Ready to Run

After missing the Middle Atlantic Conference playoffs for two straight years, the 2000-2001 Susquehanna University men's basketball team will rely on the versatility of its top players and its frontcourt size to make its way back to postseason play.

Head coach Frank Marcinek begins his 12th season on the Crusader bench with what he calls the deepest frontcourt of his tenure. Nine letterwinners are back in orange and maroon this season, including three starters and two of last year’s top reserves.

With the graduation of 1,000-point scorer Rob Makarewicz, the Crusaders will turn to the duo of 6-4 junior forward Corey Green (Roselle, N.J./Roselle Catholic H.S.) and 6-3 senior guard and co-captain Mike Witcoskie (Annville, Pa./Palmyra H.S.) to shoulder the scoring load.

Green started 22 games and was the team's second-leading scorer behind Makarewicz at 11.0 points per contest. He shot 40.1 percent from the field and ranked third on the team with 15 three-pointers. Witcoskie was the top offensive threat off the bench as he averaged 9.0 points per game and shot 49-for-112 (43.8 percent) from three-point range.

One of the most versatile players on the squad is 6-5 senior forward Brad Rausch (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South H.S.), who can play anywhere from power forward to point guard. He poured home 8.4 points and pulled a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game last season while starting all 24 contests. Rausch also ranked among the team leaders in field goal percentage as he hit on 49.7 percent from the floor.

In the middle, 6-8 sophomore Zigmas Kaknevicius (Bethpage, N.Y./Long Island Lutheran H.S.) emerged as one of the Crusaders’ top big men in years before going down with a season-ending shoulder injury. He averaged 5.0 points and nearly one block per game while shooting a sizzling 59.3 percent from the field.

Off the bench, 6-6 sophomore forward Jose Arrieta (Susquehanna, Pa./Susquehanna Community H.S.) is considered to be the team’s most natural scorer among post players. He saw time in 10 games last season with three starts and averaged 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in limited action.

Also slated to be part of Marcinek’s rotation are 6-2 sophomore guard Tim Hurd (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills H.S.), who played JV ball last season but scored eight points in five varsity contests, and 6-1 junior guard Matt Fatz (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus H.S.), who appeared in nine games as a sophomore.

Hurd is yet another of Marcinek’s utility players who can contribute from any number of spots on the court, while Fatz is a threat from behind the three-point arc — a trait that may come in handy for a team that needs to replace half (67 of 133) of its three-point production from last season. Senior co-captain Devin Crummie (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic H.S.) appeared in just four games last season but is a fundamentally sound player whose strengths are passing and defending.

Should Marcinek need a true point guard to run the offense, his primary option is 6-0 freshman Lafayette Melton (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt H.S.). Other newcomers that may contribute at the varsity level are 6-8 sophomore center Kevin McLaughlin (Pottstown, Pa./St. Pius X H.S.) and a pair of freshman guards in 5-10 Nick Griffiths (Shamokin, Pa./Shamokin Area H.S.) and 6-4 Dan Rathmell (Windsor, N.Y./Windsor).