Freshman Joe Kennedy led all scorers with 27 points as the Petrels proved deadly from 3-point range by burying a staggering seventeen 3's in the contest. Sophomore Wade Weldon continued to show signs of a full recovery from an MCL injury this past August by piling in 19 points of his own.
 
In three games against European competition, the Stormy Petrels averaged 98.7 points per game and outscored their opponents by an average of 28 points per game. Freshman Joe Kennedy averaged 22 points a game, sophomore Wade Weldon averaged 19.7 and freshman Alex Richey averaged 19 points per game to demonstrate the talented youth that head coach Phil Ponder carries into the 2008-2009 campaign.

In their first international game, Oglethorpe sprinted out to a 49-33 halftime lead and never looked back en route to posting a 101-66 victory. Sophomore Eddie Buckley led the way for Oglethorpe with 26 points and 16 rebounds. Also getting in on the act were sophomore Wade Weldon with 20 points and 15 rebounds and freshman Alex Richey who added 19 points and 9 rebounds as Oglethorpe used their transition game and a turnover-forcing defense to earn the win.
 
The Stormy Petrels kept the good international vibrations going in their second game, a 94-69 victory over another Parisian club team. Once again, Oglethorpe used their transition offense to wilt their opponent en route to victory. The Petrels began the game on a 12-0 run to set the tone and controlled the contest from there by stroking 14 three-point baskets. Freshman Joe Kennedy tallied 27 points and sophomore Wade Weldon scored 20 points and snatched down 12 rebounds in the win.
 
Oglethorpe will now fly to Rome to square off with an Italian club team in their final international competition on Friday night.

Throughout the season, the team staged multiple fundraisers, including coaching at youth clinics and performing a self-titled “free-throw-a-thon” where team members shot free throws with sponsors paying for every made basket. By doing so, the team raised enough money to offset costs of the European jaunt and is now able to enjoy the fruits of their hard work in some of the world’s greatest cities.

While in Paris the squad plans on visiting The Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay, and the Arc de Triomphe during the daytime and lacing up their high-tops to take on one of France’s semi-pro basketball teams Zeaveil in the evening. After getting their feet wet for the first time in international competition, the team will travel to Normandy to soak up the vistas of the awe-inspiring D-Day beaches.

 

The team will then return to Paris for an afternoon trip to Versailles before taking to the court for the second time against French club squad Montgeron. After their four-day visit in the City of Lights, the Stormy Petrels will fly off to the Eternal City of Rome where they plan to enjoy five days in one of the most storied cities in the world.

 

On their first day in Rome the team has a guided tour set for historical heavyweights such as the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. On day two, the team will spend time exploring the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon before lacing them up for the final time against international competition and an Italian club team.

 

After their final international game, the team will use day three to visit Florence and enjoy the wonders of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. A guided tour will take them through St. Cross Church, Signoria Square and the Old Bridge Ponte Vecchio. After bargaining for deals at the straw market the team will return to Rome for a final day of sightseeing that includes a trip to the Vatican City, the Sistene Chapel and St. Peter’s Basillica.

 

The team will return to Atlanta on May 20^th and will part ways for the summer. Undoubtedly, though, they will be looking to build off their European adventure in preparations for the 2008-2009 basketball season which promises to be an exciting one as the Petrels will return five of their top eight players.

 

To read daily blogs about the men's team trip to Europe written by Oglthorpe University sophomore Wade Weldon, visit d3hoops.com here: http://www.d3hoops.com/dailydose/

The Division-III All-State awards are highlighted by an All-State team of five players, an honorable mention of players, an All-State Academic team,

as well as Player, Coach, and Freshman of the Year awards.

 

Oglethorpe senior Ahmad Kareem Shaheed was named to the GABCA All-State Team. Shaheed finished the season 16th in the SCAC standings in scoring (13.0 ppg), 6th in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and 1st overall in field goal percentage (.545). He finishes his career by amassing 1,024 points, good for 70th in SCAC history and 23rd in OU's history.  His 681 career rebounds are rank him 7th in SCAC history and 8th in OU history.

 

Oglethorpe freshman Todd Ward was named GABCA Freshman of the Year after an outstanding first season with the Petrels. He joined the Oglethorpe squad after the Christmas break and made an immediate impact for the Petrels. Coming off the bench in all but nine of the 13 SCAC games he played, Ward averaged 13.2 points (16th in conference-only games) and 6.9 rebounds (ninth in conference-only games) per game while shooting 49.2 percent from the field to lead Oglethorpe – picked to finish seventh in the SCAC preseason poll – to the second seed in the East and a 10-4 conference mark. Ward also received GABCA All-State Honorable Mention status.

