Returning seven of the top eight players from his 1992-93 team, and welcoming one of the most talented recruiting classes in history, MWC head coach Tom
Davies anxiously awaits the 1993-94 season. The Eagles come off a third straight Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Tournament semifinal appearance, and lost to eventual NCAA Tournament entry Catholic University by just two points on the road to finish the season.
MWC suffered growing pains in 1992-93while adapting to a new offensive philosophy ... the three-point, spread offense. Eagle shooters responded to the tune of 9.3 treys made per game, the sixth-best total in NCAA Division III. Mary Washington established state Division III records in three-point shots made for a game (15 in a 107-98 win over Shenandoah) and season (243). Highlights of '92-93 included three victories over perennial CAC stalwart and '91 champion St. Mary's, including a 77-68 triumph in MWC's first-ever appearance at Capital Centre, and a 56-55 road triumph in the first round of the CACTournament. The Eagles also won a buzzer-beater at Old Dominion Athletic Conference member Washington & Lee.
"I thought we successfully developed our outside attack, but we need to improve our inside scoring by driving better and also working the low-post," said Davies. The Eagles must press on despite the graduation loss of career assist leader (501) Richie Treger, who also finished as MWC's sixth all-time scorer (1,099). Senior Jeremy White (South Setauket, Nf),who averaged 7.8 ppgwith 46 steals, willjoin late-season starter Mike Johnson (So./Lorton, VA) and Colin Whitehouse (Jr./Chesapeake, VA) as candidates for the point guard slot. White may also see considerable action at off guard, as may swingman Elgin Holston (Sr./Burke, VA),who was 14th in the nation in three-point accuracy (.505) while averaging a team-high 12.9 points per game.
Candidates for the wing slots will likely be senior cocaptain David Winningham (Stafford, VA) and junior sharpshooter Matt Seward (Baltimore, MD). Winningham averaged 10.1 points with 40 field goals from three-point range, while Seward scored 8.8/game with 43 treys. Scott Pate (Jr./Freeport, NY) was perhaps MWC's most consistent frontcourt player, averaging 7.3 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting a team-best .526 from the field, but missed five games to various injuries.
Senior BillyHallock (Havre de Grace, MD) adds strong defense and court presence to the front line. Looking to again deliver in '93-94 is postman and three-year starter Steve Posey (Sr./Midlothian, VA), who has 856 career points (11th in MWC history) after averaging 8.8 in '92-93.
Posey paced MWC in rebounds for the third straight season (62) and currently ranks seventh (484) on the career carom list. Also returning from last year's contingent are guards Neal Hutchko (Sr./Yorktown, VA), Dave Carey (So./Wading River, NJ) and Kerwin Miller (So./The Bronx, NY), forward Steve Carhart (So./Manasquan, NJ) and postman Corey Hamm (So./Fredericksburg, VA).
A potentially standout recruit list is topped by 1991 Northern Virginia High-School Player of the Year Jamie Warren, a transfer from George Mason. Warren -a first-team All-Metropolitan Washington, DC player who was the MVP of the state's East-West All-Star Game as a senior-averaged 17.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and five assists in his final year at West Springfield High School. Other candidates include Sean Somerville (Culpeper; 16.8 ppg and second-team All-Battlefield District); Dan Zenker (6-6/West Springfield; 12.5 ppg and 8.1 rpg); Justin McCarthy (Chantilly; 16 ppg and first-team All-Great Falls District) .Iohn Bowman (Western Albemarle); Deluan Brown (St. Vincent DePaul); Chris Wallace (Midlothian); EllisWoodruff (York Academy); Richie DeRose (Mclean); Richard Bland transfer Ed Peterson (6-4/second-team All-Great Falls District in 1992)and Muhlenberg transfer Matt Croslis (6-6).