2009-2010 Saint Rose Season Preview

Information Provided By Saint Rose Sports Information

Introduction: The College of Saint Rose arrives at this point aiming to prove that the first sub .500 season in head coach Brian Beaury’s 23-year tenure was an anomaly. The Golden Knights went 11-17 overall and wound up 10th among 15 teams in the Northeast-10 Conference with a 9-13 slate last season. Three starters are among seven returning letterwinners to a very young squad that lists six newcomers on its roster. There are only four upperclassmen in addition to five freshmen and a like number of sophomores.

What does it all mean? We’ll have a clearer picture come March although this is a team that has the potential to turn some heads despite being picked 10th among 16 squads in the ultra-competitive NE-10. The Golden Knights are after all the 11th all-time winningest program in NCAA Division II annals on the strength of 20, 19-victory campaigns throughout Beaury’s tenure. Saint Rose has also earned 11 NCAA Tournament trips throughout the past 18 seasons and has gone 57-15 at home since the Events and Athletics Center was renovated prior to the start of the 2004-05 campaign.

From a more focused perspective, there is some experience despite the team’s overall youth. Three of last year’s top four scorers are back. There is also a true point guard in the mix for the first time in two years, which should help the club’s offensive flow although rebounding and defense will be key features as usual.

Letterwinners Lost (6):
There are several pieces missing from last year’s squad including guard/forward Josh Pelletier who averaged 7.3 points and made 23 starts in 2008-09. Meanwhile, guard J.G. Braga made eight starts as a senior, while center Evan Lane delivered 9.9 points and 8.0 rebounds before being dismissed from the team late in the year. Also absent from last year’s roster are guards Ben Johnson and Brian Ledbetter who averaged double-figures minutes off the bench last season, along backcourt partner Daniel Smalls who got in for eight games as a walk on.

Letterwinners Returning (7+1 Red Shirt Sophomore):
Two seniors, who will be counted upon to provide leadership, and a sophomore make up the trio of returning starters.

Senior guard Jermaine Clark (Perth Amboy, NJ/Perth Amboy) garnered third-team All-Conference accolades after finishing eighth in the league with a team-leading 16.3 points per-game as a junior. The lone player to start all 28 contests in 2008-09, Clark drained a team-high 61 3-pointers and handed out 2.8 assists on a regular basis as well. Meanwhile, senior forward Malcolm Williams (Schenectady, NY/Schenectady) tossed in 9.0 ppg on 52.0 percent (91-for-175) shooting from the field, the league’s sixth best mark. He also pulled down 5.8 rebounds and recorded 0.8 blocks per-outing.

Sophomore guard Shea Bromirski (Cambridge, NY/Cambridge Central) will most likely play off the ball a bit more this season. Bromirski finished second on the team in scoring with 11.4 ppg as a freshman. He drained 37.8 percent (54-for-143) of his attempts from beyond the arc, and led the NE-10 in free throw shooting at 91.8 percent (56-for-61).

Also back in the mix are sophomore center Brian Hanuschak (Cumberland, RI/St. Andrews), senior forward Zach Bye (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville), and sophomore forward Sheldon Griffin (Lititz, PA/Warwick) along with sophomore swing James Wilson (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa).

The latter is not expected to dress following preseason surgery. Wilson averaged 16.8 minutes off the bench throughout 24 games last season. Hanuschak has earned the starting center role. He averaged 3.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 27 games last season, but showed his potential by finishing in double-figures scoring during the final two games of his freshman campaign. Griffin is also expected to have an expanded role after appearing in 16 games a year ago, while Bye should once again provide help in the frontcourt.

The final returnee is sophomore guard Rob Gutierrez (Brooklyn, NY/John Adams) who sat out last season. An outstanding defender and “energy” player, Gutierrez averaged 2.5 ppg throughout 10.5 minutes of playing time as a freshman in 2007-08.

Newcomers (6):
A quintet of freshmen and a junior transfer comprise this year’s incoming class. Andre Pope (White Plains, NY/Iona Prep) is expected to step in immediately as the starting point guard. Pope led Iona Prep to the city and state championship last season and was a CHSAA All-League pick for the Gaels.

Pope is joined by rookie forwards Jin Hong (Hicksville, NY/Archbishop Molloy) and Devin Grimes (Albany, NY/Catholic Central), junior swing Andy Pelletier (Troy, NY/Troy), freshman guard Kyle Bender (Wappingers Falls, NY/Roy C. Ketcham) and freshman center Zach McNall (Buskirk, NY/Hoosic Valley).

Hong is a raw talent with great upside while Grimes was a first-team Big 10 All-Star as both a junior and senior for the Crusaders. Pelletier is the younger brother of Josh and arrives via NE-10 rival Franklin Pierce where he appeared in 19 games last season. Bender and Grimes are both walk-ons who will provide depth in the frontcourt and backcourt respectively.

Schedule:
Saint Rose will encounter 22 NE-10 games with home and home series versus Assumption, American International, first-year member Adelphi, Pace, New Haven, Southern Connecticut State and Le Moyne. The Golden Knights will also host Saint Michael’s, Southern New Hampshire, UMass Lowell and Stonehill; and will travel to Franklin Pierce, Saint Anselm, Merrimack and Bentley.

The non-league schedule is comprised of three home dates and a pair of road contests. The Golden Knights will host Bloomfield, Concordia and Mercy, and will head to Philadelphia University and C.W. Post. Seven squads on the men's docket, including five who represent the NE-10, garnered NCAA Tournament invitations, while the five non-conference opponents recorded an 85-64 record in 2008-09.

One noticeable difference is the presence of Adelphi as a conference opponent. The Panthers, a formal rival of the Golden Knights in the East Coast Conference, officially became the league’s 16th member beginning with the 2009-10 academic year.

Quoting head coach Brian Beaury: “We’ll be a little different without Dag’s (Steve Dagostino) running the show for us. We certainly won't replace him, but I think we'll be a solid team on both sides of the ball getting key contributions from Evan Lane, Jermaine Clark, and Ben Johnson as well as Josh Pelletier. We'll be deeper this year than we've been in a while, so that'll let us return to playing more multiple defenses and pushing the ball. I can't wait to get going.”

Summation: As usual, there is plenty to like about the Golden Knights although there are several unanswered questions, mostly due to the team’s youth, at this juncture. There is depth, an exciting group of newcomers that are out to prove themselves, and a nucleus of veterans who are determined to put the Golden Knights back into the upper echelon of the NE-10.

Clark is the consummate scorer, Williams and Bye are athletic frontcourt player, Bromirski poses a legitimate outside threat and Gutierrez is a stellar perimeter defender. Furthermore, Pope is a true point guard, and Hanuschak and Griffin appear of being on the cusp of coming into their own.

Thus, look for the Golden Knights to surprise a few people along the way. They may be a bit removed from making a legitimate run at a league championship with the likes of Merrimack and Bentley appearing in every preseason national poll. Regardless, Saint Rose will undoubtedly not be taken lightly by anyone throughout the year.