline and can shoot with good range. The freshman O Brien has tremendous upside, and barring unforeseen circumstances will almost certainly see some measure of playing time as a first-year player. The New Holland, Pa., native enjoyed a terrific career at Garden Spot High School, and now he goes to work on translating his skills to the college game. O Brien has the potential to be a force inside at 6 11, and he has a wide array of offensive skills, including good range out to about 15 feet. Perhaps most importantly, he has been like a sponge during preseason workouts, soaking up everything the coaches and veterans have offered. Todd has a great opportunity, envisions Flannery. We thought we would be able to bring him along a little bit, but with Darren s injury he is getting a full course of basketball. We have just been so impressed with how coachable and excited he is, and what he puts into the game. He has quickly made great relationships with the coaching staff and his teammates. As well as he runs, and with his nice 15-foot game, as he gets a little but stronger he is going to be a bear. Josh Linthicum Season Outlook Bucknell Men s Basketball 37

6 Bison Basketball Notebook 300-Game Winner Pat Flannery VISION Bucknell finished the season with a 22-9 overall record. The Bison have now reached the 20-win plateau nine times in program history, and for the first time ever, they have won 20 or more in three straight seasons. REGULAR-SEASON CO-CHAMPS Bucknell captured a share of the 2007 Patriot League regular-season title, tying Holy Cross for first place with a 13-1 conference record. After winning PL titles in 2005 and 2006, the Bison advanced to the championship game for the third straight season, where they dropped a close one on Holy Cross home floor. The Bison are now 27-1 in the league over the last two seasons, and they have not lost to a PL team other than Holy Cross in regular-season or tournament play since Jan. 30, 2005, a span of 45 games. ALL-LEAGUE HONORS Seniors Chris McNaughton and Donald Brown earned All-Patriot League honors last season. McNaughton was named to the All-PL First Team for the third straight year, making him the first Bison to earn three first-team citations since Brian Anderson from Despite missing the last seven games of the regular season with a broken hand, Brown earned second-team honors. Bucknell has now had a first-team all-conference player in 23 of the last 24 seasons, dating back to its days in the East Coast Conference. ANOTHER BISON SCHOLAR-ATHLETE Chris McNaughton was also named the Patriot League Men s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year for an unprecedented third year in a row. A Bucknell player has now claimed the honor in nine of 17 years. FLANNERY REACHES NO. 300 Head coach Pat Flannery earned his 300th win on Dec. 20 when the Bison defeated Xavier in Cincinnati. He now has a overall record, and in 13 years at Bucknell he has a mark. STREAKING Bucknell brought a 14-game winning streak into the 2007 Patriot League championship game. It was the longest modern-day winning streak in school history (the team won 17 straight from and 15 straight from ) and the third-longest streak in the nation at the time. WINNING SENIORS The 2007 senior class of Chris McNaughton, Abe Badmus and Donald Brown shattered the school record for wins by a class. They won 87 games, breaking the previous mark of 82 by the Class of The Class of 2008 (John Griffin, Darren Mastropaolo, Rob Thomas) needs 14 wins this season to equal that mark. TOURNEY TALK Bucknell now has an all-time record of in the Patriot League Tournament. The Bison have now reached the championship game seven times and reached at least the semifinals in 14 of 17 years. HOME SWEET HOME The Bison went 10-2 at home last season, including a 9-0 mark against Patriot League foes. That means that last year s senior class never lost a league home game, going 35-0 against PL opponents (28-0 regular season, 7-0 PL Tournament). Bucknell is now 49-9 (.845) in Sojka Pavilion since debuting in the facility on Jan. 15, The Bison take a 10-game home winning streak into the campaign. DEE-FENSE The Bison had gone 53 straight games without allowing a Patriot League team to score more than 70 points against them until Holy Cross did it in the 2007 PL championship game. Bucknell allowed only 57.8 points per game in , the second-best mark under Pat Flannery and the ninth-best average in the nation. Since the start of the season, a span of 96 games, the only teams to score more than 70 points against the Bison are Memphis (72), Duke (84), Villanova (twice, 79 and 89), Santa Clara (77), Niagara (74), Wake Forest (86 in OT), Texas Tech (72) and Holy Cross (74). HARD TO BEAT Bucknell last season was one of only eight teams in the nation with one or fewer conference losses, joining Memphis (16-0), Winthrop (14-0), Davidson (17-1), Ohio State (15-1), Vermont (15-1), Holy Cross (13-1) and Penn (13-1). IN GOOD COMPANY Bucknell and Memphis are the only two teams in the nation with only one conference loss over the last two seasons. GIANT KILLERS Bucknell continued its recent trend of knocking off highly regarded teams when it topped Xavier last December at the Cintas Center. The Musketeers had been nationally ranked just a week earlier, and they went on to finish 25-9 and take eventual national finalist Ohio State to overtime before falling in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bison also knocked off reigning Final Four participant George Mason and won a BracketBusters game for the first time by beating Towson at home. PATRIOT LEAGUE SUCCESS The Bison are now (.692) in Patriot League regular-season games, the best record of any league team. They have finished at least.500 in PL play in 15 of 17 seasons. The Bison won a league-record 23 straight contests against conference foes from Feb. 23, 2005 to Jan. 12, Bucknell has an active streak of 35 straight wins at home against conference opponents, with their last home league loss coming on March 2, 2003 against Colgate. SHARPSHOOTER John Griffin enters the season ranked sixth in Bucknell history with 141 career 3-point field goals. He needs 13 more to join the top five. Griffin also ranks fourth in school history in career free-throw percentage (.815). SHARPSHOOTER, PART 2 Jason Vegotsky ranks 13th on Bucknell s career 3-point field goal chart with 85. He will likely become the 12th player in school history to record pointers this season. ATTENDANCE LEADERS Bucknell led the Patriot League in home attendance last season, averaging 3,668 fans in 4,000-seat Sojka Pavilion. Six of its 12 home dates were sellouts. LONGEST BUCKNELL WINNING STREAKS 17 3/1/1902-2/19/1904 (vs. Allegheny) 15 2/5/1901-2/11/1902 (at Princeton) 14 1/10/1908-1/27/1909 (at State College) 14 1/17/2007-3/9/2007 (at Holy Cross) 13 3/9/1906-3/9/1907 (at Harrisburg Coll.) 13 2/15/1918-2/8/1919 (at Lehigh) 12 1/7/2006-2/18/2006 (at No. Iowa) 11 2/6/1920-1/13/1921 (at Temple) 11 2/1/1993-3/6/1993 (vs. Holy Cross) 11 12/4/2004-1/23/05 (at American) 10 2/16/ /20/1919 (at Syracuse) 10 1/14/1983-2/8/1983 (at Lafayette) Bucknell Men s Basketball 38

