2009-2010 WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON COLLEGE SEASON PREVIEW (10/27)

Washington & Jefferson College celebrated its first postseason championship in school history last year after winning the ECAC Division III South Championship.  The Presidents defeated Pitt-Bradford, Catholic and Cabrini during the tournament and reached 20 victories for only the second time in school history. 

Four seniors who helped W&J claim the ECAC title have graduated, but Head Coach Glenn Gutierrez feels the returning players gained valuable experience and learned what it takes to become champions. 

“Winning the ECAC Championship was a positive experience for our players,” said Gutierrez, who owns a 48-38 overall record in his three years at W&J.  “We have a higher level of expectation now.  We enjoyed last season’s finish, but we understand this is a new team and we have a new outlook.” 

Gutierrez has led the Presidents to three consecutive seasons of at least 14 victories, a first for the Washington & Jefferson men’s basketball program. 

“We hang our hat on the defensive end of the floor and we’re going to work hard,” he added.  “We may have to do some things differently this year, rather than relying on Wahab (Owolabi) and Josip (Lucic-Jozak) as our go-to guys.” 

Gutierrez expects a four-man nucleus of seniors point guard Matt Drakeley and swingman Albert Varacallo {above} and junior guards Brian Felker and Paul Matthews to replace last year’s core as the new faces of the program. 

Drakeley overcame a medical condition last offseason to average 7.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  He has 78 games of varsity experience and enters his final season with 404 career points. 

Varacallo (10.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg) has added punch to the Washington & Jefferson offense since transferring from Division II Gannon prior to the start of the 2007-08 season.  Varacallo has poured in 660 points as a President and was the team’s leading three-point shooter both years (84 career three-pointers). 

Felker is an athletic two-way player who has shown the ability to take over games.  He averaged 11.3 points and 4.0 rebounds last season and was third in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in free throw shooting (.823). 

Matthews transferred from Old Dominion Athletic Conference member Hampden-Sydney midseason.  He saw action in only two games as a reserve, but the coaching staff has been impressed by his efforts during the preseason.  As a freshman, Matthews led the ODAC in three-point shooting. 

“These four players are as good as anyone else’s four in the conference,” noted Gutierrez.  “They are all perimeter guys so we have to find different ways for them to score, especially on the interior.  The ability to cut and drive to the basket will be key for our success.” 

Junior point guard Adam Braithwaite has started 34 games during his career and will add to the overall floor game.  He dished out a team-high 66 assists a year ago and scored 2.8 points per contest. 

“Adam and Matt need to be vocal and take care of the basketball,” he added.  “Things are not going to be as easy as in year’s past, because teams are going to focus more on perimeter defense with the absence of the two big guys in the post.” 

Junior guards E.J. Morascyzk and Nick Morelli and sophomore guards Uchenna Okocha, Zach Zelinsky and Zak Boyd will also add depth to the Presidents’ lineup. 

Morascyzk is a strong defender who has seen action in 29 games the last two years, while Morelli is a part-time starter who has 190 points and 128 rebounds entering his junior year.  The sophomore trio saw limited action as backups last year, but are expected to increase their contributions.  

The big question for Gutierrez is who will replace Owolabi and Lucic-Jozak as the Presidents’ frontcourt leaders.  Freshmen Akram Hidmi and R.J. Pilato bring impressive high school resumes, but the head coach feels rebounding and scoring down low must be a team effort. 

“We think Akram and R.J. can give us some quality minutes, but our frontcourt game right now will be by committee,” said Gutierrez.  “Brian, Albert, Nick and a host of others are going to have to rebound the basketball and be active.  We may not have a dominant post player, but we will adapt our style of play to offset the losses to graduation.” 

“I have been pleased with the effort in preseason,” he added.  “We have a lot of young guys; however, they all share something in common.  We are learning quickly.” 

The loss of the four seniors, who tied the school record for career victories (58), coupled with five of its first six games on the road will provide a stern test for the 2009-10 Presidents.  Some may even view it as a rebuilding year.  Just don’t count Gutierrez among those prognosticators. 

“They can keep thinking that way,” said Gutierrez with a smile.  “We’re not that far off.  We have talked about that as a team.  We recognize why people may feel that way.  We don’t think anyone is going to take us lightly though.  We will be ready for Nov. 16th (home opener versus Penn State-Altoona).”