The 2018-19 Wagner men's basketball team, which opens its season on Tuesday in a 6:30 p.m. tip at Seton Hall on FoxSports2, features seven returners from last season's Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season championship team that compiled a 23-10 record and a 14-4 league mark and earned a berth in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
The Seahawks also welcome six newcomers, which includes a pair of players who sat out the season but will benefit from having competed in practice throughout last season.
Led by two-time and reigning NEC Coach of the Year,
Bashir Mason, the Green & White have earned NEC regular season titles and subsequent NIT berths in two of the last three seasons.
After falling in the NEC title game in both 2016 and 2018, the Seahawks have established themselves as one of the NEC's marquee teams during Mason's six seasons at the helm, having reached the league tournament in each of Mason's his previous seasons.
Over these past six seasons, Mason has posted an overall record of 110-79 record (becoming the fastest Seahawk head coach to hit the century mark in wins), which translates to a .582 winning percentage, the highest among the 10 NEC programs. In NEC only games, Mason has notched a 70-36 (.660) record, which is also the highest percentage for this six-year span.
In 2017-18, Mason led Wagner to a 23-10 overall record, which included a 14-4 conference mark. The Green & White finished the regular season with 21 regular season wins, the most during the Coach Mason era, surpassing the 2015-16 mark of 19.
Mason, who is currently the sixth-youngest head coach in Division I at 34 years old, became the first Wagner head coach to win multiple NEC Coach of the Year honors as well as the 10th in NEC history to accomplish this feat.
The Seahawks won 16 of 17 home games in 2017-18, setting a program record for home victories and consecutive wins when the team rattled off 16 straight prior to the championship game loss to LIU Brooklyn, which tied for the second-longest streak in the NCAA. Mason once again built the NEC's top-ranked scoring defense (68.3) and field goal percentage defense (.407).
In addition to playing its usual brand of intense, physical defense, the 2017-18 Seahawks also produced the highest scoring average in the Mason era, netting 74.2 points per game and again ranked among the top-10 programs in the nation in offensive rebounds per game, as the team averaged 13.5 offensives caroms a contest. In terms of total rebounds, Wagner corralled an average of 39.09 per game, which was among the top-25 in the country. On the defensive end, the Seahawks ranked 35th in field-goal percentage defense, as the squad held teams to just 41.2 percent shooting from the field.
The Seahawks, in 2018-19, will look to replace All-NEC First-Team guard
JoJo Cooper, who is now pursuing a professional playing career in Germany, as well as leading scorer
Blake Francis, a Second-Team All-League choice who has since transferred to the University of Richmond.
BACKCOURT
While replacing a pair of all-conference guards might, on the surface, appear daunting, the Seahwks boast a trio of battle-tested, proven, and productive senior guards. Any discussion of the Wagner backcourt begins with
Romone Saunders, the team's leading returning scorer at 14.3 ppg. and one of the top all-around talents in the NEC. Actually a graduate student in his fifth year on Grymes Hill, this versatile performer also grabbed a team-best 6.4 rebounds (tied for ninth in the NEC) per game while dishing out 2.0 assists a contest
After missing the first seven games of the season recovering from a 2016-17 season-ending injury, Saunders averaged just 6.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg over his first three games in 2017-18, before hitting his stride, netting 15.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 33.0 minutes over the season's final 22 games. In that time, he posted 18 double-digit scoring games, which included a stretch of 11 straight from February 1 (15 points vs. Central Connecticut) to March 6 (17 points vs. LIU Brooklyn.
In a January 26 contest at Saint Francis U in a game televised nationally on ESPNU, Saunders poured in a career-high 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting. For the year, he had three double-doubles highlighted by a 17-rebound performance on the road at Mount St. Mary's (2/24/18) in which he also scored 16 points.
Senior
Devin Liggeons is a savvy, experienced performer, another in a long line of competitive and gritty Philadelphia guards who, a year ago, appeared in 33 games, while earning the start 22 times. In 21.7 minutes a contest, the 6-3 Liggeons averaged 6.4 ppg, 4.6 rebounds and nearly one assist per game. While shooting 44.3 percent from the floor and 74.1 from the free-throw line, Liggeons had eight games of double-digit scoring. Additionally, he recorded two double-doubles on the season, the first against Saint Francis U (1/18/18), finishing with 15 points and 12 and the last in the NEC Championship game, ending with 14 points and 11 points against LIU Brooklyn (3/6/18).
Completing the multi-year experienced guard troika is physical 6-3 senior
Elijah Davis out of the Bronx, NY. In 2017-18, Davis appeared in 33 games while earning the start five times. For the year, in 20.1 minutes a contest, averaged 7.0 ppg, 4.3 rebounds and 0.7 steals a game, shooting 39.3 percent from the floor and a robust 80.8 from the charity stripe. Able to score the ball in a variety of ways, Davis had 10 games of double-digit scoring, highlighted by a career-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting at home against UMass Lowell (12/5/17). Not afraid to get navigate inside among the bigs, he grabbed ten rebounds twice, the last coming in his first double-double of the year at home against Mount St. Mary's (12/29/17), when he hit for 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Replacing Cooper at the point guard spot is one of Wagner's top priorities and the Seahawks will have several options at that spot this season in the form of sophomores
Chase Freeman and
Tyler Plummer, each of whom has made major gains in the offseason, along with freshman
Jonathan Norfleet.
