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LOCATION: Orono, ME
CONFERENCE: America East
LAST SEASON: 19-9 (.679)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 4-14 (4th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 3/2
NICKNAME: Black Bears
COLORS: Blue & White
HOMECOURT: Alfond Sports Arena (6,000)
COACH: John Giannini (North Central College '84)
record at school 37-49 (3 years)
career record 205-87 (10 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Ted Woodward (Bucknell '86)
Ed Jones (Maine '94)
Mike Mennenga (Morehead State '93)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 13-7-11-7-19
RPI (last 5 years) 189-182-207-259-128
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference semifinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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If the process of rebuilding a program is one of stages, then Maine has reached Defcon 5. The Black Bears are no longer looking for improvement, they are looking for victories, and perhaps a championship. Dr. John Giannini has revamped the roster, upgraded the schedule and given his team a taste of success. But, moral victories no longer count. It's put up or shut up time for UMaine. "We fully expect to contend for the conference championship," Giannini said. Last year's additions of Boston College transfers Andy Bedard and Nate Fox made the Black Bears contenders. This year Giannini adds former Temple starter Julian Dunkley and at mid-year gets Carvell Ammons, who has had stops at both Northwestern and Illinois. They make Maine a favorite. A 6-10, 225-pound wing player is unheard of in America East, making Dunkley, a junior, an instant matchup nightmare for opposing coaches. That is if he shakes the cobwebs of his disappointing Temple career. Dunkley never got used to the 6 a.m. practices or John Chaney's matchup zone concepts and became a huge disappointment with the Owls. But snooze alarm issues or defensive shortcomings aside, Dunkley was ultimately done in by his offense, or lack of it. Billed as a can't-miss jump shooter out of Cherry Hill (N.J.) High School, Dunkley missed plenty. He shot just .277 as a freshman and .329 as a sophomore. His three-point shooting was just as bad (.241 and .333) and Dunkley was on his way to Chaney's bench anyway.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B+ BENCH/DEPTH B
FRONTCOURT B INTANGIBLES B+
Coach John Giannini has assembled a Who's Who of major conference transfers to make Maine arguably the most talented team in America East. With Andy Bedard (Boston College), Nate Fox (Boston College), and Julian Dunkley (Temple), Maine has three potential first-team all-conference players. Carvell Ammons (Northwestern and Illinois) should be one of the top rookies in the league. Just three years ago, the Black Bears may have had the least talent. A conference championship would be the ultimate reward in a quick turnaround. "John has just done a great job of bringing in quality players and it's reflective in their progress," former Drexel assistant and new Dragon head coach Steve Seymour said. Bedard is the kind of player teammates love to play with and opponents hate to play against. He is a perfect mix of talent and high-octane intensity who rarely makes a big mistake. By mid-season, Fox was one of the five best players in the conference last year and is in better physical shape as a senior. The key, though, is Dunkley, who could be the most phenomenal third option America East has seen if he accepts that role. The day he settles in is the day Maine becomes the league's most difficult team to defend. The Black Bears are already coming off an 80-point-per-game season. The potential of Errick Greene and Huggy Dye make Maine a scary offensive team. The question is on the inside and whether the Black Bears will be tough enough without Allen Ledbetter. Fox proved himself in that department, but Dunkley's game is more perimeter oriented. Colin Haynes is nothing more than a role player and Andre Riley is unproven. Ammons' impact in January may determine whether Maine is able to match the toughness of Delaware and Drexel. If the Bears can do that, Giannini may have gone from worst to first in just two years. |
With a fresh start in a weaker league, Dunkley could reach that potential and become the dominant offensive player many thought he could be in the Atlantic 10. He was often the best player on the floor during Black Bears' practices last year, and will be the key component as Giannini replaces scoring guards Fred Meeks (10.0 ppg) and Marcus Wills (10.6 ppg). "He's very talented. He may be the most physically gifted in the program because of combination of size, skill, and athleticism," Giannini said. "Julian just has to worry about trying to take the world by storm right away." Even if Dunkley does finally play to his potential, this is still clearly Bedard's team. Despite his quiet off-the-court demeanor, Bedard has been Maine's leader for two years. That even includes the season he sat out as a transfer. On the floor, the 6-1 senior couldn't be more fiery and outgoing. The same man who hates interviews or talking strategy has no problem getting into the face of a teammate who isn't carrying his weight. "With Andy it's all about playing. He doesn't want any meetings. He doesn't want to talk to anyone about it. He just wants to play and win," Giannini said. "With Andy you have a very intense and very driven person and intensity is contagious." Bedard led the league in assists (6.5) and assists-to-turnover ratio (1.87). Bedard's 16.9 points were second on the team and his 2.21 steals led the Black Bears. With the game on the line, the ball never left his reliable hands. On any given night, Bedard was the best player in America East and was a first-team all-league selection. Besides the leadership, scoring, and passing skills Bedard brought from Chestnut Hill, he also brought a visible chemistry with Fox. The 6-8, 240-pound Fox, a senior, was a second-team all-America East choice after leading Maine in scoring and rebounding with averages of 