Rohan comes into the season with high expectations with a Senior laden lineup and a quorum of talent that is at least as good as the Tigers and Quakers, at least that is what they keep saying in NYC.  The problem is like most Ivy League schools most of this talent is accumulated in a few positions on the wings and most of these cats are not exactly Jordan or Thompson but more like Heyman.  The Lions do have a seven footer which is an anomaly in this league but they have nowhere near the depth of their main competitors in this league.  The Lions feature an incomparable pair of wings though they could not be less similar even in a city as diverse as the Big Apple.  Seniors Chet Forte and Jim McMillan are as good as they come in this conference.  Both are great scorers who complement each other well.  Forte is small (5’9 145), more suited for point which he plays at times, but is in constant motion and gets the job done with smarts and passion.  Oh, and he can shoot.  His two-handed set shot with the super quick release has been a deadly weapon though he does need room to get it off.  This kid from across the river in Hackensack has range beyond the three-point line and lights up Levien when he gets going.  He is a Monday Night legend as the Ivy schedules games on Mondays to get some attention on the boob tube.  It has worked and Forte averaged almost 20 a game last season when playing under the bright lights which he obviously enjoyed.  The director, as he has been dubbed, knows where everyone is all of the time and plays the game as such.  His size will probably limit him from going to the next level but he will no doubt find excellence somewhere in the sports world.  He is too smart and dedicated not to make an impact somewhere.   He is a gambler by nature and is not afraid to take the big shot no matter what the situation but will also showcase others.  The ironic thing about Forte was that as much as he gambles he was never accused of betting on any games while playing for the Lions.  That is a whole different story for one of his teammates in a story we will tell later that has so put a negative stain on this Great University.  Now for Forte’s fellow wing there could be nothing farther from the truth as this senior to be is as legendary for his actions off the court as he is on and on the court.  Jim McMillian is without question the best player the Lions ever have had on their roster and that is saying something with the recent graduates who just left for the greener pastures of the pros (or in most cases for Columbia graduates, the court room or Wall Street).

First and foremost, McMillan is a phenomenal mid-range shooter.  He may be the best corner shooter in America.  He will not miss an open shot when he gets one but his great shooting ability only describes a little of what makes Jimmy Mac such a great player.  McMillian is unselfish to a fault and is a terrific passer who can also grab a board or two (actually over nine a game).  He is not big (only six five), especially when he has to move up front like he did most of the time this year especially on the defensive end, but knows how to play down in the box with the big boys.  He is best on the wing of course filling the lanes with his smooth and graceful game.  This kid might have been born in North Carolina but he is a Brooklyn kid who loves the style of the Big Apple.  He loves the threads of the game and could be a designer if not for the Pros lapping their tongues waiting for this complete player to come their way.  McMillian has a bright future in the pros as any team would loves to have a guy who does everything on and off the court as well as Jimmy Mac does.  Forte and McMillian form one of the best offensive tandems in the Ivy and possibly on the East Coast but for an encore they do need to win an Ivy title. 

 Juniors Alton Byrd and Ron Boyd combined with senior Heyward Dotson to give the Lions solid play at the point, at least for the first half of the year.  The pint-sized Byrd became the leader of this team and took over the starting role from Boyd last season.  Cat-quick and a great passer, Byrd is a natural point guard.  Neither Boyd nor Dotson are natural but bring much more athleticism and size to the table.   Dotson became a solid swing guard and really is a gamer.  Dotson really was solid on the defensive end and was of immense help on the boards with his six four frame but does not have the game for the next level.  This is Byrd’s team now and his scoring should increase with all of the guys filling it up with his sweet passes gone.  Rohan brought Byrd in all the way from San Francisco as he saw something special in this pint-sized kid and Byrd was more than happy to come cross country to not only play for the Lions but get the kind of education only the Ivy can offer.  Speaking of this small one made quite a splash overseas on a trip across the pond for a summer internship.  Byrd has become a legend after a summer trip to Britain where they have never seen a kid play hoop and will probably return after his senior season as they are enamored with this kid.  Boyd has more talent then Byrd but missed the entire second half with an injury and might not be ready to start the year.  At 6’3 he is more of a combo guard and is better coming off the bench where he will have to be as this really is Byrd’s team now.  

Dotson is a fiery guard who is as confident as the day is long and could be as good as it gets getting to the hoop.  He doesn’t have much of a jump shot and has a tendency to blow up at the refs so you can imagine the conversation went like when Rohan demoted him.  There were rumors that he was going to transfer to Princeton but Dotson kept his commitment and the Lions fans were happy as this kid can flat play.  And he knows it! 