The 5-11 Freeman saw action in 32 games for the Seahawks as a freshman during the 2017-18 season and made the start in 11 contests. In 12.8 minutes of action per game, the Tennessean scored a season-high nine points on two occasions. Overall, he averaged 2.8 points per game and 1.2 rebounds per game while dishing out 1.0 assist per game. In addition, Freeman shot 42.9 percent from the floor and a team-leading 83.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Plummer, an athletic 6-2 athlete, played in 18 games for the Seahawks during the 2017-18 season when, in 12.6 minutes of action, he averaged 1.9 points per game and 1.6 rebounds per game. On November 11, he signaled his collegiate basketball arrival by tossing in 11 points in helping the Seahawks earn a season-opening road win over NJIT.
Signed during the early recruiting period a year ago, the 6-1 Norfleet averaged 18.1 points per game while dishing out 6.3 assists and grabbing 6.1 rebounds a contest at Salem High School in Virginia Beach. VA, leading the Sun Devils to Class 5A First Team in his senior season, while earning First-Team All-League honors.
Mason and his staff dipped into the junior college ranks in attracting another experienced guard in 6-3
Jeff Coulanges, a Trenton, NJ native who was a productive two-year performer at Daytona State College in his home state of Florida. The smooth and efficient Coulages averaged 13.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.9 apg and 1.5 spg en route to earning First-Team All-MFC honors
Another newcomer to the Seahawk backcourt is 6-5 combo guard,
Tyrone Nesby IV, who hails from Reading, PA, where he attended Reading High School before spending a year at Scotland Campus Sports in Scotland, PA. At Reading, Nesby IV averaged 14.0 ppg to go along with 5.0 rebounds a contest while scoring more than 1,000 points in his scholastic career. If the name sounds familiar, it's because he's the son of former NBA player, Tyrone Nesby Sr., who starred at UNLV from 1996-1998 before embarking on a professional career. Following a stint in the CBA, Nesby Sr. joined the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers in 1999-2000, where he averaged 10.1 ppg in his rookie season. He concluded his NBA career with the Washington Wizards in 2002 and is now the head coach at Muhlenberg (PA) High School.
FRONTCOURT
If the Seahawk backcourt discussions begins with Saunders, the talk surrounding frontcourt starts with mobile 6-8, 230-pound inside force
AJ Sumbry. In his third season on the floor as a Seahawk, after spending one year at Quinnipiac University, Mason has dubbed Sumbry as the quarterback of the Seahawks' trademark high-intensity defense.
A proven post defender and shot-blocker, with an improving offensive game, Sumbry started in 32 of the team's 33 games during Wagner's run to the NEC regular season title last year. In 19.4 minutes a contest, this New Jersey native who cut his teeth at New Jersey's renowned St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, scored 6.4 points per game, while grabbing 6.5 rebounds and rejecting nearly two blocks per game (1.8 bpg), which was the second-highest in the league a season ago.
The NEC-leader in total blocks with 58, Sumbry recorded three double-doubles on the season, and scored a season-high 13 points on the road at Dayton (12/23/17). Additionally, he delivered seven double-digit rebounding performances, highlighted by a season-best 13 on the road at Rider (12/16/17).
Joining Sumbry in the frontcourt will be long and skilled 6-7 wing
Nigel Jackson, who appeared to just scratch the surface of his vast potential as a freshman. Perhaps an X-factor for the 2018-19 Seahawks, this Baltimore, MD native, who earned his stripes at heralded Mount St. Joseph High School, appeared in 26 games in his inaugural season on Grymes Hill, earning the starting nod in 16. In that time, he averaged 5.7 points per game (top-15 among all Northeast Conference freshmen), 3.7 rebounds (tied for fifth among all-NEC freshmen) and 0.8 assists per game. Possessor of a smooth, deft shooting stroke, Jackson hit 38.0 percent from the field, and 34.1 percent from beyond the arc (top-ten among all conference freshmen).
For the year, he totaled seven double-digit scoring games, highlighted by a career-best 15-point performance against LIU Brooklyn (2/17/18). Jackson Earned his first NEC accolade on December 4, earning NEC Rookie of the Week honors after finishing with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting in a home win over Fairfield (12/1/17), an effort that included 4-of-5 marksmanship from three-point range in just 17 minutes of action.
