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Friday, March 29, 2024
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Junior Paris Maragkos shoots a layup against Lehigh in AU's 65-50 loss on Jan. 9 

Takeaway’s from AU’s loss against Lehigh

The Eagles recorded their fourth league loss on Saturday to the Mountain Hawks

The AU men’s basketball team dropped its eighth straight game against Lehigh on Saturday afternoon 65-50. The Eagles are now 0-4 in league play and 2-13 overall. Before AU takes on Boston on Wednesday, here are the main takeaways for the team (and fans) to consider from the Lehigh game.

Kempton struggles but Lehigh guards overwhelming

Mountain hawks’ center Tim Kempton Jr. is arguably the best player in the Patriot League. The 6’10 junior and reigning Patriot League Player of the Year came to Bender Arena on Saturday averaging 17.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game and ranked first in the conference for rebounds and fifth for scoring. On Saturday however, Kempton ran into foul trouble and struggled offensively. The center played just 22 minutes, scoring only six points and grabbing just two rebounds. However, Kempton’s absence was more than made up for by Lehigh’s athletic guards. Junior Austin Price, sophomore Kahron Ross and freshman Kyle Leufroy combined for 43 of the Mountain Hawks 65 points. Ross used his quickness to push the ball up the court, leading to 12 fast break points. Price recorded a game-high 16 points along with seven rebounds.

“They were picked first in the league. They’ve got the reigning Player of the Year, they’ve got a bunch of guys that have played a lot of minutes. I think they’re just harder (to guard) at every spot. They’re a really good team,” head coach Mike Brennan said. “They execute, they keep it simple, and they make you pay for any mistakes.”

Nice all around games from Maragkos and Delante Jones

Two of the Eagles newest players, junior center Paris Maragkos and freshman forward Delante Jones played their most complete games as members of the Eagles on Saturday afternoon. Maragkos scored a team-high 14 points on 7-10 shooting, featuring a nice array of post moves including a Hakeem Olajuwon “Dream-shake”. More importantly, Maragkos competed on the defensive end, which is an area he has struggled with this season. Jones, on the other hand, notched 12 points with some impressive finishes around the basket. He also collected five rebounds and finished with a career-high of seven assists, the most an AU player has had this year.

“He’s one of these guys who picks up stuff quickly,” Brennan said regarding Jones’ play. “Other guys usually it takes a year. For him, you teach him something or show him something, he shows progress rapidly and it shows up in how many different things he does out there.”

Brennan values long term over short term

The Eagles have struggled this year. There’s simply no other way to put it. However, Brennan said he remains more focused on team improvement, rather than the results on the scoreboard. The third-year head coach said he has made significant efforts to develop his younger players and make sure they are ready for the road ahead. The best example of Brennan’s work can be seen through the growth of senior forward Marko Vasic and junior forward Charlie Jones. The two veterans, who have done so much over the past two seasons under Brennan, played a combined 25 minutes against Lehigh in favor of less experienced players like junior transfer Leon Tolksdorf and freshman Lonnie Rivera.

“I sort of know what Marko can do, I know what Charlie can do. We need these other guys to be ready the second time around in league play. We know what we’re going to get from Marko. We need to give these other guys experience.” Brennan said. “As much as you’re trying to win, you’re trying to balance winning the game and giving these guys experience. That’s a question that happens minute by minute in every game.”

Brennan knows he has two veteran leaders that can help this team win. However, he also knows that it’s just as important to make sure this team,with six new rotational players, is ready for the league tournament, where anything can happen. While it may be frustrating for fans to see a team struggle this much, it is important to realize that this rebuilding period will pay significant dividends in the future.

sports@theeagleonline.com


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