Springfield Basketball Hosts Holiday Inn/Naismith Classic Jan. 2-3
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – December 22, 2006 – The Springfield College men’s and women’s basketball teams will host the Holiday Inn/Naismith Classic on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 2-3, 2007 at SC’s Blake Arena.
First played in 1988, this will be the 20th Annual Holiday Inn/Naismith Classic on the men’s side. On the women’s side (first played in 1996), it will be the 12th annual.
Highlighting this year’s classic will be an appearance by the nation’s No. 1-ranked women’s team, Bowdoin College of Brunswick, Me. The Polar Bears possess an unblemished 8-0 overall record entering the tourney. Bowdoin, however, will not be the only unbeaten team in the field. Norwich University of Northfield, Vt. will enter with a 9-0 mark.The other two squads will include Union College of Schenectady, N.Y. (2-4), and host Springfield College (4-4).
Kean University of Union, N.J. will come to town with the best record (8-2) on the men’s side. Colby College of Waterville, Me. owns the next-best record as of this writing (5-3), although the Mules will play twice more before the New Year. SUNY-Plattsburgh of Plattsburgh, N.Y. will enter with a 4-3 mark, while host Springfield will bring its 3-7 record to the table.
The 2007 Holiday Inn/Naismith Classic schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, January 2
Women’s – 1:00 pm -- Springfield vs. Norwich
Women’s – 3:00 pm – Bowdoin vs. Union
Men’s -- 5:30 pm – Kean vs. SUNY-Plattsburgh
Men’s -- 7:30 pm – Springfield vs. Colby
Wednesday, January 3
Women’s – 1:00 pm – Consolation Game
Men’s -- 3:00 pm – Consolation Game
Women’s – 5:30 pm –Championship Game
Men’s -- 7:30 pm –Championship Game
ABOUT THE MEN’S FIELD
Colby (5-3, not including games on 12/29 and 12/30)
The Colby College Mules have opened their season with a 5-3 overall record…They will play two contests on December 29-30 in the Maine Event…Senior co-captain Nick Farrell leads the Mules with an average of 18.6 points per game…Drew Cohen averages 16.5 ppg and a team-best 8.3 rebounds pg.
Kean University (8-2)
The Cougars of Kean University have begun their campaign with an 8-2 overall mark and a 2-1 record in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC)…Seniors Bryan Keller and Lamar Wright lead the Cougars in scoring with 16.4 and 14.6 points per game, respectively…Wright also owns a team-high 27 assists.
Springfield College (3-7)
The Pride has played a pretty tough schedule to date..Seven of the team’s first 10 games have been on the road…SC, however, is 2-1 at home in Blake Arena…Freshmen Pat Crean (11.7 ppg) and Ryan Blackmon (11.2 ppg) have been pleasant surprises for the Pride, leading the team in scoring.
SUNY-Plattsburgh (4-3)
The Cardinals of Plattsburgh State have begun their season at 4-3 with three players averaging in double-figures…They are juniors Travis Gorham (13.4 ppg), Anthony Williams (13.0 ppg), and Khylan Hunt (11.7 ppg)…Gorham also paces the Cardinals with a team-best 11.6 rebounds per contest.
ABOUT THE WOMEN’S FIELD
No. 1 Bowdoin College (8-0)
The Polar Bears of Bowdoin College enter the Holiday Inn/Naismith Classic with a perfect 8-0 record this season, plus the overall top ranking nationally according to d3hoops.com…Senior tri-captain Eileen Flaherty leads Bowdoin with an average of 18.9 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per contest.
Norwich University (9-0)
Norwich University has compiled a perfect 9-0 record this season with three different Cadets averaging in double-figures…They are sophomores Kayleigh Shappy (12.0 ppg), Monica Selander (10.6 ppg), and senior Sarah Chap (10.5 ppg)…Junior Caitlin Bailey averages a team-high 8.1 caroms per contest.
Springfield College (4-4)
Junior guard Tara McCarthy and sophomore center Lauren O’Connor lead the Pride with 16.6 points per game each…Junior tri-captain Christine Cotter and sophomore forward Corey Finch also average double-figure numbers with 11.8 and 11.1 points per game, respectively.
Union College (2-4)
The Union College Dutchwomen are led by sophomore guard Maria Tobin with an average of 13.0 points per game…Tobin also leads in steals (18) and three-point field goal percentage (44.9%), as she has connected on 22 of her 49 shots from beyond the arc…Classmate Rachel Ormsby averages a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game.
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Head Coach Naomi Graves
Entering her 19th season as head coach in 2009-10, Naomi Graves has directed her squads to an impressive 266-117 record (.695 winning percentage) since joining the Division III ranks in 1995. Graves has led the Pride to eleven post-season bids in the past 14 years, including five berths in the NCAA Division III Tournament in the past nine years.
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