Men's Basketball | 11/4/2021 2:00:00 PM
PITTSFORD, N.Y. – With the start of its regular season just two days away, the St. John Fisher College men's basketball team has unfinished business to tend to this year as the Cardinals are set to begin their quest for the program's 18th appearance in the NCAA Championship at 6 p.m. on Saturday when they travel to Cleveland to take part in the Bill Sudeck Tournament against Ohio Northern.
Fisher, which is receiving votes in the latest D3hoops.com national poll, is coming off a shortened campaign in 2020-21 that saw the team win the Empire 8 Regular Season Championship and reach the conference's title game for the third straight season. The Cardinals went 11-2 last season with a 10-0 mark in Empire 8 standings as head coach
Mike Grosodonia II's squad was among the most balanced teams in the conference after leading the league in several categories including scoring average (80.7), rebounding defense and assists per game.
Despite losing three key seniors, the team still boasts a majority of its lineup from a season ago including four starters led
Daniel Cook who was named the Empire 8 Player of the Year after averaging a double-double in his sophomore season. Cook, who was named a Preseason All-American by D3hoops.com earlier this week, started all 13 games for Fisher last year and led the league with 21.5 points per game, 10.9 rebounds per game and ranked second overall in field goal percentage (.575).
A First-Team All-Conference selection and a First-Team All-Region pick last year, the forward finished the season with 10 double-doubles and eclipsed the 25-point plateau three times. He scored 36 points and had 12 rebounds in a win over Utica on March 18 before establishing a new career-high five days later against Houghton with 38 points on 14-of-20 shooting.
Grosodnoia, who was named the Empire 8 Coach of the Year last year for the first time in his career, will boast one of the top 1-2 punches in the region as
Brendan Trapper is set to return for his senior season after being named First-Team All-Empire 8 during a breakout junior year.
The Buffalo native, who was named the Empire 8 Player of the Week twice last season, ranked third in the Empire 8 in scoring at 19.5 points per game and was third among all conference players in field goal percentage at .570.
A scoring machine on the low block, Trapper eclipsed 20 points in a game five times last season including a career-high 34 points in a win over rival Nazareth College on March 16.
The Cardinals are much more than a scoring threat, however, as Fisher returns one of the top defensive units in all of Division III after yielding just 66 points per game last year. Senior
Sean Williams is poised to lead the charge after being named the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year a season ago.
A Third-Team All-Conference honoree as a junior, Williams led the conference in steals at nearly three per game and was the primary facilitator on the roster with a team-leading 4.1 helpers on average. Williams has also proven to be an explosive scorer at times as the Delaware native finished in double figures three times in 13 games.
Fisher will also lean on
Ryan Gentile to run its offense after the transfer was named to the Empire 8 All-Tournament Team following his first season in Cardinal and Gold. A guard, Gentile ranked third on the team last year in scoring at 9.5 points per game and had seven games with at least 10 points including a career-best 17-point performance against Russell Sage on March 14.
Fisher will also boast one of the more experienced teams in the conference this season as
Ian Duncan,
Matt Lettko,
Eric Kegler,
Luke Melidona,
Jack Foley,
Andrew Recco,
Joe Morrell,
Cameron Spady,
Michael Gentile,
Connor Recore and
Jackson Sullivan are all set to return for another season.
The Cardinals are also excited about the prospects of their incoming class, which features several decorated players from the high school ranks including 7-footer
Connor Williams who was named the Monroe County Player of the Year in 2021. Fisher also has high expectations for
Brian Bonin,
Matt Panara,
Ben Merritt,
Nate Wood, and
Brad Fowler.
After taking on Ohio Northern on Saturday, Fisher will continue its time in Cleveland the following day against either Case Western Reserve or Wisconsin Eau-Claire.
From there, the team embarks on its home opener on Saturday, November 13th against Fredonia before battling RIT and Rochester as part of the Mark's Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout on November 18 and 20, respectively.
On November 23rd, the squad will bridge 2021 and the New Year with a five-game home stand beginning with Buffalo State on November 23rd. Hobart College is scheduled to compete on Bobby Wanzer Court in a non-conference tilt on Tuesday, November 30th. Nearly one month later, the team will host the annual Woodcliff Hotel and Spa Tournament with Medaille College on December 29th followed by either RPI or Oswego State the following afternoon.
Five days later, Fisher will jump into conference play with Alfred University at home on January 4 before taking to the road for a pair of games beginning with Russell Sage on January 7 followed by Hartwick College on January 8.
Six days later, the team will square off with the reigning Empire 8 champion Utica College Pioneers in Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium before beginning another two-game road trip on January 15 at Elmira. The travel concludes three days later on January 18 at Alfred.
Fisher will return home on January 21st against Houghton College before meeting with Keuka College in Keuka Park one week later on January 28.
On Saturday, January 29, the Cardinals will tangle with Nazareth College at home in the first rendition of the annual Battle of the Beaks and will continue their campaign on February 1 on the road at Houghton.
The team is slated to play four of its final six regular season games at home beginning with a weekend series against Hartwick on February 4 and Russell Sage the following afternoon. From there, Fisher will travel down East Avenue to pair with the Golden Flyers on February 8 before returning home to duel the Keuka Wolves on February 11.
The Cardinals will have two final tune-ups before the postseason begins including Utica on February 12 on the road. Fisher will close out its regular season at home against the Elmira College Soaring Eagles.
The Empire 8 Championship, which is set to be played at the highest overall seed, will take place the following weekend.
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