7 CONSISTENT WINNERS Since the start of Patriot League play in , Bucknell has posted only two losing seasons in regular-season conference action. The Bison have now finished either first or second eight times in that 17-year span. Season Rec. Pct. Reg. Ssn. Fin th nd st th st (T) rd (T) nd rd nd (T) rd th (T) rd (T) th rd (T) nd st st (T) PATRIOT LEAGUE PREDICTIONS After three straight seasons being picked as the preseason favorite in a poll of Patriot League head coaches and sports information directors, Bucknell was picked No. 2 behind Holy Cross prior to the season. In addition, senior guard John Griffin was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team. Team...Pts. Preseason All-PL Team 1. Holy Cross (10) Jarell Brown, ARMY 2. Bucknell (5) Tim Clifford, HCR (POY) 3. Colgate (1) John Griffin, BKN 4. Lehigh Marquis Hall, LEH 5. American Greg Sprink, NAVY 6. Army Navy Lafayette BUCKNELL 20-WIN SEASONS PATRIOT LEAGUE COACHING WINS 1. Pat Flannery, Bucknell (1995-pres.) Don DeVoe, Navy ( ) Fran O Hanlon, Lafayette (1996-pres.) Ralph Willard, Holy Cross (2000-pres.) Emmett Davis, Colgate (1998-pres.) BUCKNELL S DEFENSE UNDER PAT FLANNERY Year Scoring Def. FG% Def BUCKNELL AT HOME UNDER PAT FLANNERY Year... Home Record (Pct.) (.700) (.800) (.833) (.727) (.750) (.667) (.692) (.700) (.636) (.833) (.923) (.933) (.833) Total (.778) MOST ROAD VICTORIES IN A SEASON BISON TRIO PLAYS ABROAD Junior Josh Linthicum and sophomores Zach Evans and George Medrano played reserve roles for the Bucknell basketball team last season, but all three took big steps forward in advancing their careers by playing against quality international competition over the summer. Linthicum toured with the East Coast All- Stars, a group of college players who traveled to Holland and Belgium for seven games in seven days in August, including two against the Dutch National Team. The Americans, who had only one practice together before flying overseas, posted a 3-4 record on the trip. Linthicum played about 20 minutes per game with the East Coast All-Stars and totaled 27 points, 25 rebounds and nine blocked shots in the seven contests. His best production came in Belgium during the final two games of the week, when he had eight points and four rebounds in a loss to Boom BBC, then added another eight points and four boards along with two blocked shots in a 15-point win over Welvegem. Evans played for the United States team in the European Maccabi Games in Rome this past July, where he helped the U.S. to a silver medal. Bison Basketball Notebook George Medrano Medrano had the opportunity to play for the El Salvadorian National Team at a FIBA Americas Central American qualifier tournament in July. ALUMS OVERSEAS Over the summer 2007 graduates Chris McNaughton and Donald Brown signed to play for professional clubs in Spain and Iceland, respectively. Interestingly, one of McNaughton s first games for his new team C.B. L Hospitalet in Barcelona came against a familiar foe in Holy Cross, which was winding up a summer overseas tour in Spain. McNaughton had 10 points in a victory over the Crusaders. Brown will play this season for U.M.F. Tindastoll in Iceland. Another 2007 graduate, point guard Abe Badmus, returned to the Nigerian National Team for the FIBA Africa Cup this summer. Badmus started the team s first two games a rout of Liberia and a win over Central African Republic but suffered an injury and could not compete the rest of the tournament. Nigeria went on to finish fifth and failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympics. Badmus also played with the Nigerian squad in the summer of 2005, helping them qualify for the 2006 World Championships. After spending his second straight summer with the San Antonio Spurs summer league team, 2006 alum Charles Lee will be heading to Belgium this season, where he will play for Verviers-Pepinster. Lee played last season with Gilboa-Afula in Israel. These recent graduates join former Bison all-stars Boakai Lalugba 03, Bryan Bailey 02 and J.R. Holden 98 in the European professional ranks. Lalugba will play for Bourg in France this season after previous stops in Sweden and Finland. Bailey will return to the German professional league this season, while Holden continues to be one of the top players in Russia as a starting guard with powerhouse CSKA Moscow (see p. 36 for more on Holden) Bucknell Men s Basketball 39

8 Bucknell Roster ALPHABETICAL Statistics No. Name Cl. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/Secondary School PPG RPG APG 31 * Patrick Behan So. F Leesburg, Va./Notre Dame Academy G.W. Boon Fr. G Harvest, Ala./Sparkman 10 ** Justin Castleberry Jr. G Upper Marlboro, Md./Archbishop Spalding * Zach Evans So. G/F Encino, Calif./Chaminade *** John Griffin Sr. G Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Joseph s Prep ** Josh Linthicum Jr. C Farmington, N.M./Virginia Episcopal School (Va.) *** Darren Mastropaolo Sr. F Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth * George Medrano So. G Van Nuys, Calif./Beverly Hills Todd O Brien Fr. C New Holland, Pa./Garden Spot 13 Darryl Shazier Fr. G Newport News, Va./Menchville 2 *** Rob Thomas Sr. G Houston, Texas/Mendham (N.J.) * Stephen Tyree So. G The Woodlands, Texas/Strake Jesuit ** Jason Vegotsky Jr. G Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury NUMERICAL Statistics No. Name Cl. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/Secondary School PPG RPG APG 0 Todd O Brien Fr. C New Holland, Pa./Garden Spot 1 *** Darren Mastropaolo Sr. F Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth *** Rob Thomas Sr. G Houston, Texas/Mendham (N.J.) ** Justin Castleberry Jr. G Upper Marlboro, Md./Archbishop Spalding *** John Griffin Sr. G Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Joseph s Prep * George Medrano So. G Van Nuys, Calif./Beverly Hills Darryl Shazier Fr. G Newport News, Va./Menchville 14 ** Jason Vegotsky Jr. G Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury * Stephen Tyree So. G The Woodlands, Texas/Strake Jesuit G.W. Boon Fr. G Harvest, Ala./Sparkman 31 * Patrick Behan So. F Leesburg, Va./Notre Dame Academy * Zach Evans So. G/F Encino, Calif./Chaminade ** Josh Linthicum Jr. C Farmington, N.M./Virginia Episcopal School (Va.) * Letters won Head Coach: Pat Flannery (Bucknell 80, 14th season) Assistant Coaches: Nathan Davis (Randolph-Macon 97), Mark Prosser (Marist 02), Dan Bowen (Bucknell 00) Manager of Basketball Operations: Jamion Christian (Mount St. Mary s 04) Co-Captains: John Griffin, Darren Mastropaolo, Rob Thomas Team Orthopaedic Surgeon: Dr. Dean Harter Team Support: Al Yearick PRONUNCIATIONS Behan...BEE-an Linthicum...LIN-thi-cum Mastropaolo... MASS-tro-PO-lo Medrano... mi-drahn-oh Shazier...SHAY-zer Tyree...tie-REE Vegotsky... ve-got-ski Bucknell Men s Basketball 40

9 Spotter s Chart TODD O BRIEN FR C New Holland, Pa. DARREN MASTROPAOLO SR F Falmouth, Maine 1 ROB THOMAS SR G JUSTIN CASTLEBERRY JR G Houston, Texas U. Marlboro, Md. JOHN GRIFFIN 11 SR G Philadelphia, Pa. GEORGE MEDRANO SO G Van Nuys, Calif. 12 DARRYL SHAZIER 13 FR G Newport News, Va. JASON VEGOTSKY JR G STEPHEN TYREE 15 SO G Yardley, Pa. The Woodlands, Texas G.W. BOON FR G Harvest, Ala. 21 PATRICK BEHAN SO F Leesburg, Va. 31 ZACH EVANS SO G/F JOSH LINTHICUM 42 JR C Encino, Calif. Farmington, N.M. PAT FLANNERY Head Coach 14th Season NATHAN DAVIS Assistant Coach 5th Season MARK PROSSER Assistant Coach 5th Season DAN BOWEN Assistant Coach 2nd Season JAMION CHRISTIAN Mgr. of BB Operations 2nd Season Bucknell Men s Basketball 41

