Washington and Lee University
W&L vs. THE TOURNAMENT FIELD:
W&L has played a total of three games against the tournament field and carries a 2-1 record against the three teams that will participate in the Rose City Classic. The Generals are 1-0 against both Drew and Williams, and are 0-1 against Ursinus.
LAST MEETING WITH DREW:
W&L last faced Drew on Nov. 29, 2003 in Lexington, Va. The Generals came away with a 63-51 victory after shooting 60.9 percent from the field in the second half. David Will '06 scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished four assists to lead W&L.
LAST MEETING WITH URSINUS:
The Generals' only meeting with Ursinus occurred on Jan. 4, 1985 on a neutral court. The Bears emerged with a 35-33 victory.
LAST MEETING WITH WILLIAMS:
W&L and Williams' only meeting took place on Jan. 4, 1975 in Lexington, Va. W&L took a 61-49 victory over the Ephs.
THE HEAD GENERAL:
Adam Hutchinson (Amherst '93) is in his fourth season as the head coach at Washington and Lee. Prior to W&L, Hutchinson coached for two seasons at Case Western Reserve University and two seasons at Stevens Tech. In his eight seasons as a head coach, Hutchinson claims a 57-141 (.292) overall record. Hutchinson is assisted by Sean Grant (NYU '02).
FOR OPENERS:
Washington and Lee will be playing in its 21st season-opening tournament since the 1970-71 season. The Generals are 14-26 (.350) in those contests and have won three tournament championships (1987, 1988, 2002 W&L Tip-off Tournaments).
STRONG START = STRONG FINISH:
Washington and Lee went 10-0 last season when building a halftime lead. Success in maintaining leads is nothing new as W&L has compiled a 44-23 (.657) record over the past nine years when it leads at the break. W&L has won a total of 59 games during that stretch, meaning that the Generals have led at halftime in nearly 75 percent of their wins during the last nine years.
SCOUTING THE GENERALS:
The Generals are coming off an 11-14 season and a loss in the opening round of the ODAC Tournament. W&L's 11 wins were the most in a season since 1990-91. W&L returns four starters led by senior forward Greg Bienemann, who earned First Team All-ODAC honors after averaging 17.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 56.1 percent from the floor. Senior forward Femi Kusimo also returns after averaging 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Kusimo set a W&L season record by shooting 61.5 percent from the floor. Junior forward Kirk Jones and junior guard Chris McHugh also return after starting a majority of the games last season. Jones averaged 6.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest, while McHugh contributed 6.4 points and 2.6 assists per game.
SCOUTING DREW:
The Rangers return three starters from last season's team that went 9-15 overall. Drew is a member of the brand new Landmark Conference and will be led in 2007-08 by senior guard Chris Lopez, a two-time all-conference selection. Lopez averaged a team-best 11.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season. Junior guard Gerard Mullin and senior forward David Cramer are also returning starters for the Rangers. Mullin averaged 8.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per outing, while Cramer contributed 6.7 points and 4.8 boards per contest. As a team, Drew shot just 39.3 percent from the floor and averaged just 54.9 points per game.
SCOUTING URSINUS:
Ursinus is coming off a 16-10 season in 2006-07 and returns three starters. The Bears went 13-5 in the Centennial Conference, but fell in the first round of the conference tournament. UC will be led this winter by senior guard Nick Shattuck, the 2007 Centennial Conference Player of the Year and a Preseason All-America selection. Shattuck averaged 20.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, while shooting 51.8 percent from the floor. Junior guard John Noonan and sophomore guard Remy Cousart also return after starting a majority of the games last year. Noonan averaged 8.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, while Cousart set the table with a team-best 4.2 assists, 6.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest. As a team, Ursinus averaged 71.0 points per game, shot 48.2 percent from the floor and held a +7.9 rebounding advantage.
SCOUTING WILLIAMS:
The Ephs return all five starters from last season's 16-12 team that won the NESCAC Championship and fell in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Williams, the 2003 Division III Champion and 2004 NCAA Runner-up, will be led by seniors Chris Rose and Chris Shalvoy. A forward, Rose averaged 15.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last season. A guard, Shalvoy contributed 14.6 points and 4.5 boards per contest. Junior guard Kevin Snyder and sophomore guard Blake Schultz both averaged 7.6 points per game last season, with Schultz shooting nearly 60 percent from the field. The Ephs finished last season by winning nine of their final 12 games.
-- GENERALS --