HALEY PLOTKIN / THE EAGLE
The 2012-2013 regular season was the worst the Eagles have finished since 2001, at 10-19 overall and 5-9 in Patriot League play.
A large reason for AU’s lackluster record was an anemic offense. The offense ranks second to last in the Patriot League, scoring only 58.3 points per game. The offensive struggles overshadowed the league’s third best defense.
Turnovers plagued the Eagle’s offense all season. The team ranked second to last in the PL in turnover margin with -2.90. One reason for the team’s poor turnover margin was a lack of depth at point guard. Before Blake Jolivette’s return 10 games into the season, Danny Munoz was the only player who could run the offense. Munoz rarely left the floor because nobody else could play the position. In six of those first 10 games, Munoz logged the most minutes of any Eagles player.
Another issue that hurt the Eagles during the regular season was their inability to finish games without struggling in the second half. If the team was down at halftime, spectators could go home — AU was almost certainly going to lose. The Eagles went 0-16 in games when they trailed at the half.
Though the team managed to finish above .500 in home games at 7-6, it fell short with a record of 3-13 on the road.
Looking ahead
The Eagles will replace seven graduating seniors for next season’s team. Three of them, Blake Jolivette, Danny Munoz and Stephen Lumpkins, were intricate parts of the game plan. Munoz led the team in minutes played with 36.3; Lumpkins was third at 33.8 and Jolivette was fourth with 28.2.
Jolivette and Munoz were the team’s only players who could play the point. With both players graduating, those responsibilities will likely fall to redshirt junior transfer Darius Gardner along with any incoming freshmen.
Besides being two of the team’s top scorers, Jolivette and Munoz were the only two players who could drive to the basket. Jolivette also gave the Eagles the ability to play more man-to-man defense.
But the hardest player to replace is Lumpkins. When the team needed to score, they went to Lumpkins. He led the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game and in rebounds with 9.5 per game.
Junior Tony Wroblicky can help make up for the loss of Lumpkins in rebounding the ball, but it might be a few seasons before AU fans see another young player develop the offensive arsenal that Lumpkins possesses.
Who To watch
The player to watch next season should be sharpshooting sophomore John Schoof.
Schoof currently leads the nation in 3-point shooting percentage. He was third on the team in scoring with 9.7 points per game and second in assists with 2.5. Schoof was also second on the team in minutes played with 36.1.
Combining talent with a highly praised work ethic, Schoof’s game should blossom next season.
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