2006-2007 Men’s Preview

Clarion has had a very strong basketball tradition over the last 35 years including 12 PSAC-West titles, and a 63% winning rate including four head coaches.

Since coming to Clarion in 1989 head basketball coach Ron Righter has forged his own winning tradition in 18 years leading Golden Eagle basketball. Righter has an overall record of 299-185, and will be seeking his 300^th win at Clarion when the Golden Eagles open the season on the road at Briarcliffe (NY) on November 16^th.

The Golden Eagles are optimistic about the 2007 hoop season with four starters returning and a stable of quality depth players ready to take the court. "Our goal this season is to return to the PSAC Playoffs," remarked the veteran Clarion coach. "We were devastated with injuries last year, probably the worse case of having so many injuries that I have seen in all of my years in basketball. Hopefully we’re over that, and get our full team back on the court."

How bad were the injuries last year? First - Remarkably - Clarion posted a solid 13-13 overall record and a 5-7 mark in the PSAC-West in 2006 in spite of those injuries. The Golden Eagles were in the PSAC Playoff race to final game before being eliminated. With that said, Clarion lost three of its top nine players in the pre-season to season ending injuries. To make matters worse Clarion lost two additional players during the season, not including point guard Bobby Franklin’s leg and shoulder injuries that kept him sidelined for 7 key PSAC-West matchups.

Righter, the 2005 PSAC-West "Coach of the Year", led the Golden Eagles two years ago to a 19-9 overall record and first place in the PSAC-West with an 8-4 record. The Golden Eagles qualified for the PSAC Playoffs for the ninth straight year and went an unbelievable 13-0 at home in the regular season. All this accomplished with three starters out with injuries during the season. Righter has a Clarion record of 299-185 in 18 seasons and a 20-year overall collegiate record of 323-209.

Righter’s teams have put together an outstanding record of 182-94 over the last ten seasons, an average of nearly 18.2 wins per season, including a quality 74-46 record in the PSAC-West. Righter has led Clarion to three PSAC-West titles (2005, 2000, 1997) and its first PSAC crown in 2001.

In 2001 Clarion was 19-10 overall, 7-5 in the PSAC-West, won the PSAC title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1981. Clarion’s PSAC title win came in an 80-77 overtime victory over West Chester (at Edinboro).

Clarion also won the PSAC-West title in 2000 with a 10-2 league mark and a 20-7 overall record. In 1999 the Eagles were 19-8 overall and 7-5 in the PSAC-West, while notching a 20-7 slate in 1998 with an 8-4 West record. In 1997 Clarion won the PSAC-West with a 9-3 mark and were 22-7 overall as the PSAC runner-up, narrowly missing the NCAA Playoffs. The 2003 Eagles were 19-10 overall (7-5 in the PSAC-West), 15-10 in 2002 (7-5 in PSAC-West) and 16-12 (6-6 in PSAC-West) in 2004.

The 2006-2007 season? "I’m excited about this season and I really like our team," said Righter. "We have good veteran leadership on and off the floor, the team has a variety of talented players that give us different strengths, and our players are working very hard every day. We’ll have a typical Clarion team that plays a lot of players to the situation on the floor, change defenses on the move which has been our trademark, and play as an aggressive team beyond midcourt. Our biggest challenge will be to define the players roles, have them accept those roles and develop an unselfish chemistry that permits us to get everything we can out of this team. If we can accomplish that, we’ll reach our goals."

Clarion returns 4 starters this year with Bobby Franklin (Sr. Pgh - Plum) and Leon Kennedy (Sr. Detroit, Mi.) back at guards, Ricky Henderson (Sr. Detroit, Mi.) at forward and Chris Buchanan (Sr. Altoona) returning at center.

Franklin, a senior point guard, showed last year he was one of the top point guards in the PSAC. He averaged 11ppg, dished out 88 assists, was second on the team with 43 steals and shot 76% from the charity stripe. He was #3 in the PSAC in steals and #4 in assists. Franklin has 559 career points and 223 assists.

Kennedy, a senior who plays the #3 spot, was second on the team last year averaging 15.7ppg, hauled in 5.2 rebounds per game, led the team with 48 steals and handed out 26 assists. He had high games of 24 points versus Lock Haven and Kutztown, 10 rebounds on three occasions and 6 steals versus Geneva. He ranked #5 in the PSAC in steals.

Henderson joined the Golden Eagles in December a year ago and had a tremendous impact. Voted a second team PSAC-West honoree, Ricky led the team with 16.1ppg and 9.4 rebounds while shooting 53% from the floor. Contributing 30 assists and 20 steals, he is truly a quality all-around player. Henderson had 8 double-doubles last year in 19 games and had a single game high of 24 points vs Lock Haven and 16 rebounds versus West Chester. He ranked 11^th in the PSAC in scoring and 2^nd in rebounding and blocked shots.

Buchanan, a versatile center, is also in his senior season. Chris netted 8.9ppg, 5.5 rebounds, 22 assists and 20 steals. More importantly he canned 43% of his three point attempts (34 of 78), which makes him a unique threat outside. He had a high game of 17 points and 10 rebounds last year. Buchanan has 331 career points and 207 rebounds.

Senior guards Justin Collins (Lansdale/North Penn) and Frank Torbert (Imperial/West Allegheny) are ready to contribute in 2007.

