Men's Basketball Travels to Minnesota

January 5, 1999

Northwestern Wildcats (7-3, 0-1 Big Ten)
at
#16 Minnesota Golden Gophers (9-1, 0-0 Big Ten)

Wed., Jan. 6, 1999

7 p.m. CST

Williams Arena (14,300)

Radio: WGN AM 720
TV: ESPN Regional

EVANSTON, Ill. - The Wildcats hit the road for just the second time this season, traveling to Minneapolis to face the Golden Gophers. Minnesota is ranked 16th by AP and 17th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.

Northwestern is coming off a 52-48 loss to 21st-ranked Iowa on Sunday. The 'Cats were in control for most of the game. NU took a 19-18 lead with 5:24 left in the first half and increased it to as much as 11 points at 43-32 with 9:42 remaining in the game. Iowa would not regain the lead until the 3:41 mark of the second half (47-45). NU took back the lead at 48-47 with 2:45 left, but Iowa held off the Wildcats to earn the 52-48 victory. David Newman led the way with 12 points while Evan Eschmeyer, who suffered a black eye due to an elbow during the game, recorded 11 points and a team-high five rebounds.

Northwestern-Minnesota, The Series
This marks the 137th meeting in the all-time series between Minnesota and Northwestern, with the Golden Gophers holding an 87-49 series lead. The Gophers won two of three last season, with each team winning on its home floor and UM defeating the Wildcats in the Big Ten Tournament.

Head Coach Kevin O'Neill
Kevin O'Neill (McGill, 1979) is in his second season at the helm of the Wildcat basketball program. This is his 11th season as head coach at the Division I level and 13th overall as a collegiate head coach. He also has served as head coach at North Country CC (1980-82), Marycrest (1982-83), Marquette (1989-94) and Tennessee (1994-97). O'Neill owns a 17-20 record at NU and a 157-140 record as a Division I head coach. Known as one of the best recruiters in the nation, O'Neill resurrected the Marquette and Tennessee programs, taking two teams which had not enjoyed recent success to postseason play.

Big Ten's Top-Ranked Defense
The biggest reason for Northwestern's good start has been the team's work on the defensive end of the floor. The Wildcats have adopted a 'blue collar' approach to defense, diving after loose balls and making the hustle plays necessary to win games.

Entering this week, the Wildcats lead the Big Ten in scoring defense (54.2) and are second in field goal percentage defense (.352). Since Kevin O'Neill took over the helm of the Northwestern program, the Wildcats have held opponents to fewer than 70 points in 27 of 37 contests.

In the Dec. 15 NCAA rankings, NU was eighth nationally in field goal percentage defense and 10th in scoring defense. NU is one of only three teams to rank in the NCAA top 10 in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense (Stanford and Missouri). The next NCAA rankings are released January 4.

Quick Hits

Of the 20 halves of basketball played this season by NU, the 'Cats have held an opponent to 30 points or less on 17 occasions. Only St. Francis, Maine and Seton Hall posted more than 30 points in a period.

NU has led at halftime every game this season.

The Wildcats have outscored opponents 326-235 in the first half, holding an average lead of 33-24 at halftime.

Evan Eschmeyer has scored 840 career points against Big Ten Conference competition. He needs just 160 points to become only the second Wildcat ever, and 57th in conference history, to record 1,000 Big Ten points. Billy McKinney is the only NU player to accomplish the feat.

Eschmeyer Among Big Ten Leaders
Sixth-year center Evan Eschmeyer enters the week ranked second in the Big Ten in rebounds (8.9 rpg), third in field goal percentage (.657) and fourth in scoring (19.7 ppg). Eschmeyer currently leads the Big Ten Conference in double-doubles with five. He enters the Minnesota game with 34 career double-doubles and has scored in double figures 51-straight games.

Lately, Eschmeyer has found a comfortable groove at the free throw line. In the past three contests, Eschmeyer is 26-for-30 (.867) from the charity stripe.

On December 28, he was named Big Ten Conference Co-Player of the Week after recording double-doubles in NU's games against Boston College (23p, 10r) and Long Beach State (16p, 13r). In the two games, 'Esch' went 21-for-25 (.840) from the free throw line.

On December 29, he was named to the mid-season top 30 team for the John Wooden Award, which is presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club to the national player of the year. Eschmeyer was one of only two true centers to earn a spot on the list (Washington's Todd MacCulloch).

