Neal Quinn should emerge as Leopards鈥� team leader
READING, Pa. — After four consecutive dreadful seasons, the Lafayette Leopards men鈥檚 basketball team went a combined 28-12 over the last two seasons. There鈥檚 concern with top two scorers from last season, Justin Jaworski and E.J. Stephens, having graduated and moved on. Clearly there鈥檚 big shoes to fill trying to replace their combined 38 points per game last season. Who will the Leopards turn to?
Look no further than to junior forward Neal Quinn, the 7-foot, 260-pounder out of Allendale, New Jersey. Last season Quinn started 13 games and impressed against Loyola on February 8, scoring 16 points, while dishing out seven assists and six rebounds. A great passer for a big man, Quinn was first in assist to turnover ratio in the Patriot League and 19th in the country. He displayed his all-around skills against Loyola on January 17, scoring 10 points, adding seven rebounds, five assists and a steal. In a January 10th win over Bucknell, Quinn blocked a career-best three shots and hauled in 10 rebounds.
Quinn impressed as a freshman, starting 21 games. He opened eyes during the season finale against Colgate when he scored 22 points on 9-of-11 from the floor. Quinn had a season-high eight rebounds and three blocked shots in the regular season finale against Navy. Prior to Patriot League play, Quinn was solid in games against Widener, Rutgers and Sacred Heart, averaging six points and four rebounds in nearly 14 minutes of action. In addition to showing fine basketball skills, Quinn excelled in the classroom and was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
Prior to Lafayette, Quinn was named an All-League First Team selection at Ramapo when he averaged 22 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Quinn worked with Bob Hurley, who was head coach at St. Anthony High School in New Jersey for nearly four decades. In addition, Quinn played on the AAU circuit and was twice named MVP of the Coach Bob Hurley Summer Camp team.
While senior Tyrone Perry tries to fill the huge void that Jaworski and Stephens left, it鈥檚 clear that the Leopards will try to win in the paint with Quinn, who really has a chance to dominate in his junior season. Quinn averaged 10.6 points and 5.5 rebounds last year and could approach 15 points and 10 rebounds per game this season. For that to happen, one of the guards, either Perry or Jon Brantley, need to step up and find ways to feed Quinn inside.
The Leopards have been on the rise but haven鈥檛 won a Patriot League title since 2015. Without a doubt, defending champion Colgate, along with Bucknell are the cream of the crop in the league. However, if head coach Fran O鈥橦anlon can work magic to compensate for the loss of Jaworski and Stephens, the Leopards may inch their way to the top. It could boil down to the improvement of Quinn, who has all the skills to take his game to the next level this season, which begins November 9 at Syracuse.
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