Can the Leopards overcome the loss of Jaworski and Stephens?
EASTON, Penn. — The Lafayette Leopards enter the 2021-22 season as the Patriot League Central Division Champions after finishing last season with a 9-6 record. Head coach Fran O鈥橦anlon has been running the basketball program at Lafayette since 1995, but the 73-year-old has his work cut out for him with two top scorers, Justin Jaworski and E.J. Stephens, graduating.
O鈥橦anlon has seen it all during his tenure. He has compiled a 351-413 record and has seen the highs (NCAA tournament appearances in 1999, 2000, 2015) and the lows (35-86 from 2015 through 2019). O鈥橦anlon has some solid returning players as well as a nice recruiting class of freshman that can help the Leopards down the road.
Junior forward Neal Quinn is poised to be the star player for the Leopards this season. Last season, he averaged 10.6 points per game, a team high 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and one blocked shot. At an even 7-feet tall, Quinn is an immediate inside threat and defensive presence.
Also returning to the mix is junior forward Leo O鈥橞oyle, sophomore forward Kyle Jenkins and senior guard Tyrone Perry. The trio averaged a combined 25 points per game last season.
Lafayette did well in recruiting and have four freshmen on the roster, three of them guards. Isaiah Thompson scored over 1,000 points in high school, was team captain and was named to the All-MAPL first team.
CJ Fulton, out of Belfast, Ireland, averaged 17.5 points, 7.5 assists, 3.2 steals and 2.9 rebounds per game in Super League action in 2019-20. He was selected as the 2019 and 2020 Basketball Ireland U19 Male National Schools Player of the Year.
Devein Hines played three varsity seasons in high school and was All-Sun Sentinel first team in 2021. He was part of two district championship teams and a state championship team in 2020 and averaged 13 points per game during his high school career.
Forward Chris Rubayo stands at 6-foot-10 and has the potential to be a dominant inside force. During his high school career in the Skyland Conference, Rubayo averaged 11.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.
The Leopards begin their 2021-22 schedule on the road against Syracuse on Nov. 9. Of their 11 nonconference games, the toughest is undoubtedly at No. 9 Duke on Nov. 19. The nonconference schedule concludes with a game against Gwynedd-Mercy College on Dec. 22. Patriot League action begins on New Year鈥檚 Day against Colgate. Dates to remember are games against rival Lehigh University on Feb. 12 at Lehigh and at home on Feb. 26 to close out the regular season.
What are the chances for Lafayette in the Patriot League this year? There is no doubt that the road will be significantly tougher without Jaworski and Stephens, who averaged a combined 38 points per game last season. Colgate and Navy, who each lost only a single game last season, are the teams to beat in the conference. Quinn needs to emerge as a star and veterans O鈥橞oyle, Jenkins and Perry must add a bit more on the offensive end. It is not realistic to expect huge contributions this season from a talented but inexperienced freshman class.
The best bet this season for the Leopards is to stay close with defense. O鈥橦anlon is as experienced as any coach in the country. He can design schemes to keep the Leopards competitive, but a chance at the conference title is a longshot.
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