St. Francis Men's Basketball – 2017-2018 Season Review
2017-2018 Record:
Overall Record: 13-18 (Home Record: 10-3; Away Record: 3-13; Neutral Court: 0-2).
Conference Record: 10-8 (Home Record: 7-2; Away Record: 3-6); tied with LIU Brooklyn for 4
th Place in the Northeast Conference standings.
Season Statistical Review:
Won 9 more games than in the previous season, including 8 more Conference wins; overall field goal percentage improved compared to prior year (from 35% to 42%), as well as three-point field goal percentage (from 28% to 35%) and free throw percentage (from 65% to 71%); outshot opponents from three point distance for the season (35% to foes' 34%); also had a slight edge over opponents in both offensive rebounds (328 to 320) and assists (357 to 349); had more steals (225 to 184) and less turnovers (390 to 462) than opponents; outscored by an average of only 3 points per game (73 to 76) for entire season.
Interesting Fact: Twice St. Francis had plays selected by ESPN's Sports Center to appear on its Top Plays of the Day highlights segment – believed to be a Terrier first.
Team Personnel Review:
Players winning Conference Honors in 2017-2018 (2):
All-Northeast Conference, Second Team:
Rasheem Dunn;
Northeast Conference All-Rookie Team:
Jalen Jordan.
Returners for 2018-2019
Glenn Sanabria (5-11 Jr. G, 29 starts, 12.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.1 apg, 29 steals, 9 blocks);
Jalen Jordan (6-3 Fr. G, 30 starts, 11.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.0 apg);
Josh Nurse (6-10 Jr. C, 28 starts, 1.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 16 blocks);
Milija Cosic (6-6 So. F, 2 starts, 7.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2 starts in 2017-18);
Chauncey Hawkins (5-8 Fr. G, 2 starts, 6.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.5 apg, 23 steals, 2 starts);
Josh Nicholas (6-2 Fr. G, 5.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.8 apg, 27 steals, 11 blocks);
Cori Johnson (6-9 So. C, 2.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 9 blocks);
Keon Williams (6-4 Jr. F, 3 starts, 1.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 3 starts);
Yaradyah Evans (6-6 Fr. F, 1.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg;
Bryant Beckford (6-5 Fr. F, 0.7 ppg, 0.3 rpg, walk-on).
Graduates:
Jagos Lasic (6-8 Sr. F, 27 starts, 4.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.7 apg, 27 steals);
D.J. Porter (6-5 Sr. F, 3 starts, 6.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.0 apg, 31 steals, 14 blocks, 3 starts);
Gunnar Olafsson (6-3 Sr. F-G, 2 starts, 3.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2 starts);
Sam Harris (5-10 Sr. G, walk-on).
Season Assessment:
Prior to the 2017-2018 pre-season, St. Francis was picked by most pundits to finish among the lower-tier teams in the Northeast Conference standings. In fact, three magazines which publish extensive pre-season collegiate issues envisioned the Terriers as finishing in one of the league's two bottom slots. A fourth optimistically (but more accurately, as it turned out) picked the Brooklyn Heights contingent as a mid-pack possibility. To further underscore those rather dire predictions, the pre-season consensus among the Conference's other head coaches was that the Remsen Streeters were likely to wind up at the very bottom of the standings by the time March rolled around. "Certainly, a justifiable assessment at the time," admitted Terrier head coach
Glenn Braica, "given what had happened the year before."
The Terriers managed to grab everyone's attention in 2017-2018. They firmly established themselves as a program back on the rise by winning 9 more contests than they had the previous season. They posted an overall 13-17 record and captured the Conference's fifth seed in the Playoffs with a 10-8 record, before succumbing to fourth seed LIU Brooklyn in the Quarter Finals. If they had been able to turn some of those "close-as-this" losses into wins, those W-L numbers could easily have been reversed.
"Late in the season, we were right there fighting for second place," exclaimed Braica. "I think we surprised quite a few people, but I wasn't all that surprised. I thought that we had a lot of talented guys and were certainly capable of turning it around. This season was a step in the right direction. Hopefully, what the guys' experienced in some of those close games will help us next year," he said
When asked about what sort of effect there was because of their being picked to finish last, Coach Braica thought that could have been one of the motivating factors for his Terriers. "It might have been. Certainly, it got their attention," he said. "You like to see your guys motivated, no matter what the circumstances. And something like that was probably to our advantage," he added. "They thought they were much better than that."
