Briggs

NEW WILMINGTON — Rob Briggs and Mike Pratkanis always have been neighbors.

Coming off stellar basketball careers at neighboring Knoch and Butler, the pair are now closer than either could have imagined.

Both are 6-foot-5 freshmen at Westminster College. Both have been in the Titans' starting lineup — and they're roommates.

"We've gotten to know each other pretty well,"Briggs said. "We're always together on the court, and now it seems like we're always together off it."

"We've become pretty good friends,"Pratkanis said. "It's gotten to the point that we can read each other on the court now, we've been together so much."

Westminster coach Larry Ondako is happy both are wearing his team's uniform.

The injury-plagued Titans are off to an 0-8 start, but with freshmen like this pair, Ondako sees a bright future.

"Both of those kids are going to have pretty good careers here,"he said.

Briggs is averaging 7.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He scored 17 points against Penn State-Behrend Nov. 15 and 14 points in a 75-72 last-second loss to Mount Union Dec. 1

Briggs scored 1,230 points in his career at Knoch.

"I've been impressed by his rebounding,"Ondako said. "Rob's already been in double digits on the boards three times.

"For a freshman to average nine rebounds a game in college is outstanding. He has to be one of the top freshman rebounders in the country."

Briggs said the increased speed and size of the game at the Division IIIcollege level has been his toughest adjustment.

"We're up against 6-7 and 6-8 guys all the time now,"he said. "Nobody dominates on the boards at this level."

Pratkanis is averaging 3.4 points and 2.1 rebounds at center. The return of 6-8 junior center Steve Bielich, who was sidelined early this season with a knee injury, recently moved Pratkanis to a reserve role.

Briggs remains entrenched in the starting lineup."How much I play now depends on whether we're playing against a smaller team, our coach wants more size on the floor, if Steve gets tired, things like that,"Pratkanis said.Pratkanis scored 13 points against Wesley in a late November game. He averaged 11.9 points and sank 14 3-pointers for Butler last year."They (Westminster) need me to play the post and guys slide out and shoot a lot of 3s here. I feel like I fit in,"Pratkanis said.While Pratkanis' rebound numbers don't match those of Briggs, he's been going up against bigger players down low."Mike's had the more difficult match-up problems,"Ondako said. "He's outsized in the post, but he's using his athleticism to hold his own."The Titans have had trouble holding their own in practice because not many of them have been available to practice.Seneca Valley graduate and sophomore forward Kevin Mayberry has been battling an illness that's causing him to drop weight and has not been available the past few games.Mayberry's illness, coupled with assorted injuries to other players, have forced the Titans to practice with seven or eight players more often than not."We haven't even had enough guys to scrimmage each other," he said.But experience now can pay dividends later."Oh, yeah, if we all stick around, keep learning and grow together, we can be a pretty good team," Pratkanis said.

Pratkanis