Men's Basketball Set To Host NCAA Northeast Regional Championships This Weekend, Top-Seeded And 12th-Ranked Skyhawks Square Off With Bloomfield In Quarterfinal Round Match-Up Saturday Evening

March 9, 2006

2005-2006 Stonehill College Men's Basketball

6:00 p.m. EST

DANCIN' IN THE STREETS: Stonehill returns to the "Big Dance" for the first time in eight years as the top-seeded and 12th-ranked Skyhawks begin their quest for the Division II national crown by taking on the eighth-seeded Bloomfield Deacons in quarterfinal round action of the 2006 NCAA Northeast Regionals. Stonehill, the top seed in the Northeast Regional for the first time in school history after earning an at-large bid into the field of 64 teams, claimed a share of the Northeast-10 Conference regular season championship along with Bentley and advanced to the league tournament title game for the first time in 17 years last Saturday afternoon in dropping a 77-61 decision to 23rd-ranked Saint Anselm here at Merkert Gymnasium. Senior Marquis Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif./Naval Prep) paced four Skyhawks in double figures with his 15th career double-double effort of 23 points and 13 rebounds, while senior Chris Kraus (Markham, Ont./Markham District) added 13 points and three assists for the hosts. Junior Lance Clarke (Somerville, Mass./Cambridge Rindge & Latin) chipped in with 12 points in the setback for Stonehill, which also received 10 points and four boards from senior co-captain Sean Nelson (Milford, Mass./Milford). Though last Saturday's decision snapped a six-game Skyhawk win skein, Stonehill enters the NCAA tournament having won nine of its last 11 contests dating back to January 28th. Bloomfield earned the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference's automatic bid for the second straight season, as the Deacons claimed the league tournament crown with a 70-64 victory over Dominican (N.Y.) last Saturday evening in Philadephia, Pa. Bloomfield, who advanced to last year's NCAA Northeast Regional semi-finals after upending Saint Anselm in first round action, enters this year's tournament having won six straight and 10 of its last 11 contests.

GREAT EIGHT: Stonehill is making its first NCAA tournament appearance in eight years and its seventh overall, as the Skyhawks last appeared in the "Big Dance" in 1998 by advancing to the Northeast Regional championship game (a Sweet Sixteen berth) and dropping a heartbreaking double-overtime decision to Saint Rose. Stonehill earned its first NCAA tournament bid in 1971 and again entered "Bracketville" in 1973. The Skyhawks made three straight appearances in the tournament from 1980 through 1982 and also made trips during the 1989 and 1998 campaigns.

THE SERIES: Tonight's contest marks the first-ever meeting between Stonehill and Bloomfield, as the Skyhawks will face their second CACC foe of the season, having best Felician in November.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Freshman Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) was named on Monday as the Northeast-10 Conference Freshman of the Week for the fourth time this season for his efforts during Stonehill's run to the Northeast-10 championship game. The 2005-2006 Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year averaged 8.7 points and 2.7 rebounds during the conference tournament, including 12 points in the 67-56 semi-final win over Bryant and 11 points in the 70-67 quarterfinal round triumph over Southern New Hampshire.

HONOR ROLL HONOREES: Seniors Marquis Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif./Naval Prep) and Sean Nelson (Milford, Mass./Milford) each earned spots on the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll on Monday for their efforts during Stonehill's run to the Northeast-10 championship game. Taylor averaged 18 points and eight rebounds during the tournament, including a double-double effort of 23 points and 13 boards in the 77-61 championship game setback to Saint Anselm as well as 20 points and six boards in the semi-final round triumph over Bryant. Nelson averaged 12.7 points and 5.3 rebounds during the championships, including 16 points and five boards against Bryant and 12 points and seven caroms against Southern New Hampshire.

AGAINST THE FIELD: Stonehill sports a 5-4 mark against the other seven teams in this year's NCAA Northeast Regional Field, as the Skyhawks are 2-1 against Saint Anselm, 2-0 against Bryant, 0-2 against Bentley and 1-1 against UMass Lowell this season.

THE SKYHAWKS: Taylor leads Stonehill in scoring and rebounding at 16.2 ppg and 6.8 caroms per contest, while Nelson follows at 13.3 ppg and adds 5.6 rpg. Kraus is next at 10.9 ppg while adding 5.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game, while Clarke is also in double figures for the Skyhawks at 10.6 ppg to date with a team-best 56 three-pointers.

