Falcons Carry Title Of 'Defending Champions' Into 2009-10 Campaign

2009-10 Bowling Green Men's Basketball Media Guide (.pdf)

In just his second year at Bowling Green, men's basketball coach Louis Orr led the Falcons to a dream season in 2008-09. The team won the Mid-American Conference East Division, earned the No. 1 seed for the MAC Tournament, and was selected to compete in the National Invitation Tournament for the first time in seven years.

After graduating that team's top three scorers, including first-team all-conference forward Nate Miller, it's easy to see why some believe those lofty goals can't be reached in successive seasons. But to Orr, none of that matters.

“We don't let outside expectations influence our own expectations,” Orr said. “We speak in terms of where we want to be. That was entrenched in our guys' minds last year.”

To be fair, expectations weren't very high for last year's team either. The team won four more conference games in Orr's first season than it had the previous year but nobody predicted the 2008-09 team would post the best record in the MAC or play in the NIT. And after a slow start to the season, including seven consecutive road losses to begin the year, nobody thought this team would be representing the conference in the postseason. But things changed quickly.

“I know the game at Ohio was the biggest game of the year,” Orr said. “From that point on (the team's first road victory of the year), the team believed they could win every game. The script kind of flipped. We learned to close games out on the road. They were a determined group and a resilient group who learned to bounce back from things.”

That 52-51 win at Ohio sparked the team to a school-record six consecutive road conference wins as the team went 19-14 overall and 11-5 in conference play. And with seven players back from that team, including starters Joe Jakubowski and Otis Polk, along with three other seniors in Erik Marschall, Marc Larson, and Matt Karaffa, this team knows what it takes to return to that level of play.

In fact, Orr's first two seasons at the helm almost served as one long year. The 2007-08 team had no seniors who played during the MAC schedule so it served as a springboard to last year's success. And now Orr will look to prove that his team can do it again with a new cast of characters which includes a junior transfer, a redshirt freshman, and five true freshmen.

“Our chemistry wasn't as good last year,” Orr said. “We have less distractions off the court this year and our young guys have really picked up the concepts on offense well. We haven't played a game yet, but in practice, the quality has been good.”

Last year's team thrived with a Syracuse zone defense that Orr learned so well as a college player with the Orange. Bowling Green played as much zone defense as anybody in the MAC and that could be a big weapon again in 2009-10.

“We have made it a point of emphasis to work on guarding the ball,” Orr said. “We want our team defense to be really good. Otis (Polk) was a guy we were trying to protect some, especially when Marc (Larson) went down and Chris (Knight) wasn't able to play, and the zone helped to a degree. This year, we have more depth up front so hopefully we can play a little bit more man. I hope our man-to-man is better so we don't have to rely on the zone as much but we'll go with whatever works.”

With four seniors on this team, the leadership is strong. Polk, Marschall, Larson, and Karaffa have taken it upon themselves to be more vocal and to hold teammates accountable. And on the court, they will be valuable members of the team.

Polk is a force on the floor. Having already become the program's career blocked shot leader, he showed more of an offensive arsenal a year ago, averaging 6.1 points per game and improving his free-throw shooting to 67 percent.

“He is a physical presence who opponents have got to deal with,” Orr said. “He's gotten in better shape, his stamina's better and his endurance is better. He's got a little more dimension to his game now. He could be one of the more dominant big guys in our league.”

Marschall returned to the court a year ago after missing the entire 2007-08 season with a knee injury. Although he was back at full strength, he spent much of the year acclimating himself again to the college game. He played more in the latter stages of the season and had 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the team's MAC Tournament quarterfinal victory over Ohio.

“Erik is probably the most skilled big guy we have,” Orr said. “He's an inside-outside guy, but if he doesn't settle for playing on the perimeter and goes inside, I think he can have a big year. He's got excellent offensive skills with his back to the basket, but I he has to trust it more.”

Larson is another interior post player and he'll be returning from an injury that forced him to miss the final 15 games of the 2008-09 season. He blocked 17 shots a year ago, while averaging 3.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

“He has a really good understanding of how to play, especially on the defensive end,” Orr said. “He understands rotations and he has a really good feel for how to help. We trust him because we know he's going to be in the right place at the right time and he's going to give us good effort.”

Karaffa is the final senior on the team. Although he has played in just 13 games over the past two seasons combined, he's an invaluable piece of the puzzle.

“He makes our team better every day in practice,” Orr said. “He's undersized, but he's so fundamental and he's tough. Whether it's against a big guy or a small guy, he just knows how to play. He's a coach on the floor sometimes and he's added some really good insight to our young guys.”

Bowling Green has just one returning junior in starting point guard Jakubowski. With 55 career starts under his belt in two years, the Falcon offense is in good hands. A year ago, he averaged 7.7 points, led the team with 115 assists, and shot over 40 percent from three-point range. But the coaching staff expects even more this year.

“It's his time,” Orr said. “Physically, mentally, emotionally, maturity-wise; in all ways, it's his time to step up and take charge of the team. I like the poise that he's been playing with in practice. He's playing with a certain level of confidence and maturity that I haven't seen before. (Freshman) Jordon Crawford is making him a better player because he plays against him every day. Jordon puts constant pressure on him and Joe's at a point where he can handle it and still make plays and run our offense.”

