Eschmeyer and 'Cats seek first road win

When Evan Eschmeyer decided to go to Northwestern, he knew about the school's basketball tradition -- 23 straight losing seasons and no Big Ten titles since 1933. The New Knoxville, Ohio, native decided to overlook the Wildcats' problems of the past and become a part of the solution of their future.

The senior center continues his quest when Northwestern (7-7, 1-4 Big Ten) takes on Penn State (8-6, 1-3) at 7:30 tonight at The Bryce Jordan Center.

Eschmeyer comes into the game leading the Big Ten in scoring (22.1 points per game), rebounding (11.9 per game), field goal percentage (64 percent), offensive rebounding (4 per game) and defensive rebounding (7.86 per game).

Still, the 6-foot-11 Eschmeyer is not satisfied. To him, personal achievements mean nothing if they don't translate into team victories.

"We started off pretty well," said Eschmeyer of his team's 6-1 start. "But we've struggled lately. We've dropped some tough ones."

The aforementioned tough ones have come in the Wildcats' first five Big Ten games. They have lost to Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and dropped a 56-33 decision to Wisconsin last Saturday. Northwestern's only conference win came over a Sam Jacobson-less Minnesota.

"We knew there would be some ups and downs," Eschmeyer said. "We have a thin bench. We have got to pick some games up at end of Big Ten season and just hope to improve in every game."

For the Wildcats' leading scorer, improving has become a very difficult task this season. Every team he faces sends two or three defenders his way. Eschmeyer has to constantly work to get an open look at the basket.

Even with all of the attention he has received from opponents, he has managed to tally a double-double in every game this season, bringing his consecutive double-double streak to 28 games.

"It's part of life," Eschmeyer said of the double and triple teams. "You can't get frustrated with it. I take the tape home and try to figure out what I can do."

The defensive attention doesn't look like it is going to change any time soon. Northwestern coach Kevin O'Neill said teams usually don't guard the forwards, opting to defend Eschmeyer instead.

The question of whether to double him or not should be an easy one for Penn State. The Nittany Lions saw one of Eschmeyer's best performances up close when he torched them for 30 points last season at Welsh-Ryan Arena. In the second game of the year, Penn State doubled him and held him to 16 points. Tonight, Penn State will surely send two men out to guard him.

"I think he's the best center in the league," Lion coach Jerry Dunn said. "He's certainly proven his worth to the team and things pretty much revolve around him."

That is an understatement. Eschmeyer has been the team's leading scorer in 10 of its 14 games and its leading rebounder in all but one.

If the Lions do decide to go "mano-a-mano" with Eschmeyer, Calvin Booth will be the man who has to guard him. Booth said Eschmeyer is clearly one of the best players in the league and the Penn State center's goal is to keep the ball out of his hands as much as possible.

"I think he's more of a conventional center, which you don't see too much in college basketball anymore," Booth said. "He plays the post, he's big and he has good moves. He uses that to his advantage."

Eschmeyer said although he respects Booth as a defender, he hopes to see the Penn State center guarding him one-on-one rather than having to face two or three Lions.

This is a crucial road game for Northwestern, which has yet to win away from home this season. Eschmeyer is confident if the team remains patient, it can eventually get on the right path.

Patience is something he had to learn about the hard way. Eschmeyer sat out his first two seasons at Northwestern with a stress fracture and then avescular necrosis (a nerve and bone condition) in his right foot.

"Sitting out for two years taught me about being patient," Eschmeyer said. "You can never give up on things. It helps not only with basketball but with everything in life in general."

Since his return to the Wildcat lineup in the 1995-96 season, nearly all of Northwestern's success has been due to him. He has shouldered the load throughout the last two years, and this season is no different.

"If Evan wasn't in the games, we couldn't even play the games," O'Neill said. "Talent- and depth-wise, without Evan and a few other guys, we're at the Div. II or III level."

Northwestern has lost 85 games since Eschmeyer first came to Northwestern, something that burns up the ultra-competitive center. He has filed with the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility and is planning on returning to Evanston, Ill., next season but said he hasn't closed the door on the NBA.

For right now, Eschmeyer is still dealing with the losses that are mounting for his team just as they had during the 23 seasons before he arrived. The losses still upset Eschmeyer but he is far from giving up his personal quest of getting this team on track.

"I promised myself when I got here that if I ever got to point where losing didn't hurt anymore -- I would transfer," he said. "Guys are fighting as hard now as in December. That's what keeps me going. Losing is not accepted here. It may have been a few years ago, but it's not now."

And Eschmeyer is a big reason why.