No. 25 Men's Basketball Opens Up Season at Home on Tuesday
PITTSFORD, N.Y. – With the start of its 57th season just around the corner, St. John Fisher College men's basketball is primed for a return to the Empire 8 Championship and beyond as the Cardinals, who are ranked 25th in the initial D3hoops.com national poll, begin the 2019-20 season on Tuesday when they welcome Union College to Manning and Napier Varsity Gym and Bobby Wanzer Court.
Head coach
Mike Grosodonia II, who enters his third season at the helm, boasts a talented, experienced lineup that includes 15 returners from a team that led the Empire 8 in numerous categories last season including points per game (85.3), field goal percentage (.494), 3-point field goal percentage (.370), assists per game (17.4) and rebounding defense (34.2).
"Expectations are high for the season, but it really comes down to how committed we are to defending and sharing the basketball," added Grosodonia. "We have a lot of experience coming back and that leadership will help us a lot throughout the season."
Despite losing the Empire 8 Player of the Year and All-Region selection
Ryan Henderson, the Cardinals return four members of last year's starting lineup including senior
Sammy Robinson who ranked third overall in the Empire 8 at 18.6 points per game. Robinson, who will enter the season needing just 13 points to become the 25th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points, played in 24 games last year and accounted for three double-doubles overall. Robinson, who was named First-Team All-Conference as a junior, scored 20 points or more in a game nine times including a career-high 33 points against Buffalo State and finished the year averaging 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and nearly one steal per game.
The Cardinals also have high expectations for fellow senior
James Leone as the Bloomington, Ill. native averaged a career-high 10.7 points and 6.6 rebounds a season ago. Leone, who was named Honorable Mention All-Conference at the conclusion of last season, is capable of taking over a game on the offensive end of the floor. Last season, the guard helped propel Fisher to the Empire 8 title game after scoring a career-high 33 points in a win over the Nazareth College Golden Flyers. Leone does more than score, however, as his 85 assists led the team while his 27 steals were the fourth-most among his teammates.
Now a junior,
Matt Asenjo will look to build upon a breakout sophomore season that saw the Dix Hills native average career highs across the board. Over 27 starts, Asenjo was one of four players on the team to average double figures at 10.7 points per game. Asenjo was third on the team with 64 assists while his 28 steals was third overall on the roster. Joining him in the backcourt will be junior
Mark Valeriani who is a steadying force at the point guard position. Valeriani, who started in every game as sophomore, averaged 4.6 points over 20 minutes per game and shot 37 percent from behind the arc.
The Cardinals will also boast one of the more potent benches in the Empire 8 spearheaded by the 1-2 punch of senior
Dylan Harrington and sophomore
Sean Williams. Harrington played in all 27 games last season where he accounted for 5.5 points and 2.3 assists per game while Williams was second on the team in assists and led the Cardinals with 35 steals. The Cardinals will also get another veteran presence back this season as
Dennis Hare will return after missing much of his junior year with an injury. Prior to being sidelined, Hare was one of the more explosive guards in the conference off the dribble as the Red Hook native scored 7.6 points per game as a sophomore.
In the front court, Grosodonia will rely heavily on sophomore big-man
Brendan Trapper. Trapper, who was tabbed the conference's Rookie of the Week last December, played in 26 games as a freshman and averaged 5.8 points and 3.8 boards.
Fisher will also look to
Drey Kipp,
Louden Porter,
Nick Klein,
Matt Polemeni,
Brandon Lessig,
Ian Duncan, and
Connor Sullivan as all return for another year in a Cardinals' uniform.
Grosodonia and his staff also see potential in the team's three newcomers including
Jack Foley,
Terrence Reid, and
Matt DiGuardia.
The season gets underway at home as the Cardinals welcome Union College to campus on November 12th. From there, the squad hits the road as part of an eight-game road stint beginning with the Hilbert College Tip-Off Tournament in Buffalo as the Cardinals take on Cazenovia on November 15th followed by Chatham or the host Hawks the next afternoon.
On November 21st, Fisher will meet up with the University of Rochester as part of the annual Mark's Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout. Two days later, the Cardinals will meet with RIT at the U of R.
The trip continues on November 26th with Fisher traveling to Buffalo State for a 7 p.m. showdown before the Cardinals make their way to Geneva on December 3rd for a bout at Hobart.
Nearly two weeks later, the team travels to the Sunshine State for a pair of non-conference tilts at the Daytona Beach Tournament from December 15-16.
After nearly seven weeks on the road, Fisher will return home to host the annual Woodcliff Hotel and Spa Tournament as the Cardinals take on SUNY Poly at 8 p.m. on Sunday, December 29th. The following afternoon, Fisher will face off with either SUNY Cortland or Pitt-Bradford.
Following the New Year holiday, the Cardinals will embark on their conference schedule as they travel to the defending Empire 8 Champion Alfred University Saxons on January 10th. From there, the team makes its way to Houghton on January 11th.
The following weekend, the Cardinals will head east to Utica on Friday, January 17th before driving to the Capital Region the next afternoon to duel The Sage Colleges.
On January 24th, Fisher returns home to welcome Elmira College to Pittsford before hosting the Hartwick College Hawks on January 25th.
Three days later, Fisher will make the short trek down East Avenue for an Empire 8 test at Nazareth in the first edition of this season's Battle of the Beaks.
Houghton College comes to town on January 31st before Alfred swings north to open the month of February.
One week later, the Cardinals will wrap up the road portion of their regular season as they venture to Hartwick on February 7th before taking on Elmira the next afternoon in Elmira.
The Cardinals are scheduled to close out their regular season docket with three straight home games beginning with a Valentine's Day showdown with Sage before locking horns with Utica on February 15th.
The season concludes at home on February 22nd with a pivotal game against the Nazareth College Golden Flyers.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news, scores, highlights and more by downloading the official mobile app for Fisher Athletics. Just search SJFC Athletics in the App Store or on Google Play and download today for free. Follow the Cardinals on social media for more!
Instagram |
Twitter