 

Oglethorpe senior Craig Jackson was named to the GABCA All-State Honorable Mention Team for his efforts this season. Jackson, a guard from Boac Raton, Florida was one of the deadliest 3-point shooters in the SCAC this season, finishing 7th overall in 3-pointers made for the season.

 

Finally, head men's basketball coach Phil Ponder was named the 2008 GABCA Coach of the Year after guiding the Stormy Petrels to a 16-10 overall mark including 10-4 in the rough and tough SCAC. The 16 wins were the most by an Oglethorpe team since the 1997-1998 season and the 10 wins in conference were the school's most since the 1993-1994 season.

Shaheed, a senior post from Atlanta, Georgia, was named to the All-SCAC Second Team. He finished the season 16th in the conference standings in scoring (13.0 ppg), 6th in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and 1st overall in field goal percentage (.545). He finishes his career by amassing 1,024 points, good for 70th in SCAC history and 23rd in OU's history.  His 681 career rebounds are rank him 7th in SCAC history and 8th in OU history. This is the second consecutive year he has been named to the All-SCAC Second Team.

Ward, a freshman from Venice, Florida, earned the SCAC Newcomer of the Year distinction. He joined the Oglethorpe squad after the Christmas break and made an immediate impact for the Petrels. Coming off the bench in all but nine of the 13 conference games he played, Ward averaged 13.2 points (16th in conference-only games) and 6.9 rebounds (ninth in conference-only games) per game while shooting 49.2 percent from the field to lead Oglethorpe – picked to finish seventh in the SCAC preseason poll – to the second seed in the East and a 10-4 conference mark. In addition to being named Newcomer of the Year, Ward also received All-SCAC Honorable Mention status.
 
Jackson, a senior from Boca Raton, Florida, was also named a 2007-2008 All-SCAC Honorable Mention for his deadly 3-point shooting. Jackso ranked 7th in the SCAC in 3-pointers made (2.23 pg) and was 24th in the conference in scoring at 11.8 ppg.

Both teams struggled to find the mark in the first half with each side shooting in the 20% range as the Warriors held a 23-22 halftime lead.
 
Despite their struggles shooting the ball, Oglethorpe managed to erase an 8 point 39-31 Warrior lead on a series of possessions that had the Oglethorpe faithful feeling they had seized momentum. Down by the 8 point margin, David Allison buried a 3-pointer and converted from the stripe for a rare four point play. On the ensuing possession, junior Eric Palmer was fouled in the act to convert a conventional 3-point play on his own. On the next series, Allison forced a steal, drove the lane, scored and was fouled again. With that, the score was tied at 41.
 
The Warriors, however, made some big plays down the stretch to outscore the Petrels 26-17 down the stretch to secure the win.
 
Senior Ahmad Kareem Shaheed scored 16 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in his final game in an Oglethorpe uniform. Sophomore David Allison added 14 points.
 
Oglethorpe finishes the season 16-10 overall and 10-5 in SCAC play. The Petrels will be back next season with their core group of young players looking to improve on this season's impressive record.

Shaheed averaged 20.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game leading Oglethorpe to a 1-1 weekend, and more importantly, the second seed in the SCAC East for the upcoming conference basketball tournament.

Shaheed had 12 points and five rebounds in the Petrels' narrow 65-59 loss to second-ranked Centre and then followed with a season-high 29 points and nine rebounds in Sunday's 86-80 double-overtime win against DePauw.
 
For the week, Shaheed shot 60% (15 of 25) from the field and 79% (11-14) from the foul line. Currently, Shaheed is 17th in the SCAC in scoring (12.9 points per game) and sixth in rebounding (7.4 boards per game). He leads the SCAC in field goal percentage (54.3 percent) and is eighth in blocked shots (0.84 per game). He is just 11 rebounds from becoming the seventh player in league history to record 700+ rebounds for a career.

This game was nip-and-tuck for the entire 50 minutes of clock action as neither team held more than an 8 point advantage throughout the contest.
 
The Petrels were celebrating Senior Day for 4 graduating seniors: Ahmad Kareem Shaheed, Craig Jackson, Nick Watterson and Gwinn Nixon and the final outcome provided a lasting memory.
 
