Men's Basketball | 11/2/2023 12:27:00 PM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher University men's basketball team flew to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, and they begin their campaign to return to the Division III dance when they host Hobart on Wednesday, Nov. 8.
 
Last Season
 
The Cardinals went 22-8 last season, including a 14-4 record in the Empire 8 Conference. After upsetting top-seeded Utica University in the conference semi-finals, the Cardinals took the crown with a 78-62 win over Nazareth University. In the NCAA tournament, Fisher beat Whitworth, 74-59, before falling to No. 7 seed Swarthmore, 101-78.
 
Several Fisher players received post-season honors, most notably Daniel Cook, who became the first player in conference history to win Empire 8 Men's Basketball Player of the Year three times. 
 
Cooking up Success
 
Cook, now a graduate student, earned several awards beyond the Empire 8 last season, including a National Association of Basketball Coach's Second-Team All-America selection and D3hoops.com All-America Fourth-Team selection.
 
It isn't hard to see why: the Pittsford-Mendon graduate led the Empire 8 in total points (531), field goals (198), free throws (125), tied for offensive rebounds (101),  and was second in the conference for points per game (18.3), total rebounds (260), and rebounds per game (9.0). He was also in the top five for assists (95), steals (43), and assists per game (3.3) and was in the top 10 for blocks (26). Cook is currently seventh in Fisher history in points (1340) and leads the school record book in scoring average (19.4). 
 
Players To Watch
 
Senior forward Connor Recore returns after a career year where he tallied career high in minutes (18.6), points (7.9), rebounds (4.5), and assists (0.9) per game. The Morrisonville native also had career highs in blocks (12) and steals (19) in 2022-23. 
 
Graduate student Jack Foley, a guard, earned a U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-Area honorable mention last season after playing and starting in 30 games for the Cardinals. The Coloradan was second on the team last season in three-pointers made (39) and free throws made (46) and third in total points scored (269), steals (29), and assists (69). 
 
More Top Returners
 
Sophomore Brendan McRoy, a guard, played in 23 games in his freshman year for the Cardinals, averaging 7.1 points in 16.9 minutes per game. McRoy was also 36-for-42 (85.7%) from the free throw line and scored a career-high 22 points in Fisher's NCAA Tournament loss to Swarthmore. 
 
Another guard, junior Cole Thompson, took over starting point guard duties last season and played in 26 of the team's 30 games, starting 17 of them. He was fourth on the team in three-pointers, with 15. 
 
Games of Note
 
The Cardinals will face three teams this regular season that made the NCAA Division III tournament. One of them is fellow Empire 8 member Utica University, while the other two are the University of Rochester (Saturday, Nov. 18 at home) and Hamilton College (Saturday, Dec. 9 in Clinton, N.Y.). The Cardinals are 18-33 all-time against U of R's Yellowjackets and play them yearly in the Mark's Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout, but haven't played Hamilton since the 2003-04 season. Fisher is 6-9 all-time against the Continentals. 
 
Conference play is set to begin on Friday, Dec. 1, at Hartwick. The Cardinals won't have their first home conference game until Tuesday, Jan. 9, when they host Keuka. 
 
Utica, who the Cardinals upset in last season's Empire 8 tournament, will play host to Fisher on Tuesday, Jan. 16 before coming to Fisher on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Fisher is 52-16 all-time against the Pioneers, including a 30-9 record since the 2005-06 season. 
 
The biggest games of the year will likely be the annual "Battle of the Beaks" games against neighbor and arch-rival Nazareth University. The Cardinals are 68-38 against the Flyers all-time and are 26-19 against them since 2006, including last season's Empire 8 championship victory. Fisher will travel down the street to Nazareth on Saturday, Jan. 20 for the first game between the two this season, and will host the Flyers on Saturday, Feb. 17 to conclude the regular season schedule. 
 
For the Full Schedule: Click Here
 
For the Empire 8 Conference Preview: Click Here
 
Stay up-to-date with the latest news, scores, highlights and more by downloading the official mobile app for Fisher Athletics. Just search SJF Athletics in the App Store or on Google Play and download today for free. Follow the Cardinals on social media for more! Twitter | Instagram