Oct. 15 marked the official beginning of St. Michael’s men’s basketball season. The 13 athletes have been training since Sept. 8 to prepare for the season. Last year the team finished 8-18 and is currently ranked 14th out of 15 teams in the coaches' preseason poll. The team is ignoring statistics and focusing on the positive qualities and new additions this year, assistant coach James Sorrentine ’08 says.
Rookies making an impact
The team has recruited five new players; four first-years and one sophomore transfer.
“They are a good group, they’re working hard,” Sorretine says. “They’ll see significant playing time if they keep doing what they’re doing."
O’Shea, Sorrentine, and assistant coach Ari Shapiro-Miller have been focusing on hard work and the basics in order to start the season off strongly.
“We’re really working on the fundamentals and half-court defense,” O’Shea says. “In order to be a good team we need to be better defensively and strong fundamentally.”
Shapiro-Miller says they have been putting more emphasis on playing together as a whole team and making sure the new-comers know the established routine.
The team has been working on a new offense and using the low ranking as motivation, Sorrentine says.
“We got nothing to lose and a lot to prove,” he says.
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The team is looking to imrpove on last year's 8-18 record.
(Photo by Megan Davin) |
The players are not letting numbers define them.
“I think we have a good team. A better team than people expect,” sophomore Chris Hurley says.
The team had a real rough pre-season work-out, includingtwo-a-days, first-year Tyler Schilling says.
Coach O’Shea has made conditioning a big part of the preparation, he says.
“Coach wants a fast team, we’ve been running more,” first-year Qua’ron Pinckney says.
Newcomers bring a new perspective
The transition from high school to college basketball is fairly new to all of the first-years, but the other members of the team are also experiencing new things.
The five new additions have added geographical diversity to the team. Sophomore Nate Birr and Schilling are from Minnesota, and junior Tomasz Piotrkiewicz lives in Virginia, but he’s originally from France. Shungu lives in Vermont, while Pinckney is from New York City.
“It’s more people-friendly here,” Pinckney says.
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The team added five new players this year.
(Photo by Megan Davin) |
“It’s not weird for me, it’s just different. I’m enjoying the transition though,” he says.
“Everywhere I lived, it was real diverse until I came here,”
says Piotrkiewicz, referring to the racially homogeneous
campus at St. Michael's.
Coming from New York, Pinckney says that he likes that he is able to smile here and get a positive response because in New York City, it’s a whole different response.
O’Shea has worked at St. Michael’s for 20 years, and always had a diverse team from different backgrounds and places.
“I think it’s a good thing because the players can learn from each other” he says.
Remembering the past, but moving forward
The team’s preparation will be put to the test on Nov. 15, at the annual Double Tree Doc Jacobs tournament. Both the coaches and players have expressed excitement about the tournament and are eager to open their season at home.
First-years Sam Cieplicki and Schilling say they are excited for the season to start and want to just start playing.
Pinckney says he’s looking forward to “just being under the bright lights and being called to perform.”
O’Shea says that this year’s tournament will also include an emotional element.
“We’re going to be retiring Mark Fizulich’s number at the half-time of the Saturday game,” O'Shea says. “It’s going to be a pretty emotional night.”
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Sophomore Nate Birr brings the ball up the court at a recent scrimmage.
(Photo by Megan Davin) |
Fizulich played with the team from 1993-1997 and passed away in the spring due to a rare form of leukemia. His friends and family are expected to be at the game in his honor. Fizulich’s number will be the sixth number to be retired in the history of St. Michael's College.
O’Shea encourages students to attend games and give support.
“We hope the students come out and support the team…we make the court a real home court advantage when students support the teams,” he says.
Shapiro-Miller says he is eager for the season to start because everyone has been working so hard.
“Pre-season went fantastic. We worked hard, we’re in great shape and we have a great group of guys who are ready to compete this year,” he says. “I think we’re going to be a fun team to watch.” |