THE DEACONS: Senior Daniel Terrell leads Bloomfield in scoring at 20.8 ppg, while junior Andre Dabney follows at 19 ppg. Senior Shelton Powell is next at 11.8 ppg and leads the Deacons on the boards at 9.2 caroms per contest, while juniors Rob Lawrence and Tony Wilson are also in double figures at 11.1 and 10.3 ppg, respectively.

HEAD COACH DAVID McLAUGHLIN: David McLaughlin is in his third season as Head Men's Basketball Coach at Stonehill College. A 1997 graduate of Colby, McLaughlin has guided the Skyhawks to a 48-26 (.649) mark during his tenure after previously serving as an assistant coach, and he has led Stonehill to back-to-back 20-win campaigns for the first time in 24 years. McLaughlin, who is assisted by Derik Malone (Babson '91), Josh Meyer (Wesleyan '00) and Mike Harding (Bowdoin '03), sports a 2-2 post-season mark and has never previously faced Bloomfield during his career.

HEAD COACH GERALD HOLMES: Gerald Holmes is in his third season as Head Men's Basketball Coach at Bloomfield College. A 1987 graduate of New Jersey Tech, Holmes has guided the Deacons to an overall mark of 71-47 (.602) during his tenure, and he is assisted by Dave Caputo and Corey Lowery. Holmes has never previously faced Stonehill during his career.

HIGH WATER MARK: The March 2nd Northeast-10 semi-final victory over Bryant enabled Stonehill to tie the single-season school record for victories with 23 triumphs, matching the mark set by the 1988-89 team that was the last Skyhawk squad to capture the conference tournament championship.

TWENTY-TWENTY VISION: Stonehill has posted back-to-back 20-win campaigns for the first time in 24 years, as the Skyhawks also won 20 contests last season under David McLaughlin's tutelage. Stonehill last posted back-to-back 20-win seasons during the 1980-81 and 1981-82 campaigns under the late Tom Folliard, as those squads posted identical 21-9 marks en route to claiming two straight Northeast-7 championships.

PRE-SEASON PROGNOSTICATION PREDICAMENT: For the second straight season, Stonehill has proven the pre-season Northeast-10 prognostications wrong, as the Skyhawks finished tied for first in the final league standings after being picked for eighth place in the pre-season coaches poll. Stonehill was picked 14th in the 2004-2005 pre-season poll and finished tied for third.

NATIONAL RANK AND FILE: Stonehill is ranked 12th in the final National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II national poll released on Tuesday, as the Skyhawks have been ranked as high as 10th nationally this season. Prior to December 20th, the last time Stonehill appeared in the NABC Top 25 came in March 1998 during the Skyhawks' NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" campaign. Here is the March 7th NABC Division II poll:

RankSchool (first place votes)RecordPointsPrevious Rank

1Delta State (8)29-12001

2Saint Joseph's30-21922

3Virginia Union25-31843

4Grand Valley State27-3171T6

5Winona State26-4166T6

6Southwest Baptist26-415610

7Montevallo26-41474

8Fort Hays State26-31415

9Barton24-313712

10Seattle Pacific22-512817

11Findlay25-41148

12Stonehill23-69215

13Tarleton State24-69113

14Minnesota State-Mankato23-68819

15Northern State25-58414

16Western Washington21-6779

17Southern Indiana25-67311

18Shippensburg24-65318

19Alderson-Broaddus22-65116

20Armstrong Atlantic State23-749T22

21Alabama-Huntsville22-73921

22West Virginia State26-638NR

23Saint Anselm23-732NR

24Central Missouri State23-72824

25Mount Olive23-61525

Others Receiving Votes: Columbus State 12, SIU Edwardsville 11, Johnson C. Smith 8, Rollins 5, Bentley 4, Quincy 4, Cal State-Bakersfield 3, Chaminade 2, West Texas A&M 2, Ashland 1, Bryant 1, Nebraska-Kearney 1.

POLL POSITION: Stonehill is once again the only school to have both its men's and women's basketball squads ranked in their respective Division II national polls, as the women's squad is ranked 25th in this week's WBCA national poll. The Stonehill women have been ranked as high as ninth this season, while the men's team has been rated as high as 10th.

