Coming off of two consecutive second-place finishes in the Ivy League, the men's basketball team is looking to raise a championship banner at the Pizzitola Center for the first time since 1986. But to capture that elusive Ivy title, the Bears are counting on the fast development of one of the youngest teams in NCAA Division I basketball.
Head Coach Glen Miller's team has just two upperclassmen in co-captains Jason Forte '05 and Luke Ruscoe '06, and six sophomores and seven first-years fill out the roster. The team graduated starters Jamie Kilburn '04, Patrick Powers '04 and Mike Martin '04, leaving a large load on the shoulders of a group of mostly unproven underclassmen.
Forte will direct the Bears' offense when he returns from a suspension stemming from an altercation in a preseason practice. Last season's Ivy League Player of the Year led the league with 21.4 points and 5.8 assists during Ivy play, becoming the first player to do so in the Ivy League.
Forte also has a shot at another piece of Ivy history. With 10 wins this season, other than Princeton and Penn, Brown will be the only team to win 40 games in a four-year span since Columbia did so in 1968-1971; Forte has been the only member of the team for all four years. For Brown to be successful this season, Forte needs to be on top of his game.
"This is my fourth year in the program, so I know the physical demands of the season," Forte said. "The key to another successful season for me will be staying focused."
While Ruscoe started all 27 games last year, his role will be more significant this season, as he is expected to be one of the top scorers and rebounders on the team. If the first two games of the season are any indication, Ruscoe is up to the challenge. He scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the team's season opener against the University of Missouri and followed up with a career-high 25 points against Sam Houston State University.
Ruscoe is also strong on defense - he was fourth in the Ivies with 1.6 steals per game last season. "I'm still expecting to contribute in all aspects of the game, but on the offensive end I'll be more aggressive," Ruscoe said.
A strong supporting cast of underclassmen will aid Ruscoe and Forte. Sam Manhanga '07 and P.J. Flaherty '07 are expected to be regular fixtures in the starting lineup. Manhanga earned nine starts last season and recorded a career-high 20 points against Maine Fort-Kent on his way to being named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the week of December 1, 2003. Flaherty contributed in many crucial Ivy League games last season.
"P.J. and I have both improved a lot since last year. We're starting to play very well together," Manhanga said.
Marcus Becker '07 has started at point guard in Forte's absence and will still see plenty of minutes when Forte returns. Becker, a tremendous athlete, saw action in all 27 games last year and logged nearly 20 minutes per game.
Miller will also rely on a talented class of seven first-years. "I'm confident that our first-year players will be able to pick up our system and make significant contributions throughout the season," Miller said.
Several first-years have already contributed to the Bears' attack. In his collegiate debut, Damon Huffman '08 earned a spot in the starting five and scored 16 points against Missouri, converting five of his seven attempts from behind the arc. Huffman's brother Trevor led Kent State University to the Elite Eight in 2001 and is currently playing overseas.
Adolphe Coulibaly '08 was the Bears' sixth man at the Guardians Classic, chipping in with 11 points against Missouri. The Bears will carry six other freshmen, all of whom Forte described as very talented. "Once the freshmen realize how good they can be, we should have a very good season," Forte said.
Miller returns to the Bears' bench for his sixth season. His resume at Brown includes four consecutive winning seasons and a National Invitational Tournament appearance in 2003, the Bears' second postseason appearance ever. He was also named the insider.com Ivy League Coach of the Year in 2003 after the Bears posted a 12-2 record in Ivy games.
As is typically the case, Princeton and Penn are the preseason favorites in the Ivy League. Those two teams took the top two spots in the preseason Ivy League media poll, in which Brown was ranked fourth, just behind Yale. To have a shot at knocking off the "two P's," Brown's underclassmen will need to develop quickly.
Brown takes a short road trip tonight to play the University of Rhode Island at 7:30 p.m. The squad's home opener is scheduled for Dec. 3 at 7 p.m., when the Bears play defending America East Conference champion Binghamton University.
