Bucknell University Athletics
Badmus, Brown, McNaughton Named Bucknell Basketball Captains
5/25/2006 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 25, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Abe Badmus (Chicago, Ill./Notre Dame H.S. for Boys), Donald Brown (Central Islip, N.Y./St. Thomas More) and Chris McNaughton (Leutershausen, Germany/Dientzenhofer Gymnasium), the three soon-to-be members of the Bucknell men's basketball team's senior class, have been elected team captains for the 2006-07 season, head coach Pat Flannery announced.
All three student-athletes have played prominent roles since their arrival at Bucknell, and each has contributed to the team's unprecedented success over the last two seasons. Badmus, a point guard, and McNaughton, a 6'11" center, will be in their fourth year as starters in 2006-07, while Brown has been one the league's top "sixth men" for three years and could become a member of the starting lineup next season.
"Abe, Chris and Donald have put in the time and effort and have been a vital part of everything that we have done," said Flannery, the 2006 Patriot League Coach of the Year. "They have accomplished a lot on the court, and now this is their time to shine as leaders. All three have tremendous respect from the underclassmen, not just as players but off the floor."
McNaughton is the most decorated of these three talented rising seniors. He is a two-time First Team All-Patriot League selection, a two-time Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a member of the 2006 NABC All-District Team. In 2005-06 he averaged 12.8 points per game, second on the team and eighth in the Patriot League. He also led the league and ranked 24th nationally in field-goal percentage at .578. McNaughton scored his 1,000th point last season and had a number of outstanding performances in the post, most notably a career-high 29-point effort against No. 4 Villanova at Sojka Pavilion.
"It is a great honor to be named captain along with Donald and Abe," said McNaughton. "All three of us have been leaders on the court in years past, and now as captains we have to take it one step further in the way we represent the program. We are all really looking forward to next year."
 Abe Badmus was the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year in 2005.  |
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Badmus took over as the team's starting point guard midway through his freshman year and has proven to be the team's catalyst on the floor. While not a prolific scorer, Badmus is one of the league's elite defensive players and the true quarterback of the offense. The 2005 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, Badmus last season ranked among the league leaders in steals and assists, averaged 6.6 points per game and shot an even 50 percent from the floor. None of his 212 points in 2005-06 were bigger than his two clinching free throws with seven seconds left in the 59-55 victory over Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament.
Brown is coming off an outstanding junior season in which he averaged 6.5 points and 4.7 rebounds, figures that swelled to 8.2 and 5.9 in Patriot League play. He shot 52.2 percent from the field last year and ranked third in the Patriot League in rebounding in conference games. Perhaps his best showing of the season came in the Patriot League championship game, when he scored 14 points in the victory over Holy Cross. He made the alert press-breaking pass to Lee for the go-ahead basket in the NCAA Tournament victory over Arkansas, and he also had two critical rebounds in the final minute of that contest.
 Donald Brown is coming off an outstanding junior year as Bucknell's "sixth man." |
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The Bison went 27-5 last season, breaking the school's single-season victory record, while becoming the first team in Patriot League history to produce an unbeaten league record at 14-0. In addition to winning an NCAA Tournament game for the second straight year, Bucknell earned a national ranking (No. 24) for the first time ever in mid-February, and the Bison finished the year ranked No. 25 in the ESPN/USA TODAY Coaches' Poll.
