Men's Hoops Media Guide2 13-14.Pub (Read-Only)
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2013-14 Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cat Basketball Table of Contents Track the Mountain Cats all season at www.pittjohnstownathletics.com PITT-JOHNSTOWN TABLE OF CONTENTS PRIMARY MEDIA OUTLETS Head Coach Bob Rukavina……………………….. p. 2 WJAC-TV 6 SPORTS TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT Asst. Coaches Marcus Tullis & George Sulkosky... p. 3 Matt Maisel, Ashley Chase Shawn Curtis, Mike Mastovich Student Coach Noah Hartung/Mgr. Travis Crump…...… p. 4 49 Old Hickory Lane 47 Locust Street Pitt-Johnstown Administration……………….……p. 5 Johnstown, Pa. 15905 Johnstown, Pa. 15901 (814) 255-7651 (814) 532-5080 Former Coaches & Players. Where are they Now?..p. 6 Fax: (814) 255-7658 Fax: (814) 539-1409 Former Mountain Cats in the Pros…………………p. 7 2012-2013 Season Review……………………....... p. 8 SOMERSET DAILY AMERICAN ALTOONA MIRROR 2012-2013 Game Results……………………….… p. 9 334 West Main Street P.O. Box 2008 Somerset, Pa. 15501 Altoona, Pa. 16603 2012-2013 Final Statistics……………………..… p. 10 (800) 452-0823 (800) 222-1962 2012-2013 Honors and Accomplishments…….… p. 11 Fax: (814) 445-2935 Fax: (814) 946-7540 Quick Facts / Athletics Directory…………...….... p. 12 WTAJ-TV 10 SPORTS PGH. POST-GAZETTE Pitt-Johnstown Athletics...Mountain Cat Proud…. p. 13 P.O. Box 10 50 Blvd. Of The Allies 2013-2014 Season Preview………………...……. p. 14 Altoona, Pa. 16603 Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222 2013-2014 Roster…………………………........... p. 15 (800) 762-6053 (412) 263-1621 Meet the Mountain Cats…………………….. pp. 16-17 Fax: (814) 946-4763 Fax: (412) 263-1926 PLAYER PROFILES…………………...... pp. 18-30 PGH. TRIBUNE-REVIEW INDIANA GAZETTE Bill Luther………….…………….………… pp. 18-19 (888) 748-8742 (800) 262-3077 Paul Weatherly……………………………… pp. 20-21 Fax: (412) 320-7964 Fax: (724) 465-8267 Drew Cressler……………………….……… pp. 22-23 BEDFORD GAZETTE THE ADVOCATE Ian Vescovi………………………………….……p. 24 424 W. Penn Street 147 Student Union Bldg. Matt Palo……………………………………..….. p. 25 P.O. Box 671 Johnstown, Pa. 15904 Nate Snodgrass and Jake Laravie…………..….… p. 26 (814) 623-1151 (814) 269-7470 Rasaun Mosley and A.J. Leahey……………….…p. 27 (814) 623-5055 Adam Shaneen and Roshon Fields………………. p. 28 Ryan Fyock and Tim Jaczesko…………………... p. 29 Isaac Vescovi……………………………………..p. 30 Mountain Cats in Action (Photos)………………..p. 31 This is Pitt-Johnstown…………………………… p. 32 Design and Layout: Chris Caputo, Sports Information Director All-Time Series Scores……………….…… pp. 33-41 This is the Sports Center………………………… p. 42 Cover Design and Layout: Ali Single All-Time Records………………………..… pp. 43-49 Coaching Records……………………………...…p. 44 Contributing Editors: Bob Rukavina Season Leaders……………………………………p. 45 Individual Career Records………………...…pp. 46-47 Photography: Career/Season/Game Records…………….…pp. 48-49 Front Cover: Ali Single Inside and Back Cover Photographs: Ali Single All-Time Lettermen………………………………p. 50 Inside Pages: Pitt-Johnstown User Services, Ali Single, The Tribune-Democrat, The Advocate Printing: Cover: Solutionist Marketing and Print Communications Interior: Pitt-Johnstown Print Shop 1 2013-14 Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cat Basketball Head Coach Bob Rukavina YEAR RECORD OVERALL PCT. WVIAC OVERALL PCT. 1989-90 8-17 8-17 .320 1990-91 9-18 17-35 .327 1991-92 16-11 33-46 .418 1992-93 8-18 41-64 .390 1993-94 12-15 53-79 .402 1994-95 17-9 70-88 .443 1995-96 14-12 84-100 .457 1996-97 21-6 105-106 .498 1997-98 24-5 129-111 .538 1998-99 23-4 152-115 .569 1999-00 19-8 171-123 .582 2000-01 13-14 184-137 583 2001-02 12-15 196-152 .563 2002-03 11-16 207-168 .552 2003-04 19-8 226-176 .562 2004-05 12-13 238-189 .557 2005-06 21-6 259-195 .570 2006-07 21-9 280-204 .579 2007-08 23-8 303-212 .589 17-3 17-3 .850 2008-09 24-8 327-220 .598 15-5 32-8 .800 2009-10 17-12 344-232 .597 12-10 44-18 .710 2010-11 18-10 362-242 .599 14-8 58-26 .690 2011-12 15-14 377-256 .596 12-10 70-36 .660 Head Coach Bob Rukavina 2012-13 15-13 392-269 .593 10-12 80-48 .625 Before Bob Rukavina took over the men’s basketball program in 1989, the Mountain Cats had only four winning seasons from 1969 to 1987. In 24 years, Rukavina, the 2006 National Independent Coach of the Year, has turned the Mountain Cats into one of the top Division II programs in the country. Pitt-Johnstown has made four NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and has posted seven 20-win seasons, including four in a row from 2005-06 through 2008-09. In 2007-08, Pitt-Johnstown became a member of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC). That year, Rukavina guided Pitt-Johnstown to a 23-8 overall record and the WVIAC regular season title with a 17-3 conference record. Rukavina, the 2007-08 WVIAC Coach of the Year, also led the Mountain Cats to their third NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2008-09, Pitt-Johnstown