Jan 13, 2009

Eagle Tribune: Youth movement has Merrimack on top

Youth movement has Merrimack on top of NE-10

By Chuck Frye
sports@eagletribune.com

NORTH ANDOVER — Darin Mency is ranked fifth in the Northeast-10 scoring ranks, averaging 16.6 points per game. Wayne Mack brings defensive energy to the point guard position that translates into fast-break opportunities for himself and his teammates. Roland Davis is the first off the bench for the Warriors, providing double-digit offense and strong defense away from the ball.

This has propelled the Warriors into a spot they haven't visited for nine years — the top of the NE-10 standings. And it's being done by freshmen and sophomores.

"I'm pretty happy with how things have gone so far," said Mack, a freshman who played a big role in reversing an 18-point, second-half deficit against American International College last night, forcing overtime. "It's a new experience — being in college as a freshman, but I always expect the team I'm on to do good."

A prolific senior year at high school led to his lofty expectations. Mack quarterbacked Paterson Catholic to the New Jersey Non-Public Group 1 state football title, gaining his final victory at Giants Stadium, then following up with a key role in the school's Passaic County League hoop title run. All of this earned the 5-10 Mack a full scholarship at Merrimack.

"It's not new, this winning tradition," Mack said. "I could be a better player but there's always time to get better and stronger."

Even with his prior successes, Mack knew that hard work would be key to seeing meaningful court time at the Division 2 level.

"I don't think a role was given to me before I stepped on campus," Mack explained. "I feel I worked as hard as anyone on the team, and I came in and earned a spot."

Clutch play that you wouldn't expect from a younger athlete has been one of Mack's hallmarks. For example, against AIC he had a pair of big 3-point buckets to start the comeback and then added a pair of steals in the final 15 seconds of regulation, the second one fed to Mency who hit a hurried layup at the buzzer.

Of the comeback, Mency said, "We knew we had to make stops and rely on each other. Our defense makes stops and then we run the ball. That's what we do best."

The sophomore has also taken his high school successes (holder of the North Hagerstown, Md., single-season scoring record, an All-Area pick in his senior year with St. John's Catholic Prep of Maryland and a 1,000-point career scorer) and ran with them. "Dee" didn't slow down last season with the Warriors, earning NE-10 honors as Freshman of the Year.

"My role pretty much hasn't changed from when I got here until now," Mency explained. "Coach (Bert Hammel) knew I could score, so I did what I had to do and everything fell into place. I was just ready to take on whatever Coach asked of me."

Of Merrimack's recent success, and the prospects of two more years of prosperity, "Dee" said, "I'm happy with how things are going. We just have to keep working hard and keep improving."

Big Warrior comeback ends with OT loss

Another slow start ended up dooming Merrimack last night.

Shooting a dreadful 2 of 13 from behind the arc in the first half, the Warriors fell behind AIC by 13 points at the break with the deficit swelling to 18 (43-25) three minutes into the second half.

Amped-up defense led by Mack got Merrimack back into its comfortable flow, and athletic scoring from NE-10 top gun Darren Duncan (18 points) brought the Warriors all the way back. But clutch high-low play from forward Aikeem Vanderhorst (23 points) and point guard Adrian Hynes-Guery (11 points) in OT allowed AIC (10-6 overall, 6-5 in the Northeast-10) to escape Volpe Gym with a 76-74 non-league victory.

With three freshmen on the court at crunch time (Mack, Roland Davis and Aaron Strothers), Duncan sank a deep 3 to draw the locals within a pair with three seconds left in regulation. Mack then swiped the AIC inbounds pass and fed Mency, with the sophomore hitting a layup right at the buzzer to create the extra session.

Merrimack grabbed its first lead since 3½ minutes into the contest when Strothers hit a layup to open OT, but Vanderhorst was a beast under the boards with five points and three rebounds. Hynes-Guery's off-balance, driving layup with 6.5 seconds left created the winning margin as a desperate 3-point heave by Duncan (team-high 18 points, 4 rebounds) rimmed out.

Mack and Mency had 15 points apiece for the Warriors (11-3 overall, 7-2 in the NE-10) while senior forward Chris Winters added 10 points in limited playing time due to foul trouble.

