Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Wilkes (2-2) at Misericordia (4-0)
Wednesday, December 1, 2010 / 8:00 p.m. 
Anderson Center / Dallas, PA

LIVE STATS 
Misericordia.edu

LIVE AUDIO
ESPNWilliamsport.com 

AT A GLANCE
The Colonels will open their Freedom Conference schedule as they travel to Dallas to face Misericordia University at the Anderson Center on Wednesday night. WU dropped both of last year's matchups after taking both from the Cougars in the 2008-09 season.

LAST TIME OUT
WU got 18 points from Sr. G Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly) but the Colonels turned the ball over 20 times in their 80-61 loss at Lebanon Valley last Tuesday night.

The Colonels took an early 8-5 lead after a 3 from DeRojas but the Dutchmen responded with a 15-4 run to take an 8-point lead with 9:34 still left in the first half. Two more 3s from DeRojas narrowed the gap to two but Lebanon Valley eventually took a 38-32 lead into the half.

After taking a 10-point lead early in the second half, the Dutchmen went on a 17-4 run and eventually won by the 19-point margin.

So. G Tyler Breznitsky (Freeland, PA/MMI Prep) came off the bench to score 13 points in 24 minutes while Jr. G Matt Mullins (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) added 12 points and Jr. F Paul Huch (Tuckerton, NJ/Pinelands Regional) had 4 blocks.

THE CAPTAINS
The trio of captains for the Colonels this season are Sr. G Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly), Jr. F Paul Huch (Tuckerton, NJ/Pinelands Regional) and Jr. C Kendall Hinze (Lewisberry, PA/Red Land). The leading returning scorer for Wilkes, DeRojas is also the only senior on the team.

Stepping up their leadership roles for the team this season are Huch and Hinze, who have both earned valuable playing time during their two years on campus. Starting 20 games last season, Huch was 4th on the team in scoring (9.4 ppg) and 3rd in rebounding (5.9 rpg) and added 35 steals and 30 blocks.

Hinze started each of the last three games for the Colonels last season and five times scored in double-figures, including a double-double (13 pts, 10 rebs) against John Jay.

THE CENTURY MARK
Already hitting the 1,000-point mark, DeRojas currently sits 164 points outside the WU top 10 with 1,163 career points. The 22 points he scored in the season opener against PSU Hazleton was his 20th career 20-point game as he went 6-15 from the floor, including 4-11 from 3-point range.

SHOOTING THE “3”
A pure shooter, DeRojas has hit 178-495 3FGs (35.9%) in his three-plus seasons, including 62 as a freshman. This year he has a 42.9 3FG% (12-28), 9th in the Freedom Conference.

DeRojas has a career average of 14.6 ppg with those 20 20-point games and 4 30-point games, including a career-high of 37 points last year at Lycoming and two seasons ago against Alvernia. His 17.8 ppg this year is 6th in the conference.

FROM THE FOUL LINE
In addition to being lethal from the outside, DeRojas has also been successful from the charity stripe. He's hit 225-259 career free throws, an 86.9 percentage, including a season-best 94 as a sophomore. He's gone 11-12 (91.7%) from the line so far this season, t-1st in the conference.

ALL-AROUND THREAT
Huch has contributed a lot of ways for WU so far this season, as he's 4th in scoring at 9.3 ppg, t-1st in rebounding with 7.3 rpg and 1st in assists (13), blocks (9) and steals (8). He also has a 44.7 FG%, going 17-38 from the floor.

Last year Huch scored in double-figures seven times, including a season-high 20 points at Misericordia, and had a 40.4 FG%. His 8 steals against FDU tied a WU record, while also collecting 5 boards, 4 blocks and 12 points. Huch also led the team in steals and blocks.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Entering his first year as a full-time starter in 2010-11, Hinze has been a force so far for WU down low, t-1st the team with 7.3 rpg and is 2nd with 11.0 ppg. His 66.7 FG% (18-27) is t-1st in the conference through 4 games.

Posting his 2nd career double double with career-highs in both points (20) and rebounds (12) against Gallaudet, Hinze averaged 16.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg and had a 68.2 FG% (15-22) in two games at the Scotty Wood Tournament.

Playing in 50 games with 8 starts in his first two years on campus, Hinze led the Colonels in FG%, connecting on 61.5 percent (96-157) of his shots while scoring in double-figures eight times.

