Men's basketball team eager for more respect

The Navy men's basketball program has increased its win total, both overall and within the Patriot League, each of the past four seasons. Sixth-year head coach Billy Lange can only hope that trend continues.

The Midshipmen made major strides the last two seasons - compiling a 16-14 record and placing second in the Patriot League with a 9-5 mark in 2007-2008 then going 19-11 and finishing third (8-6) in the conference in 2008-2009.

Considering the recent results, Lange and the returning players were surprised to see Navy picked seventh out of eight teams in the Patriot League in a preseason poll.

"It certainly doesn't reflect the culture we've built here, the commitment the coaches and players have made 365 days a year to solidify Navy basketball as a respected program within the Patriot League," Lange said.

Navy, which opens the season tomorrow night at Radford, returns three starters and three reserves that saw significant playing time. Junior forward Romeo Garcia would be considered a returning starter had he not missed most of last season with a severe hamstring injury.

Leading the way is senior guard and co-captain Chris Harris, who was named second team All-Patriot League for the second straight season after averaging 15.4 points. Harris, the first Navy player to surpass 1,000 points and 200 assists by the end as a junior, will succeed Kaleo Kina as the go-to scorer for the Midshipmen.

"Chris Harris has shown over the past two years that he can consistently score the basketball and I have no doubt he's going to have a tremendous senior season. He has been playing at a very high level in practice," Lange said. "We need to develop some other weapons to complement Chris."

Harris was a secondary scorer behind Kina (Patriot League-leading 18 points per game) last season and Greg Sprink (league-leading 21.8 points) in 2007-2008. Junior center Mark Veazey is Navy's second-leading returning scorer after averaging 8.7 points a year ago. Lange said the 6-foot-11 Georgia native, a third-year starter, has vastly improved his post moves.

"Veazey has really developed as an offensive threat. He has more confidence in his back-to-the basket ability and we have emphasized pushing the ball inside to him," Lange said.

Lange also says sophomore swingman Jordan Sugars has the potential to average in double figures. The rugged 6-foot-3, 210-pounder from Virginia will replace Kina in the starting lineup after averaging 3.2 points and 2.9 rebounds.

Junior point guard O.J. Avworo will direct the offense for the second straight season. The 6-foot transfer from Idaho displayed strong leadership qualities in his first year with the program, ranking fifth in the Patriot League with an average of 3.6 assists. Lange would like to see Avworo become a bit more assertive offensively and increase his scoring average from the 5.2 points per game he put up a year ago.

Lange is certainly glad to get back Garcia, who was named to the Patriot League All-Rookie team and was Navy's Defensive Most Valuable Player in 2007-2008. The 6-foot-4, 212-pound wing is a multi-faceted player - a tenacious on-ball defender, superb passer and strong rebounder.

Navy is still developing its rotation, but right now there are four big men among the top eight. Lange intends to use senior T.J. Topercer (6-7, 221), sophomore Jeremy Wilson (6-10, 235) and freshman Alex Newsome (6-9, 235) off the bench.

"This team doesn't look anything like our past teams. We are not as perimeter-dominated as we have been," Lange said. "We've got more size than at any time in my tenure. We have some very skilled big men and that gives us a different look."

Since the 2004-2005 season, Navy has made 1,130 of 3,301 (.342) 3-point attempts. The Midshipmen have recorded the top three single-season totals for 3-pointers made and attempted during Lange's tenure.

"We will continue to push the ball at a fast pace and shoot our share of threes because I strongly believe in that style of play," Lange said. "I would like to see our transition game be consistent for 40 minutes. The last couple seasons, we've only been able to sustain it for 20 or 30 minutes."

With 21 practices under its belt, Navy opens against Big South Conference champion and NCAA Tournament participant Radford (21-12) tomorrow night. Other notable non-conference tests will come on the road at Seton Hall and against George Washington in the BB&T Classic at the Verizon Center in D.C. The home opener comes against Mid-American Conference regular season champion Buffalo next Thursday night. Navy will face in-state opponents Towson, Mount St. Mary's and Maryland-Eastern Shore.

"I think we're playing a very challenging non-conference schedule against some very good mid-major teams. We've got some great tests and it should help us get where we need to be heading into Patriot League play," Harris said.