Finney Counts on Green Team to Continue Hoops Development
Nov 25, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 25, 2003
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The phrase "Here comes the Green Wave" will have multiple meanings this year when referring to the Tulane basketball team. Yes, they will still wear the familiar green uniforms, and Tulane hasn't changed its nickname, but "green" can also refer to the team's youth. Shawn Finney's fourth team must cope with the loss of five seniors from last year's 16-win squad, with five freshmen moving into their places.
Tulane enters the 2003-04 season with four seniors (one walk-on), two juniors, two sophomores and those five freshmen. Nearly 70 percent of the team's scoring and 60 percent of its rebounding is gone from last season, but in addition, the players that took over 1200 shots have departed, leaving a bevy of opportunities for the Green Wave's rookies and returning players.
"We have enough scorers and shooters that we'll score points," head coach Shawn Finney said. "But we'll have to manufacture them through our offense. We're going to miss having guys who can score off the dribble and create their own shots, but I think a couple of the freshmen will grow into that role as the season progresses."
While graduation has delivered quite a hit to the team in terms of its one-on-one play, Finney is confident that a better "team" attitude will carry Tulane to another successful year. The Wave is one of three Conference USA teams to improve its win totals in each of the last two years. Finney's squads have gone from two league wins his first year, to five in 2001-02, to eight last season.
"Yes, we're going to be a little green to start with, but I like the guys we signed and their talent level," Finney said. "We have to pull together as a team and have a strong unit, and not just individual play.
"From what I have seen, our guys get along better and have bonded better than any of my previous teams at Tulane. As much as you try to create a family atmosphere, they have to take ownership in each other as friends and be willing to stick together. I've seen that this year. It is exciting."
With the departure of four players who started 20 or more games last season, the veteran on the squad is Wayne Tinsley, who will start on the wing for the fourth year in a row. However, seven-footer Ivan Pjevcevic came into his own last season, starting 10 games late in the season and proving himself to be much more than a three-point shooter. In addition, junior guard Marcus Kinzer and sophomore center Quincy Davis had strong second-halves in 2002-03, setting the table for increased playing time this year.
Despite the change in faces, Finney plans to continue with his up-tempo attack, but this season's focus is on improved half-court defense and better rebounding. Last year in league play, Tulane was out-rebounded by 1.6 boards per game, while opponents shot 44.5 percent against the Wave.
"We will still press some and we'll still play a hard man-to-man (defense) and we're going to try to score as much as possible on the fast break," Finney said. "But we need to set the tone with half-court defense. We've been better every year in the half-court, and we're going to take it to the next level this year."
Last year, Tulane held opponents to 67.5 points per game to rank seventh in Conference USA. That was a marked improvement over the 73.4 points and No. 11 rank in the league in 2001-02. Foes averaged a league-worst 80.9 points per game in Finney's first season.
Despite having its most freshmen since the 1989-90 season, which saw the return of basketball back to Tulane's campus, the Green Wave also has a solid core of returning players to lead by example. With depth at every position, Tulane will look to improve once again in 2003-04.
The Backcourt
The experience of Tinsley solidifies Tulane's backcourt. The veteran, who has started 84 games in his career, is a capable ball-handler who has improved his assist numbers while reducing his turnovers in each of his three seasons in the lineup. Last year, the California native posted career-bests in field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, rebounds, assists and blocks. While proving himself to be a defensive stopper over the past three years, Tinsley has never stepped into a scorer's role, likely due to the lack of available shots for the 6-5, 219-pound slasher.
"Wayne is definitely going to have to step up; he is going to lead by example, by playing hard and playing good defense," Finney said. "We need him to average double figures this year, 11 or 12 points and six or seven rebounds per game, while still being an aggressive leader."
Speedy 5-10 point guard Marcus Kinzer is likely to be Tinsley's partner in the backcourt. The junior was coming into his own late last season, averaging nearly 20 minutes per game over a 12-game stretch. However, a late-season ankle injury hampered his effectiveness at the end of the year.
"Marcus is a true point guard," Finney said. "He knows how to keep everyone involved, but last year he also showed scoring ability and the willingness to take the big shot when needed."
Kinzer averaged 4.0 points per game as a sophomore and is second among returning players with 50 assists, many of the spectacular variety which brought crowds to their feet. In back-to-back wins over Houston and UAB, the Nashville native tallied 29 points to go with six rebounds and four assists.
Despite his edge in experience, Kinzer will still need to hold off a pair of freshmen eager to crack the starting lineup themselves. Vincent Camper, a two-time all-state selection from Oxford, Miss., has a strong body (6-4, 210 pounds) and the ability to distribute the ball, as well as create off the dribble. Troy Aaron, meanwhile, has been praised by Finney for his poise and work-ethic. At 5-11 and 175 pounds, Aaron tore up the Southwest Louisiana high school ranks, earning regional MVP honors as a junior and senior at St. Louis High in Lake Charles.
The top shooter off the bench will be junior long-range threat Ben Benfield, a New Orleans native, who has gained valuable experience over the past two seasons. The 6-3 Benfield connected on 41.9 percent of his three-pointers last year while playing in 16 games. He started three games early in the year, but an ankle injury set him back the rest of the way.
