PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College men's basketball team will tip off its season in a few short days as the Cardinals, who enter the season with a new head coach for the first time since 2001, look to defend their Empire 8 Championship and make their return to the NCAA Division III Championship for the 17th time in program history.

Fisher, which enters the upcoming year ranked 19th in the initial D3hoops.com preseason poll, is coming off a historic season in which the team posted a 23-6 overall record and won its eighth Empire 8 crown since 2000 after finishing the regular season at 15-1 in the Empire 8 standings.  The Cardinals' 23 wins marked the fifth-highest total in team history while their .938 winning percentage was the second-best in the team's 54-year duration.  Under then head coach Rob Kornaker, Fisher won its opening round game in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship and advanced to the second round for the 12th time overall.

Entering the 2017-18 campaign, Fisher will look to continue its winning tradition with a new head coach at the helm as Mike Grosodonia II was appointed interim head coach to begin the season after serving as first assistant last year.  Grosodonia brings a strong coaching background that includes nearly 200 victories and a state championship while leading The Aquinas Institute for more than a decade. 

"We are excited to start the season and the team has high expectations," stated Grosodonia, who coached Aquinas to an .838 winning percentage during his time in the high school ranks.  "We are playing a very challenging non-conference schedule that will give us an idea of where we stand and we think will help prepare us for conference play."

Fisher's tough schedule is nothing new as the Cardinals finished the 2016-17 season boasting one of the nation's more difficult schedules with several regionally ranked opponents on the docket.  Heading into this season, however, the team will be aided by a strong, experienced roster that features 14 returners including four of five starters from a season ago.

During their conference championship run last season, Fisher led the Empire 8 in field goal percentage (.468) and ranked fourth overall in the conference in scoring at 79.8 points per game, however, it was on the defensive end of the floor where games were decided.  The Cardinals allowed just 73.2 points per game and held opponents to a .439 percentage from the field – both of which were among the Empire 8's best.

"We feel our success will be determined by our commitment to defend at a high level," continued Grosodonia.  "We have great leadership and many returning players who can score, but having the ability to make stops on the defensive end of the floor is what makes good teams great."

A Second-Team All-Conference selection last year, Tyler English returns for his senior year after averaging 13.5 points per game over 29 contests.  The Lockport native came on strong to close out his junior season after averaging nearly 18.0 points over his final eight games.  English, who was named the Empire 8 Championship's Most Valuable Player, stuffed the stat sheet as he posted 5.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and nearly a steal per game in 2016-17. 

Joining English in the front court are juniors Jake Haight and Ryan Henderson who combined to produce 8.1 and 8.0 points per game, respectively.  Haight ranked second on the team in rebounding with nearly six boards per game while Henderson provides the Cardinals with a threat behind the arc after hitting a team-leading 35 3-pointers last year. 

The Cardinals will look to two upper classmen to serve as floor general as both Alex Sausville and Michael D'Amico played a significant role in the team's success last year.  Sausville ranked third on the roster at 9.1 points per game last season and often had the responsibility of settling Fisher into its offense.  The Schenectady native also added a shooting element to Fisher's game with 29 made 3-pointers.  The guard averaged 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in 2016-17 and played in all 29 games.  A senior last season, D'Amico will use his final year of eligibility as the point guard returns having averaged 4.3 points and 1.9 assists per game over 17 minutes of play.   
 
Grosodonia also boasts a wealth of young talent as Dennis Hare and Sammy Robinson return to the fold for their sophomore seasons.  Robinson showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman and scored 172 points over 26 games.  He had seven games 10 points or more including a career-best 20 points in Fisher's win over St. Lawrence in NCAA play.  Hare also showed poise beyond his years as the Red Hook native shot nearly 40 percent from the floor and averaged 4.5 points per game as a freshman.

Also set to don the Cardinal and Gold this season are senior Tyler Farrell (2.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg), juniors Mark Scanlon (1.2 ppg), Jordan Gilman (1.7 ppg), Daniel Morales (2.3 ppg), sophomores Alex Skaine (0.7 ppg), Joseph Lupetin and James Leone (3.1 ppg).  Fisher will also welcome five new players to the team including freshmen Nick Klein, Matt Asenjo, Mark Valeriani, Louden Porter and sophomore Dylan Sacco.

After battling the Hobart Statesmen in Geneva on Wednesday, November 15th to open up the season, the Cardinals head to Marietta, Ohio to take part in the inaugural Great Lakes Invite, which will feature four of the nation's premier teams.  The tournament will span two days including Friday, November 17th and Saturday, November 18th.

Four days later, Fisher opens the home portion of its schedule when it hosts The College of Wooster at 6 p.m. before traveling to SUNY Cortland on November 30th for a non-conference showdown with the Red Dragons. 

One week later on December 7th, Fisher will join several other Rochester area institutions in the second annual Mark's Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout.  The Cardinals will face the University of Rochester at 6 p.m. at RIT before playing the Tigers two days later on December 9th.

Following a nearly three-week hiatus, Fisher will return from holiday break to host the annual Woodcliff Hotel and Spa Tournament on December 29th and 30th.  That Friday, RPI will take on Lancaster Bible to get things started before the Cardinals take on The College at Old Westbury at 8 p.m.  The next day, all four teams will play again with a consolation game taking place at 1 p.m. followed by a championship bout at 3 p.m.

On January 2nd, the team will open up Empire 8 action when it travels to Utica to duel the Pioneers before traveling to Elmira two days later.  From there, the Cardinals will play their next three games in front of their home fans beginning with a 6 p.m. tilt against Houghton College on January 12th.  The next day, Alfred comes to Pittsford with tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m.  On January 16th, Fisher will welcome Nazareth College to Bobby Wanzer Court for the first rendition of the annual Battle of the Beaks game.    

Fisher will spend the next week on the road as it travels to Oneonta on January 19th to face Hartwick before making the long trek to Hoboken, N.J. for a conference clash with the Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks on January 20th.  The trip concludes on January 23rd at Houghton.

Fresh off a three-game road trip, Fisher will spend nearly two weeks at home as it boasts its longest home stand of the season.  On January 26th, the Cardinals will face The Sage Colleges for the first time as conference opponents before battling Utica the following afternoon.  On February 2nd, Fisher hosts Stevens and caps the home stand off with a 2 p.m. showdown against Hartwick on February 3rd.

The team will play three of its final four regular season contests on the road starting with a 6 p.m. clash with Alfred on February 6th before heading down East Avenue on February 10th to take on Nazareth.  The Cardinals will play their final scheduled home game on February 13th against Elmira and close out the regular season on the road at Sage on February 17th.

The Empire 8 Championship, which is played at the highest seed, will begin on February 23rd.

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