PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team opens the 2024-25 season on Monday, Nov. 4 on the road at Temple at 5:30 pm in Philadelphia, Pa.

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OPENING TIP

• Sacred Heart and Temple open the 2024-25 season with the first-ever meeting between the two programs. 
• SHU will be on the road for the first two weeks of the season. On Wednesday, the Pioneers will travel to UConn to take on the back-to-back defending National Champions before traveling to Dartmouth on Saturday. Sacred Heart will travel to Brown for a three-game tournament, taking on Holy Cross (11/15), New Hampshire (11/16), and Brown (11/17).
• Sacred Heart returns three active members from last year's team: Tanner Thomas, who made nine appearances before missing the remainder of the season with an injury. Raymond Espinal-Guzman is a redshirt junior forward who appeared in 24 games last season, and lastly, Aidan Carpenter, a redshirt junior guard who made 30 appearances with 16 starts. 
• Thomas was named to the All-MAAC preseason third team. 
• Bryce Johnson returns to Sacred Heart after a year at Northeastern.
• This year is Sacred Heart's first season as a full-time member of the MAAC.
• The Pioneers have 10 new players on the team. 
• Head Coach Anthony Latina begins his 12th season as head coach and 20th year overall with the Pioneers. 
• SHU is set to officially reopen the newly renovated William H. Pitt Center on Thursday, Nov. 21 against Central Connecticut State University at 8 pm. 

SCOUTING THE OWLS

• Temple was picked sixth in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll.
• Jamal Mashburn Jr. was named a First Team Preseason All-AAC pick.
• Last season, Temple went 16-20 overall and 5-13 in conference play. 
• The Owls entered the AAC Tournament as the 11th seed and won its first tournament game since 2018 en route to the AAC Championship game. Temple fell to the UAB Blazers 85-69, and Hysier Miller and Steve Settle III were named to the All-Tournament Team. 
• Settle III returns to the Owls this season after finishing last year fourth on the team in points (8.6) and rebounds (5.0).

NEW ERA
Sacred Heart University is entering a new era. The 2024-25 season will be the Pioneer's first year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), after spending the previous 24 years in the Northeast Conference (NEC). SHU announced the move on Oct. 23, 2023, and officially kicked off its membership on July 1, 2024. This transaction connects a school with a growing national presence and media following to a conference of like-minded, predominantly catholic schools founded in 1980. For SHU, the MAAC also includes a natural rivalry with a pair of Connecticut schools with similar philosophies, Fairfield and Quinnipiac. 

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
Sacred Heart just completed renovations to the William H. Pitt Center, which began in March 2024. The facility has served as the heart of SHU Division I athletics and is the competition home to multiple sports, including men's and women's basketball, volleyball, and wrestling. In the upgraded layout, the court has rotated 90 degrees from its previous position and is surrounded by permanent bleacher-style and backed arena-style seating, bringing fans closer to the action and creating a true home-court advantage. This redesign will maximize the footprint of the building and allow for ample practice options, creating a top-tier experience for SHU's talented student-athletes. The renovations provide a high-quality fan experience, especially with the addition of a mezzanine for VIP seating and events, video boards, sound systems, and lighting. Sacred Heart will officially open the facility with a men's and women's basketball doubleheader on Thursday, Nov. 21. The women will take on Monmouth at 5:30 pm while the men will host Central Connecticut State at 8 pm. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the official opening. 

MAAC-OLADES  
Tanner Thomas has been named to the All-MAAC preseason third team, bringing in the Pioneers' first-ever conference recognition. Thomas averaged 10.8 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game during his nine appearances last season before missing the remainder of the year to injury. He scored a season-high 21 points in the Pioneers victory over Holy Cross and matched his career-high in rebounds with 14 in SHU's home-opening win over Sarah Lawrence. During his career at Sacred Heart, Thomas has appeared in 55 games and 13 starts, posting a .488 career field goal percentage. The MAAC announced three preseason all-conference teams, including a preseason player of the year. In addition to the preseason teams, the MAAC announced the results of the 2024 Preseason Coaches Poll. The Pioneers were selected 13th with 37 votes.

WHAT'S ON TAP 
The Pioneers will play 31 games this season, including 13 in the newly renovated William H. Pitt Center, and will have 20 games in MAAC play. SHU will face four Connecticut teams including UConn, Central Connecticut State, and new conference foes Quinnipiac and Fairfield. The Pios open the season at Temple to kick off six straight road contests through the first two weeks of the year. For the sixth time in program history, Sacred Heart will make the in-state trip to Storrs, Conn., to take on the defending back-to-back National Champions, UConn, on Nov. 6. The Pioneers will take on the Huskies in their season opener as the two teams face off for the first time since 2019. Sacred Heart's home opener is slated for Thursday, Nov. 21, against another in-state rival, Central Connecticut State University. The Pios will cap off an opening-night doubleheader at 8:00 pm in the newly renovated Pitt Center. SHU will jump back on the road for one game, Sunday, Dec. 1, taking on Boston University before opening MAAC play at home against Iona on Dec. 6, followed by a road matchup at Quinnipiac on Dec. 8. The Pioneers will take a break from conference action with a home game against UAlbany on Dec. 18, a road game to Miami (OH) on Dec. 22, and will conclude with Manhattanville on Dec. 29. Sacred Heart will return to conference play on Jan. 5, at home against Canisius. The Pioneers will face eight MAAC opponents twice and will meet four opponents once during the season. The regular season will wrap up on the road at Iona on Mar. 8. The MAAC Championship will take place on March 11-15 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

AT THE CORE 
Sacred Heart has only three players who appeared last season: Aidan Carpenter, Raymond Espinal-Guzman, and Tanner Thomas. The Pios also return Anquan Hill and Lucius Gibson-Savadel, who were both on the team but not active last season. Graduate Student Bryce Johnson, who spent his first three years with the Pioneers, has made his way back to SHU after a year at Northeastern University. The remaining 10 athletes on the roster are all new to Sacred Heart.