"Ben is having a great preseason," Finney said. "He is shooting the heck out of the ball and playing with a lot of confidence. He is doing what it takes to get on the court and has a good chance to see a lot of minutes and contribute."
Meanwhile, freshmen Dan Fitzgerald and Chris Moore have arrived in New Orleans and shown the ability to immediately compete for playing time. Fitzgerald brings excellent size to the backcourt at 6-8 with the long-range shooting skills that can open up the court, while the 6-5 Moore is a straight-shooter, more of a pure two-guard type player.
Fitzgerald, who also was an all-league soccer player at St. Thomas Academy in St. Paul, Minn., is praised by Finney for his basketball mind and knowledge of the game. He averaged 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals en route to all-state honors as a senior. Moore was a two-time all-district selection at McKinney (Texas) High School, leading the state of Texas in three-point percentage as a senior. He gained valuable experience last season playing at Maine Central Institute, a highly-rated New England prep school.
The Frontcourt
While not a typical frontcourt player, Ivan Pjevcevic established himself last year as the type of player who can take over a game with his shooting ability. Currently Tulane's all-time leader in three-point percentage (43.4 percent), Pjevcevic started 10 games midway through the season before a broken bone in his foot limited him to 24 minutes in the final four games of the year.
"Ivan is full of confidence," Finney said. "We need him to continue to shoot jump shots and also score a bit around the basket. With his height, he is a good rebounder and a presence defensively. He really came into his own last year, and we need him to open our offense up with his shooting ability."
The Belgrade, Serbia native averaged 5.9 points and 3.1 rebounds last year while shooting 42.5 percent from three-point range (fifth in Conference USA). He scored in double figures eight times and posted his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds against UAB.
Six-nine sophomore Quincy Davis is expected to move into a prominent role in the lineup in 2003-04 after playing in 20 games last season. After not seeing significant action early in the year, the Los Angeles native came on strong down the stretch, averaging 14.8 minutes per game over the final four contests of the season. His most eye-opening performance was an 18-point, eight-rebound effort against Southern Miss in early March.
"Quincy took some time to adjust to the college game last year," Finney said. "This year he could be our surprise player, a guy who has a break-out year. He is very long and gives us an excellent shot blocker for the first time."
Six-ten big man George Brown had an excellent summer in 2002, but illness kept him off the court in the preseason, severely hampering his production during his junior year. For his final season, Finney is looking for Brown to be more effective inside, both offensively and defensively.
"George was playing unbelievable last year before he had to sit out," Finney said. "He is almost back to that level now. He has a big body and we need him to relax and let the game come to him."
Perhaps the most impressive physical specimen on the team is 6-6 Vytas Tatarunas from Lithuania. Tatarunas saw action in just 11 games last season, but with a combination of athletic ability and sheer strength, he easily out-does his teammates in the weight room. The burly sophomore is a good bet to receive increased playing time this season.
"We need Vy to come in and contribute," Finney said. "We need him to make jump shots, rebound and use that body to play physical. He is a major-league athlete and we need to get him on the court."
Adding to the frontcourt depth will be 6-8, 235-pound freshman Kory Castine, a banger in the paint who also shows surprising range and will compete for immediate action in the Wave lineup. A local product from Archbishop Shaw High School, Castine tallied 15 points and 10 rebounds per game as a senior earning all-district and all-area honors.
The Schedule
Tulane's schedule for the 2003-2004 season features 18 games in New Orleans, including 17 at Fogelman Arena as Finney looks to help his young team build confidence with friendly fans. In addition to the multitude of home games, the Green Wave also will play more in-state opponents than ever before as eight Louisiana schools fill this year's slate.
"I felt that we needed to start at home and build some confidence early on for our young team," Finney said. "But at the same time, I wanted to be tested with schools like LSU and Mississippi State before we got into league play so we could see where we stand."
LSU is the lone non-league road game for the Wave, as the team travels to Baton Rouge on Dec. 23. Mississippi State visits New Orleans for the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic doubleheader on Dec. 27 at the New Orleans Arena (UAB and LSU play in the other game).
The Conference USA schedule tips off on Wednesday, Jan. 7 with the Green Wave hosting national power Cincinnati at Fogelman as the Bearcats make their first trip to New Orleans since Jan. 12, 2000. Other home highlights of the C-USA slate include Memphis visiting on Jan. 20, Southern Miss on Jan. 31, and a three-game homestand against South Florida (Feb. 7), Houston (Feb. 11) and TCU (Feb. 14).
Under the new one-division format for C-USA, Tulane will play every league foe once, as well as meeting TCU, UAB and Southern Miss two times each (home and home). In the previous two-division format, teams played six divisional foes twice and did not play three league opponents at all.
"Our conference is one of the strongest leagues top-to-bottom in the country," Finney said. "There is not one 'gimme' game on the schedule. Every year we know that we will have 16 battles on our hands come league play."
The road highlights for the Green Wave include a trip to Louisville (Jan. 17) and a meeting with Final Four participant Marquette on Feb. 21.
"Our goal for this team is to get better every day," Finney said. "We need to build on the success we are having along the way, whether it is in practice or in games. We are young, so there will be growing pains, but I am confident that the overall attitude and desire on this team will make us successful."