10

11 31 PATRICK BEHAN SOPHOMORE FORWARD LEESBURG, VA. NOTRE DAME ACADEMY BEHAN S CAREER HIGHS Made a good first impression at the 4 spot last season... now in contention for a starting berth heading into preseason practice... tall, rangy forward who can stroke the 3... a nice complement to senior Darren Mastropaolo, who is more of an inside threat... also has the ability to put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket... improved as a defender as the year wore on and he learned the system... came to Bucknell as a well-seasoned prospect from an outstanding high school program As a rookie forward saw regular action, with his minutes on the rise late in year... played in 29 of 31 games and was a particularly important cog over the final seven games of the regular season when starter Donald Brown was out with an injury... averaged 17.3 min. per game over that span, while Bucknell went scored first career points on only FGA at Saint Joseph s... hit first career 3FG in win at Cornell and finished with 3 pts. in 7 min.... played then-career-high 13 min. vs. Northern Illinois and scored 2 pts.... played one strong 5-min. stretch in second half at Colgate... in that win scored the go-ahead FG and had a hand in two others with an offensive rebound and an assist, each of which led directly to Bucknell points... also scored the go-ahead points at Navy on a 3-pointer just before halftime... played solid 14 min. off bench in win at American (2 pts., 5 reb.)... scored 6 pts. (3-4 FG) in home win over Holy Cross... hit back-to-back FGs in second half to erase 4-pt. deficit in that game... played then-career-high 22 min. vs. Towson and had personal bests 7 pts., 5 reb., 3 asst.... saw career-high 23 min. and had 6 pts., 3 asst. in win at Lehigh. HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL Full name is Patrick Davidson Behan... parents are Jeremiah and Darcy Behan... born Oct. 6, 1987 in Leesburg, Va.... has one sister, Alexis graduate of Notre Dame Academy... four-year varsity starter... as a senior averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds and led Notre Dame to the Virginia Independent Schools state championship... named team MVP as both a junior Points: 7 vs. Towson 2/17/2007 Rebounds: 5 twice Assists: 3 vs. Towson 2/17/2007 Steals: 2 vs. Lafayette 2/15/2007 Blocks: 0 FG Made: 3 vs. Holy Cross 2/9/2007 FG Attempted: 5 three times 3-pt FG Made: 1 three times 3-pt FG Attempted: 2 five times FT Made: 4 at Lehigh 2/21/2007 FT Attempted: 4 twice BEHAN S GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Opponent Min. FG-A Pct. 3FG-A Pct. FT-A Pct. RB PF A TO B S PTS at Albany Wake Forest at St. Joe s at Penn St at Yale at St. Francis No. Iowa vs. Geo. Mason at Cornell at Xavier at Texas Tech vs. Central Ark. vs. No. Ill Navy* American* at Holy Cross* at Lafayette* Colgate* Lehigh* Army* at Colgate* at Navy* at American* Holy Cross* Lafayette* Towson at Lehigh* at Army* Navy^ Army^ Holy Cross^ * Patriot League Game ^ Patriot League Tournament Games started in bold BEHAN S CAREER STATISTICS and senior... played in the 33rd Annual Capital Classic all-star game in Washington, D.C.... McDonald s All-America nominee... attended prestigious ABCD Camp in Teaneck, N.J. Year G GS FGM FGA Pct. 3FGM 3FGA Pct. FTM FTA Pct. Reb. RPG PF DQ A TO BK ST Pts. PPG Min. MPG Totals Bucknell Men s Basketball 43

12 Bucknell Men s Basketball 44

13 10 JUSTIN CASTLEBERRY JUNIOR GUARD UPPER MARLBORO, MD. ARCHBISHOP SPALDING Coming off a breakthrough sophomore season, and now comes back as one of the team s key veterans in the backcourt... hails from an outstanding Archbishop Spalding program that has produced numerous Division I players, including recent Connecticut star Rudy Gay... began his prep career at DeMatha... physically mature athlete... physical strength makes him effective against major conference opponents... some of his best games have come in some of the biggest games... good ballhandler with excellent court vision... good decision-maker who averaged less than a turnover per game last season... also proved to be a good 3-point shooter, hitting on 40.0% from the arc last season Second-year guard became a key member of the Bison backcourt after emerging in a road win at Yale in the fifth game of the season... after becoming a regular member of the rotation, averaged 5.7 ppg in 17.5 mpg (Bucknell was 22-5 over that span)... led team in 3FG% (.400) and was third in 3FGM (26)... had breakout game in win at Yale: 11 pts. (8-8 FT), 3 reb., 2 asst. in 18 min. (all then-career highs)... had 7 pts., then-career-high 3 asst. in 17 min. in win over George Mason... equaled then-career high with 11 pts. in road win at Cornell... scored 9 pts. (3-4 FG, 3-4 3FG) and hit two critical second-half 3FGs in one-point win at Xavier... had 8 pts., 2 reb., 2 asst. in career-high 22 min. at Texas Tech... hit a first-half 3FG that gave Bucknell the lead for good and finished with 5 pts., 3 asst. in win vs. Navy... had career game at Holy Cross, scoring team-high 16 points (5-11 FG, 3-6 3FG, 3-3 FT)... had one of best games yet in win at American, producing 10 pts. (3-5 FG, 2-2 3FG) and career-high 4 asst. with 0 TOs... tallied 10 pts., 2 asst., 2 stl. in Patriot League championship game at Holy Cross... in three games vs. Holy Cross totaled 36 pts. (double figures in all three) and was the team s high scorer in first two... earned team s Coaches Award for contributions and loyalty to the Bucknell basketball family. CASTLEBERRY S CAREER HIGHS Points: 16 at Holy Cross 1/12/2007 Rebounds: 4 vs. Army 1/27/2007 Assists: 4 at American 2/6/2007 Steals: 2 twice Blocks: 0 FG Made: 5 at Holy Cross 1/12/2007 FG Attempted: 11 at Holy Cross 1/12/ pt FG Made: 3 twice 3-pt FG Attempted: 6 at Holy Cross 1/12/2007 FT Made: 8 at Yale 11/25/2006 FT Attempted: 8 at Yale 11/25/2006 CASTLEBERRY S GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Opponent Min. FG-A Pct. 3FG-A Pct. FT-A Pct. RB PF A TO B S PTS at Albany Wake Forest at St. Joe s at Penn St. at Yale at St. Francis No. Iowa vs. Geo. Mason at Cornell at Xavier at Texas Tech vs. Central Ark vs. No. Ill Navy* American* at Holy Cross* at Lafayette* Colgate* Lehigh* Army* at Colgate* at Navy* at American* Holy Cross* Lafayette* Towson at Lehigh* at Army* Navy^ Army^ Holy Cross^ * Patriot League Game ^ Patriot League Tournament Games started in bold CASTLEBERRY S CAREER STATISTICS Saw action in 18 games, all off the bench... scored a total of six points, four against Haverford and two against Yale... collected two rebounds in a game three times and had nine on the season... played season-high six minutes against Cornell. HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL Full name is Justin Alexander Castleberry... parents are Jerry and Linda Castleberry... born Dec. 19, 1986 in Warner Robins, Ga.... has a brother, Jeremy graduate of Archbishop Spalding... played basketball for head coach Mike Glick... two-time all-star at Eastern Invitational camp... as a junior was a key member of a Spalding team that posted a 29-8 record and was ranked second by the Baltimore Sun and 12th by the Washington Post... as a senior averaged 13.2 ppg and 4.3 apg in a season... shot 80% FT, 45% FG and 39% 3FG... had 17 points and five assists in a win over the state s No. 1 team at the time, Mt. St. Joseph s... Third Team All-Baltimore Catholic League selection... majoring in economics. Year G GS FGM FGA Pct. 3FGM 3FGA Pct. FTM FTA Pct. Reb. RPG PF DQ A TO BK ST Pts. PPG Min. MPG Totals Bucknell Men s Basketball 45