won the WVIAC Tournament title and advanced to its second straight NCAA Tournament. Along with on-court coaching success, Rukavina is also the East Region representative for the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) national poll, a duty he began during the 2004-05 season. Rukavina, who earned his 300th win at Pitt-Johnstown with an 83-67 win at Salem International (W.Va.) University on Feb. 21, 2008, wrapped-up his 24th season with a career record of 392-269. He currently ranks 31st in Division II among active coaches in career wins (377) and 65th among active coaches in winning percentage (.596). In 1998-99, Pitt-Johnstown finished the regular season ranked fifth in the country. The Mountain Cats also tied the school record for wins in the regular season, duplicating the 23-4 mark set in 1997-98. Pitt-Johnstown posted an 87-23 record (.791 winning percentage) between 1996 and 2000. 1999-00 also marked the program’s sixth straight winning season. In 1997-98, Rukavina guided the Mountain Cats to a 24-5 record, a second consecutive NCAA Tournament bid and a school record of 24 wins, before losing in the East Regional Semifinals by one point to eventual Regional Champion Fairmont State (W.Va.) College. A year earlier, the Mountain Cats earned their first-ever NCAA Tournament bid and finished with a 21-6 record. In 1992, Rukavina led Pitt-Johnstown to its first winning season since 1979, clinching it with a win over Division I Youngstown State University. It was the first win over a Division I opponent in school history. The Mountain Cats have consistently been one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country over the last 20 years. Pitt-Johnstown led the country in field goal percentage in 2008 and 2010, and has been the best three-point field goal shooting team in all of college basketball the last two years. Coach Rukavina's strength is recruiting. The Mountain Cats have had four players lead the NCAA in statistical categories on six different occasions. They have had five players receive accolades ranging from All-American Honorable Mention to All-East Region performers. Seven former Mountain Cats have continued their basketball careers at the professional level in various countries. One statistic you will not see posted anywhere may be the most important to Rukavina--the rate at which his players graduate. Since he took over in 1989, the program has graduated over 90 percent of its players, a rate that will stand up to any institution in the country, especially at an institution with such high academic standards as Pitt-Johnstown. In August 2004, Rukavina was selected to be an instructor with former NBA Coach of the Year Jack McKinney at the MedQuest Coaching Clinic in Beirut, Lebanon. The clinic, sponsored by the Federation of Lebanese Basketball, taught Middle Eastern basketball coaches about the game. Prior to that, Rukavina coached an all-star team that traveled to Madrid and Vigo, Spain in the summer of 1998. The team won four of five games. The trip opened up contacts for recruiting and opportunities for playing professionally after college. Rukavina, his wife Sharon and their son Nicholas, reside in Lower Burrell, Pa. 2 2013-14 Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cat Basketball Asst. Coaches Marcus Tullis and George Sulkosky, Jr. Former Mountain Cat standout Marcus Tullis joined Head Coach Bob Rukavina’s staff prior to the 2013-14 season after playing professionally for several seasons. Tullis, who ranks fifth on the Pitt-Johnstown All-Time Scoring List (1,570 points) and eighth on the All-Time Rebounding List (6-4 rebounds), helped lead the Mountain Cats to back-to-back NCAA Regional Tournament berths in 2008 and 2009. As a junior in 2007-08, Tullis guided Pitt-Johnstown to the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) regular season championship, before leading the Mountain Cats to the WVIAC Tournament title in 2009, where he earned Most Valuable Players honors. Tullis, a two-time All-WVIAC selection, finished his collegiate playing career following the 2008-09 season, but continued professionally in Luxembourg in 2009-10. He then returned to the United States to play semi-professionally for the Harrisburg Horizon in 2010-11, before garnering Most Valuable Player honors for the Worthing Thunder in England. Tullis, native of Johnstown and a graduate of Greater Johnstown High School, earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Humanities at Pitt-Johnstown. Assistant Coach Marcus Tullis Assistant Coach George Sulkosky Jr. joined Coach Rukavina’s staff for the 2003-04 season. Prior to coming to Pitt- Johnstown, Coach Sulkosky spent 10 seasons as the head coach at Homer Center High School in Homer City, Pa., where he led his team to nine PIAA Playoff appearances, including PIAA District VI championships in 1990 and 1991.