AND THE AWARDS GOES TO: Stonehill College freshman forward Nick Smith was named earlier today as the 2005-2006 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Freshman of the Year in a vote of the league's coaches, while his mentor, third-year Skyhawk Head Coach David McLaughlin, was named by his peers as the 2005 2006 Northeast-10 Conference Raymond P. Pepin Men's Basketball Coach of the Year. Additionally, three individuals earned all-conference accolades for their performances this season for Stonehill, as senior Marquis Taylor was named to the first-team all-conference squad while fellow seniors Chris Kraus and Sean Nelson earned third-team all-league honors. Smith, a native of Colonia, N.J. and a graduate of Colonia High School, becomes the third Stonehill rookie to be tabbed as the Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year, joining former standouts Rajohn Odom (1994-95) and Jon Cronin (1988-89) in garnering the honor. Smith, a three-time selection as Northeast-10 Freshman of the Week this season, has averaged 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds to date in a sixth-man role for the Skyhawks, as he ranks third on the team with 35 three-pointers on the year. Smith has reached the 20-point plateau on two occasions this season, netting a career-high 21 points and five three-pointers in Stonehill's 80-55 victory at Assumption on February 21st that gave the Skyhawks a share of the Northeast-10 regular season championship with Bentley, the program's first conference title since the 1997-98 campaign. McLaughlin becomes the fourth Stonehill mentor in school history to be named as the Northeast-10 Coach of the Year, joining former Skyhawk coaches David DeCiantis (1997-98), the late Pepin (1986-87 and 1991-92) and the late Tom Folliard (1980-81 and 1981-82). Over the last two seasons alone, McLaughlin has guided Stonehill to an overall mark of 42-13 (.764), including back-to-back 20-win campaigns for the first time since Folliard guided the Skyhawks to back-to-back 21-win seasons in 1980-81 and 1981-82. Taylor leads Stonehill in both scoring and rebounding to date at 15.9 ppg and 6.6 caroms per contest in earning his first all-Northeast-10 honor, while Kraus adds 10.9 ppg and leads the conference in both assists (5.6 apg) and steals (2.3 spg) to date. Nelson is the second leading scorer for the Skyhawks to date at 13.4 ppg while adding 5.7 rebounds per contest.

THEY CALL IT THE STREAK: Stonehill's recent 12-game winning streak matched the longest such skein in school history, as the 1970-71 squad also posted 12 consecutive victories during that campaign. The Skyhawks have posted a 12-game win streak and an eight-game win skein under David McLaughlin's guidance in the last calendar year alone.

CONFERENCE RANK AND FILE: In conference statistics released through games of March 5th, Stonehill leads the Northeast-10 in scoring defense (63.6 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.413) and defensive rebounds (26.00 drpg) while ranking second in three-point field goal percentage defense (.319), assists (16.55 apg), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.20). Mike Lauricella continues to lead the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.30), while Chris Kraus is tops in steals (2.34 spg). Nick Smith leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.456) as well for the Skyhawks.

NCAA RANK AND FILE: Stonehill is ranked in seven team categories in the latest NCAA Division II national statistical leaders through games of March 5th, as the Skyhawks are 12th in free throw percentage, 19th in won-lost percentage, 23rd in scoring defense, 32nd in field goal percentage defense, 37th in assists, 41st in three point field goals per game and 48th in scoring margin. Individually, Chris Kraus is ranked 24th in assists and 27th in steals per game.

GENERATION GAP: Stonehill's 14-1 start to the season was the Skyhawks' best in 56 years, as the first Stonehill was 15-1 under Head Coach George Sullivan during the 1949-50 season.

MORE RANK AND FILE: Five Stonehill athletic teams have now cracked the top 10 in their respective sports during the 2005-2006 academic year: Field Hockey (#4), Men's Cross Country (#9), Men's Basketball (#10) and Women's Basketball (#9). The defending national champion Skyhawk women's lacrosse team has been picked as the top-ranked team in Division II circles as well in the Lacrosse Magazine pre-season poll.

AYE, AYE CAPTAINS: Seniors Mike Lauricella (Norwood, N.J./Don Bosco) and Sean Nelson (Milford, Mass./Milford) have been named as co-captains for the 2005-2006 edition of Stonehill men's basketball. Lauricella, who also served as a Skyhawk captain last season, averaged 2.3 points and 2.2 rebounds off the bench last season, while Nelson added 5.6 points and 3.4 caroms per contest in a reserve role as well last winter for Stonehill.