14 Bucknell Men s Basketball 46

15 33 ZACH EVANS SOPHOMORE GUARD/FORWARD ENCINO, CALIF. CHAMINADE Southern California native who is battling for increased playing time in at 6 5 has good length and has the potential to be an outstanding defender on the wing... also likely to play some at the 4 spot this season... shoots the ball very well, and with good range... hard-nosed player from an excellent high school program... played for the United States team in the European Maccabi Games in Rome in July 2007, where he helped the U.S. to a silver medal Played in 11 games off the bench as a freshman, totaling 12 minutes... lone points came on a late bucket against Towson in a BracketBusters victory... also registered one assist and one steal. HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL Full name is Zachary J. Evans... son of Ted and Ava Evans... born Jan. 23, 1988 in Encino, Calif.... has a brother, Ryan... father played basketball at USC graduate of Chaminade College Prep in West Hills, Calif.... three-year varsity starter for head coach Bryan Cantwell... team captain and co-mvp... named to All-Mission League First Team as a senior after leading team to a 20-8 record... also First Team All-CIF... averaged 15.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per game... set school records for blocked shots in a game (7) and season (57)... McDonald s All-America nominee... attended ABCD Camp in named all-tournament at Simi Valley Tipoff Classic, Oak Park Varsity Tournament and Chaminade Christmas Classic. EVANS CAREER HIGHS Points: 2 vs. Towson 2/17/2007 Rebounds: 0 Assists: 1 vs. Army 1/27/2007 Steals: 1 at Texas Tech 12/23/2006 Blocks: 0 FG Made: 1 vs. Towson 2/17/2007 FG Attempted: 1 twice 3-pt FG Made: 0 3-pt FG Attempted: 0 FT Made: 0 FT Attempted: 0 EVANS GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Opponent Min. FG-A Pct. 3FG-A Pct. FT-A Pct. RB PF A TO B S PTS at Albany Wake Forest at St. Joe s at Penn St. at Yale at St. Francis No. Iowa vs. Geo. Mason at Cornell at Xavier at Texas Tech vs. Central Ark. vs. No. Ill Navy* American* at Holy Cross* at Lafayette* Colgate* Lehigh* Army* at Colgate* at Navy* at American* Holy Cross* Lafayette* Towson at Lehigh* at Army* Navy^ Army^ Holy Cross^ * Patriot League Game ^ Patriot League Tournament Games started in bold EVANS CAREER STATISTICS Year G GS FGM FGA Pct. 3FGM 3FGA Pct. FTM FTA Pct. Reb. RPG PF DQ A TO BK ST Pts. PPG Min. MPG Totals Bucknell Men s Basketball 47

16 Bucknell Men s Basketball 48

17 11 JOHN GRIFFIN SENIOR GUARD PHILADELPHIA, PA. SAINT JOSEPH S PREP Scrappy guard will be a team co-captain as a senior... has yet to miss a game in his career... assumed an everyday starting assignment last season and thrived as both a scorer and ballhandler... versatile enough to play both the point and shooting guard positions... rarely turns the ball over... outstanding 3-point shooter... also has a good mid-range jumper... intense, scrappy player who wears his heart on his sleeve... typical son of a coach... very creative player with an innate sense of the game... much-improved defensive player Started all 31 games at the off-guard position and established career highs in virtually every statistical category... ranked 5th in PL in FT%, 6th in 3FG made, 6th in assists and 15th in scoring... led team in 3FG made and was 3rd in scoring, 2nd in assists... boasted terrific assistturnover ratio of 2.30:1 (85-37)... went five straight games without a turnover before the streak was snapped at Lafayette... led nation in A/TO midway through the season... Patriot League A/TO of had career-high 19 pts. on opening night at Albany... scored 13 pts. (4-10 FG, 3-7 3G, 2-2 FT) and had 0 TOs in 31 min. in win over George Mason... led Bison with 16 points (6-11 FG, 4-9 3FG) in win at Xavier... also had 5 assists and hit game-tying 3FG with 1:47 left... in three games vs. Navy totaled 36 pts., 18 asst., 2 TO... team-high 15 pts. (4-6 FG, 3-4 3FG, 4-5 FT) in win at AU and hit go-ahead FTs with 0:31 left and clinching FTs with 0:03.6 left... scored 7 pts. in home win over Holy Cross, all coming in last 9:04... hit huge 3FG with 1:04 left, stretching 1-pt. lead to 4... scored game-high 16 pts. at Lehigh, including 6 straight BU pts. late in game to seal the win... had team-high 15 pts. in PL championship game at Holy Cross... had 15+ pts. in 6 of last 10 games... over that span averaged 12.6 ppg and shot 44.1% (30-68) 3FG... earned team s Coaches Award for contributions and loyalty to the Bucknell basketball family. GRIFFIN S CAREER HIGHS Points: 19 at Albany 11/11/2006 Rebounds: 8 at Navy 1/7/2006 Assists: 8 vs. Navy 1/6/2007 Steals: 4 vs. Yale 11/26/2005 Blocks: 2 at Navy 1/7/2006 FG Made: 6 at Xavier 12/20/2006 FG Attempted: 11 three times 3-pt FG Made: 4 seven times 3-pt FG Attempted: 10 twice FT Made: 10 vs. American 1/9/2007 FT Attempted: 10 vs. American 1/9/2007 GRIFFIN S GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Opponent Min. FG-A Pct. 3FG-A Pct. FT-A Pct. RB PF A TO B S PTS at Albany Wake Forest at St. Joe s at Penn St at Yale at St. Francis No. Iowa vs. Geo. Mason at Cornell at Xavier at Texas Tech vs. Central Ark vs. No. Ill Navy* American* at Holy Cross* at Lafayette* Colgate* Lehigh* Army* at Colgate* at Navy* at American* Holy Cross* Lafayette* Towson at Lehigh* at Army* Navy^ Army^ Holy Cross^ * Patriot League Game ^ Patriot League Tournament Games started in bold GRIFFIN S CAREER STATISTICS Played in all 32 games, making one early season start against Yale... served as the primary backup to both Abe Badmus and Kevin Bettencourt... averaged 16.0 minutes per game, second to Donald Brown among Bison reserves... tied for third on the squad with 29 3-pointers... scored season-high 12 points in a home win over Army... added 10 points against both Navy and Saint Joseph s, where his father used to play and coach... hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 0:17 left in a season-opening road win at Rider... also had a career-high five assists in that game... had six points and four assists in a win at No. 17 Syracuse... in addition to 10 points, had a career-best eight rebounds and the first two blocked shots of his career at Navy... started the season 4-for-12 from the free-throw line but made 20 of his last 21 to boost his career accuracy back to 79.8% Entered the season as a projected backup to guards Abe Badmus and Kevin Bettencourt, but was thrust into the starting lineup on opening night with Badmus sidelined by a hip flexor injury... started the first four games of the season and six overall, while playing in all named to Patriot League All-Rookie Team... made a big splash in the season opener against Princeton at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at the Carrier Dome... scored a team-high 18 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the field (2-2 3FG)... the very next night against Northern Colorado he was again 5-for-5 (3-3 3FG) and scored 16 points in a Bison victory... became the first Bucknell player in at least 30 years to begin his career 10-for-10 from the field... extended the streak to 11 straight made shots in game No. 3 vs. Rider... went 3-for-4 that night and scored nine points... the 18 points against Princeton were tied for the third-most ever by a Bison freshman on opening night... scored nine points against Wisconsin at the NCAA Tournament, including two big 3-pointers that helped Bucknell erase an early double-digit deficit... had no turnovers in two NCAA Tournament games and had a positive assist-turnover ratio for the season (51-42)... scored 15 points in regular-season game at Holy Cross... had six points on a pair of treys in a win at St. Joseph s... contributed nine points, including a huge go-ahead 3-pointer in the second half, in the upset win at No. 7 Pittsburgh... had a strong game at Lafayette with 14 points (2-3 3FG, 8-8 FT) and four assists... twice named Patriot League Rookie of the Week... shot 83.9% from the foul line on the season... averaged 6.9 ppg. HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL Full name is John Joseph Griffin... son of John and Marisa Griffin... born Dec. 3, 1985 in Albany, N.Y.... has one younger brother, Matt... father is a former player at Saint Joseph s University and head coach at Saint Joseph s and Siena graduate of Saint Joseph s Prep... as a senior co-captain helped lead team to the Philadelphia Catholic League title and a final ranking of 21 in the USA TODAY Super named USA TODAY s prep player of the week on March 9, 2004 after scoring 27 points against Cardinal Dougherty in the league title game... three-time all-league selection... finished career as school s all-time leading scorer... majoring in economics. Year G GS FGM FGA Pct. 3FGM 3FGA Pct. FTM FTA Pct. Reb. RPG PF DQ A TO BK ST Pts. PPG Min. MPG Totals Bucknell Men s Basketball 49

