Northeast Conference report

SportsLine.com Report
April 5, 2000

The defending regular-season NEC champions received major setbacks in preseason when center Nick Grella and forward Rich Giddens left the team. Then, a few games into the season, guard Tim Hyland also quit. Suddenly considerable depth and size had vanished.

UMBC struggled to score and its defense, among the best in the NEC last season, also fell off.

The Retrievers lost six of their last eight and barely backed into the NEC Tournament as the final seed, where they were immediately ousted by CCSU.

A glance at 2001

Guard Terence Ward will be the focal point of what might be a quick UMBC rebuilding effort.

The coach

Tom Sullivan received a six-year contract after being named NEC coach of the year in 1998-99 when he led UMBC to a 17-3 league record and the NEC regular season championship in the school's first year in the league. He was named Big South coach of the year in 1997-98, and was a former assistant at Seton Hall from 1987-1994 when the Pirates earned six NCAA Tournament bids and made their trip to the 1989 championship game.

Who'll be back

Among the regulars, junior guard Ward and his 1,200 career points returns for his senior year along with junior center Kennedy Okafor, junior forward Brad Martin, and freshman guard Justin Wilson along with several reserves. Recruits include 6-9, 230 pound Will McClurkin and 6-5, 200 pound Peter Mulligan.

Who's gone

Senior forwards Isaac Green and Kerry Martin, who ranked second in the NEC among shot-blockers, will be leaving.