Ivy League Sports

By Darlene Camacho, Columbia University

Since Joe Jones took the reigns of the Columbia men’s basketball program two years ago, the team has made significant progress. With 11 freshmen and sophomores, this season’s team can be summed up as young and talented.

Coach Jones is aware of the importance of solid leadership. He looks to the upper-classmen to blaze the path. “Our seniors, including Dragutin Kravic and co-captains Dalen Cuff and John-Michael Grzan, have been given the responsibility of guiding our younger guys through what we do and how we do it,” Jones said. “I am constantly challenging our players to forge an identity and reminding them that our actions dictate who we are.”

Youth will lend itself to the rise of Columbia basketball, as the Lions will have to find other offensive options with 48 percent of Columbia’s offense graduating last May in the form of Matt Preston and Jeremiah Boswell, who combined to score 615 points between them.

Sophomores Brett Loscalzo, Mack Montgomery and Ben Nwachukwu return to the starting lineup after playing significant minutes in 2004-05. Also, John Baumann and Kashif Sweet return after missing most of last season due to injury, but both played solid minutes while healthy. Rounding out the sophomore class is Justin Armstrong, a guard with an athletic and strong physical presence.

Jones believes the sophomore class will rise to the challenge. “All of these players have the ability to produce on a given night,” Jones said. “Now we are counting on them to be consistent game in and game out in a very competitive Ivy League.”

Five freshmen have potential to make an immediate impact, three post players and two guards add depth to the small roster.

Cuff has played in 80 games in three years and he’ll use every bit of that experience to lead 11 underclassmen in 2005-06. Thankfully, Cuff has Kravic to help lead the way. Kravic has more than 70 games of experience under his belt, including two seasons where he was one of the Lions’ leading scorers.

A solid 3-point shooter, Cuff has already left his mark on the Columbia record books with three consecutive seasons of shooting .340 or better from behind the arc, ranking him top-20 in all-time single-season percentages for each of his three years.

Kravic ranks eighth all-time in Columbia history with 112 3-point field goals made. He also holds the fourth-best, single-season 3-point percentage in Columbia history, shooting 43.9 percent from the floor in 2003-04.

Grzan has consistently been a leader for the Lions at practice and off the court, known best for his work ethic and hustle.

But while the seniors will provide the leadership, Columbia’s sophomore class represents the future of the program. Matured in physical talent and game-experience, the four guards and two post players in the class of 2008 already look like seasoned veterans.

Loscalzo started 26 of 27 games at the point and finished the season with a 1.5-to-1 assist to turnover ratio. He also shot 80 percent from the free-throw line and ranked third on the team in steals.

Montgomery, who was twice named Ivy League Rookie of the Week last season, shot .433 from the floor and ranked second of all Columbia’s freshmen with 5.9 pointa per game. Montgomery trailed only Baumann in scoring among freshmen, though Baumann was restricted to only 12 games due to injury.

Baumann averaged more than 14 points per game over the final five games of the season, and in that span he was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week and to the Ivy League honor roll. He finished the season averaging 7.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Nwachukwu played in every game last season and, despite averaging just under 10 minutes a game, averaged 3.1 points and 2.5 rebounds.

Sweet and Armstrong round out the super sophomore class. Sweet alternated with Loscalzo at the point until an injury put him out of action for the remainder of the season. Sweet, a quick, floor-savvy point, returns in full health and should provide much-needed depth at the position.

Armstrong is also recovering from injury. The 6-4 swingman returned from the break in outstanding shape and even stronger than his 220-pound frame indicates.

Five new faces will grace the floor of Levien Gymnasium this season; all five have potential to be solid contributors.

Two guards, K.J. Matsui and Dan Trepanier, will add depth to the backcourt. Matsui, believed to be America’s first Japanese Division I player, played high school ball for Montrose Christian in Maryland. The 6-2 guard averaged 15 points as a senior and shot 51 percent from the floor, while Trepanier was ranked as one of the top five guards in Canada as a senior at St. Anne’s in Windsor, Ontario.

Three freshmen will compete for time in the frontcourt. Joe Bova, Jason Miller and Leo Nolan stand 6-7, 6-8 and 6-7, respectively, and add versatility to the front line.

Bova, an all-state forward out of Christian Brothers in Albany, N.Y. is solid both inside the post and on the perimeter; Miller, a center from Ohio, has deceiving athleticism and a strong inside presence; and Nolan’s mid-range jumper and long-range capabilities make him a threat as well.