THE TRANSFER
After transferring from Broome C.C., Jr. G Matt Mullins (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) began his WU career by scoring 16 points on 6-13 FGs against PSU Hazleton in the opener. After playing in eight games as a freshman at Division I Binghamton, Mullins averaged 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists a game and was 1st team all-conference last season before coming to Wilkes.

In high school in New York, Mullins was a two-time all-conference performer and an all-state selection as a senior.

POST EFFICIENCY
So. C Bernard Edmonds (Exeter/Wyoming Area) has been extremely efficient through four games this season, averaging 6.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg in just 12.5 mpg and has a 61.1 FG% (11-18). Per 40 minutes of action, Edmonds is averaging 20.8 ppg and 11.2 rpg.

BACKCOURT RESERVES
So. G Cliff Richardson (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken) saw his minutes increase as last season went on, starting four of the last five games and averaging 29.6 mpg over the final six. He's been slowed at the start of this season, averaging 14.3 mpg in the first four contests and scoring just 1 point, but has a 3.0 assist-turnover ratio.

Fellow So. G Tyler Breznitsky (Freeland, PA/MMI Prep) came off the bench against Leb Val to score a season-high 13 points on 6-7 shooting in 24 minutes. He started 17 games a season ago but has come off the bench in three games this season. Breznitsky was 2nd on the team with 54 assists in 2009-10 and had a 1.42 assist-turnover ratio.

THE FRESHMEN
The Colonels welcome in seven freshmen this season, including Gs Craig Thomas (Avenel, NJ/Cardinal McCarrick), Matt Hayes (Wharten, NJ/Morris Hills) and Mike Boylan (Dover, NJ/Morris Knolls), and Fs Pat Furst (Jamison, PA/Central Bucks West), F Brendan Sheldon (Milford, PA/Delaware Valley), F Allen Heggs (Woolwich, NJ/Episcopal Academy) and F Aaron Wass (Gloucester, VA/Gloucester).

Furst has received the most playing time in the early going, getting two starts and averaging 19.3 mpg with 11 points and 7 rebounds.

Backing him up at the 4-spot is Sheldon, who has two starts and is averaging 16.3 mpg in his four games of work, scoring 11 points and grabbing 16 boards. He collected 4 assists against Gallaudet and blocked 3 shots against Rosemont.

Thomas has played in all four games so far this season, adding to an already talented backcourt, while Wass, Boylan, Hayes and Heggs each have received playing time.

THE HEAD MAN
Wilkes head coach Jerry Rickrode enters his 19th season at the helm, compiling a 331-142 (.699) career record heading into the season. He has taken the Colonels to the conference playoffs 15 times, including 10 straight from 1992-93-2001-02. He has also led Wilkes to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances (1994-95-1998-99), including four Sweet Sixteens, three Elite Eights and one Final Four appearance. He's also a four-time NABC Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year and a three-time Freedom/MAC Coach of the year.

Wilkes Under Rickrode:
1992-93 16-9 MAC Playoffs
1993-94 20-6 MAC Playoffs/ECAC South Playoffs
1994-95 25-5 MAC Playoffs/NCAA Tournament
1995-96 28-2 MAC Playoffs/NCAA Tournament
1996-97 20-6 MAC Playoffs/NCAA Tournament
1997-98 26-5 MAC Playoffs/NCAA Tournament
1998-99 25-4 MAC Playoffs/NCAA Tournament
1999-00 16-9 MAC Playoffs
2000-01 23-3 Freedom Playoffs/NCAA Tournament
2001-02 15-11 Freedom Playoffs
2002-03 17-7
2003-04 18-9 Freedom Playoffs
2004-05 15-10 Freedom Playoffs
2005-06 14-10 Freedom Playoffs
2006-07 12-11
2007-08 13-12 Freedom Playoffs
2008-09 15-11 Freedom Playoffs
2009-10 13-12
Totals      331-142

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES OF MARTS
The Colonels have been very successful playing at home under Rickrode, putting together a 191-49 (.796) record. In 1997-98, when the Colonels advanced to the Final Four, they went 17-0 and the next year went 14-0, moving on to the Elite Eight. Last season Wilkes went 6-4, including an 81-78 overtime victory over Manhattanville.