November 12, 2009

BRYANT BASKETBALL SET TO OPEN 2009-10 REGULAR SEASON AT WORLD VISION INVITATIONAL, TO OPEN AGAINST PC FRIDAY NIGHT

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SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- A year ago, the Bryant University men's basketball team entered a new era of competition, joining the highest ranks of the NCAA community as the Bulldogs debuted at the Division I level for the first time. 

Under the guidance of a new head coach who inherited a senior-dominant, experience-laden team, the Bulldogs handled the significant jump in stride, finishing a solid 8-21 in the face of bigger, stronger and faster opposition.

Now, as second-year head coach Tim O'Shea and the Bryant University men's basketball team prepare for their second go-around in Division I play, one thing is for sure - the Bulldogs will look a little different than they did a year ago.

"We're excited about the upcoming season and our fans should see a noticeable difference on the floor in terms of athleticism and size,"said O'Shea. "That will help us compete at a higher level within the Division I model."

Three starters are back from last year's squad which posted a 6-8 record against teams from the Northeast Conference, Bryant's future home. But the Bulldogs return significant experience beyond that starting trio with a five-man senior class in 2009-10, a class which will be looked on to lead one of the most talented freshman classes the Bryant program has ever seen.

And O'Shea will count on those factors mixing nicely into a winning formula, as senior leadership and experience will guide a group of freshmen who are expected to contribute from the season's first tip.

"The overriding theme for this year is that we want to see demonstrable improvements," said O'Shea. "Not only do we want to meet standards set for wins and losses, but we're also looking to take the big steps toward being a truly competitive Division I program."

To do that, the Bulldogs will have to improve upon their inside game - and that is an issue the coaching staff believes it can now address with the eligibility of 2008-09 transfer Papa Lo (Thies, Senegal) and the addition of a pair of 6-foot-8 rookies in Vlad Kondratyev (Nikolayev, Ukraine) and Claybrin McMath (Adelaide, Australia). These three will go a long way in adding to the size that Bryant lacked last season.

But the Bulldogs will again have a difficult slate put forth for them by O'Shea, as Bryant gets set to take on the likes of Providence College, Harvard, Boston College, St. John's, Indiana and Cornell, as well as a full Northeast Conference schedule.

While many fans and supporters look forward to those games against traditional college basketball powerhouses, the coaching staff isn't looking past the tough competition within the NEC.

"I think the NEC is a vastly underrated league," said O'Shea. "Coming from the MAC, a conference generally considered to be one of the  top mid-major conferences, and after spending a season here in the NEC, I think this conference is very comparable, especially the better teams.

"A lot of schools make the move to Division I without a conference affiliation. Having one gives us an identity right away in Division I. And the fact that the NEC is giving us a full conference schedule and counting us in the league standings makes us, in the eyes of everyone in Division I, a full part of that. We are lucky and grateful to be welcomed by the NEC and all its members this season and going forward."

THE BACKCOURT

One of the first places the Bulldogs have been bolstered in 2009-10 is in the point guard role.

Senior Chris Birrell (Scituate, R.I.) returns to the backcourt this year after suffering a season-ending injury late in the 2008-09 campaign. O'Shea expects gritty play and a tough-as-nails mentality from the 2009-10 captain whose strength lays in his ability to make open shots. With the senior leadership he has already shown, Birrell, for the third year in a row, will be called upon to run the Bryant offense. Only this time, the 6-foot-2 senior who averaged 6.2 points per game and dished out a team-high 95 assists in 2008-09 will have some help.

That help comes in the form of sophomore Sam Leclerc (Fayette, Maine) and incoming freshman Raphael Jordan (Bel Air, Md.).

Leclerc averaged 15.9 minutes per game last year and will contribute at both the point guard and the shooting guard positions. An intelligent player who makes the open shot from in close or long range, Leclerc dished out 30 assists behind Birrell as a freshman.

A key member of an extremely talented Class of 2013, Jordan is a combo guard who will see action at the point and on the wing. He is a playmaker with speed and athleticism and he will make an immediate impact in the backcourt. All three will compete for playing time and the coaching staff looks for Jordan to learn from Birrell and develop into a player that demands attention as the season progresses.

"There are three quality candidates at the point guard position this year and they all bring something to the floor that can help us," said O'Shea. "What each of them brings is different than the last. They all have great ability, from the natural abilities of Raphael to the true Division I abilities that Chris and Sam have proven they possess as true DI players."

Senior Adam Parzych (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) will lead the shooting guard ranks in 2009-10 after coming on strong at the end of the 2008-09 season, averaging 12.2 points per outing in the final 13 games of the year. O'Shea looks for the 6-foot-3 sharpshooter, who is great off the dribble and consistently gets to the rim, to take over where the now-graduated Peter Lambert left off - strong from beyond the arc as a consistent point scorer and leader. Another of the 2009-10 captains and a player with the reputation of making the most of his opportunities, Parzych will be looked to for on and off-court leadership and to be a key scoring threat for the Bulldogs.

"Adam made the most of his opportunities last season and we expect him to continue that strong play as a senior," O'Shea said. "He is a confident player who performs well under pressure. We look to him to have a great year for us."

