Men's Basketball | 10/29/2021 11:16:04 AM
Utica College will look to repeat as Empire 8 Champions, as the 2021-22 season gets underway on Nov. 6, with several teams in action. League play starts on Jan. 4, 2022. The top five teams will advance to the Empire 8 Championship Tournament, which will take place with first round action on Tuesday, Feb. 22. The top-seed will host the Empire 8 semifinal round games on Friday, Feb. 25 and the championship on Saturday, Feb. 26. The Empire 8 Champion will receive an automatic berth into the 2022 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship.
Fans can watch the action all season long, free of charge on the
Empire 8 Network.
2021 Empire 8 Players to Watch
Jalon Borders, Russell Sage, Sr., G, Barrow, FL/Barrow – Borders is a two-time All-Empire 8 first team selection. He averaged 16.3 points per game in 2019-20 and 15.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last spring.
Daniel Cook, St. John Fisher, Jr., F, Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon – Cook was named the Empire 8 Player of the Year and earned D3hoops.com All-Region honors last spring after averaging 21.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, while shooting 57.5 percent from the floor.
Liam Drennan, Hartwick, Jr., F, Oyster Bay, NY/Chaminade – Drennan will lead the Hartwick frontcourt this season after playing in 24 games as a freshman in 2019-20.
Stephen Gabel, Nazareth, Gr., F, Victor, NY/Victor – Gabel enters his final season having earned All-Empire 8 first team honors in each of the last two seasons. He is just 11 points shy of 1,000 for his career and has averaged 16.2 points per game over his last two seasons.
Jordan Holmes, Houghton, Gr., G, Fairport, NY/Fairport – Holmes enters the season with 1,035 career points and was named an All-Empire 8 third team selection last spring. He has averaged just over 14 points per game over the last three seasons.
Darius Hopkins, Utica, Sr., G, Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian – Hopkins is a two-time All-Empire 8 selection, earning first team honors in 2019-20 and second team accolades last spring. He enters the season with 747 career points.
Brewster Marshall, Alfred, Sr., F, Horseheads, NY/Horseheads – Marshall is a two-time All-Empire 8 second team selection. He averaged 13.2 points per game while shooting 56 percent from the floor last spring.
Devin Milton, Keuka, Jr., G, Opelousas, LA/Beau Chene – Milton averaged 13.9 points, 5.1 boards and 1.7 assists per game last spring for the Wolves in their E8 debut.
Rashaad Nurse, Elmira, Sr., F, Queens, NY/Fallsburg – Nurse averaged 9.3 points and 5.8 rebounds last spring for the Soaring Eagles.
Team Capsules (Sorted by Spring 2021 Standings)
St. John Fisher
St. John Fisher won the Empire 8 Championship in 2019-20 and finished undefeated in league play before earning runner-up honors last spring. The Cardinals return 16 players from last spring, including junior forward Daniel Cook, the 2021 Empire 8 Player of the Year and D3hoops.com All-Region selection. He averaged 21.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, while shooting 57.5 percent from the floor in 13 games last spring. Senior forward Brendan Trapper is back to form a stout 1-2 punch with Cook. Trapper averaged 19.1 points and 5.6 boards per game, while shooting 57.1 percent from the floor. Senior guard Sean Williams, the 2021 E8 Defensive Player of the Year returns after averaging 6.0 points, 4.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game, while classmate Ryan Gentile averaged just under 10 points per contest.
Utica
Coming off of first Empire 8 Conference Championship in program history. The team will return each of its top-seven players in minutes per game while boasting the last two Empire 8 Rookies of the Year, Thomas Morreale (2019-20 and Damien Call (2021). Morreale was an All-Empire 8 first team selection in 2021 after shooting 56 percent from the floor, while averaging 11.9 points and 4.5 boards per game. Senior Darius Hopkins is a two-time All-Empire 8 selection, earning first team honors in 2019-20 and second team accolades last spring. Fellow guards Chris Green and Kobe Lufkin also earned All-Empire 8 honors last spring, while senior center Kimedrick Murphy is back after being named the 2021 Empire 8 Spring Men’s Basketball Championship Most Valuable Player.