Watching Esch in the Record Books
When Evan Eschmeyer made his second free throw with 2:45 left in the Iowa game, he became NU's all-time leader in free throw attempts with 677, surpassing Cedric Neloms' mark of 676. Here's where Eschmeyer currently ranks among NU's all-time career leaders:

 
Category Eschmeyer Next Up
FG Pct. 1st - .606 ---
FT Attempts 1st - 677 ---
FT Made 3rd - 418 Kevin Rankin (458)
Blocked Shots 3rd - 101 Jim Pitts (123)
Rebounds 4th - 792 Jim Pitts (800)
Scoring 5th - 1,434 Cedric Neloms (1,533)
Reb. Avg. 7th - 8.5 Ron Kozlicki (8.6)
Scoring Avg. 9th - 15.4 Sibley/Ragelis (15.7)

Eschmeyer Preseason Honors
The following are some of the preseason honors gained by Wildcat center Evan Eschmeyer:

Top candidate for the Wooden Award (L.A. Athletic Club)
Top candidate for the Naismith Award (Atlanta Tipoff Club)
Candidate for the Oscar Robertson Award (U.S.B.W.A)
Preseason All-American, CNN/SI
Preseason All-American, Street and Smith's
Preseason All-American, Athlon
Preseason All-American, Basketball News
Preseason All-American, Playboy
Preseason All-American, Blue Ribbon College Yearbook
Named the second-best center in the country by Street & Smith's, The Sporting News and CNN/SI
'The most underrated big man in the college ranks' by Preview Sports Publications (PSP)
Best rebounder in the Big Ten, The Sporting News
'All-Windex Team' (best rebounders in the country), Dick Vitale's College Basketball

Wink Among the Big Ten Three-Point Leaders
Sophomore guard Sean Wink enters the week tied for second in the Big Ten Conference in three pointers made, averaging 2.6 per game. In his last seven contests, Wink has hit 18-of-39 (.462) from three-point range. Wink has hit 112 three pointers in his 36 career games, the third-most threes in school history. For his career, Wink is shooting .431 (112-260) from three-point range.

Against Boston College, Wink hit 6-of-12 from three-point range, marking the fifth time in his brief NU career that he has hit six three-pointers. All five of those have come at home, the most recent being last season vs. Ohio State. Wink also hit five three-pointers in NU's last contest against Long Beach State.

Newman Coming Through in the Clutch
Freshman point guard David Newman currently ranks seventh in the Big Ten in assists (3.5 apg) and is sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.40-to-1).

He has made several clutch plays this season down the stretch. Against St. Francis, Newman hit three pointers with 56 and 48 seconds left to tie the game at 66-66. He then followed his own missed shot on the game's final possession, tipping the ball to Julian Bonner who hit the game-winning three pointer with 0.4 seconds left.

In the win against Furman, Newman hit a three pointer with 2:27 left to give NU a 56-50 lead. He also made 3-of-4 free throws in the final 48 seconds to help the Wildcats secure the victory. Against Dayton, Newman scored eight of his 11 points in the second half, all of which came in the final 10 minutes after the Flyers had cut the NU lead to three points. Against BC, he hit 6-of-8 free throws in the final 38 seconds to seal the win.

Big Ten Stat Leaders Here's where the 'Cats rank among the Big Ten and NCAA stat leaders (Big Ten as of Jan. 4, NCAA as of Dec. 14):

Individual - All Games
Scoring: Evan Eschmeyer - 4th Big Ten, 40th NCAA (19.7 ppg)
Rebounds: Evan Eschmeyer - 2nd (8.9 rpg)
FG Pct.: Evan Eschmeyer - 3rd Big Ten, 10th NCAA (.657)
Assists: David Newman - 7th (3.5 apg)
FT Pct.: David Newman - 9th (.780)
3pt Made: Sean Wink - t2nd (2.6 tpg)
Blocks: Evan Eschmeyer - 6th (1.7 bpg)
Asst/TO ratio: David Newman - 6th (1.40-to-1)
Offensive Rebs: Evan Eschmeyer - 2nd (3.2 orpg)

Defensive Rebs: Evan Eschmeyer - 2nd (5.7 drpg)

Team - All Games
Scoring Defense: 1st Big Ten, 10th NCAA (54.2 ppg)
FG Pct. Defense: 2nd Big Ten, 8th NCAA (.352)
3pt FG Made: 3rd (6.40 tpg)
3pt Pct. Defense: 3rd (.294)

Rebound Margin: 5th (+4.7 rpg)

Home Court Advantage
In Kevin O'Neill's two seasons as head coach, the Wildcats have made Welsh-Ryan Arena a tough place to play. NU has a 17-8 home court record under O'Neill, which is a marked improvement considering that, in the three seasons prior to O'Neill's arrival in Evanston, NU won just 14 home games.

