Men's Basketball | 11/7/2019 8:37:14 PM
ROCHESTER, NY – Alfred University will look to defend its Empire 8 Championship title, as the 2019-20 season gets underway on the weekend of Nov. 8-9, with several teams in action. The top four teams will advance to the Empire 8 Championship Tournament, which will take place at the home of the regular season champion and top-seed on Feb. 28-29, 2020. The Empire 8 Champion will receive an automatic berth into the 2019 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship.
Players to Watch (Sorted Alphabetically by Player)
Shawn Backus, Elmira, F, Jr., Hamden, CT/The Governor’s Academy – Backus started all 24 games played for the Soaring Eagles last season, averaging 13.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 47.9 percent from behind the arc.
Kyle Bradshaw, Hartwick, F, Sr., Tinton Falls, NJ/Manasquan – Bradshaw, a 2018-19 Empire 8 Honorable Mention selection, led Hartwick with 14.3 points and 50 made 3-pointers, while pulling down 5.9 boards per game.
Avery Coston, Utica, Jr., F, Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley – Coston, a 2019 All-Empire 8 second team selection, started 21 of 24 games for Utica and averaged 12.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
Sam Dagon, Alfred, Sr., G, Hornell, NY/Hornell – Dagon averaged 9.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in 2018-19 and will be a featured option for the Saxons in 2019-20.
Cody Green, Nazareth, Sr., G, Fulton, NY/G. Ray Bodley – Green returns after draining 43 shots from behind the arc in 2018-19, while averaging 6.9 points per game.
Jordan Holmes, Houghton, Jr., G/F, Fairport, NY/Fairport – Holmes averaged 14.4 points, 4.9 boards and 2.5 assists per game in 2018-19.
Anthony Mitchell, Sage, Sr., F, Bronx, NY/Salesian – Mitchell returns after a strong 2018-19 season and will be counted on to lead the Gators in 2019-20. He averaged 8.5 points, 5.3 boards, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Sammy Robinson, St. John Fisher, Sr., F, Cedarhurst, NY/Lawrence – Robinson returns after earning All-Empire 8 first team honors in 2018-19. He averaged 18.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest.
Team Capsules (sorted by 2018-19 Standings)
Alfred
Alfred, the defending Empire 8 Champions, will have a new look in 2019-20 with the loss of All-Empire 8 selections Sage Brown, Dom Lemorta and Scotty Stopera to graduation. The Saxons enjoyed an incredible season in 2018-19, winning 24 games, while earning its first Empire 8 title and making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996-97. Elliot Bowen, Sam Dagon, Marshall Brewer and Cole Eells all averaged between 7.8 and 9.8 points per game last season and will be called upon to play a much larger role in 2019-20.
Nazareth
Nazareth will see a lot of new faces contribute in 2019-20 with the graduation of three 1,000-point scorers in Tyler Stenglein, Jake Burgio and Brendan Wind. Senior guard Cody Green, along with junior forward Stephen Gabel, sophomore guard Zach Stenglein and junior guard Kevin Underwood will look to provide steady play and leadership. The Golden Flyers won 18 games last season and are just two years removed from an Empire 8 Championship.
St. John Fisher
The Cardinals open the 2019-20 season ranked No. 25 in the D3hoops.com national poll. St. John Fisher will need to replace 2018-19 Empire 8 Player of the Year Ryan Henderson, but return 15 players and four starters, including fellow 2019 All-Empire 8 first team selection Sammy Robinson, who averaged 18.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and nearly two assists per game. Senior James Leone and junior Matt Asjeno return as a formidable guard duo, as each averaged over 10.7 points per game last season. The Cardinals won 18 games and advanced to the E8 title game.
Utica
The Pioneers missed the E8 tourney last year after making the previous two, including the 2018 title game. Avery Coston shot 44.3 percent from beyond the arc a season ago. Center Kimedrick Murphy was fourth in the conference in blocked shots despite playing just over 14 minutes a night. The lineup will get a huge boost with Hunter Remley back from a lengthy injury layoff, as Remley has routinely been one of the team’s best shooters. The nine returners on the team all logged significant minutes in a lineup that was flexible last season, and the Pioneers tend to use extra bench depth to their advantage under head coach Sean Coffey.
Sage
Sage returns 12 players, including three starters from last season’s squad that won 10 contests, including six in conference play. The Gators will look to their seniors in 2019-20, as Anthony Mitchell, Isaiah Scurry, Josh Gonzalez and Darius Denmark all saw big minutes a season ago. Sage ends the season with four of six games at home in February.
Hartwick
The Hawks return seven players from last year’s team, including 2019 E8 honorable mention selection Kyle Bradshaw, who averaged 14.3 points and 5.9 rebounds. Hartwick will also look to Pat Garey, Austin Haskell and Tommy Kelly to provide offense. Garey, a long-range sharpshooter, drilled 79 3-pointers a season ago. He averaged 14.2 points and 5.2 boards per game.
Elmira
The Soaring Eagles will look to make a return to the Empire 8 postseason and return 15 players from last season’s squad, including junior Shawn Backus, who averaged 13.2 points and 5.0 boards per game in 2018-19. In addition, senior guard Jesse Adelson is back after draining 52 shots from behind the arc and sophomore forward Rashaad Nurse, who scored in doubles six times over the last 14 games a season ago. The Soaring Eagles will look to replace 2019 graduate Justin Porrett, who finished his career as Elmira’s all-time leader in assists.
Houghton
The Highlanders will have a new look in 2019-20 under first-year head coach Lance Westburg. Houghton will try to replace 2019 graduate Dylan Lambert, who scored 1,481 points in his collegiate career, despite missing the final 14 games of last season due to injury. He was averaging a league-best 25.5 points per game in 11 games. Houghton returns seven players, including four starters. Jordan Holmes averaged 14.4 points per game a season ago and will be joined by guards Darren Clark, Scottie Berghaus and Isander Ramos-Net as team leaders in 2019-20.
Final 2018-19 Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Standings
Alfred (24-5, 14-2 Empire 8) – League Champions
Nazareth (18-8, 12-4 E8)
St. John Fisher (18-9, 12-4 E8)
Stevens (16-10, 9-7 E8) *
Utica (14-10, 8-8 E8)
Sage (10-15, 6-10 E8)
Hartwick (10-15, 6-10 E8)
Elmira (7-17, 5-10 E8)
Houghton (1-24, 0-16 E8)
*Stevens moved to the MAC Freedom Conference effective for the 2019-20 season
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com and
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