ECAC NORTH ATLANTIC
22-9
LAST SEASON
-4-
RETURNING STARTERS
"LET'S GET PHYSICAL"
THE HUSKIES
(COACH: JIM CALHOUN)
Northeastern coach Jim Calhoun has a chip on his shoulder. You can't really blame him. He has to recruit in the same environs as the Big East, and in the same city as Boston College. And though the Huskies have finished first every year but two since the ECAC-North Atlantic was created in 1979, they traditionally take second place to the hockey team in the hearts of Northeastern students.
You would expect a team at a hockey school to be tough on the boards, and the Huskies have led Division I schools in rebounding three of the last five seasons. At 6'8", 230 pounds, sophomore center Kevin McDuffie is about as strong as they come in the ECAC-North Atlantic, and he'll improve on his six-rebound-per-game average. The Huskies' best defensive player, 6'5" Wes Fuller, freshman Ernie Hall and transfer Sheldon Henriquez are others who will have to clean a lot of glass. Fuller and Henriquez both have an athletic heritage: Fuller's godfather is Earl Monroe, and Henriquez' father, Luis, was a former confidant of ex-boxing champion Roberto Duran.
Reggie Lewis, a 6'7" junior, also rebounds—7.8 per game—and does a lot more. His 24.1 scoring average is the fourth-best among returning Division I players.
The point guard—how's this for a hockey name?—is Andre LaFleur.
One of these days, that chip will come off Calhoun's shoulder, and pity the first team it falls on.
ILLUSTRATION
MICHAEL DORET
PHOTO
JACQUELINE DUVOISIN
If they have to, Lewis (left) and LaFleur will make like hockey players to get respect.