Last year, the 'Cats went 10-6 at home, the first time in a decade that NU had won 10 games in their own arena. That mark included a seven-game home winning streak.

In Memoriam
The Wildcats will wear a patch on the left corner of their shorts for the remainder of the season bearing the initials 'D.P.' The patch is in memory of Don Pomeday, father of senior guard Nate Pomeday, who passed away on December 9.

Letter-of-Intent Signees
During the November early signing period, the Wildcats signed five players to National Letters of Intent to begin playing basketball at NU next season:

Winston Blake (F, 6-5, 180, Plano, Texas/Plano Senior)
Brody Deren (F, 6-7, 223, Harlan, Iowa/Harlan Comm.)
Aaron Jennings (C, 6-11, 200, Atkins, Iowa/Benton Comm.)
Ben Johnson (G, 6-3, 180, Minneapolis, Minn./De La Salle)
Adam Robinson (F, 6-10, 210, Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls)

Johnson (No. 60) and Blake (No. 95) are each ranked among the top 100 players in the country by Bob Gibbons. Deren was 'Southwest Iowa Player of the Year' as a junior, while Jennings and Robinson were both named All-Americans this season by various publications.

NCAA Recognizes Wildcat Greats
In its recently-released book 'Men's Basketball Finest,' the NCAA recognized three former Wildcat players and two former NU coaches. Wildcat All-Americans Otto Graham, Max Morris and Joe Reiff were among the 396 players chosen while Dutch Lonborg and Harold Olsen were among the 119 coaches to earn a place among the best in NCAA history.

Coaches vs. Cancer
Head coach Kevin O'Neill is one of several coaches across the country who have joined together to help the fight against cancer. Fans are asked to pledge a certain amount of money for each assist the Wildcats make throughout the 1998-99 season. O'Neill will personally donate $5 for every assist this season to Coaches vs. Cancer. Fans can pick up pledge forms and brochures in the Welsh-Ryan Arena lobby during all home games.

Wildcats on the Air
Once again this season, WGN-AM 720 will be the radio home of Wildcat basketball. Dave Eanet handles the play-by-play chores while Joey Meyer will handle the color analysis. Every Wildcat game this season will be aired by WGN.

The Kevin O'Neill Show
Once again this season, Fox Sports Chicago will air 'The Kevin O'Neill Show.' Dave Eanet, play-by-play announcer for NU football and basketball on WGN radio, hosts the half-hour show. The next show will air Tue., Jan. 12, at 3:30 p.m. and replayed that night at 7 p.m. CST.

Wildcats on the Web
Complete statistics and releases on Wildcat basketball will be available throughout the season on Northwestern's official internet site. The web address is WWW.NUSPORTS.COM. Information on the Big Ten Conference is available on the conference web site at www.bigten.org.

WILDCAT QUICK FACTS

Location: 1501 Central Street, Evanston, Ill. 60208
Enrollment: 7,400 undergraduates
Colors: Purple and White
President: Henry S. Bienen
Athletic Director: Rick Taylor
Home Arena (Capacity): Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Season: 94th, starting in 1904-05
Head Coach: Kevin O'Neill
Years as Head Coach: 2nd at NU, 11th in Div. 1, 13th overall
Record at NU: 17-20
Division I Coaching Record: 157-140
Overall Career Record (All Years): 177-161
1997-98 Record: 10-17
1997-98 Big Ten Record/Finish: 3-13 (t9th)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 9/1
Starters Returning/Lost: 4/1