The Petrels used a late first half run to cut the Tiger lead to 35-34 at intermission. Just before the half, sophomore Chaz Smith electrified the home crowd with a one-handed jam that he was fouled on. Despite missing from the charity line, Shaheed grabbed the offensive rebound and stick-back to pull the Petrels within one at the break.
 
In the second stanza, each team traded blows for what would turn out to be an additional 10 minutes of game action with the two overtimes.
 
Oglethorpe had a chance to win in regulation but Craig Jackson's 3-point attempt missed the mark. The Tigers ran a nifty play with only 2.4 seconds remaining to get a shot off by Mike Moore which was wide and the 2 teams headed to overtime.
 
The Petrels had a golden opportunity to win the game at the end of the first overtime as freshman guard Joe Kennedy took a strange foul by a Tiger defender with only .3 seconds remaining. Kennedy, however, could not convert from the charity stripe and the game headed to double overtime.
 
In the double overtimne period, Kennedy atoned for his misses at the free throw line with a huge three-point jumper and a running jumper from the foul line that were both good. The Tigers had a chance to tie with 8 seconds left but Mike Moore's 3-point attempt was off and the Petrels had finally secured the win.
 
Ahmad Kareem Shaheed closed out his career in style by posting a game-high 29 points and team-high 9 rebounds. Fellow senior Craig Jackson added 14 points and freshman Joe Kennedy produced a supberb all-around game with 11 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.
 
Sophomore David Allison scored 8 points and buried both his 3-point attempts, the second one coming in the double-overtime stanza that really lifted the Petrels.
 
With the win, Oglethorpe finishes the season at 16-9 and 10-4 in the SCAC. The Petrels will be back in action this Friday night in Conway, Arkansas at the SCAC Tournament.

Oglethorpe employed a 2-1-2 pressure defense and a 2-3 zone look all night long that kept the pace of the game slow and the scoring down. The Petrels efforts were going along swimmingly in the first half before a series of missed free throws and two late Centre 3-pointers suddenly provided the Colonels with a 10 point 30-20 halftime lead.
 
Despite the bad karma at the end of the first half, the Petrels began the second half on a tear, putting the Colonels on notice that this would be a battle to the end. Oglethorpe scored the first 9 points of the second stanza to set the stage for a back and forth affair over the final 16 minutes that had the Pinholster Court crowd on the edge of their seats.
 
It was incredible clutch shooting by the Colonels in that span, however, that kept their conference longest winning streak of 22 games alive. Each time the Petrels cut into Centre's lead, the Colonels would answer with some deadly three-point shooting. For the evening, Centre had 5 different players nail 3-pointers as the shot clock expired. None was bigger than the final dagger delivered by Britt with 23 ticks left.
 
With just under a minuite remaining, the Petrels had cut the Colonels lead to a scant 3 points and were looking for a huge defensive stop. It appeared Oglethorpe would get that defensive stop as the shot clock ran down on the COlonels with no available shot. Then, as the shot clock struck one, Britt elevated over two Petrel defenders and buried an impossible three-pointer to seal the victory for Centre.
 
The Petrels were led by freshman Joe Kennedy who tallied 13 points and 4 rebounds. Ahmad Kareem Shaheed had 12 points and 5 rebounds and Todd Ward rounded out the Oglethorpe players in double-figures with 12.
 
Now 15-9 (9-4) on the season, the Petrels must regroup quickly to face a DePauw Tiger team on Sunday with sole possession of second place in the SCAC East on the line. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. on Pinholster Court.

Oglethorpe trailed Rhodes narrowly  42-40 at the half in what would prove to be a nip-and-tuck affair.
 
Down two with a 1:30 to play and a chance to tie or take the lead, the Petrels were forced into a turnover by a swarming Lynx defense. From there, Rhodes managed to ice the game at the line to secure the victory.
 
Freshman Todd Ward scored a game and career-high 30 points to go along with a team-high 6 rebounds. Eric Palmer was perfect from long-distance, going 5 for 5 beyond the arc for 15 points.
 
Oglethorpe is now 15-8 (9-3) on the season and must gear up to face #2 ranked nationally Centre College on Friday night on Pinholster Court at 8 p.m.

Despite trailing by as many as 8 points in the second half, the Petrels used a late run to cut the Panthers lead to 2 at 79-77 with 3:23 remaining after freshman Alex Richey buried a clutch three-pointer. Moments later, sophomore guard David Allison forced a steal and it looked like the Petrels might rally for the win. Two Oglethorpe three-point attempts rattled out, however, and the Panthers' Aaron Parr responded with 3 of his game-high 23 points on the following possession to effectively end the Petrels bid at a rally.
 