Two sophomores return in 2009-10 and both Scott Thomas and Dee Brown played in at least 30 games during their freshmen campaigns. Thomas showed flashes of being a brilliant offensive player throughout his first season and averaged 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds, while making 37 percent of his three-point attempts. His playing time increased as the season rolled along and he averaged 21.7 minutes in the two MAC Tournament games and the NIT contest at Creighton.

“Scotty has the knack, will, and desire to score,” Orr said. “He's probably our best wing runner in transition. He has very good ability to catch and shoot and he's a high-energy guy who is a very good offensive rebounder and a guy who has improved his ball handling.”

Brown is also a strong scorer who shot 41 percent from three-point range last year. After averaging just 1.9 points in 30 games as a freshman, he may be one of the most improved players on the team this year.

“Dee is a guy who really has gotten better from the end of last year until now,” Orr said. “In terms of guard play, he's probably got the best offensive footwork on our team. He can be a very effective offensive player when he keeps it simple and doesn't over-dribble. He's got the guts to make big shots and he's not afraid to put the game on his shoulders.”

Darion Goins is a junior transfer who will add experience to the Falcons. After playing two seasons at San Jose State, he sat out last year due to NCAA transfer rules. With a full year of practice under his belt, Goins will need little time to adjust to Bowling Green's system.

“Without a doubt, Darion is the most athletic guard we have,” Orr said. “He is strong, has good lateral quickness, and can guard the ball. He's a very good slasher and he knows how to make reads in our offense. If I had to pick one guy who has impressed me as much as anybody, it's him. If he gets a step and goes down the middle of the lane, he can dunk on you. But he's also a guy who can create shots off the dribble and he's learning how to drive and kick and make plays off our offense.”

Much like Goins, redshirt freshman A'uston Calhoun has a year in the Bowling Green system. A bit of an unknown to others, Calhoun will be a big part of the rotation.

“I think pound for pound, A'uston could be the most talented guy on the team,” Orr said. “There's really not much he can not do. He's our best traffic rebounder, especially on the defensive boards. He can really face the basket and shoot the three and he can be a really good post scorer. He's super athletic. He's a big, strong young man. He's still trying to figure it out, but he's got a chance to be a really, really good player.”

Along with those two newcomers, the coaching staff brought in five freshmen. With the depth, experience, and leadership of the rest of the team, none of them will be asked to do too much early on. But Crawford, Danny McElroy, Luke Kraus, James Erger, and DaVon Haynes have potential to be a strong recruiting class.

Crawford and McElroy were teammates at La Salle High School in Cincinnati. Crawford is a jitter-bug guard who stands just 5-foot-6. Although it's too early in his career to heap comparisons on him, he does bring to mind another diminutive former MAC point guard – Eastern Michigan's Earl Boykins.

“Jordon is a dynamic player,” Orr said. “He can create plays and change the tempo of the game and hopefully wreak a little havoc on both ends of the floor. He can make his teammates better and he's a good passer and playmaker. He can energize our team at times.”

McElroy is just about the polar opposite of Crawford. Standing 6-8, he already has a strong college body and will add depth inside.

“He has a certain maturity for a freshman,” Orr said. “When you combine his maturity with his toughness and his skill level, I think he can be a bit ahead of schedule as a freshman. He's a very good post defender and he's got a chance to make a big impact on our team as a freshman.”

Kraus is a local player from Findlay High School. A legitimate scoring threat, he passed Ben Roethlisberger to become the school's all-time scoring leader with 1,501 career points.

“Luke is a competitor, a guy who will give up his body,” Orr said. “He's a tough kid and once he learns his pace out there, he's going to be able to make shots. He's a charge-taker and a loose ball guy who I think can be a really good shooter.”

Erger was a late summer signing from Princeton High School in McKinney, Texas. He averaged 26.7 points per game as a senior and was a first team all-state player as both a junior and senior.

“James is a savvy, smart guy who has very good size for a guard,” Orr said. “He's a very good passer and a knock-down shooter. He's a coach's son, so he's a step ahead of the game at times. He's smart and tough and will give up his body. He just needs to adjust to the pace and physicality of the game a bit.”

The final freshman is Haynes. From Finney High School in Warren, Mich., he will likely redshirt in 2009-10. With so much depth in the front court, he has time to develop more.

“He is one of our most athletic guys,” Orr said. “He's a traffic rebounder and a shot blocker who can be a high energy guy. He's long and wiry, but he has a certain ruggedness. He's got a chance, in time, to be really good. He just needs to play more basketball.”

Those 14 players provide a strong blend of youth and experience, leadership and desire to develop. With a non-conference road slate that includes teams like Xavier, Temple, and Iowa, along with home games against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Florida International, and St. Louis, Bowling Green will be well prepared for Mid-American Conference play. And that's how Orr likes it.

“I've never been a guy to schedule just for wins and schedule easy,” Orr said. “I want us to be confident, but I want it to be the real kind of confidence, not something that is false and misleading. We'll do whatever it takes to prepare us for the MAC.”

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