Coach Braica cited two team strengths that stood out during this past season: the Terriers shot the ball well – both from the field and from the foul line -- and they took much better care of the basketball. "The thing I really liked was our team's finishing near the top in Turnover Margin in the Conference. I think that probably reflects our playing so many guards at the same time, which was to our advantage," he said. "We were very deep this year with perimeter talent, both shooters and ball-handlers."
However, he emphasized that there were several key areas that needed shoring up for the Terriers to get to the next level. "We really need to tighten up on the defensive side of the ball," Braica emphasized. For a program that has been known for its very physical and very tough man-to-man defense, he feels they need to improve their defense in the half-court. "We didn't consistently defend. And we were not a great rebounding team and that certainly hurt us," he added. "We didn't have that consistent rim protector, so that put a little extra pressure on the perimeter defenders."
Underlining Braica's point, St. Francis finished 7
th in the conference in scoring defense, 8
th in rebounding margin, and 7
th in blocked shots. Although the Terriers ranked next-to-last in field goal percentage fefense, they did manage to defend the three-point line well, ranking 3
rd in the Conference in that department. However, some of those deficiencies ultimately contributed to a two-game, late-season hiccup that prevented St. Francis from hosting a Conference playoff game. That was unfortunate, as the Terriers had won an impressive 7 of 9 Conference contests in the cozy confines of the Pope Center.
But Coach Braica indicated that things were looking up, as the recent recruiting effort landed one of the premier junior college shot-blockers who led all Division III JUCO big men in that category for two consecutive years. "We signed
Christian Rohlehr, a 6-10 center from Jefferson County College in Upstate New York," said Braica. "He'll help us a lot inside – scoring and rebounding, as well as altering shots. We'll also have
Josh Nurse coming back with another year's experience. I think that two other guys,
Cori Johnson and
Yaya Evans could see an increased role next year, too. I think we'll be a little bigger and more athletic on the frontline," he said.
The Terriers played a lot of games last season that could have gone either way in the closing minutes. "We had a number of really exciting games last year," Braica said. "The non-league games early on were tough because we had so many new faces and there was a definite experience difference between us and those programs. We had four very inexperienced players of the eight or nine we had in the rotation. We played much better later in the year in the Conference portion of our schedule, as guys gained more experience and learned what it takes to win at this level," he explained.
"Remember that these guys started out the season in a 3-10 hole," Braica noted. "But they didn't break and kept fighting. They got better as the season wore on. We had some heart-breakers, two of them in away Conference games. The Central Connecticut overtime loss was especially hard to take. We were fighting for a higher playoff seeding in that game," he said. "We have to play a lot better on the road. But they'll learn from all this."
Despite not winning the Conference crown, during the season the Terriers managed to beat both Wagner, the league's regular season champs, and rival neighbor Long Island Brooklyn, who ultimately won the title. They also defeated Mount St. Mary's, which finished second to Wagner during regular Conference play. All of those bode well for the future.
The Future:
Coach Braica remains very positive and upbeat about the prospects of next year's edition of the Terriers. Although it's way too early to get a sense of how much further along the team will be when the basketballs are rolled out again, there seems to be plenty of talent and ability returning for the Red and Blue in 2018-2019, especially among the guard corps.
Sharp-shooting freshman
Jalen Jordan certainly made an impression last season with his ability to hit the long ball. He netted 64 three-pointers and was selected to the Northeast Conference All-Rookie Team. The very-seasoned
Glenn Sanabria had, in Coach Braica's words, "a great bounce-back season." Sanabria provided steady leadership, in addition to being a constant three-point threat (with 66 made threes last year). He is also one of the most sure-handed playmakers in the Northeast Conference, leading the league in Assist/Turnover Ratio. Sanabria's incredible 6-point scoring outburst against Robert Morris in the closing seconds was one of the highlights of the Terrier season and made ESPN Sports Center's Top Ten Plays that day. Both Sanabria and Jordan hit an outstanding 40% of their three-point attempts and Coach Braica will be looking for that key duo to again provide solid backcourt play and a lethal outside game.
