Majick

ANNAPOLIS -- The game had much more meaning to Fordham, which had to win to practically assure itself the first seeding in next weekend's Patriot League tournament.But Navy -- land-locked in last place -- showed yesterday that nothing will be a given when the eight league members convene at Bethlehem, Pa., for the post-season showdown.The Midshipmen refused to go away all afternoon, but finally lost, 73-68, at Alumni Hall.Fred Herzog, the Rams' 6-foot-9 senior forward, hit 11 of 14 from the field, scored a career-high 33 points and, for good measure, shut down Navy's major three-point threat, Michael Burd, through the stretch.

Navy coach Pete Herrmann took John Haase aside before Sunday's practice and tried to reassure the junior forward that he still was capable of putting the ball in the basket.Haase, the Midshipmen's No. 2 scorer with a 13.2-point average, was coming off games in which he shot 1-for-6 and 2-for-9."I reminded him he was our No. 2 scorer and that he was going to get 10 to 15 shots a game and not to worry about the misses," Herrmann said. "Then he went out in practice and proceeded to shoot awful."

ANNAPOLIS -- Navy had no reason to fear Terry Burke. Although he's a senior co-captain, Burke never scored a field goal as a freshman or sophomore and had a career high last season of 10 points.But Burke poured in 22 points in a 10-minute span in the second half last night to lead Lafayette to a 75-62 win over Navy before 1,025 at Halsey Field House.Burke's output included six three-pointers in seven attempts. A 6-foot-2 guard from the Philadelphia suburb of Abington, he finished the night with 8-for-12 from the field for his game-high 22 points.

EASTON, Pa. -- Keith Brazzo scored 22 points and Craig White added 19, as Lafayette (7-18, 5-7) drew away in the closing minutes to hand Navy (6-19, 1-12) a 77-67 Patriot League loss yesterday. It was the fourth straight defeat for the Midshipmen.Navy, seemingly out of the game early in the second half, used a 16-2 run to tie at 49 with 11:08 remaining. The rally was fueled by four three-pointers, two of them by Michael Burd.Lafayette pulled away down the stretch, going on a 13-4 burst to open a 62-53 advantage with 5:04 left.

There were ups and downs, but it was a roller-coaster ride Don DeVoe was prepared to take in his first season as Navy men's basketball coach.Before coming to Navy, DeVoe had rebuilt programs at Virginia Tech and Tennessee. Now, in Annapolis, in the first of a five-year contract, he is attempting another renovation."It's everything I thought it would be," said DeVoe, who is in his 20th season of Division I coaching. "I still consider this to be my ultimate challenge."This season didn't get off to the best of starts for DeVoe and the Midshipmen.

ANNAPOLIS -- Navy entered last season's Colonial Athletic Association tournament having lost 12 of 14 games, but by the end of the weekend the Midshipmen had knocked off the league's top seed and come within minutes of playing in the title game.Navy, which finished the season 8-21, can credit its final-weekend surge to its run-and-gun offense -- with the three-point shot as the first option -- that produced 84.1 points per game. This season the Midshipmen will unleash their tempo game in the newly opened Alumni Hall, and against some new opponents in the Patriot League.

ANNAPOLIS -- Navy entered last season's Colonial Athletic Association tournament having lost 12 of 14 games, but by the end of the weekend the Midshipmen had knocked off the league's top seed and come within minutes of playing in the title game.Navy, which finished the season 8-21, can credit its final-weekend surge to its run-and-gun offense -- with the three-point shot as the first option -- that produced 84.1 points per game. This season the Midshipmen will unleash their uptempo game in the newly opened Alumni Hall, and against some new opponents in the Patriot League.

When basketball practice started last month, new Navy coach Don DeVoe had no immediate desire to throw out a basketball and watch his team scrimmage. He didn't want to find out who was capable of going one-on-one. He was in no rush to see who could consistently stick the jumper.All DeVoe wanted to do right away was teach."It's going to take a period of time for the players to feel comfortable in what we're trying to teach them," DeVoe said shortly after that first practice.What DeVoe is trying to teach Navy is a style of play that will improve a team that finished 6-22 overall, and 1-13 in the Patriot League.

Restrictions mandated by the NCAA won't be the only changes in college basketball this season. Among the state's nine Division I programs, two have new coaches and two others are entering a new conference.Don DeVoe is new to Navy, but he's in his 20th year as a head coach in Division I. UMES also has a new coach in Rob Chavez, who spent the previous five seasons at Chemeketa (Ore.) Community College.Towson State and UMBC, meanwhile, left the East Coast Conference for the Big South, which has one of the 30 automatic bids to the NCAA tournament.