18 Bucknell Men s Basketball 50

19 42 JOSH LINTHICUM JUNIOR CENTER FARMINGTON, N.M. VIRGINIA EPISCOPAL Strong, physical low-post player who has made strides over the last two seasons while serving as understudy to All-Patriot League center Chris McNaughton... has the physical attributes to become a more significant contributor... off-season injury to Darren Mastropaolo could add up to increased minutes... gained valuable experience this past summer playing with the East Coast All-Stars... team was made up of college players who traveled to Holland and Belgium for seven games in seven days in August, including two against the Dutch National Team... played about 20 minutes per game and totaled 27 points, 25 rebounds and nine blocked shots in the seven contests... best production came in Belgium during the final two games of the week, when he had eight points and four rebounds in a loss to Boom BBC, then added another eight points and four boards along with two blocked shots in a 15-point win over Welvegem Played in 21 games off the bench, totaling 73 minutes... scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds... blocked three shots... made 5 of 13 attempts from the field Appeared in 21 games in his rookie campaign, all in a reserve role... logged a total of 57 minutes, with a high of eight coming in a home win over Navy... scored four of his 14 points in that game, all from the free-throw line... attempted eight free throws in that game and made 10 of 18 from the stripe on the season... saw brief first-half action in Bucknell s win over No. 17 Syracuse and blocked a shot... also blocked shots in both Navy games and against Yale... season-high two rebounds against Lafayette at home. LINTHICUM S CAREER HIGHS Points: 4 vs. Navy 1/28/2006 Rebounds: 2 five times Assists: 1 five times Steals: 2 vs. Navy 1/28/2006 Blocks: 1 seven times FG Made: 1 seven times FG Attempted: 3 twice 3-pt FG Made: 0 3-pt FG Attempted: 0 FT Made: 4 vs. Navy 1/28/2006 FT Attempted: 8 vs. Navy 1/28/2006 LINTHICUM S GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Opponent Min. FG-A Pct. 3FG-A Pct. FT-A Pct. RB PF A TO B S PTS at Albany Wake Forest at St. Joe s at Penn St at Yale at St. Francis No. Iowa vs. Geo. Mason at Cornell at Xavier at Texas Tech vs. Central Ark. vs. No. Ill Navy* American* at Holy Cross* at Lafayette* Colgate* Lehigh* Army* at Colgate* at Navy* at American* Holy Cross* Lafayette* Towson at Lehigh* at Army* Navy^ Army^ Holy Cross^ * Patriot League Game ^ Patriot League Tournament Games started in bold LINTHICUM S CAREER STATISTICS HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL Full name is Joshua Christopher Linthicum... son of Don and Carla Linthicum... born Sept. 30, 1985 in Farmington, N.M.... has two younger siblings, Brian and Shelby... Brian is a freshman tight end for the Clemson football team graduate of Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg, Va.... served as team captain for head coach John Windham... earned Virginia Independent Schools All-State honorable mention... First Team All-Virginia Prep League... named to Lynchburg News & Advance All-Area Team... averaged 16 points and eight rebounds as a senior... averaged 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks as a junior, when VES ranked No. 1 in the state... was also an all-state performer in New Mexico before moving to VES prior to the season... attended prestigious Adidas Superstar Camp in Georgia, as well as the Rick Majerus Big Man Camp... majoring in economics. Year G GS FGM FGA Pct. 3FGM 3FGA Pct. FTM FTA Pct. Reb. RPG PF DQ A TO BK ST Pts. PPG Min. MPG Totals Bucknell Men s Basketball 51

