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Through the ups and downs of the Northeast Conference slate for the Sacred Heart men's basketball team, head coach Anthony Latina believed his team was on the doorstep countless times of finishing higher in the conference.
 
The Pioneers enter the 2022 NEC Tournament as the sixth seed, facing off with LIU Wednesday evening in Brooklyn. This will mark the third time since 2016 the two programs have met in the tournament, with LIU winning each of the first two games. 
 
Entering the final weekend of the regular season, the Pioneers were destined for the play-in game before a 2-0 weekend against Mount St. Mary's and St. Francis propelled them straight into the quarterfinal round.
 
"I think that we certainly feel like if we play our best game, we have a chance against anyone," Latina said. "We have a lot to play for. We can't pretend it hasn't been a disappointing year. Maybe we can rewrite the script." 
 
After a 3-3 start to the conference season, the Pioneers lost nine of their next 10 games and sank toward the bottom of the conference. Even with the discouraging record, Latina knew his team remained competitive throughout the drought. 
 
"You must be honest with them. We didn't win those games, but we've been a play away," Latina said. "We're much better than our record in terms of how dangerous of a team we are, especially when you have guys like Aaron and Tyler that can carry you at any time."
 
Although the honesty and optimism were there, the losing skid brought frustration to the players as well as the coaching staff. Latina added that the ups and downs of a college basketball season could be described as a "psychological battle". 
 
As the team continued to fight down the stretch of conference play, Latina relied on his upperclassmen, some of which who had been a part of Sacred Heart's 20-win season in 2019-20, to keep the team's focus on the goal of competing for a conference title. 
 
"We know that we have enough good players that if we play our best, we have a chance," Latina said. "We must keep reminding ourselves that we can do this, that's where the veterans know they can do this. Things can change in a snap."
 
Sacred Heart will continue to turn to its upperclassmen leaders of Aaron Clarke and Tyler Thomas, each of whom were named to the Third-Team All-NEC list on Tuesday afternoon. Clarke and Thomas were nearly identical in scoring this season, finishing sixth and seventh in the league in points per game. 
 
The Pioneers and Sharks split the two games during the regular season, each winning by four points on its home court. Nico Galette, who was in the running for NEC Most Improved Player tossed in 20 points in the loss at LIU on February 3. Cantavio Dutrell just missed a double-double in both matchups, grabbing 14 rebounds with eight points in game one, followed by 12 points and nine boards at LIU.