District of Columbia Men's Basketball 2012-13 Season Outlook
WASHINGTON, DC - In just three years, head coach Jeff Ruland has transformed the UDC men's basketball program from a 1-20 team into a Division II power. In 2011-12, the Firebirds enjoyed their best season since 1988 and their first NCAA Division II Tournament berth in 25 years. Ruland's squad blazed its way through the East Coast Conference in its first year as a full-fledged member, finishing with a league mark of 13-3 and overall record of 22-6. UDC earned a No. 7 seed in the NCAA East Regional where they nearly upset No. 2 seed and eventual Final Four qualifier, Stonehill College, but came up just short, 65-61.
Ruland returns six players from last year's squad, including ECC Defensive Player of the Year, Dyrek Jones. The 6-foot-8, 230 lb. forward had 93 blocks last year and ranked 4th in the NCAA for blocked shots per-game (3.44). The Firebirds will, however, have to replace their three top-scorers from last year in departed Division I transfer guards: Brandon Herbert, Nigel Munson and Dishawn Bradshaw. Together, those three combined for 65-percent of the team's scoring last season.
Still, Ruland and his assistant coaches feel the team is ready to reload rather than rebuild as the staff has added five new additions to the team, including three Division I transfers, one Division II transfer and one Junior College All-American. Austin Cooley (Niagara University), Ralph Watts (UAlbany), Michael Terry (Boston U), D'Angelo Johnson (Virginia State) and Quasim Jones (Johnson County Community College) have the Firebirds poised to make another run at the school's second NCAA Division II National Championship.
Cooley, a 6-foot-5, 195 lb. junior swingman, played two seasons at Division I Niagara University of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference from 2008-2010. He appeared in 64 games in that time and averaged 11.9 minutes, 3.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per-game. Cooley's freshman season (2008-09), he helped the Purple Eagles to a 26-9 record and a berth in the NIT.
Watts played two seasons at Division I University at Albany from 2010-12. He played in 61 games for the Great Danes, and he averaged 15.9 minutes, 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per-game. Last year he led UAlbany to a 19-15 record and helped the Great Danes advance to the America East Tournament semifinals.
Terry played two seasons at Division I Boston University from 2010-12. He appeared in 56 games, averaging 8.8 minutes, 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per-game. His freshman season (2010-11) he helped the Terriers win the America East Tournament Championship and earn an NCAA Tournament berth.
Johnson played two seasons at Western Texas Community College and one season at Division II Virginia State in 2010-11. He averaged 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per-game at Virginia State, including 14 double-figure scoring games and a season-high 27 points at Johnson C. Smith.
Jones is coming off a stellar 2011-12 season at Johnson County Community College, where he was named a Junior College All-American. In 32 games, the 6-foot-1 guard averaged 17.6 points, 3.1 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1. 5 steals per-game.
The Firebirds open the season with Division I Big East power Villanova at The Pavilion on November 9th as part of the 2K Sports Classic. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. Also as part of the 2K Classic, the Firebirds will travel to East Hempstead, NY to take on three more Division I teams: Marshall (Nov. 16), the host Hofstra (Nov. 17) and South Dakota State (Nov. 18). They go on to play two teams from last year's NCAA Division II Tournament field and will also renew its rivalry with crosstown rival, Bowie State.