Senior All-Conference performer Ahmad Kareem Shaheed eclipsed a huge career milestone by becoming the 71st player in SCAC history to score over 1,000 points. For the game, Shaheed posted a team-high 19 points and 12 rebounds. He currently stands 7th all-time in the SCAC in the career rebounding category with 672.
 
Senior Craig Jackson was 4 of 7 from behind the arc and scored 16 points for Oglethorpe in the losing effort. Freshman Todd Ward scored 12 points and grabbed 4 rebounds.
 
Despite the loss, the Petrels are 15-7 on the season (9-2) and still maintain a 6 game conference winning streak  - a streak they will put on the line this Sunday at Rhodes College at 4 p.m.

Once again, Oglethorpe claimed this victory on the boards, outrebounding the Tigers 49-31 for the game to help spring the Petrels to the victory. In addition to their solid work on the glass, Oglethorpe closed out on Sewanee's 3-point shooters all night long to force the Tigers into a woeful 4 of 27 effort from long-distance.
 
Freshman Joe Kennedy did a little bit of everything in leading the Petrels to the win, scoring a team-high 16 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing a team-high 4 assists. Senior Ahmad Kareem Shaheed snared 10 rebounds to go with 6 points and Todd Ward scored 9 and corraled 7 rebounds in the win as 7 Petrel players tallied at least 6 points.
 
With the victory, Oglethorpe moves to 15-6 on the season and a stout 9-2 in conference play. The Petrels take their last road trip of the season this upcoming weekend when they travel to face Birmingham-Southern and Rhodes College.

On Friday at Austin College, the Petrels improved to an impeccable 7-0 on the season in games decided by 5 points or less in defeating the Kangaroos, 71-69. Freshman transfer Todd Ward continued to make noise in conference play, posting 18 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in only 22 minutes of game action. Senior Ahmad Kareem Shaheed added 20 points on 9 of 14 shooting and grabbed 6 boards as the Petrels held on down the stretch for the victory.
 
On Sunday, Oglethorpe let head coach Phil Ponder breath a little easier with a runaway 82-62 victory over Colorado College. The Petrels jumped to a 24 point 47-23 halftime lead and cruised to the win. Four Petrels landed in double-figures for the game including 2 freshman, Joe Kennedy and Todd Ward. Kennedy had 10 points and 3 rebounds while Ward scored 16 points and continued his great work on the boards with a team-high 13 rebounds. Seniors Craig Jackson and Ahmad Kareem Shaheed had 21 and 10 points respectively.
 
The Petrels step out of conference for the final time this Wednesday night when they host the Piedmont Lions at 7 p.m. on Pinholster Court.

Despite some cold shooting (37% for the game), Oglethorpe dominated the Pirates on the boards 47-28 to earn the conference victory. The Petrels held a 31-22 halftime advantage and the Pirates got no closer than 6 points in a second stanza that saw the Petrels with a double-digit lead most of the way.
 
Senior post-presence Ahmad Kareem Shaheed notched a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds while freshman Todd Ward equalled the feat with 11 points and 10 rebounds of his own.
 
The Petrels now stand at 11-6 on the season and an impressive 6-2 in SCAC play. Oglethorpe will look to continue to build their momentum when they head west to face SCAC newcomers Austin College and Colorado College this upcoming weekend.

The game was nip-and-tuck the entire way with neither team building a margin of larger than seven points the entire game. With each possession being crucial, the Petrels overcame a 34-31 halftime deficet by using a decisive spurt in the closing minutes.
 
With the score knotted at 60 with 2:45 remaining, sophomore guard David Allison calmly buried a contested three-point shot to give Oglethorpe the advantage. After a defensive stop, the Petrels found Ahmad Kareem Shaheed down low for 2 points and a five point lead with under 2 minutes left. From there, the Petrels were able to ice the game at the free-throw line for the ever-important conference victory.
 
The Petrels were led by freshman Joe Kennedy's 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Kennedy was a perfect 7 of 7 from the field inside the 3-point arc. Another freshman, Todd Ward, continued his strong play, providing 13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Senior post-presence Ahmad Kareem Shaheed contributed 12 points and a team-high 7 rebounds to help guide the Petrels to the win.
 
Oglethorpe is now 10-6 on the season and, after being predicted by many to finish at the bottom of the conference, now an impressive 5-2 in the SCAC. The Petrels are back in action tommorow night on Pinholster Court when they square off with another school from Texas, Southwestern, at 8 p.m. in the Dorough Field House.