Nazareth
Nazareth advanced to the Empire 8 Championship game in 2019-20 and semifinals last spring. The Golden Flyers return 14 players and all five starters from last spring, including three All-Conference selections. Graduate student forward Stephen Gabel enters his final season having earned All-Empire 8 first team honors in each of the last two seasons. He is just 11 points shy of 1,000 for his career and has averaged 16.2 points per game over his last two seasons. Fellow graduate students Kevin Underwood and Isaac Nelson, along with seniors Zach Stenglein and Jonathan Park will lead a deep unit this season. Stenglein was the was the 2019-20 E8 Defensive Player of the Year and is a two-time All-Empire 8 second team selection, while Park earned second team accolades in 2019-20 and third team honors last spring.
Alfred
The Saxons return 16 players from last spring as first year head coach Erich Kaempffe makes his debut on Jericho Hill. Senior forward Brewster Marshall is a two-time All-Empire 8 second team selection. He averaged 13.2 points per game while shooting 56 percent from the floor last spring. Junior guard Mike Schmidt averaged 14.3 points, 4.5 assists, 2.7 boards and 1.9 assists per game last spring, while shooting 64 percent from 2-point range. Senior guard Kevin Durkin and sophomore forward Casey Curran will also be counted on to lead the Saxons this season.
Russell Sage
Russell Sage has advanced to the Empire 8 Tournament in each of the last two season and returns 12 players and all five starters from last spring. Senior guard Jalon Borders is a two-time All-Empire 8 first team selection. He averaged 16.3 points per game in 2019-20 and 15.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last spring. Senior guard Amani Cummings was an All-Empire 8 third team selection last season after averaging 15.1 points per game. Fellow seniors Stuart Phair and Jason Geronimo will lead the frontcourt for the Gators in 2021-22. Phair shot 56 percent from the floor and averaged 1.7 blocks per game last spring, while Geronimo averaged a team-best 6.4 boards per contest.
Houghton
Houghton will look to earn its first Empire 8 postseason berth in 2021-22. The Highlanders return eight players, including four starters from last season, including Jordan Holmes, who enters the season with 1,035 career points and was named an All-Empire 8 third team selection last spring. Junior Billy McCrae averaged 12.0 points per game last season after a promising rookie season in 2019-20. Sophomore Jajuan Preaster showed flashes of brilliance as a first-year player and will be expected to play a greater role in 2021-22. Newcomers Preston Bax, Kaleb Jastrzemski and David Rosa may see plenty of action right away.
Keuka
Keuka returns nine players and all five starters from last season’s team. The Wolves advanced to the E8 Tournament in their first season as a league member. Junior guards Devin Milton, Nana Oteng and Daniel Obunse all averaged in double figures last season. Oteng led Keuka by averaging 14.8 points to go along with 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, while Milton was right behind, scoring 13.9 points. Both Milton and Obunse averaged a team-high 5.1 rebounds per game.
Elmira
Elmira will look to make it back-to-back postseason appearances in 2021-22. First-year head coach Casey McGraw was an assistant coach at Nebraska Wesleyan, helping lead them to the 2018 NCAA Division III National Championship. The Soaring Eagles return a strong trio of seniors in forwards Rashaad Nurse and Quintel Clements, along with guard Kyle Kokoskie. Nurse averaged 9.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season, while Kokoskie played nearly 36 minutes per game and averaged just under four assists per contest.
Hartwick
The Hawks begin a new era under first-year head coach Nick Ciresi. Hartwick will have a new look in 2021-22 after losing four starters due to graduation. Junior forward Liam Drennan will lead the Hartwick frontcourt this season after playing in 24 games as a freshman in 2019-20. Senior forward Bobby Connors poured in 24 points and added 11 rebounds in Hartwick’s lone game last spring
Final Spring 2021 Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Standings
St. John Fisher (11-2, 10-0 E8)
Utica (10-2, 8-2 E8) – League Champions
Nazareth (8-4, 7-2 E8)
Alfred (5-2, 5-2 E8)
Russell Sage (4-6, 3-5 E8)
Houghton (1-7, 1-7 E8)
Keuka (1-9, 1-8 E8)
Elmira (1-10, 1-9 E8)
^ Hartwick (0-1, 0-1 E8)
^ Had season halted after one game due to COVID-19.
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
YouTube
EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA
YouTube –
Facebook –
Twitter –
Instagram