Wildcat Probable Starters

Pos. No. Name (height, weight, class, hometown) ppg rpg
F #33 Tavaras Hardy (6-8, 210, Fr., Joliet, Ill.) 8.9 4.7
C #42 Evan Eschmeyer (6-11, 255, Sr.-6, New Knoxville, Ohio) 19.7 8.9
G #4 Julian Bonner (6-1, 198, Sr., Detroit, Mich.) 3.9 2.0
G #22 Sean Wink (6-2, 176, So., Brea, Calif.) 10.0 2.3
G #24 David Newman (5-11, 165, Fr., Des Moines, Iowa) 9.8 2.6

Off the bench

F #5 Joe Harmsen (6-9, 248, Sr., Fond du Lac, Wis.) 1.1 2.1
G #10 Matt Kammrath (6-0, 185, Jr., Boca Raton, Fla.) 0.0 0.0
F #11 Danny Allouche (6-5, 200, Sr., Omer, Israel) 3.4 2.4
F #14 Steve Lepore (6-5, 200, Fr., North Olmstead, Ohio) 3.6 4.7
G #31 Nate Pomeday (6-2, 201, Sr., Cedar Grove, Wis.) 1.7 0.7
G #32 Collier Drayton (6-1, 175, Fr., Lyons, N.Y.) 0.0 3.0
C #35 Aron Molnar (6-11, 242, Jr., Mississauga, Ontario) 1.2 2.1
G #44 Jeff Eschmeyer (6-2, 192, So., New Knoxville, Ohio) 0.0 0.5

Wildcat Season Bests

#4 Julian Bonner
Points: 8 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98) and vs. Iowa (1/3/99)
Rebounds: 4 at Seton Hall (12/19/98)
Assists: 4 vs. Long Beach State (12/27/98)

#5 Joe Harmsen
Points: 2 five times, last vs. Iowa (1/3/99)
Rebounds: 4 three times, last at Seton Hall (12/19/98)

#10 Matt Kammrath
Points: none
Rebounds: none

#11 Danny Allouche
Points: 7 vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)
Rebounds: 5 vs. Long Beach State (12/27/98)

#14 Steve Lepore
Points: 13 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Rebounds: 12 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98)
Assists: 5 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98) and Furman (11/28/98)
Steals: 3 vs. Maine (11/17/98)

#22 Sean Wink
Points: 20 vs. Boston College (12/23/98)
Rebounds: 5 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
Assists: 4 at Seton Hall (12/19/98)
3pt. FG: 6 vs. Boston College (12/23/98)

#24 David Newman
Points: 22 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
Rebounds: 5 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
Assists: 8 vs. Maine (11/17/98)
3pt. FG: 5 vs. Furman (11/28/98)

#31 Nate Pomeday
Points: 6 vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)
Rebounds: 2 three times, last vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)
3pt. FG: 2 vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)

#32 Collier Drayton
Points: none
Rebounds: 3 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)

#33 Tavaras Hardy
Points: 18 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Rebounds: 10 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Assists: 5 vs. Boston College (12/23/98)

#35 Aron Molnar
Points: 4 vs. Long Beach State (12/27/98)
Rebounds: 5 vs. Oakland (11/21/98) and vs. Boston College (12/23/98)

#42 Evan Eschmeyer
Points: 28 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98) and vs. Dayton (12/5/98)
Rebounds: 13 vs. Oakland (11/21/98) and vs. Long Beach State (12/27/98)
Assists: 4 vs. Dayton (12/5/98)
Blocks: 3 vs. Maine (11/17/98) and vs. Dayton (12/5/98)

#44 Jeff Eschmeyer
Points: none
Rebounds: 1 vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)

#4 Julian Bonner - Has started the past three games after coming off the bench in the first seven ... Started every game last season at point guard ... Hit the game-winning three pointer against St. Francis with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock ... Ranks ninth in NU history with 230 career assists ... Ranks fifth in NU history with 89 career three pointers.

#5 Joe Harmsen - Reserve power forward/center ... Grabbed season-high four rebounds against Oakland, Dayton and Seton Hall... Very physical player.

#10 Matt Kammrath - Walk-on ... Saw game action vs. Oakland and UW-Milwaukee this season.

#11 Danny Allouche - Tallied season-bests of seven points vs. UWM and five rebounds against Long Beach State ... Reserve forward ... Sat out last season after transferring from Missouri.

#14 Steve Lepore - Started the first six games ... Crashes the boards hard ... Very quiet player on the court..