"We're known for our slow starts," Mack said. "We have to come out and start games with the same defensive intensity as we use in the second half."


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Wayne Mack brings defensive energy to the point guard position that translates into fast-break opportunities for himself and his teammates. Roland Davis is the first off the bench for the Warriors, providing double-digit offense and strong defense away from the ball. This has propelled the Warriors into a spot they haven't visited for nine years — the top of the NE-10 standings. And it's being done by freshmen and sophomores. "I'm pretty happy with how things have gone so far," said Mack, a freshman who played a big role in reversing an 18-point, second-half deficit against American International College last night, forcing overtime. "It's a new experience — being in college as a freshman, but I always expect the team I'm on to do good." A prolific senior year at high school led to his lofty expectations. Mack quarterbacked Paterson Catholic to the New Jersey Non-Public Group 1 state football title, gaining his final victory at Giants Stadium, then following up with a key role in the school's Passaic County League hoop title run. All of this earned the 5-10 Mack a full scholarship at Merrimack. "It's not new, this winning tradition," Mack said. "I could be a better player but there's always time to get better and stronger." Even with his prior successes, Mack knew that hard work would be key to seeing meaningful court time at the Division 2 level. "I don't think a role was given to me before I stepped on campus," Mack explained. "I feel I worked as hard as anyone on the team, and I came in and earned a spot." Clutch play that you wouldn't expect from a younger athlete has been one of Mack's hallmarks. For example, against AIC he had a pair of big 3-point buckets to start the comeback and then added a pair of steals in the final 15 seconds of regulation, the second one fed to Mency who hit a hurried layup at the buzzer. Of the comeback, Mency said, "We knew we had to make stops and rely on each other. Our defense makes stops and then we run the ball. That's what we do best." The sophomore has also taken his high school successes (holder of the North Hagerstown, Md., single-season scoring record, an All-Area pick in his senior year with St. John's Catholic Prep of Maryland and a 1,000-point career scorer) and ran with them. "Dee" didn't slow down last season with the Warriors, earning NE-10 honors as Freshman of the Year. "My role pretty much hasn't changed from when I got here until now," Mency explained. "Coach (Bert Hammel) knew I could score, so I did what I had to do and everything fell into place. I was just ready to take on whatever Coach asked of me." Of Merrimack's recent success, and the prospects of two more years of prosperity, "Dee" said, "I'm happy with how things are going. We just have to keep working hard and keep improving." Big Warrior comeback ends with OT loss Another slow start ended up dooming Merrimack last night. Shooting a dreadful 2 of 13 from behind the arc in the first half, the Warriors fell behind AIC by 13 points at the break with the deficit swelling to 18 (43-25) three minutes into the second half. Amped-up defense led by Mack got Merrimack back into its comfortable flow, and athletic scoring from NE-10 top gun Darren Duncan (18 points) brought the Warriors all the way back. But clutch high-low play from forward Aikeem Vanderhorst (23 points) and point guard Adrian Hynes-Guery (11 points) in OT allowed AIC (10-6 overall, 6-5 in the Northeast-10) to escape Volpe Gym with a 76-74 non-league victory. With three freshmen on the court at crunch time (Mack, Roland Davis and Aaron Strothers), Duncan sank a deep 3 to draw the locals within a pair with three seconds left in regulation. Mack then swiped the AIC inbounds pass and fed Mency, with the sophomore hitting a layup right at the buzzer to create the extra session. Merrimack grabbed its first lead since 3½ minutes into the contest when Strothers hit a layup to open OT, but Vanderhorst was a beast under the boards with five points and three rebounds. Hynes-Guery's off-balance, driving layup with 6.5 seconds left created the winning margin as a desperate 3-point heave by Duncan (team-high 18 points, 4 rebounds) rimmed out. Mack and Mency had 15 points apiece for the Warriors (11-3 overall, 7-2 in the NE-10) while senior forward Chris Winters added 10 points in limited playing time due to foul trouble. "We're known for our slow starts," Mack said. "We have to come out and start games with the same defensive intensity as we use in the second half."