2008-2009 Record: 9-19 (3-11, 8th Ivy)

2008-2009 Review: After a successful 2007-2008 campaign that saw Brown post a 19-10 overall record, including a second place finish in the Ivies, a non-conference win at Big Ten foe Northwestern and an invitation to the postseason, the team’s fortunes waned significantly in the 2008-2009 season.

Despite having the services of do-it-all, 1st Team All-Ivy selection Matt Mullery and versatile swingman Peter Sullivan, an Honorable Mention All-Ivy recipient, wins were hard to come by in Head Coach Jesse Agel’s first year at the helm. Brown struggled out of the gate and had little to show for its efforts, with home wins versus Princeton and Harvard being two of the season’s limited highlights.

Key Losses: Chris Skrelja (6.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.8 apg), Scott Friske (6.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg)

Skrelja, a guard/forward and former All-Ivy selection, is likely to be the biggest loss in Providence this year. A three-year starter, Skrelja was a consistent presence on the glass, leading the team in rebounds and putting up a 16 rebound performance in a late season game at Princeton. Brown’s troubles in the backcourt forced Skrelja to play significant minutes at the point, where he put in an admirable performance despite a nagging back injury that likely limited his effectiveness.

Also a three-year starter, Friske seemed destined for an All-Ivy trajectory but never seemed to play up to his potential. He did end up as a steady contributor up front for Brown who ranked 2nd on the team in assists and was 3rd on the squad in rebounding.

Key Returnees: Mullery (16.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.1 bpg), Sullivan (14.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg), Adrian Williams (11.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg)

Mullery is clearly the star here. He is a constant double-double threat who can connect from outside and often had his way in the post, sporting a 20/20 performance against Harvard to follow up a 19 and 10 effort at Penn. Mullery was one of the Ivy league’s most consistent scoring threats and should only improve with an extra year of experience under his belt.

Williams, who may be this year’s primary ball handler for the Bears, is a strong shooter from beyond the arc and connected on the second most trifectas in the league. Sullivan, fifth in the league in scoring a year ago, is a lethal shooter from deep range who rebounds well for his size and is close to automatic from the charity stripe.

Key Arrivals: Marques Coleman, Tucker Halpern, Andrew McCarthy, Matt Sullivan

Coleman was a 2008 recruit who missed all of last season due to injury. With his potential at a position of need for the Bears, he should compete for the starting point guard job. McCarthy is a face-up forward from Ivy basketball factory Northfield Mt. Hermon who needs to add bulk to his long frame but could eventually make an impact in the paint, alongside Mullery. Halpern, while standing in at 6’8”, is more of a wing-oriented player who can use his size and long-range accuracy to score in bunches. Sullivan is the younger brother of Peter Sullivan and has the chance to gain some minutes in a weak backcourt.

Top Non-Conference Games:

Brown vs. Rhode Island, Wednesday, November 18th, 7:30 p.m. – Sandwiched in between road games at Virginia Tech and St. John’s, Brown welcomes Rhode Island of the A-10 for what should be a good early season test against an in-state rival.

Brown at Siena, Saturday, November 28th, 4:00 p.m. – Brown’s Thanksgiving weekend trip to MAAC power Siena comes roughly halfway through the team’s non-conference slate, which should provide the Bears with a good gauge of their progress to that point. Beating the Saints will be a tall order, however, as Fran McCaffery’s squad has made back-to-back NCAA tournaments and returns an immensely talented, senior-laden roster.

Brown at Providence, Monday, December 7th, 7:00 p.m. – Returning home to Little Rhody after a tough road test at #18 Minnesota, Brown will face another challenge in trying to knock off in-town rival Providence. The local nature of the game should bring a good crowd to the Pizzitola Center and will be a great opportunity for Brown to make some noise against a Big East opponent they know well.

By The Numbers: Matt Mullery may have been a one-man wrecking crew for Brown this past season, ranking in the top 10 nationally in field goal percentage, but the Bears had serious trouble running their offense. The team ranked near the bottom of the Ivy league in field goals attempted, field goals made and turnovers. In fact, the Bears accounted for only 548 field goals in their 28 games, which averages out to less than 20 per game. The team’s inability to connect from the field was further exacerbated by their abysmal 65.9% rate from the free throw line. On the defensive end, Brown ranked near the bottom nationally in steals, getting less than 5 per game.

The good news is that the two biggest culprits in the team’s free throw troubles were big man Morgan Kelly, who chose to leave the team after last season, and the aforementioned Skrelja. This may be an instance of addition by subtraction, at least in the free throw department. Mullery, a frequent visitor to the charity stripe, could also benefit from an improvement to his 64.4% clip.

Strengths: The big three. The play of Mullery, Sullivan and Williams provided a glimmer of hope amidst an otherwise abysmal season for the Bears. Mullery and Sullivan were both top 5 scorers in the Ivy league, while Williams provided a perimeter threat that defenders had to respect. With the attention that Mullery will continue to draw from opposing defenses, Sullivan and Williams should continue to thrive. Agel wasn’t kidding when he recently said that “anything that goes with Brown basketball right now starts and ends with Matt Mullery.”

Weaknesses: Despite having three double-figure scorers a year ago, Brown’s offensive struggles were well-documented. The lack of a true point guard was the root of the team’s ballhandling issues. And, despite the prolific outside shooting of Sullivan and Williams, the Bears struggled from beyond the arc, shooting a very pedestrian 31.6% from long distance.

However, with the reappearance of Coleman, help may be on the horizon. In addition, backup guard Steve Gruber spent the better part of the summer playing the point for Tennessee Coach Bruce Pearl on the United States’s Maccabi squad. If he gained anything from playing under Pearl, his play could provide a much-needed boost to Brown’s backcourt.

Season Outlook: After last season’s struggles, there is reason for optimism in Providence, as the team boasts a frontcourt that should be formidable. But with the good comes the bad. Shoring up Brown’s backcourt is a priority for Agel. Can Coleman regain the form that made him such a highly-touted point guard recruit? Can Gruber play meaningful minutes at the point? If the answer to either of those is yes, that would allow Williams to move to the two guard spot, his more natural position.

The continued strong play of Mullery, combined with some modest improvements from Sullivan and Williams, along with contributions from a strong recruiting class, should mean that Brown escapes the Ivy cellar in ’09-’10. If the team can find effective point guard play to get the ball to the team’s three double-figure scorers, Brown has the talent and experience to be a top-division Ivy team and pick up some wins in its non-conference schedule.