Pioneers Start 2020-21 Campaign at #23 Rutgers
11/24/2020 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – There's an old adage that you can't tell the players without a program and that is certainly the case for the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team. Going into his eighth season, head coach Anthony Latina will have nine new players on the roster when the Pioneers start the 2020-21 season on Wednesday at #23 Rutgers.
"It has certainly been an unusual and challenging preseason with all of the COVID related disruptions and pauses," Latia noted. "With that said, I feel that our guys have been very resilient and have stayed positive. I love our team's attitude and work ethic and as we are able to practice more consistently, I think you will see a dramatic improvement in our team!"
The backcourt has the most experienced as junior Aaron Clarke is back after a great end to the 2019-20 campaign. The leading returning scorer on the team at 11.3 points per game, Clarke started the last 15 games of the season. During NEC games, the Parsippany, N.J. native ranked in the top 10 for assist-to-turnover ratio (6th - 1.79) and three-pointers.
"Besides being a very good proven player for us, Aaron has also provided us with much need leadership," Latina said. "It certainly gives us a great deal of comfort when the ball is in his hands. We hope he ends up being one of the better players in the Northeast Conference this season."
Joining Clarke in the backcourt is sophomore Tyler Thomas. Twice named NEC Rookie of the Week, the local product reached double-digits in 10 games with a season-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting versus Merrimack (Jan. 2). Senior Zach Radz is back after an injury kept him out of all of 2019-20. He averaged 5.1 points off the bench during his junior campaign. Classmate Alex Watson will also be called upon to have an increased role.
Looking to get into the mix will be newcomers Kenneth Womack, Mike Sixsmith and Quest Harris. Womack averaged over 15 points and five assists his senior year at Bishop McNamara. Sixsmith was a Second-Team All-State selection out of Holy Trinity in Hicksville, NY after scoring over 20 points a game. Averaging 12.6 points and 5.5 assists earned Quest Harris All-New England honors at Worcester Academy.
As stable as the backcourt maybe, the frontcourt is just the opposite. Junior Zach Pfaffenberger is out for the year with an injury, leaving the Pioneers with no frontcourt players that have played a single minute in a SHU uniform. The only players with collegiate experience is transfer Cantavio Dutreil. The 6-foot-7 native of Haiti averaged 8.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks a game at Harcum College. Prior to that he produced 3.5 rebounds and a team-high 20 blocks in his lone season at North Alabama.
The rest of the frontcourt will be made up of first-year players. Bryce Johnson earned All-NEPSAC honors at Pomfret following 18.1 points and 12.6 rebounds at St. Mary's. A senior at Rutgers Prep, Nico Galette produced 14.2 points and 10.7 rebounds. A native of Kretinga, Lithuania, Kasparas Jonauskas averaged 6.5 points and 2.8 assists in the FIBA U16 European Championships.
"Considering the circumstances, our new players have adapted very well," Latina added. "Despite the limited practice time they have shown solid improvement but there is still a long way to go."
Following the season opener against the Scarlet Knights, SHU returns home to take on crosstown rival Fairfield at 2 p.m. on November 29. Sacred Heart plays at St. John's on December 6. Conference action starts December 15 when LIU comes to town for a pair of games.
Instead of the traditional round-robin format, this season's conference slate will have teams playing back-to-back games against the same opponent in the same location. Each school will travel to four schools, host four schools and play a home-at-home with one team. The traditional eight-team conference tournament will be cut in half with all games played at host sites.
The conference coaches think the Pioneers' inexperience will be their downfall as they were picked 10th in the preseason poll. Fairleigh Dickinson narrowly edged out LIU for the top spot in the poll. Bryant and Mount St. Mary's tied for third.
"Our players have a great deal of pride and certainly when people doubt you I think it always has a motivating effect to prove everyone wrong," Latina said. "With that said, preseason polls are meaningless and our team is very self-motivated to be the best we can be and that will help us much more in the long run."