Collins, who has starting experience, played in 26 games last year and chipped in with 6.5ppg. In 2005 he suffered a season-ending elbow injury after only two games. Collins, a tri-captain along with Franklin and Buchanan, averaged 8.8ppg, handed out 23 assists and shot 82% from the free throw line in 2004. At IUP that year he set a new PSAC and Clarion record when he made 8 of 8 three pointers in a single game. He led the PSAC shooting 46% from the three-point line (57 of 124). Collins has 523 career points and 110 rebounds.

Torbert, who missed all of last season with an injury, is ready to return. Frank played his best basketball two years ago down the stretch when the Golden Eagles captured the PSAC-West title. He averaged 5.2ppg and handed out 14 assists in 27 games. He had 19 points versus Cal and 18 against Edinboro at the end of that season. He has 190 career points and 23 assists.

Also returning from last season and looking for playing time will be guards David Blanks (So. Erie/Strong Vincent) and red-shirt freshman Raymond Bailey (Phila. - Msgr. Bonner).

The Golden Eagles have added a plethora of talent in newcomers Demetrius Graham (Jr. Detroit, Mi.), Lonnell Jones (Jr. Queens, N.Y.), Brent Nelson (Sr. Detroit, Mi.), Lamar Richburg (Jr. Queens Village, N.Y.), Josh Yanke (So. N. Canton, Ohio) and Shawn Waterman (Fr. Brighton, Michigan).

Graham, a small point guard with plenty of energy, is ready to step in and play Righter’s up-tempo game. A transfer from Wayne County C.C., Graham averaged 8ppg, 5 assists and 6 steals last year. He can play a physical game and is from Henry Ford High in Detroit.

Jones, who can play all three guard spots, is also a physical guard that can drive to the hoop according to Righter. Jones came to Clarion from Herkimer C.C. where he averaged 16ppg, 6.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game and was an HM All-America player. He attended Hillcrest High.

Nelson, who suffered an injury and missed all of last season, is ready to return. Listed as a senior, he could have another year of eligibility. Nelson, a power forward, is a strong, physical inside player and a good rebounder. He played at Wayne County C.C. two years ago and averaged 10ppg and 7 rebounds.

Richburg, who plays the #3 or #4 spots, is a high octane player from Hagerstown Community College. He averaged 14ppg and 6 rebounds, while ranking third in the nation in field goal percentage at 69.3%. He attended Christ the King High School in New York.

Yanke, a 6'8" center, transferred to Clarion from Gannon, where he played in 17 games last year and scored 15 points with 17 rebounds. Only a sophomore, Yanke can do a little bit of everything including hitting the three-pointer. From Jackson High, he was an All-State player in Ohio while scoring 1,070 career points and 630 rebounds. He averaged 22ppg and 12 rebounds his senior year.

Waterman, a true freshman, has been a pleasant surprise for the Golden Eagles at guard. A solid all-around player, he is from Skyview High and was an all-league player. His father Shawn also played for the Golden Eagles in 1982.

Sophomore guard Garrett Heath (So. Emlenton - Keystone), who missed all of last season with an injury, is still rehabilitating and is hoping for a January return for the Eagles. As a freshman in 2005 he averaged 3.7ppg with 24 assists and 22 steals, plus nailed 19 of 49 three-pointers to give the Eagles a strong outside scoring touch. Heath, from nearby Keystone High, was the D-9 and KSAC "MVP" in 2004. He averaged 22.4ppg, 9 rebounds and three assists while helping Keystone to three D-9 titles. A second team All-State player, Heath had 2,215 career points.

CLARION NOTES: 2006 was the first time in ten years the Golden Eagles didn’t make the PSAC playoffs... Righter has an unbelievable home record of 185-71, a 72% winning rate over his 18 seasons ... The last 10 years Clarion is 113-32 at home, a winning rate of 78% ...Dating back to 1971 Clarion has an overall men’s record of 603-359, a 63 % winning percentage ... The Golden Eagles have won the PSAC-West 12 times including 1971, 73, 77, 79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 85, 97, 2000 and 2005 ... 1971 and 73 under Ron Galbreath, 77, 79, 80 and 81 under Joe DeGregorio, 83, 84 and 85 under Dr. Richard Taylor and the last three under coach Righter... Prior to 1981 Clarion went to the NAIA Nationals in 1976-77 when the team went 27-3 and in 1979-80 when the Eagles were 23-6... In the 1977 NAIA Tournament Clarion defeated Augsburg (88-84), then lost to Grand Valley (79-65)... In the 1980 tournament Clarion defeated Grand Canyon (83-75), Loras, Iowa (79-71), then lost to Huron S.D. 61-52... The PSAC went completely to the NCAA the following season and Clarion went to the NCAA Playoffs in 1981 ... The Eagles defeated Monmouth 80-78 in the semi final game, then lost 84-61 to Cal Poly SLO in the Regional Finals at Monmouth, New Jersey... All three tournament appearances were under coach DeGregorio ... DeGregorio won 159 games in 8 years and held the record for coaching wins prior to Righter ... Clarion’s 1952 team won the NAIB District title and went to the NAIB Nationals under Ben Kribbs and lost their first tournament game to Utah State 85-68.