GAME DAY INFORMATION
|
DATE: Nov. 16, 2022
|
LOCATION: Vincent C. Ross Sports Complex | Colchester, Vt.
|
|
GAME DAY LINKS
|
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
|
|
|
|
LEAD
It's been over eight months since the last time the New Haven men's basketball team has taken the court after falling to Saint Thomas Aquinas, 61-71, in the NCAA Division ll Regional Semifinals. The Chargers will head to Vermont, where they will begin the 2022-23 regular season with the Saint Michael's Purple Knights. This will be the first time since the 2014-15 season that the Chargers will begin a season with conference play. The season-opener will be played at Vincent C. Ross Sports Complex and tip off is set for 7:30 P.M.
SERIES HISTORY VS. SAINT MICHAEL'S
This will be the 26th meeting between the two NE10 programs. New Haven holds the advantage in the series as they enter the matchup with all-time record of 14-11. The Chargers are currently on a four-game winning streak against the Purple Knights, having not fallen to Saint Michael's since a 63-66 loss in 2017. The series dates all the way back to 1978 when the Chargers won the inaugural game of the series in dominant fashion, 106-88.
SCOUTING THE PURPLE KNIGHTS (2-0, 0-0 NE10)
Coming off the heels of an 8-16 season in 2021-22, the Purple Knights were voted 11th in the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll with 43 points. Through the first week, Saint Michael's has competed in three games, one of which was a 78-58 exhibition loss to the Vermont Catamounts. The Purple Knights enter the matchup with a 2-0 record after defeating Chestnut Hill and Caldwell in the Assumption Tip-Off Classic last weekend.
The Purple Knights, who are averaging 70 points per game as a team to begin the year, are led in scoring by freshman guard Alan Brzezinski. Brzezinski is averaging 16 points per game off the bench after dropping 20 in the team's 77-70 win over Chestnut Hill. After shooting 68.8 percent from the floor and 6-for-8 on three-pointers while pulling 4.0 rebounds in a 2-0 week, the freshman from Sweden was named NE10 Rookie of the Week.
Starting guards Romar Reid and CJ Crews average 15 and 14.5 points, respectively. The former of the two also leads the team with two assists per game while also pulling down an average of 5.5 boards. After losing senior forward Patrick Gardner, the Purple Knights turn to sophomore Jacob Duniver, who is the team's lead rebounder right now.
As a team, Saint Michael's is shooting 35.3 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the perimeter and 71.1 percent at the line. In addition to averaging 70 points per game, the Purple Knights also average 49 rebounds and 10.5 assists.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS (0-0, 0-0 NE10)
Despite falling short in the NE10 Championship Quarterfinals last season, the Chargers open as NE10 favorites, earning the top spot in the poll with 133 points and five first-place votes. After an 18-9 regular season, New Haven qualified for the 2022 NCAA East Regional and advanced to the semifinal round. It was the second time in three seasons that the Chargers earned an NCAA postseason berth.
Although they have yet to play in the new season, the Chargers outscored their opponents on average 72.1-63.9 while shooting a conference third-highest 46.5 percent from the floor. The Chargers also shot 35.2 percent from beyond the arc and 71.2 percent from the line. New Haven also outrebounded their competition by a total of 982 to 942 while averaging 36.4 boards per game. As the season of giving approaches, the Chargers are no strangers to sharing the ball, having averaged 13.4 assists a year ago. Led by resident shot blocker, Majur Majak (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./), the Chargers were tied for second in the Northeast-10 with 4.5 blocks per game.
RETURNING CHARGERS
A familiar face will be missing from the floor this season as Derrick Rowland, who became the 37th member of the 1,000 point club, concluded his collegiate career last season. Fortunately, the Chargers will have four of their five starters from a season ago returning, including their points leader, Davontrey Thomas (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Poughkeepsie). Thomas averaged 13.2 points per game, 357 points total, while also pulling down 4.6 average rebounds. Another key player returning in the Blue & Gold is reigning NE10 Defensive Player of the Year, Majak. In addition to leading the NCAA Division ll level with 3.2 blocks per game, the 7'1 center averaged 6.1 points and 8.3 rebounds during the 2021-22 campaign. Majak's 85 total blocks, which led the team and the Northeast-10, set a single season school record. Guards Quashawn Lane (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Catholic Academy) and Victor Olawoye (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont Memorial High School) will also be returning for another season after averaging 13.5 and 7.6 points, respectively. Lane, who was named the New Haven men's basketball Most Valuable Player last season, also led the team with 99 assists.
Also returning from the 2021-22 roster are:
NEW TO THE ROSTER
Head Coach Ted Hotaling has brought on seven new players for the new season. Four of the new additions will come to New Haven as transfers while three are freshmen.
- Ty Perry (Boston, Mass./Brighton) comes from Buffalo where he appeared in 12 games off the bench, averaging 2.2 points per game. Prior to Buffalo, he played three seasons with the Fordham Rams where he started 21 of the 72 games he played in.
- Justin Hendrick (Valley Stream, N.Y./St. Francis) transferred to New Haven from Niagara Community College where he averaged 16.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 42.7 percent shooting as a freshman. Hendrick tied a single-game school record with a season-high 43 points and was named an NJCAA Division II First Team All-American, one of eight in program history. He also helped lead the Thunderwolves to a Region III championship and a NJCAA Div. 11 National Tournament appearance.
- Tarese Morse (Springfield, Mass./Springfield) began his collegiate career at Cowley College before transferring to Hutchinson Community College for the 2021-22 season. He averaged 3.7 points and 3.6 rebounds on 41.5 percent shooting for the Blue Dragons including a career-high 10 points in team's 102-96 loss to Dodge City Community College.
- Jason Edokpayi (Laurel, Md./Mount St. Joseph) transferred to New Haven but didn't have to travel far as he comes from Fairfield University where he spent the past two seasons. He appeared in 12 games in his Fairfield tenure, starting in five of them, while averaging 2.1 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.
Joshua Hopson (Jersey City, N.J./MacDuffie School), Ethan Simmon (Edison, N.J./St. Joseph Metuchen), and Kyle Kearson (West Haven, Conn./West Haven) will also be making their Charger debut on the court dressed in Blue and Gold this season. The latter of the three was a hometown hero across town at West Haven High School where he helped lead the Blue Devils to their first Southern Connecticut Conference championship, scoring a team-high 17 points in the title game.
AT THE HELM
Head coach Ted Hotaling enters his 12th season strolling the sidelines alongside his Chargers. With 173 career victories, Ted Hotaling stands second among nine head coaches in the history of the New Haven men's basketball program and with 27 more wins would become just the second coach in program history to win 200 career games. Named the ninth head coach in program history on March 31, 2010, Hotaling led the Chargers to back-to-back appearances in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship game, a pair of nine total appearances in the conference tournament under his tutelage. In addition, Hotaling's teams have earned four bids to the NCAA Division II National Tournament, the most recent coming in 2022.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Chargers will make their home debut against the Adelphi Panthers on Saturday, Nov. 19 for the second half of a double-header with the women's basketball team, who will be playing Bloomfield. Tip-off for the men's game is scheduled for 3:30 P.M. at Charger Gymnasium. Catch all the action on Charger Sports Network or follow along with live stats!
