11.16.06

Trio of true freshmen shines in UC victory
November 16, 2006

Michael Daily
Charleston Daily Mail

University of Charleston men's basketball fans got a glimpse of the future in Wednesday evening's season-opener against Pennsylvania's Lock Haven University.

And judging from the Golden Eagles' performance, it appears the program's hoops future is in good hands.
A crowd of 325 watched at Charleston's Eddie King Gym, as a trio of true freshmen teamed with a handful of seasoned veterans to lead the Golden Eagles to a hard-fought 84-80 win.

"That's a great, competitive game for our first game," said Charleston Coach Greg White. "We won a game up there last year the identical way, I think by five.

"As long as you can win the game, a game like this serves you far better than a 20-point win. That's a very losable game that was won by a team that played together down the stretch.

"Our newcomers are all integral parts of what we're doing," White said. "It's almost a plus they're in the game late, and you win the game in a close scenario. They all made big plays at the end, whether it be stops, or free throws, or big shots."

The biggest of the Golden Eagles' newcomers in both stature and performance, was 6-foot-6, 250 pound, forward Ibrahim Marone.

Marone finished with nine points and four rebounds. However, seven of his points were scored consecutively in the game's final five minutes.

With the game tied at 70, Marone gave the Golden Eagles a two-point lead on a lay in with 5:12 to play.
After a Lock Haven bucket, Marone answered with another bucket with 4:14 to play.
And finally, with the game tied at 74, Marone gave his team the lead for good with a 3-point play with just 1:33 left.
"Marone was a man-child down there," said White of the freshman's stretch run. "He was taking it strong. There was no doubt he was going to score down there."

The soft-spoken Marone was quick to credit his teammates for his first-game success.
"I just posted up and they got me the ball," said Marone. "I had the lane, so I just tried to score when I had a chance to score. I was just trying to help keep us in the game."

Marone's performance was highlighted by the absence of a pair of integral post players.
Senior center Kyle Garrison missed the opener due to injury, while 6-foot-6, Robert Strickland was tossed from the game with 9:41 to play, after a flagrant foul against Lock Haven's Kranthi Senadhi.

"When we lost Rob (Strickland), you know you can fold your tent real easily right there, if you don't have good character," said White. "He's a pretty good player, but he lost his cool.

"He reacted. One of their kids said something to him and he lost his cool and that's what you get and what you deserve."

However, Marone wasn't the only impressive freshman on the floor for the Golden Eagles.
Freshman guard Warren Wallace added 10 points and three rebounds, while newcomer John White added 10 points and three assists.

"John White played a very good game, and I thought Warren played pretty doggone well.
"I don't want to forget my veteran guys, but I like my newcomers. I like Wallace, I like White, and I like Marone. Those guys are going to be really, really good players. They're warriors."

But it wasn't just the freshmen who were solid for Charleston. A quartet of veteran players also played well.
Junior guard Austin Weatherington, a part-time starter last season, led the Golden Eagles with 19 points, while junior guard Marquis Brooks chipped in with 17.

Strickland finished with 12 points and six rebounds, while 6-7 senior Dustin Kinney added seven points and a game-high 15 rebounds.

"We had a lot of balance," said White. "We had five guys in double figures, we won the boards and those guys made big plays."

For Lock Haven (0-1), sophomore Billy Arre led the way with 28 points, while senior James Chappell added 21.