#22 Sean Wink - NU's top three-point threat ... Has hit 112 three pointers in 37 career games ... Hit six three-pointers against Boston College, tying his career best ... Also nailed four three-pointers against Oakland ... Set the NU single-season three-point mark (86) as a freshman.

#24 David Newman - Starting point guard as a true freshman ... Tallied a season-best 22 points and five rebounds against Furman ... Dished eight assists in his collegiate debut against Maine ... Has come through in several clutch situations this season ... Very gutsy player who plays with no fear.

#31 Nate Pomeday - Reserve shooting guard ... Plays with a lot of heart and emotion ... One of the team's most vocal leaders ... Can be very dangerous from three-point range when his shot is 'on.'

#32 Collier Drayton - Extremely quick athlete ... Is a stronger defensive player than offensive ... Grabbed three rebounds in seven minutes against Oakland.

#33 Tavaras Hardy - Scored in double figures three of his first five collegiate games ... Tallied first career double-double (18p, 10r) vs. Oakland ... Has been able to take advantage of the opponents' constant double teaming of Evan Eschmeyer.

#35 Aron Molnar - Backup center ... Pulled down five rebounds in 15 minutes against Oakland and five boards in 10 minutes against Boston College ... Also had three boards in nine minutes against Dayton.

#42 Evan Eschmeyer - National Player of the Year candidate ... One of only two true centers on the mid-season top candidate list for the Wooden Award ... Leads the Big Ten with five double-doubles this season ... Averaging 19.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game despite playing against defenses designed specifically to stop him ... Has scored in double figures 51-straight games, a school record ... Gained approximately 20 pounds of muscle during the offseason.

#44 Jeff Eschmeyer - Younger brother of Evan Eschmeyer ... Walked onto the squad last season ... Saw action against Oakland and UWM ... Lone rebound came vs. UWM.

Wildcat Career Bests

#4 Julian Bonner
Points: 23 vs. Siena (11/22/97)
Rebounds: 7 vs. DePaul (12/6/97)
Assists: 9 three times, last vs. Michigan State (1/31/98)
Steals: 3 seven times, last at Penn State (1/22/98)

#5 Joe Harmsen
Points: 21 at Wisconsin (1/29/97)
Rebounds: 10 vs. Chicago State (1/27/98) and vs. Penn State (2/8/98)

#10 Matt Kammrath
Points: 4 vs. Central Michigan (11/26/96) and Penn State (1/25/97)
Rebounds: 1 four times, last vs. Illinois (1/10/98)

#11 Danny Allouche
Points: 20 vs. Kansas State (2/1/97)
Rebounds: 7 vs. Nebraska (1/22/97)
Assists: 4 vs. Oklahoma State (2/13/96)

#14 Steve Lepore
Points: 13 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Rebounds: 12 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98)
Assists: 5 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98) and Furman (11/28/98)
Steals: 3 vs. Maine (11/17/98)

#22 Sean Wink
Points: 24 vs. Ohio State (2/21/98)
Rebounds: 7 at Illinois (2/18/98)
Assists: 4 three times, last at Seton Hall (12/19/98)
3pt. FG: 6 five times, last vs. Boston College (12/23/98)

#24 David Newman
Points: 22 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
Rebounds: 5 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
Assists: 8 vs. Maine (11/17/98)
3pt. FG: 5 vs. Furman (11/28/98)

#31 Nate Pomeday
Points: 18 vs. Michigan State (2/19/97)
Rebounds: 6 vs. Md.-Eastern Shore (11/29/97)
3pt. FG: 4 five times, last vs. Iowa (2/25/98)

#32 Collier Drayton
Points: none
Rebounds: 3 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)

#33 Tavaras Hardy
Points: 18 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Rebounds: 10 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Assists: 5 vs. Boston College (12/23/98)

#35 Aron Molnar
Points: 12 at Illinois (1/10/98)
Rebounds: 7 vs. Sam Houston State (11/26/97)

#42 Evan Eschmeyer
Points: 37 vs. Penn State (2/8/98)
Rebounds: 18 vs. Seton Hall (12/13/97)
Assists: 8 vs. Troy State (12/2/97)
Blocks: 5 at Indiana (2/22/97) and at Seton Hall (12/9/95)

#44 Jeff Eschmeyer
Points: 2 vs. Minnesota (1/7/98)
Rebounds: 4 at Iowa (1/3/98)