The Bucknell Bison come into the season with rather moderate expectations but had a season high above expectations that still ended with a relatively moderate record.  The difference was the competitiveness of the games the Bison played and the fact they finished a solid third in conference play.  Most of this dynamic change was due to the impact of several underclassmen who have made this program a bona fide contender in the underrated conference. This is the first season Bucknell has offered scholarships for athletes so Pat Flannery is basically building a program from scratch and trying to keep up with the Joneses (and the Robinsons) of the Patriot League.  Before this season the Bison had all of one player bigger than six seven. The Bison do not have many players on the roster who will be trying out at the next level but what they lack in talent they make up for in basketball smarts and teamwork.  The best thing about the Bison is that they seem to be just starting down this path to success in the mid-level league and have a bright future as most of the primary contributors are underclassmen. 

Flannery has at his disposal a crew of hard working players who gave their most and dedicated themselves to the team first above stats and honors. One player who led the team and does have an outside chance at the next level is Sophomore wing Al Leslie. Leslie is a great athlete who loves to get up and down the court.  He is not a great ballhandler but can really score and defend.  This six three stud has three point range and is not afraid to fire away from just about anywhere but is best in the open court.  He is so athletic on the wing on the break that he was almost always the choice of the point guards for the kick to finish.  And boy does he finish and let’s be clear Al is not afraid of contact in the key.  Leslie averaged 14 and a half points a game as he easily led the team in scoring.  With his aggressive style he also led the team in free throws attempted and made and steals. He also had the responsibility to guard the other team’s best wing player even though sometimes he gave up two or three inches of height.  This does not bother him in the least as he loves to be that kind of shut down defender and man can he fill the passing lanes.  Leslie’s ability to cause havoc all over the court makes him invaluable to the Bison though he did lose some minutes as the year progressed to some up and coming studs that Flannery and assistant Charlie Woollum has brought in.  Still, Leslie is the best athlete on the team and his highlight film finishes always were a momentum changer as well as his great man to man defense. 

 The one two major upperclassmen holdovers for Flannery were the legendary big man Hal ‘Moose’ Danzig and junior post Bob Barry.  Danzig has been the main low post option forever in Lewisburg for three years now and is more of a rock star than a basketball player at this point (and he kind of looks like Glen as well).  These two shared the post for the last two years taking turns guarding centers.  Barry is a more complete offensive weapon who got the nod as the center at least in the scorebook. With Barry taking over most of the scoring duties down low Danzig took a step back and concentrated on what he does best.  Rebound!  Danzig is not nearly big enough at six foot six to be a post player at this level but man does he make up for it with pure will and toughness.  The coolest named guy in the Keystone State who is not a beet farmer still averaged over 10 points a game to go with the same amount of rebounds. Barry is Mr. Consistent down low for the Bison.  He can score and board and for the last two years has been the primary focus down low for the Bison. Barry is a six seven blonde haired bomber who will post up but can also hit the mid-range jumper and gave the Bison a real offensive threat in the post. Barry started 29 games and will be the starting four once again this year as Flannery loves his overall game and of course there is the fact he was Woollum’s first recruit. The other upperclassmen that got any playing time are Senior forwards Joe Steiner, Lorry Hathaway and Jim Wherry who were all too undersized to get any serious minutes moving forward with all of the young (and big) studs coming in.  All three had wonderful careers in Lewisburg but the Bison needs to upgrade it’s talent pool (and size) to become legitimate contenders in this league and with the ability to recruit now it was time to go find some fresh meat! 

The big man who got pushed out of the mix (figuratively not literally as no one pushes this kid around) was Sophomore Mike Butts.  The Butt is a 6’10 project who did not play much but when he did come in, he moved some people around with that big derrier.  Butts is a big guy but is nowhere near the offensive threat Barry is but this team needs better rim protector.  And Big Mike has the capabilities and demeanor (and size) to be a heck of rim protector.  He will get many more minutes this year but he needs to improve his offense.  

Point guard was interesting for the Bison.  Junior Gerald Purnell was the incumbent and had a solid year until he had it out with Woollum after a bad game against Lehigh.  Sophomores Mike Joseph and Chris Senaca started the year sharing the same role on the JV and were doing a nice job.  Both are terrific passers and are high percentage three point shooters.  But Flannery, who used to be the point guard here, needed them for the last month of varsity.  Consider it an audition for this year as they are going to split time again this year unless one of Flannery’s many recruits beat them out.  Joseph and Seneca both are solid contributors though nowhere near as dynamic as Purnell.  Seneca is a Steel Town native who plays like it.  He is tough as nails and a terrific passer but his real strength is his ability to stroke the three.  Joseph from the Hazelton Area is even a better shooter than Seneca (especially from the free throw line where he shot over 90 percent) though the duo are almost replicants of each other though Joseph is a little better overall scorer.  As for Purnell the feisty 5’9 spark plug is supposedly coming back after mending some fences.  So this should be fun to watch. 

Sophomore swing man Jaye Andrews was a key offensive force for the Bison first off the bench and then starting.  Andrews started most of the second half at wing next to Leslie. He can score so many different and at 6’5 can post up small guys and has no problem getting off his high-rising jump shot which he can take out to beyond the arc.     

The Bucknell Bison shocked the new Patriot League with a terrific season for the fans of Lewisburg Pennsylvania.  Thought of as a middle of the pack team in the past leagues they have been in the Bison put together a solid year in the Patriot’s first year. And the best thing is there much more help coming as this program enters a new age of recruitment.  The administration changed their long-standing policy not to give athletic scholarships and the impact was immediate as this program has quickly moved up to the ranks of contenders in the Patriot League.  And now has three guys on the roster 6’10 and above.  Coach Tim Flannery has got this program going uphill and may be ready to turn over the reins to his good friend and primary recruiter Pat Flannery.  Flannery has finally brought in some big men to Lewisburg though he had to beat the bushes all over the world to find these rare cut gems and the Bison could finally hang with the elite of this young league steeped with historic and of course patriotic programs.  Bucknell finished a strong third to the powerhouse Crusaders of Holy Cross and the Midshipmen of Navy and were within an eyelash of taking down the giant known as David in the semis of the league tourney.  This step up year was a huge push and it would seem with the success of the JV program under Woollum the future is bright. Still, Bucknell has a long way to go before they put themselves on the basketball map and might need a couple of big upsets of one of the power conference teams for people even to know this program plays in the Keystone State.  After all there is a paper company just down the road in Scranton that is much more famous than anyone or anything that has ever come from Lewisburg!