The Bulldogs' leading scorer (13.4 ppg) and leading rebounder (4.7 rpg) from a year ago, Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn.) returns for his senior season and will again play an integral role in the Bryant offense. An All-Independent Team selection as a junior, Gresham is a terrific sharpshooter with a great mid-range game who can also score inside and on the perimeter. He is poised to build upon last year's quality numbers and repeat as the team's performance leader. Expect the third of the 2009-10 captains to spend nearly every minute on the court this season and to hit a major milestone early - he is just 146 points shy of becoming the program's 13th 1,000-point scorer.

"Cecil was the cornerstone of our team a year ago," O'Shea said. "He is a guy who was recruited as a Division II player but has clearly proven himself to be a solid DI athlete."

Barry Latham (Tauton, Mass.) enters his junior campaign healthy after an injury held him back last season. While he is on the court, the 6-foot-4 guard will need to be a strong defensive stopper for the Bulldogs and must use his superior athleticism to rebound the ball. The team's only lefty, Latham will also be looked toward to add to last year's 4.3 points per game.

"One of our strengths this season is that we do have a fair amount of experience returning," O'Shea said. "Chris, Cecil, Nick, Adam and Barry, when he was healthy, they all had a good taste of Division I basketball last year and they got better as the season progressed.

"This year, the difference is that they go in knowing exactly what to expect, whereas last year it was uncharted territory for them."

Rookie Erick Smith (Bel Air, Md.) will also be an option to chip in at shooting guard. An extremely athletic , talented wing player who can make jumpshots and make plays off the dribble, Smith will develop his natural abilities under the leadership and teaching of Parzych and Gresham.

The Bulldogs also welcome sophomore transfer Frankie Dobbs (Berea, Ohio), a big and strong point guard with a high basketball IQ, to the program. Dobbs, who left Ohio University after a successful rookie year to rejoin O'Shea, will redshirt the 2009-10 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

A trio of walk-on guards -- senior Anthony Thomas (Boston, Mass.) and freshmen Dan Calandrillo (Leonardo, N.J.) and Brent Abendroth (Toledo, Ohio) -- will also work hard to help fill holes, while Thomas's athleticism may allow him to help the Bulldogs in defensive situations throughout the year.

THE FRONTCOURT

Now eligible after sitting out the 2008-09 season due to NCAA transfer rules, UMass transfer Papa Lo looks to fill into a starting role this year. One of a trio of solutions to Bryant's rebounding and shot-blocking gap, Lo is a game-changer on defense. He is a smart player with a frame that seems to surpass his 6-foot-9 height and his impeccable timing makes him the team's top shot blocker (25 blocks for UMass as a freshman in 2007-08). A strong inside presense on the defensive end, Lo will call upon his experience in the Atlantic 10 to increase the skill level of the Bryant frontcourt.

Kondratyev and McMath will also vie for starting spots as rookies in 2009-10, and both will contribute immediately, adding height and skill that will help plug the rebounding gap.

A strong physical presense, Kondratyev has a great touch around the rim with either hand, giving him the versatility to avoid defenders and complete plays under pressure. The rookie has also shown he has range from downtown and can step out to make shots.

Long and athletic, McMath is a high-energy player who runs the floor extremely well. On defense, the Australia-born forward can defend nearly any position, from centers to small or power forwards. Another player with 3-point range in his arsenal, McMath can make shots from anywhere on the court.

"Our freshman frontcourt of Vlad and Clay both have outstanding futures here at Bryant," said O'Shea. "They're strong, they're skilled, they know how to play and they seem to have great work ethic. The future for both is very very bright."

Senior Nick Pontes (New Bedford, Mass.) will give the team a physical presence down low in the paint. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound center was second on the team last year with 7.7 points per game and averaged 2.6 rebounds per outing in 29 appearances, mostly as the sixth-man off the bench. Although he is undersized for a center, Pontes is an extremely skilled and savvy offensive player with a variety of post moves. Known by the coaching staff as a provider of instant offense, the fifth-year player can finish with either hand and turn over either shoulder, making him one of the Bulldogs' most potent inside presences.

Rookie Alex Herzing (Lynchburg, Va.), will also go a long way in adding height to Bryant's roster. The 7-foot center is the tallest player on the team and will be expected to learn from both Lo and Pontes in 2009-10 as he continues to advance his skills.

Junior walk-on Michael Chroney (Nashua, N.H.) also returns to the frontcourt this year, and while he is undersized for a forward, he is one of the team's most athletic players, which could open opportunities for him to plug holes defensively.

"If we're making the comparison to a year ago, we've really transformed our frontcourt size to match up with pretty much anybody on our schedule," said O'Shea. "We are so much bigger up front, it should make a significant difference to our overall game, as well as in filling our rebounding and shot blocking holes. And if we can rebound better, it puts us in a better position to win games.

"If you combine all our returning experience with the likes of Papa Lo, and then further augment that group with these five recruited freshmen, who will all have an impact this season, we look to make significant strides forward in 2009-10."