20 Bucknell Men s Basketball 52

21 1 DARREN MASTROPAOLO SENIOR FORWARD FALMOUTH, MAINE FALMOUTH Physically strong player who has been a mainstay in Bucknell s frontcourt since his freshman campaign... suffered a knee injury during a summer pickup game and is likely to miss the start of the season... had played in 95 of a possible 96 games over the last three years, including 60 starts... developed into one of the team s vocal leaders on the floor and will serve as team co-captain this season... sometimes plays under the radar because he is not a prolific scorer... is the type of player that winning teams need, however... strong fundamental player who does many of the little things that are only noticed on coaches film... led the team in drawn charges in each of the last two seasons... coach Pat Flannery says he is one of the best screeners he has ever coached... can face up to the basket or post up... has range out to 15 feet... excellent post defender... complemented all-star center Chris McNaughton very well... believed to be the first Bison basketball player from the state of Maine Posted career highs in virtually every statistical category while playing in all 31 games, including 17 starts... started the first seven games of the season, then became the team s sixth man until rejoining the starting unit late in the year when Donald Brown went down with an injury... had never scored in double figures in his career until doing so in three straight games, when he scored 10 vs. Wake Forest, 13 at Saint Joseph s and 12 at Penn State... had 5 pts., 4 reb. in win at Xavier, and most importantly he made a big defensive stop on Justin Doellman in final 0:10 to preserve the 1-point win... scored 11 pts. (3-4 FG, 5-8 FT) in win over American, setting career highs for FT and FTA... in return to starting cast at Navy had one of his best games of the year 12 pts. (5-5 FG, 2-2 FT), 7 reb., 2 asst. in a Bison win... in last 10 games of MASTROPAOLO S CAREER HIGHS Points: 13 at Saint Joseph s 11/19/2006 Rebounds: 11 vs. Lafayette 2/15/2007 Assists: 6 vs. Lafayette 2/15/2007 Steals: 2 four times Blocks: 2 vs. Holy Cross 3/10/2006 FG Made: 6 at Saint Joseph s 11/19/2006 FG Attempted: 12 at Saint Joseph s 11/19/ pt FG Made: 0 3-pt FG Attempted: 0 FT Made: 5 twice FT Attempted: 8 vs. American 1/9/2007 MASTROPAOLO S GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Opponent Min. FG-A Pct. 3FG-A Pct. FT-A Pct. RB PF A TO B S PTS at Albany Wake Forest at St. Joe s at Penn St at Yale at St. Francis No. Iowa vs. Geo. Mason at Cornell at Xavier at Texas Tech vs. Central Ark vs. No. Ill Navy* American* at Holy Cross* at Lafayette* Colgate* Lehigh* Army* at Colgate* at Navy* at American* Holy Cross* Lafayette* Towson at Lehigh* at Army* Navy^ Army^ Holy Cross^ * Patriot League Game ^ Patriot League Tournament Games started in bold MASTROPAOLO S CAREER STATISTICS season (all as a starter) averaged 7.6 ppg (26-38 FG), 5.5 rpg, 2.2 apg... went 3-3 FG and finished with 8 pts., 4 asst. at American... twice put Bison ahead in final 3:00... had 7 pts., 5 reb., 2 asst. in win over Holy Cross... in that game he tied his career high with 5 made FTs, the last 2 giving BU a lead with 3:51 left... splendid effort in win over Lafayette, scoring 8 pts. while setting career highs in reb. (11), asst. (6) and stl. (2)... had 8 pts. in Patriot League championship game at Holy Cross... led team in drawn charges (13)... repeated as team s Tommy Thompson Award winner Played in all 32 games, starting shot an even 50.0% from the field while averaging 19.5 minutes per game... averaged just 3.7 ppg but was a force on defense... did keep teams honest with the occasional bucket... scored season-high eight points in Bucknell s Patriot League regular-season title-clinching victory over Lehigh... had four rebounds, two assists and a career-high two blocked shots in the PL championship game victory over Holy Cross... scored seven points on 3-for-3 shooting against No. 4 Villanova and grabbed six rebounds against No. 1 Duke... season-high eight boards in a win at American... tallied five points and four rebounds against Memphis in the NCAA Tournament... co-recipient, along with Abe Badmus, of the team s Tommy Thompson Award for spirit, intensity and outstanding defensive play Played in 32 of 33 games as a freshman, including 13 starts... made starting debut at Penn in December, then entered the starting lineup permanently at Lafayette in January... shot 46.0% from the field and averaged 3.0 ppg and 2.1 rpg... scored career-high nine points twice, in back-to-back games against Navy and Villanova... tallied eight points in road win at Army... season-high nine rebounds in Patriot League Tournament win over Lafayette... had a strong NCAA Tournament game with Kansas, securing six rebounds while matching up defensively with All-American Wayne Simien... played an exceptional eight minutes in an early season win over Robert Morris, with two points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal... made two clutch free throws to tie the game with 0:07 left against Lehigh. HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL Full name is Darren Clifford Mastropaolo... son of David and Debra Mastropaolo... has brothers, Mike and Ryan... father played at Marshall University... born June 18, 1986 in Falls Church, Va graduate of Falmouth High School, where he was a four-year letterman in both basketball and tennis... named Gatorade State Player of the Year as a senior co-captain... averaged a double-double (14 pts., 13 reb.) while leading team to a 27-1 record and the top seed in the state playoffs in named to Maine s McDonald s All-Star Team... two-time all-conference pick... twice named team MVP... played for coach David Halligan... majoring in psychology... member of Patriot League Academic Honor Roll in Year G GS FGM FGA Pct. 3FGM 3FGA Pct. FTM FTA Pct. Reb. RPG PF DQ A TO BK ST Pts. PPG Min. MPG Totals Bucknell Men s Basketball 53

22 Bucknell Men s Basketball 54

23 12 GEORGE MEDRANO SOPHOMORE GUARD VAN NUYS, CALIF. BEVERLY HILLS Joined the Bison program last season as a walk-on out of Beverly Hills High School, where he was an all-star prep performer... pure point guard with outstanding quickness... solid ballhandler and shooter... lefthander... important practice player who will also be battling for reserve time as a sophomore... had the opportunity to play for the El Salvadorian National Team at a FIBA Americas Central American qualifier tournament in July Served as a member of the Bison reserve unit as a rookie... saw brief action in 10 games, totaling 2 pts., 2 reb.... lone points came on 2 FTs at Navy. HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL Full name is George Medrano... son of Mario Estrada and Violeta Turcios... born Nov. 16, 1988 in Los Angeles, Calif.... has one brother, Calvin Estrada... uncle, Luis Turcios, played college basketball at Whittier College and was also his high school coach graduate of Beverly Hills High School... three-year starter at guard... honors increased each year... was Second Team All-Pioneer League as a sophomore, First Team All-Ocean League as a junior and Ocean League Most Outstanding Player as a senior... in was also an All-CIF selection after averaging 24 points and 6 assists per game... named to all-tournament teams at the Maui Invitational and Beverly Hills Tournament... team captain. MEDRANO S CAREER HIGHS Points: 0 Rebounds: 1 twice Assists: 0 Steals: 1 at Texas Tech 12/23/2006 Blocks: 0 FG Made: 0 FG Attempted: 2 at Texas Tech 12/23/ pt FG Made: 0 3-pt FG Attempted: 1 vs. Navy 2/28/2007 FT Made: 2 at Navy 2/2/2007 FT Attempted: 2 three times MEDRANO S GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Opponent Min. FG-A Pct. 3FG-A Pct. FT-A Pct. RB PF A TO B S PTS at Albany Wake Forest at St. Joe s at Penn St. at Yale at St. Francis No. Iowa vs. Geo. Mason at Cornell at Xavier at Texas Tech vs. Central Ark. vs. No. Ill Navy* American* at Holy Cross* at Lafayette* Colgate* Lehigh* -INJ Army* -INJ at Colgate* at Navy* at American* Holy Cross* Lafayette* Towson at Lehigh* at Army* Navy^ Army^ Holy Cross^ * Patriot League Game ^ Patriot League Tournament Games started in bold MEDRANO S CAREER STATISTICS Year G GS FGM FGA Pct. 3FGM 3FGA Pct. FTM FTA Pct. Reb. RPG PF DQ A TO BK ST Pts. PPG Min. MPG Totals Bucknell Men s Basketball 55

