HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 15, 2012) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball program will tip-off the 2012-13 season Friday night in the Comfort Inn Tip-Off Tournament hosted by Centenary College. Stevens will take on the host Cyclones at 8 p.m.
The Ducks are coming off back-to-back seasons of 20 or more wins and have an overall mark of 42-15 the last two years. Stevens has reached the semifinals of the Empire 8 Championship twice and earned a berth in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro Championship both years as well, winning the program's second ECAC title in 2011.
The Stevens captains will be senior guard Sheldon Jones (Queens, N.Y.) and junior guard Matt Skrelja (Clark, N.J.).
Jones is a tireless worker on the court and in the weight room and has consistently improved throughout his career at Stevens. He is a two-time All-Empire 8 performer and led the Ducks in scoring last year, averaging 18.6 points per game. That total had him second in the conference. He has 1,101 tallies for his career which is top-10 in program-history. An 11-12 third-team All-Met selection, the Queens, N.Y. native has seen his field-goal percentage stay above 50 percent the last two years and is a career 81.7 percent shooter from the free-throw line. Jones averaged a career-high 4.9 rebounds per game to go along with almost one steal in 2011-12.
Skrelja is another great worker and leader and is coming off a sophomore season where he made a big-time impact for the Ducks. The Clark, N.J. product averaged almost seven points, five rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He shot 78 percent from the stripe and 49.2 percent from the floor, starting all 28 games. His 82 steals last year were second-most in single-season history, and the coaches hope his defensive intensity continues to rub off on each and every member of the team
The other senior on the squad is Russ Thompson (West Orange, N.J.), and he will look to continue leading the Ducks on the floor as their point guard. Thompson has played in Stevens' last 84 games, getting the starting nod in 57-straight. He is a career 42 percent shooter from three-point range and is an 86 percent shooter from the foul line. He has 779 points and 276 assists in his three years on Castle Point, helping the Ducks to an overall mark of 60-24 during that time.
“Our veteran leadership is going to be a key for us throughout the season,” Head Men's Basketball Coach Bobby Hurley (Nutley, N.J.) said. “Our two captains along with Russ have done a nice job throughout the preseason keeping our energy, intensity and focus where it needs to be but there is still a lot of work to be done.”
Junior guard Andrew Meszaros (Phoenixville, Pa.) figures to be a major contributor after showing a great deal of improvement between his freshman and sophomore seasons. Meszaros will be looking to build on his increased minutes last year, providing leadership, energy, experience and consistency off the bench. He saw action in all 28 games last year, shooting 47.8 percent from the field, scoring 104 points and pulling down 84 rebounds.
Junior forwards Kevin McManamy (Charlotte, N.C.) and Max Schwartz (Bridgewater, N.J.) should also be big factors off the bench for the Ducks, with good size and shot-making ability. Both players need to stay healthy but will be valuable scorers and rebounders for the Ducks, providing Coach Hurley and his staff much-needed depth and experience along the front line.
Junior guard Phillip DeSeignora (Boston, Mass.) is one of the team's best workers and most energetic players. He has made immense strides since his freshman season and will be looking to improve upon an increased role where he shot 47.4 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from long range. The Massachusetts native has seen action in 24 games over his first two seasons in Hoboken.
Sophomore forward Kenny Gan (Hillsborough, N.J.) will look to help fill the void left by graduated standout Simon Smith (Cranford, N.J.). Gan saw a lot of time as a rookie, getting his number called in 23 contests, and has done a nice job improving his game during the offseason. Gan will provide size, rebounding and energy for the Ducks from the forward position.
Sophomore forward Patrick Sabatino (Westfield, N.J.) will look to build upon a solid freshman season back in 2010-11. Sabatino played in all 29 games as a rookie, averaging 16 minutes and 6.2 points to go along with 3.8 rebounds. Sabatino has put a lot of work in the weight room, refined his skills and is another player that should help the Ducks make up for the loss of Smith and Michael Cutri (West Caldwell, N.J.).
Sophomore forward Daniel Curry (Greenlawn, N.Y.), sophomore guard David Palty (Phoenix, Ariz.) and sophomore guard Chris Cutri (West Caldwell, N.J.) will all be fighting for minutes throughout the start of the season. The trio has developed and grown a great deal since arriving as freshman in 2011 and eye rotation spots as the season develops.
Coach Hurley has brought in four newcomers that should contribute right away in guard Evan Klimchak (Readington, N.J.), guard Kevin Zychowski (Mendham, N.J.), forward Alex Lorenz (Point Pleasant Borough, N.J.) and forward Logan McDonald (Lacey Township, N.J.). Klimchak should see time backing up Thompson at the point, while Zychowski is an all-around solid guard. Both Lorenz and McDonald will add depth to a solid front line.
“Depth will be a key for us,” added Hurley. “Once we get into conference play and the back-to-back format, we will need to have a lot of guys ready to step in and contribute at any time.”
Stevens will battle Centenary on Friday and either DeSales University or William Paterson University on Saturday before heading to Fairleigh Dickinson University – Florham November 20. Stevens' first and only home game before the New Year is November 25 against Rutgers – Newark as the Ducks end first semester play with road matchups at Williams College December 1 and then play their first Empire 8 game at Utica College December 7. Cross-river rival New York University will host Stevens on December 9 in the Ducks' final game of 2012.
Stevens opens 2013 at Houghton College and Nazareth College January 4 & 5 before visiting Kean University for a non-conference test January 7. The Ducks return to Canavan Arena for their first extended home stand of the year, hosting Alfred University, St. John Fisher College, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Nazareth College and Houghton over a span of eight days (January 11 – 19).
Stevens will visit Hartwick College, Ithaca College and Elmira College before returning home for the Hawks (January 29) and Utica (February 1). Stevens' final non-conference game will be at Baruch on February 6, and its final home games of the year will be against E8 foes Elmira and Ithaca on February 8 & 9.
The Ducks wrap their regular season at Alfred and Fisher, before preparing for the Empire 8 Championship slated for February 22 & 23 at a site to be determined.
“Our early schedule against teams like NYU, Williams, William Paterson or DeSales and others should provide some tests and help us prepare for what will be a very tough conference,” added Hurley. “We hope that we are able to stay healthy, get better with each game and be ready for a run at the Empire 8 title and a berth in this year's NCAA Tournament.”
Visit www.StevensDucks.com Friday for links to video and live stats for the Ducks' season-opener.
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