The Lions had some talent in the post as well.  Four seniors dominated the playing time and all contributed in different ways to the team’s success.  Jack Molinas may have been the most talented of the group especially on the boards.  He had a solid year going until he inexplicably disappeared after the St. Peter’s game.  Some strange occurrences happened in that game late as the Lions fell apart near the end especially Molinas who had 4 turnovers in the final three minutes.    Nobody has heard from the big man since.  There are many rumors floating around about point shaving

The aforementioned Dave Newmark is one of the only 7 footers in the Ivy League and goes at about 240 as well.  And he has skills too.  He may have the most potential of anyone but needs to become more consistent down low.  Most importantly of course is that he must stay healthy.  Newmark was tearing it up things averaging 15 and 10 when he went down after punching that window (supposedly) and was not quite the same when he came back.  He got an ankle injury that slowed him down the stretch as well.  Still, his ability to take up space and block shots and can score on the blocks.   Newmark’s size and skill made this team special in this league.  The Lions did not win a game that Newmark did not start.  This Brookly kid will play at the next level and will make some team better when he is on the court.  Walt Budko is another space eater though he is only six five but gave the team solid if unspectacular play under the boards.  Smart as heck, Budko is not big but can really bang.  He will start if Molinas is not back at the four or at the five if Newmark misses time again and though he is nowhere near their talent, can hang in this league fairly well.  Senior Frank Howard got the most benefit of Molinas’s departure getting a role off the bench for the Lions and producing some solid play.  He is a heck of a banger and may be the best rebounder on the team though he is very limited offensively.  At 6’4, Howard has a hard time guarding bigger post players but has not problem boxing them into the first row for a rebound or two. 

The bench for Rohan featured some experienced players taking smaller roles and some young guys showing that they could play.  Or Not!  Seniors Neil Farber, Stan Felsinger and John Azary were solid off the bench but all three left the team for different reasons.  Azary got hurt (yes shrapnel in the leg), Felsinger lost out in the playing time battle and Farber went to pitch for the baseball team.  Azary has high expectations but Felsinger and Farber were career backups so were not missed.  At some point Rohan has to rebuild with youth but this will not be the year with the high expectations of this senior class.  All three are expected back and Azary wants his playing time back after an illustrious career here.  Junior Ricky Free took advantage of the injuries and moved up the totem pole from JV last year, a year early.  He gave Rohan some solid minutes on the wing but obviously did not get much time behind McMillan and Forte.  He could be the most athletic guy on the team but got caught in the shuffle behind the two Senior studs.  As good as he is Free will be challenged next year by some upcoming underclassmen who showed some good upside though mainly on the JV team.  Sophomores Darren Burnett and Sean Couch will really push for time.  Burnett will back up Byrd at the point while Couch will be in the mix at the wing with a whole slew of guys trying to replace the dynamic duo.  Couch is athletic like Free but needs to get better offensively.   Fellow juniors Foley Jones and Elmer Love (they complement each other symmetrically) are both 6’6 post players who have played well on the JV and are looking for some PT on the varsity.  Neither will push Newmark (if he stays healthy) but they do offer depth and can bang and defend in the paint.  Bob Evans is another junior post but only goes 6’3 and has missed a bunch of games.  He can play when healthy and the Lions need as many good players as they can to compete with the machines of Penn and Princeton. 

These Lions from Columbia were not cowardly and fought every step of the way to almost get to their goal of a post season berth.   That is right where they belonged.  They had as much talent as any team in the league and that includes the Princeton Tigers.  Well almost.  Jimmy McMillian is the second best player in the league and his showdowns with Bill Bradley over the last three years are legendary.  The Lions actually almost knocked the Tigers out of the Big Dance with a huge win at Levin Gym behind McMillian’s 33 points and 15 boards.  The Lions were that good at times but lost some games they should not have against lesser competition.  Some weird events took place for this team including a player going AWOL and some other whisperings of nefarious doings around the team.  That combined with their dominant big man Dave Newmark getting hurt punching a window left this team looking in at teams that were not better played in front of them at Madison Square Garden in the NIT.  Still, this team was exciting to watch finished with a solid 16 and 12 overall record  which is by far the best in school history.  A senior oriented team who could really score and had some great wing players, the Lions may be in for a bit of a shock now that they lost have so many great upperclassmen to graduation and hopefully better things.  There is hope in a few studs that showed some potential but unless Coach Jack Rohan can find a magic bottle that will produce another combo of McMillan and Forte then they may be in trouble. Oh and perhaps the genie in there knows where Jack Molinas is as well?