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25 2 ROB THOMAS SENIOR GUARD HOUSTON, TEXAS MENDHAM (N.J.) Athletic guard who has improved greatly since his arrival at Bucknell, particularly on the offensive end of the floor... elected team co-captain this season, along with John Griffin and Darren Mastropaolo... once again expected to add to the team s outstanding backcourt depth... potentially an explosive scorer... has good shooting range... likes to be aggressive on the offensive glass... runs the floor very well Reserve wing player who was an offensive spark for the Bison off the bench at times... played in 28 of 31 games, averaging 8.1 minutes per game... established career highs in virtually every statistical category... had never totaled more than 9 pts. in any regular-season game until exploding for 16 vs. Wake Forest early in the season... made 6-9 FG, including 3-3 3FG in the overtime loss to the Demon Deacons... hit two big second half jumpers and finished with 4 pts. at Saint Francis... also credited with first career blocked shot... had a big second half in a come-from-behind road win at Cornell... scored 9 pts. (4-5 FG) to help Bison come back from 13-pt. halftime deficit... shot 46.0% from the floor on the season Played in 22 games off the bench... finished the season with 26 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three steals in 81 minutes... scored a career-high nine points (2-4 FG, 5-6 FT) in nine minutes of action in a home victory over Navy... scored five points against Haverford and four in a season-high 12 minutes against Cornell... played 11 minutes against Army in the regular-season finale... scored a big first-half bucket on a reverse layup in a home win over Lehigh. THOMAS CAREER HIGHS Points: 16 vs. Wake Forest 11/14/2006 Rebounds: 4 twice Assists: 2 three times Steals: 2 vs. Army 3/4/2007 Blocks: 1 twice FG Made: 6 vs. Wake Forest 11/14/2006 FG Attempted: 9 vs. Wake Forest 11/14/ pt FG Made: 3 vs. Wake Forest 11/14/ pt FG Attempted: 4 at Texas Tech 12/23/2006 FT Made: 5 vs. Navy 1/28/2006 FT Attempted: 6 vs. Navy 1/28/2006 THOMAS GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Opponent Min. FG-A Pct. 3FG-A Pct. FT-A Pct. RB PF A TO B S PTS at Albany Wake Forest at St. Joe s at Penn St at Yale at St. Francis No. Iowa vs. Geo. Mason at Cornell at Xavier at Texas Tech vs. Central Ark vs. No. Ill Navy* American* at Holy Cross* at Lafayette* Colgate* Lehigh* Army* at Colgate* at Navy* at American* Holy Cross* Lafayette* Towson at Lehigh* at Army* Navy^ Army^ Holy Cross^ * Patriot League Game ^ Patriot League Tournament Games started in bold THOMAS CAREER STATISTICS Saw action in 13 games off the bench and totaled 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting... scored a season-high five points against Villanova... played a season-high seven minutes against the Wildcats... hit a 3-pointer against Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament... also scored against Lafayette in the Patriot League Tournament... made collegiate debut in third game of the season vs. Rider... played very well on Bucknell s postseason trip to Ireland and England... averaged 9.0 ppg on the four-game tour, including 12 in a win over the Limerick Lions. HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL Full name is Robert Dahl Thomas II... son of Robert and Marylita Thomas... has a sister, April... born Nov. 8, 1985 in Houston, Texas graduate of Mendham (N.J.) High School, the alma mater of Bucknell s all-time greatest women s basketball player, Molly Creamer... team captain as a senior... first-team all-county and all-area... Played in North-South Jersey All-Star Game... Morris County All-Star... played for head coach Jim Baglin, a Susquehanna University graduate... majoring in management. Year G GS FGM FGA Pct. 3FGM 3FGA Pct. FTM FTA Pct. Reb. RPG PF DQ A TO BK ST Pts. PPG Min. MPG Totals Bucknell Men s Basketball 57

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27 15 STEPHEN TYREE SOPHOMORE GUARD THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS STRAKE JESUIT TYREE S CAREER HIGHS Eased his way into the rotation as a freshman last season, displaying major potential as minutes increased dramatically late in the year... biggest immediate impact came at the defensive end, where he was often assigned to the opposition s top scorer... also showed excellent ballhandling and passing skills, and was not afraid to crash the glass... not heralded as a shooter coming in, but shot 66.7% from the field last season... tremendous athlete who could have chosen among a number of Division I football scholarship offers... played all over the floor in high school, including point guard, but seems better suited for a wing spot at Bucknell... very energetic, bright and well-schooled player As a freshman guard showed signs of being an excellent defender and rebounder, and saw significant time in the last 15 games, averaging 14.6 min... team won first 14 games after he joined the regular rotation and went 14-1 in last shot 66.7% from field (12-18 FG, 2-5 3FG) on the year... scored first career points on 2 late FTs at Texas Tech... played strong 14 min. vs. Army, tallying 4 pts., 5 reb., 1 asst., 1 blk., 1 stl.... had best game in win at Navy, totaling 7 pts. (3-3 FG), 5 reb., 3 asst. in 18 min.... had third 5-reb. game of season in win at American... biggest rebound of game came with 0:03 left in a 1-pt. game... played then-career-high 19 min. in home win over Holy Cross... did not score in that game, but spent much of time guarding PL scoring leader Keith Simmons... played career-high 20 min. in Army win in PL Tournament semifinals and had 4 pts., 4 reb., 3 asst., 1 stl.... steal led to first career dunk on a breakaway. HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL Full name is Stephen Alexander Tyree... born Oct. 26, 1987 in Houston... son of Walter and Teresa Tyree... has two older brothers, Marcus and Brandon graduate of Strake Jesuit College Prep in Houston... earned four varsity letters in both basketball and football, and also competed in track and field as a senior Points: 7 at Navy 2/2/2007 Rebounds: 5 three times Assists: 3 twice Steals: 1 eight times Blocks: 1 vs. Army 1/27/2007 FG Made: 3 at Navy 2/2/2007 FG Attempted: 4 vs. Army 3/4/ pt FG Made: 1 twice 3-pt FG Attempted: 2 at Army 2/24/2007 FT Made: 3 at Army 2/24/2007 FT Attempted: 4 at Army 2/24/2007 TYREE S GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Opponent Min. FG-A Pct. 3FG-A Pct. FT-A Pct. RB PF A TO B S PTS at Albany Wake Forest at St. Joe s at Penn St at Yale at St. Francis No. Iowa vs. Geo. Mason at Cornell at Xavier at Texas Tech vs. Central Ark. vs. No. Ill Navy* American* at Holy Cross* at Lafayette* Colgate* Lehigh* Army* at Colgate* at Navy* at American* Holy Cross* Lafayette* Towson at Lehigh* at Army* Navy^ Army^ Holy Cross^ * Patriot League Game ^ Patriot League Tournament Games started in bold TYREE S CAREER STATISTICS... two-time team captain in basketball under coach Wayne Jones... earned honorable mention All-District 19-5A honors as a sophomore, then made second team as a junior and first team as a senior... led team in scoring, rebounds, assists and steals... was also a first team all-district pick in football, both offensively as a wide receiver and defensively as a safety... majoring in management. Year G GS FGM FGA Pct. 3FGM 3FGA Pct. FTM FTA Pct. Reb. RPG PF DQ A TO BK ST Pts. PPG Min. MPG Totals Bucknell Men s Basketball 59

