GETTING INSIDE

Holy Cross was last year’s Cinderella squad of the Patriot League.

With a roster packed with underclassmen, the Crusaders marched all the way to the Patriot League tournament final before falling to American.

Now with a new coach—former Notre Dame assistant Sean Kearney—and a strong nucleus, Holy Cross has been tabbed an early favorite.

The core group includes junior forward Andrew Keister, sophomore guard R.J. Evans (last year’s Patriot League Rookie of the Year), 6-8 senior Eric Meister (an all-tournament team pick last season) and 6-4 junior playmaker Andrew Beinert.

Keister (8.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg) in particular was the fulcrum of an exciting shooting attack. Keister shook off an injury-plagued start to his college career to have a fine season.

During league play, he averaged 12.5 points and 8.8 rebounds. The league leader in field-goal percentage, Keister shot 58.8 percent from the field overall, 67.3 percent in league games.

Under former coach Ralph Willard, now an assistant with Louisville, Beinert (8.5 ppg, 2.1 apg) led the league in 3-point field goal percentage as a sophomore. He hit 49 of 108 shots from behind the arc.

Throw in a highly touted rookie class, and Kearney has a solid roster to work with as he looks to build on last year’s success. The new coach admitted over the summer that he was not completely aware of what he had as a team. He was learning as practice began, and the rest of the Patriot League will know soon enough.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Sophomore R.J. Evans reached double-figure scoring in 24 games, including a career-high 31 points against Bucknell in the opening round of the conference tournament.

• Sophomore F Devin Brown was the league leader in free-throw percentage last season, hitting 88 percent (73 of 83).

• The Crusaders were the top rebounding team in the league, hauling in an average of 13.6 boards per game on the offensive glass.

Last Year:   18-14 overall, 11-3 in the Patriot League, second place

Head Coach:   Sean Kearney (first year as a head coach).

Quote To Note:   “I think I represent countless longtime assistants who have toiled long and hard to get a chance. I think they want me to succeed, and use me as a blueprint for the argument that a blue-collar guy can run a winning program. I still have to prove I can win.”—Head coach Sean Kearney, in Holy Cross Magazine, on the attitude he brings to Holy Cross.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting Newcomers:   F Eric Obeysekere, a 6-8 freshman, and 6-9 freshman F Phil Beans will compete for a spot in Holy Cross’ loaded frontcourt. Obeysekere averaged 17.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and 5.0 blocked shots as a senior at Miramonte High School in Orinda, Calif. Beans, averaged 22.1 points as a senior at Ottawa Hills High School in Toledo, Ohio.

Jordan Stevens, 6-5, is another potential starter. Stevens scored almost 1,800 points in Saratoga Springs High School in Gavsevoort, N.Y., despite battling an ankle injury.

Key Early Season Games:   The Crusaders face a tough three-game road test in November, traveling to face Rhode Island (Nov. 22), UNLV (Nov. 25) and Western Michigan (Nov. 28).

Program Direction:   They may have a new face leading the attack, but the young nucleus of Holy Cross is as good as it gets in the Patriot League. The Crusaders were a consistent winner under Ralph Willard and certainly have the pieces in place to remain so under Sean Kearney.

Probable Starting Lineup:   G Devin Brown, G R.J. Evans, G Andrew Beinert, F Andrew Keister, F Eric Meister.

Roster Report:  

• G Andrew Beinert, F Andrew Keister and F Eric Meister will serve as tri-captains of the Crusaders.

• F Andrew Keister continues to bounce back from a torn labrum in his shoulder that nagged him toward the end of last season. He was also diagnosed with a sports hernia that shut him down for part of the summer. Reports were that Keister should be OK for the season opener.