A GRAND ENTRANCE: Marquis Taylor became the 30th player in Stonehill men's basketball history to reach the 1,000 career point plateau with a 15-point performance in the Skyhawks' 82-64 win over Assumption on January 10th. Dezmond Morgan was the last Skyhawk to reach that plateau, as he did so last season ironically in a January match-up with Assumption. Here are the members of Stonehill's 1,000 Point Club:

1.Mike Allocco2,3991969-73

2.Jon Cronin2,3011988-92

3.Bob Reitz2,2181979-83

4.Bill Zolga1,8221977-80

5.Mike Barros1,6791984-88

6.George Peterson1,6041964-67

7.David Donnelly1,4981995-99

8.Ed Grzembski1,4861987-91

9.Brian Cronin1,4741985-89

10.Dick Munson1,4481962-65

11.Leo Denault1,3981958-61

12.Paul Sincero1,3681950-53

13.Chris Butler1,3621991-95

14.Ron Richards1,3021965-68

15.Bob Duarte1,2791983-87

16.MARQUIS TAYLOR1,2672002-06

17.Tony Fiore1,2551981-85

18.Jason Jacobsen1,2271988-92

19.Kyle Quimby1,1851999-03

20.Art Horan1,1211968-71

21.Dezmond Morgan1,1192001-05

22.Derrik Jerman1,098 1989-93

23.Henry Jackson1,0901970-73

24.Jamal Gomes1,0821991-95

25.Howie Bain1,0631971-74

26.Lorenzo Lapido1,0611990-94

27.Adrian Machado1,0431992-96

28.Rollie Hollins1,0211971-74

29.Charlie Simonds1,0111973-77

30.Justin LoVerme1,0071997-01

BIG D-MAC ATTACK: After winning just 14 games in a two-and-a-half year stretch, Stonehill has posted a 43-14 (.754) mark in its last 57 contests under David McLaughlin's tutelage dating back to November 2004.

SKYHAWKS ON THE WORLD WIDE LEADER: Matt Hall's 75-foot buzzer beater just before the half of the February 15th victory over Southern New Hampshire was featured on the February 20th edition of ESPN's "College Game Night" program as part of its "Gym Gems" sequence. The nightly program, hosted by Dave Revsine, Digger Phelps and Len Elmore, included four "Gym Gems" clips.

SKYHAWK TALK: Stonehill has won its last five meetings with Bryant dating back to December 2004 with the March 2nd playoff triumphStonehill has won both of its post-season match-ups with Southern New Hampshire following the Northeast-10 quarterfinal round triumph, as the Skyhawks notched an overtime victory over the Penmen in the 1998 NCAA Northeast Regional Semi-Finals as wellSmith and Hall combined for nearly half (35) of Stonehill's offensive output (80) in the February 21st win over AssumptionStonehill has won four of its last five outings with American International dating back to January 2005Chris Kraus notched his third career double-double with 16 points and 10 assists in the February 7th setback at UMass LowellThe February 11th win at Franklin Pierce was Stonehill's third in the last four meetings with the RavensAll three of Stonehill's series victories against Saint Rose have come during David McLaughlin's tenure as head coach Taylor matched his career-high effort in the scoring column with 26 points in the February 1st win over Pace, as he also netted 26 points against the Setters in an overtime victory last season in PleasantvilleThe January 16th win over Saint Anselm was Stonehill's first over the Hawks at Merkert Gymnasium since December 9, 1997 and gave the Skyhawks a regular season series sweep of Saint Anselm for the first time since the 1990-91 campaignStonehill has won six straight in the series with Saint Michael's dating back to January 2003Clarke hit the 20-point plateau in a game for the second time this season in the January 10th triumph over Assumption, as he matched his career-high set on opening night (November 18th) against MolloyThe Skyhawks have assisted on over two-thirds of their field goals on the season, notching 480 assists on 736 field goals through 29 gamesThe Skyhawks have led at the half in 21 of their 29 outings to date Prior to last season, Stonehill's last 20-win campaign came in 1997-98 when the Skyhawks won the Northeast-10 regular season crown en route to a berth in the NCAA Division II "Sweet Sixteen" The Skyhawks have eclipsed the 80-point plateau on 22 occasions in McLaughlin's 73-game tenure as head coach.

SKYHAWKS ON THE WEB: For the second straight season, Stonehill basketball can be accessed on the world wide web through Free Teamline, a service of TRZ Sports of Kent, Ohio. A total of 15 Skyhawk regular season men's basketball broadcasts will be available throughout the 2005-2006 season via Free Teamline by accessing the official Stonehill Athletics website at www.stonehillskyhawks.com, powered by Presto Sports. Returning to call all of action of Stonehill basketball once again this winter is the tandem of Charlie Bergeron and Brian Buckley, who have served as the voices of Skyhawk Basketball since 1998.

WHO'S NEXT: The winner of tonight's Stonehill-Bloomfield quarterfinal round contest advances to the 2006 NCAA Northeast Regional semi-finals on Sunday, March 12th here at Merkert Gymnasium beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST. The Stonehill-Bloomfield winner will face the victor of the upcoming Bentley-Adelphi quarterfinal round match-up. More information on the NCAA Championships is available at www.NCAASports.com.