PITTSFORD, N.Y. – With just over 24 hours until the tip of a new men's basketball season, the St. John Fisher College Cardinals will look to build on last season's success and reclaim their spot atop the Empire 8 standings as Fisher is set to begin the season at 5 p.m. on Friday against Messiah College as part of the Virginia Wesleyan Tip-Off Tournament in Virginia Beach, Va.

Fisher is coming off another winning season – its sixth straight and 15th in its last 16 seasons – after posting a 15-10 overall record in 2017-18.  The Cardinals, who were under the direction of a new coach for the first time since 2001, will look to punch their ticket back to the postseason in head coach Mike Grosodonia II's second season piloting the program. 

"Our expectations are high," offered Grosodonia who coached Fisher to 10 wins in conference play last season.  "We have a lot of depth and some impact freshmen coming in that we think are capable of playing multiple positions on the floor."

With 11 players set to return for another season, Fisher will look to continue setting the tone on the defensive end of the floor after ranking second in the conference last season in scoring defense at 71.9 points per game.  As a team, Fisher head its opposition to a .428 field goal percentage and forced nearly 16 turnovers per game, which ranked second in the Empire 8.

On the offensive end of the floor, the Cardinals are coming off a season in which they ranked fourth in the conference in scoring at 80.9 points per game and led the Empire 8 in field goal percentage at .488.  Collectively, Fisher rebounded at a high level and posted 39.0 boards per game, which was the fourth-highest total of any Empire 8 team.

Despite losing several key weapons from last year's squad, Fisher still boasts a talented lineup headlined by junior Sammy Robinson who was named Second-Team All-Conference a season ago.  Robinson led Fisher and ranked ninth in the Empire 8 in scoring at 14.7 points per game.  Over 25 starts, the Cedarhurst native also led the team in rebounding with 5.7 boards per contest while his .449 field goal percentage (140-for-312) ranked seventh among all Empire 8 players.

In just his second season, Robinson finished in double figures 21 times and posted four double-doubles overall.  He scored a career-high 27 points on January 16th against Nazareth and would go on to top 20 points four times overall. 

Ryan Henderson is also set to return for his senior season after contributing in a big way during the 2017-18 year.  Henderson ranked third on the team in scoring last season at nearly 11.0 points per game while also hauling in 4.6 boards per game.  The Cazenovia native was efficient from the floor and capped off his junior year shooting .570 from the field overall. 

The Cardinals are set to return nine other impact players from last year including Dennis Hare and James Leone who combined to average nearly 17.0 points per game last year.  Dylan Harrington will suit up for another season as the junior guard was one of the top defenders in the Empire 8 a season ago after averaging a steal per game.

Grosodonia will also have the benefit of veteran leadership on this year's roster including seniors Jordan Gilman and Mark Scanlon who have combined to play in 59 games over the last three seasons.  Mark Valeriani, Matt Asenjo, Nick Klein and Louden Porter are also expected to contribute down the stretch.

"It's a big class and we brought in a lot of guys," added Grosodonia.  "We're trying to create a lot of competition throughout the program."

Joining Fisher's solid corps of returners are seven newcomers – all of whom bring a wealth of talent stemming from their high school playing days.  Fisher will welcome Sean Williams, Brandon Lessig, Brendan Trapper, Ian Duncan, Matt Polemeni, Justin Long and Drey Kipp to the mix in 2018-19.

Following their game on Friday against Messiah, the campaign continues in Virginia Beach on Saturday against Greensboro or the host Marlins.

From there, the Cardinals begin what will be an eight-game home stand that bridges 2018 and the New Year.  On November 20th, Fisher will welcome Buffalo State to town before dueling Hobart College on Tuesday, November 27th.

Head coach Mike Grosodonia, who enters his second season at the helm, will lead his team against The University of Rochester on December 6th and R.I.T. on December 8th as part of the second annual Mark's Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout. 

Following the holiday break, Fisher will host the Woodcliff Hotel and Spa Tournament where it will clash with Alfred State College on Saturday, December 29th and either keystone or SUNY Cortland on December 30th.

Five days later on Friday, January 4th, the Cardinals host their first conference weekend as Houghton takes the floor.  The next afternoon, Fisher dukes it out with Hartwick College.
On January 8th, the team steps out of conference action for a tilt with Union College before jumping back in to Empire 8 play on January 11th against The Sage Colleges.  Less than 24 hours later, Fisher hosts Stevens inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on January 12th.

Three days later, the Cardinals head to the Southern Tier to take on host Elmira in what will start a three-game road trip.  On Friday, January 18th, Fisher squares off with Utica College followed by a Saturday contest against Hartwick.

Fisher will return home on January 22nd to host East Avenue rival and defending Empire 8 Champion Nazareth College in what will be one of the more highly anticipated contests of the season.  From there, the team continues play at home with a weekday showdown against Utica on Tuesday, January 29th.

The Cardinals will begin the new month on the road starting with a bout at Stevens on February 1st before stopping in Troy to face Sage the next afternoon.

On February 5th, Fisher faces Alfred for the first time before making the short trek to Kidera Gymnasium for a rematch with the Golden Flyers on February 8th.

One week later, the Cardinals host Elmira and close out the home portion of their regular season schedule on February 16th against the Saxons.

Fisher is set to cap its regular season slate on Tuesday, February 19th at Houghton.  The Empire 8 Championship is set to begin on Friday, February 22nd and will be played at the highest seed.  

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