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29 14 JASON VEGOTSKY JUNIOR GUARD YARDLEY, PA. PENNSBURY A lethal outside shooter who didn t take long to become a key contributor as a freshman... greatly benefitted from spending his rookie year learning from three-time All-Patriot League guard and 1,500-point scorer Kevin Bettencourt... can play both the 2 and 3 positions... playing time increased significantly in joined the starting lineup eight games into the season and remained there the rest of the way... will once again be a major part of the Bison backcourt this winter... proved to be not just an excellent shooter, but an excellent clutch shooter... has hit a number of lead-changing jumpers late in games... excellent free-throw shooter as well Played in all 31 games, including 24 starts... second-year sharpshooter joined the starting lineup in early December and made a number of clutch shots for the Bison... made 56 3FGs, second-most on team, and averaged 7.4 ppg... ranked 7th in Patriot League in 3FG made and 9th in 3FG%... scored in double digits eight times... had 11 pts. off bench in win at Saint Francis, including a big 3FG with 1:25 left that brought Bucknell within one... earned first career start vs. George Mason... began that game with back-to-back 3FGs and finished with 7 pts.... hit a game-winning 3FG in each of Bucknell s two wins at Cornell and Xavier, both from the identical spot in the left corner... led team with 10 pts. vs. Central Arkansas... down 47-44, hit a go-ahead 4-pt. play with 0:45 left before UCA won it with a late 3FG... broke out of 2-game shooting slump (3-15 FG, FG) with 3-4 3FG showing vs. American... scored season-high 18 pts. (4-11 3FG) in win at Lafayette... hit 4 big FTs in final minute to help preserve the close win... canned 3 big 3FGs in comeback win at Colgate... bookended 16-0 second-half run with 3FGs and finished with 9 pts. VEGOTSKY S CAREER HIGHS Points: 19 at Navy 1/7/2006 Rebounds: 7 vs. Wake Forest 11/14/2006 Assists: 3 three times Steals: 2 three times Blocks: 1 five times FG Made: 7 at Navy 1/7/2006 FG Attempted: 13 at Lafayette 1/17/ pt FG Made: 5 at Navy 1/7/ pt FG Attempted: 11 at Lafayette 1/17/2007 FT Made: 5 twice FT Attempted: 7 at Albany 11/11/2006 VEGOTSKY S GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Opponent Min. FG-A Pct. 3FG-A Pct. FT-A Pct. RB PF A TO B S PTS at Albany Wake Forest at St. Joe s at Penn St at Yale at St. Francis No. Iowa vs. Geo. Mason at Cornell at Xavier at Texas Tech vs. Central Ark vs. No. Ill Navy* American* at Holy Cross* at Lafayette* Colgate* Lehigh* Army* at Colgate* at Navy* at American* Holy Cross* Lafayette* Towson at Lehigh* at Army* Navy^ Army^ Holy Cross^ * Patriot League Game ^ Patriot League Tournament Games started in bold VEGOTSKY S CAREER STATISTICS Made a strong first impression at Bucknell, finding a spot on the Patriot League All-Rookie Team after working his way into the Bison backcourt rotation... appeared in 30 of the team s 32 games off the bench... averaged 3.7 points and 8.7 minutes per game... made 29 of 53 3-point attempts % 3-point accuracy was second-best in school history... was one made 3-pointer shy of qualifying for the Patriot League leaders, or he would have led the league in 3-point percentage... missed first four 3-point attempts of the year, then hit 29 of last 49 (.592)... flashed his potential with a 19-point, eight-rebound effort in an exhibition game against Lock Haven... started slowly with five points in the team s first six games, then scored 12 and 14 points in back-to-back home wins over Cornell and Haverford, respectively... made 8 of 11 shots and 7 of 8 from the arc in those two games... canned four treys in five attempts and scored 12 points in a nationally televised game at No. 1-ranked Duke... one game later hit five threes and poured in a career-high 19 points in a road league win at Navy... scored 10 points in a win over American... hit a big first-half 3-pointer against Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament... two-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week. HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL Full name is Jason Scott Vegotsky... parents are Keith and Cassie Vegotsky... born Oct. 2, 1986 in Philadelphia, Pa.... has one sister, Ariel... father played basketball at Southern Miss... four-year varsity letterwinner at Pennsbury High under head coach Frank Sciolla... two-year team captain... three-time first-team all-conference selection... averaged 22 points, four rebounds and three assists as a junior... also averaged better than 21 points per game as a senior and broke the school s all-time scoring record... scored a game-high 19 points in the Suburban One League All-Star Game... majoring in economics. Year G GS FGM FGA Pct. 3FGM 3FGA Pct. FTM FTA Pct. Reb. RPG PF DQ A TO BK ST Pts. PPG Min. MPG Totals Bucknell Men s Basketball 61

30 Bison Newcomers 21 G.W. BOON FRESHMAN GUARD HARVEST, ALA. SPARKMAN Highly regarded recruit from a talent-rich area of Alabama... well-coached at the prep level... comes in with a solid understanding of the game... will have a chance to contribute immediately out on the wing... impressive physical specimen who is already one of the team s top performers in the weight room... has excellent length for a 6 4 player... should fit right into Pat Flannery s defensive system... excellent vertical leap should pay dividends on the glass... has shown a pure lefty jumper with range beyond the 3-point arc... also likes to drive the ball and can finish strong at the basket... brings an outstanding academic reputation to Bucknell, where is majoring in biomedical engineering. HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL Full name is Garfield Wilbur Boon III... born Jan. 13, 1989 in St. Louis, Mo.... shares a birthday with classmate Darryl Shazier... son of Constance and Garfield Boon Jr.... has two siblings, Tracey and Wesley graduate of Sparkman High School in Harvest, Ala., near Huntsville... four-year basketball letterman... team captain as a senior... earned first-team all-state honors as a senior, when he averaged about 18 points and eight rebounds per game... two-time All-Metro selection... three-time all-tournament selection at Huntsville Times Classic... two-time all-tourney pick at Sportsmed Shootout and Region 8 Tournament... former high school teammates include current Georgetown guard Jonathan Wallace and Nebraska guard Jay-R Strowbridge... played for coach Luther Tiggs... had 16 points and six rebounds in the 2007 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game... terrific student with a 4.2 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale... received the Wendy s High School Heisman for his school... served as class Vice President... four-year recipient of the Presidential Award for Scholastic Achievement and was voted Most Commendable Senior... played AAU basketball for the Nashville Celtics and was named to the North team at the Alabama High School Athletic Association All-Star Game... majoring in biomedical engineering at Bucknell. 0 TODD O BRIEN FRESHMAN CENTER NEW HOLLAND, PA. GARDEN SPOT Skilled big man who should have an opportunity play quality minutes right away with the graduation of three-time All-Patriot League center Chris McNaughton and senior Darren Mastropaolo expected to miss the start of the season with an injury... very coachable athlete with a wonderful attitude... put in a ton of extra effort during the offseason... gifted offensive player... runs the floor very well for his size... excellent shooting range out to about 15 feet... good shot blocker and rebounder... had some injury problems his senior year in high school, but enjoyed an excellent postseason and camp tour. HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL Full name is Todd Edward Frank O Brien... born March 3, 1989 in Media, Pa.... son of Roy and Pam O Brien... has two sisters, Kim and Julia... father played football at Penn... mother played basketball at Hood College... also has an uncle who played basketball at Penn, and later professionally in Germany, and another uncle who played football at Rutgers graduate of Garden Spot High School in Lancaster County... four-year basketball letterman... registered over 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 blocked shots in his career... averaged over 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks per game for head coach Ryan Landis... had 28 points (13-15 FG), seven rebounds, five blocks in 2007 league tournament game... team captain... three-time First Team All-Section 2... First Team All-Lancaster-Lebanon League and all-defensive team selection... Top 20 All-Star at Eastern Invitational... selected to play in the Philadelphia-Maryland All-Star Game and the Jameer Nelson All-Star Classic... named to the all-star team at the University of Virginia Premier Camp... recorded 26 points and 13 rebounds in a Donofrio Classic all-star game... major is undeclared. 13 DARRYL SHAZIER FRESHMAN GUARD NEWPORT NEWS, VA. MENCHVILLE Lightning-quick point guard from Eastern Virginia, an area that has produced a long list of college basketball stars... helpeddirect his high school team deep into the postseason against excellent competition... comes right in with the ability to get the ball up and down the floor... outstanding passer... another lefthanded shooter with a good stroke... not easily rattled... can effectively pressure the ball defensively... likely to play behind senior co-captain John Griffin this season, but coaching staff feels he can be Bucknell s point guard of the future. HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL Full name is Darryl Terrance Shazier... born Jan. 13, 1989 in Newport News, Va.... born the same day as classmate G.W. Boon... son of Darryl and Dee Shazier... has one sibling, Kiana graduate of Menchville High School in Newport News... played four years of varsity basketball... three-year team captain... named Peninsula District Player of the Year and First Team All-Star... second team all-state (AAA)... first team all-region... played for coach Erick Mays... helped lead the team to a regional semifinal berth in as a junior led the district in scoring at 22 points per game along with over six assists per game... reached the 1,000-point milestone as a junior... scored 11 points in the Virginia High School Coaches Association All-Star Game... played AAU ball in the prestigious Boo Williams Summer League... major is undeclared Bucknell Men s Basketball 62