Eight other returning players should also help to make the Terriers a tough and experienced team to deal with. Five of the team's top 7 scorers will return and each of those returnees averaged at least 19 minutes of playing time per game. Forward
Milija Cosic and fellow newcomer
Chauncey Hawkins both saw their names listed in the starting line-up several times during the year, and
Josh Nicholas also contributed high quality minutes in his initial season on Remsen Street. Cosic helped contribute to the Terrier three-point barrage, scoring at a 38% success clip. The super-quick Hawkins provided 46 assists, while being an effectively pesky defender (23 steals). Nicholas exhibited his athleticism by contributing 11 blocked shots and 27 steals off the bench, in addition to 38% accuracy on his 76 three-point attempts. His dynamic, high-flying dunk against Notre Dame also made ESPN Sport Center's Top Ten Plays for that evening's viewers.
Keon Williams has seen starting assignments during his career with the Red and Blue and should provide some experienced depth upfront, and
Cori Johnson and
Yaradyah Evans will get a chance to contribute.
Bryant Beckford will likely complete the bench and fight for remaining minutes.
When asked what team members surprised him the most this past campaign, Coach Braica didn't hesitate with his response. "Both
Jagos Lasic and
D.J. Porter really stepped up for us and helped make us one of the surprise teams in the Conference," he said. Lasic worked his way into the starting line-up as a senior and contributed some impressive moments as a three-point threat and timely rebounder. Classmate Porter, a former Pittsburgh Public High School Player of the Year, provided consistent scoring and rebounding off the bench in his second year as a Terrier.
Both of those key contributors will be sorely missed next year. However, the arrival of 6-10
Christian Rohlehr and
Larry Moreno, the 6-0 scoring machine from the Brooklyn High School of Law & Technology, should help ease Terrier graduation losses. Rated as one of the best guards in New York and an All-State First Team Class A selection as a junior and senior. Moreno once scored 51 points in a game and canned 11 three-pointers in still another contest. Braica believes that he has a chance to flourish at the collegiate level. And the 2,000-point career scorer is not viewed as solely a one-dimensional player by Coach Braica. "He can really shoot the ball, but he also has the ability to get to the rim and to set up his teammates."
More recently, 6-5 combo guard
Stevan Krtinic was signed by the Terriers during the permitted spring recruiting period. Krtinic, who'll join fellow Serbian
Milija Cosic on the roster for next season, impressed last year at the Carnegie Schools-Riverside in Riverside, California, where he was selected to the Division 4A First Team by the California Interscholastic Federation – Southern Section. Krtinic was also a member of the Serbian national team for the 2017 FIBA Under-18 European Championships.
St. Francis may also add a player or two to the mix for next year. "We continue to look for those kids who other schools may have overlooked or who are under-recruited," said Braica. "The whole key for us is talent evaluation --- whether we think that a player will be able to develop and eventually compete at our level and whether he is serious about getting his education. We have had quite a number of guys who did very well here at St. Francis, gotten their degrees, and gone off to play ball professionally overseas." More recent Terrier alumni Jalen Cannon and Chris Hooper have played exceptionally well in leagues abroad, as well as former St. Francis standouts Ben Mockford, Tyreek Jewell, Kevin Douglas and Lowell Ulmer. Mockford also has had the privilege of playing for the Great Britain national team in a host of international competitions. Akeem Bennett, Antonio Jenifer, and Stefan Perunicic have also played internationally.
The Terrier roster quite often lists more New Yorkers than any other college team in the New York area. "We really like the local kids and we target them because they've proven to be a good fit for St. Francis," Coach Braica said. "Some of our most successful players over the years have had New York City roots, attended junior colleges elsewhere, and then have come back here to St. Francis to complete their education. But we won't hesitate to scout and recruit players elsewhere –high school or junior college - -if they seem to be a good fit for us. International players, in particular, see New York City as an interesting place to play and get a college degree. Brooklyn is "hot" right now. It's a place people know about and where they'd like to be," he added.
Next year's home schedule will list some interesting match-ups for the Terriers and those should attract a spike in attendance on Remsen Street. Manhattan and St. Peter's are expected to be visiting the Pope Center as part of "home and home" scheduling arrangements. And there will likely be several road games against major conference opponents. The early indications are that Boston College, Richmond, and St. John's will be on the list of opponents.
Coach Braica seemed extremely upbeat about the future of the program. "I think that we can be really good," he said, "and I think the guys realize that, too. They've learned a lot this past season, and they know they can be better. They're a good group and we'll have a lot of these guys with us for multiple years."
"I feel good about our team," Braica said enthusiastically. "The Northeast Conference is very competitive every night. I'm excited about our potential to compete in this league," he concluded.