18.1 points and 8.1 rebounds and topping the conference in field-goal percentage at .575. Considered a soft, jump-shooting big man at Boston College, Fox became a rugged, no-nonsense force on the low blocks last year. An early season elbow injury made Fox change his game. He quickly proved he could play inside. Quite often he was the best offensive post player in America East. He averaged more than 25 points in the second half of the season. "His ability to shoot the three and post up make him a difficult matchup," Boston University coach Dennis Wolff said. "We didn't have a little trouble with Fox, we had a lot of trouble." The elbow injury didn't entirely limit Fox's perimeter game. He still made 24 of 80 three-point shots and is one of the league's best double threats. Fox and Bedard are legitimate America East Player-of-the-Year candidates. Six-foot-seven junior Colin Haynes is a slightly smaller and less talented version of Fox. Haynes (3.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg) can also play the muscle game down low or step out to shoot the three-point shot (15 of 36). Yet he doesn't do any of it nearly as well. Haynes is most effective rolling from his position as the high screener for an open jumper at the top of the key. He will never be a big scorer, but Haynes does enough little things to make his 16 minutes per game important to Maine's success. After a solid rookie season, 6-2 sophomore Huggy Dye will start in the backcourt alongside Bedard. Although he was not honored as such, Dye was probably the conference's best freshman. Dye (9.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 46 assists, 39 steals) came off the bench in all but three games and was arguably the team's best on-the-ball defender. Dye even proved to be a more adequate jump shooter than advertised (.449 FG, .409 3-PT) and no Black Bear had a more explosive first step. At times, especially late in the season, Dye did have a tendency to force the issue (50 turnovers) and must improve his shot selection. Some of the inconsistency came as Dye wore down late in the season. Neither Dye nor the Black Bears can afford a March fatigue this season. "Huggy had to grow from being a freshman and now he has to reach that next level of dependability, which is being an all-conference type player every night," Giannini said. Giannini does not have a true center after losing three-year starter and America East's second all-time leading rebounder Allen Ledbetter (10.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg) to graduation. Although Ledbetter's senior season was not what he or Giannini might have hoped, he was still a presence the opposition had to address. Giannini must find something similar to ease the defensive pressure applied to Fox inside. The most likely candidate for that role would be Ammons, when he becomes eligible in January. Ammons is a solidly built (6-6, 190 pounds) junior forward who averaged 8.3 points and started 26 games as a freshman at Northwestern in 1996-97. He left the Wildcats for Illinois, where he played just two games last year before electing to transfer again. The other option is to go to a less front line lineup of Fox, Dunkley, and Andre Riley, a 6-8 freshman from the Westwood School in Toronto. Riley averaged more than 23 points for the top AAU team in Canada the last two summers. Riley originally committed to Seton Hall before a change of heart. He blossomed late in his high school career and is still developing. "Andre could make my life really difficult. If he progresses like we hope, he will help us and force us to make some decisions," Giannini said. If Riley isn't quite ready and with Ammons on the sideline until January, an opportunity may open for 6-3 junior guard Errick Greene, a junior college transfer who scored more than 1,200 points in two seasons at Kaskaskia Community College in Illinois. Giannini didn't hesitate last year to use a lineup that included Bedard, Meeks and Wills and will have no problem going to three guards this season. Greene could join Bedard and Dye as starters and give the Black Bears a different kind of weapon. Despite the gaudy offensive numbers, Greene is a poor shooter. Yet he is so strong and quick that he still dominated on one of the top junior college teams in the country. "He's a power guard. Errick doesn't need to shoot," Giannini said. "His whole thing is getting into the paint and if you play off him he just dribbles right into you. Now he's in the paint and you're in trouble." Another newcomer, freshman guard Derrick Jackson, will also play his share in Giannini's nine- or 10-man rotation. The 6-2 Jackson averaged 13.5 points, 2.5 assists, and 5.0 rebounds as a post-graduate at Winchendon (Mass.) Prep. Originally from South Carolina, Greene averaged 21 points as a senior at Heathwood Hall, where he also excelled in the classroom. "Derrick remains my favorite person to have coached," Heathwood coach Keith Allset said. "He's a true gentleman and scholar." While Jackson should play 10 or 12 minutes a game, veterans Corey Thibodeau and Todd Tibbetts will have to scratch and claw to play at all. Thibodeau, a 6-1 senior, has played spot minutes over his first three years and averaged 2.1 points last season. Tibbetts sat out 1998-99 as a redshirt after suffering a knee injury. The 6-6 sophomore averaged 1.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in limited time two years ago. Five-foot-10 freshman Tom Waterman is a local recruit from nearby Bangor who redshirted last season. Waterman still isn't physically ready, but he is a smart player who won five state championships as a standout three-sport athlete at Bangor High. His chance to play will come after Bedard departs. Until, then Waterman will continue to sit. Much the same can be said about 6-9 sophomore Jamar Croom, who played in eight games last season. At 250, Croom is the biggest and the strongest Maine player, but his bad knees, poor mobility and limited offensive skills have kept him on the bench where he will remain this season.
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