Lonnie Rivera, a 6-6 forward, will see his first action as a Seahawk in 2018-19 after sitting out last season as per NCAA rules following his transfer from American University. As a sophomore in our nation's capital during the 2016-17 season, the Spring Valley, NY native appeared in 21 games with made nine starts. In that time, he averaged five points and two rebounds per game, while shooting 48 percent from the field, 43 percent from three-point range, and 90 percent from the line. Rivera recorded a season-high 15 points and four rebounds against Bucknell (1/5) and tallied 13 points, four rebounds, and two steals in a win over Army West Point (2/11).
The second Seahawk to compete in practice through a redshirt year in 2017-18 is 6-6, 190-pound
Tim Graham who, like Rivera, will have two years of eligibility remaining after spending his first two seasons competing in the junior college ranks, most recently at Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland, KS. As a member of the Mavericks during the 2016-17 season, Graham averaged 9.9 points per game and 4.4 rebounds a contest in 30 games. A 53.8 percent shooter overall, Graham was particularly effective from deep where he knocked down 41.0 percent of his shot from beyond the arc.
Looking to add further depth to the Wagner frontcourt is long, rangy, 6-7, 215-pound
Chance Anderson, who arrives on Grymes Hill from Columbia State Community College in his native Georgia. As a sophomore for the Chargers in 2017-18, Anderson averaged 8.9 points, 8.7 rebounds in 29 games. Owner of a soft touch, he shot 52.5 percent from the field, and scored in double figures 15 times in leading his team to a 21-10 overall record and a 9-9 league mark.
The Alpharetta, GA native scored a season-high 16 points in an 84-80 win at Jackson State on February 4. A quality rebounder as well, Anderson notched 11 double-figure performances, which included a season-best 17 caroms in a 99-68 home victory over Jackson State on February 17. For the season, he posted seven double-doubles, with four coming in during a four-game consecutive stretch in February.
Anderson is another Seahawk with NBA bloodlines as his father, Willie, played 10 seasons in the NBA for four different teams (San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks and Miami Heat) and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1989. Additionally, he was a member of the 1988 United States' Olympic Team that won a bronze medal playing. His mother, Carla, played for legendary head coach and 2000 Basketball Hall of Famer, Pat
Summitt, at the University of Tennessee.
SCHEDULE
Mason's seventh season on Grymes Hill will feature contests with teams that hail from the America East, Atlantic 10, Atlantic Sun, Big East, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), and Patriot League, in addition to the 18-game home-and-home NEC schedule vs. the league's other nine members.
In 2018-19, Wagner will play a total of 14 games at the Spiro Sports Center, where the Green & White set a program record last season, fashioning a 16-1 mark, the highest home win total by an NEC team since 2011-12 when LIU Brooklyn went 15-0.
The Seahawks, who made their second NIT appearance in the last three years a year ago, and fifth in program history, begin their 98th season by making the short trek to South Orange, NJ to tangle with Big East member Seton Hall at Walsh Gymnasium on November 6. The Green & White will then travel up to Lowell, MA for a matchup with America East member UMass Lowell on November 10.
The 2018-19 home opener for the defending NEC regular-season champions is set for November 13 when the Seahawks clash with Division III members, SUNY Cortland. On November 17, Wagner hits the road again, as the Green & White take on Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) member Fairfield. Two of the final three November games will take place on Grymes Hill as NJIT (Nov. 20) and Rider (Nov. 24) pay a visit to Staten Island. The Seahawks close out the first month in our nation's capital as on Nov. 30 when they take on American of the Patriot League.
Wagner will play a total of four games in the month of December, beginning on December 9 with a contest vs. Division III member New Rochelle. One week later, the Seahawks will make the short trip to Queens to square off against St. John's on December 16, the Green & White's second Big East opponent on the year.
The final non-conference home contest for the Seahawks is slated for December 22 when Hartford (America East) pays a visit to the Spiro Sports Center. The non-conference finale is set for December 29 as Wagner travels to Philadelphia, PA as they face off against Saint Joseph's (Atlantic 10).
In January, Wagner will begin NEC play on the road against Central Connecticut (Jan. 3) before a four-game homestand commences, starting on Jan. 5 against St. Francis Brooklyn, followed by matchups with Sacred Heart (Jan. 10), Fairleigh Dickinson (Jan. 12) and Mount St. Mary's (Jan. 19).
Wagner then hits the road for three games, beginning on Jan. 21 at Sacred Heart. The road trip winds down in Western Pennsylvania when the Seahawks take on Saint Francis U (Jan. 24) and Robert Morris (Jan. 26). The month concludes back on Grymes Hill as the Seahawks welcome Bryant (Jan. 31).
The first three games to start February will all take place in the Big Apple. The Seahawks square off against the defending league champion LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds, in a rematch of last season's NEC Championship game, on February 2 at the Spiro Center.
Five days later, the Seahawks travel across the Verrazano Bridge as they take on St. Francis Brooklyn (Feb. 7), before concluding their Brooklyn trip against the Blackbirds on February 9.
Valentine's Day will be spent on the Island as Wagner hosts Central Connecticut. From there, the Seahawks embark on their final three road tilts of the regular season as they head to Mount St. Mary's (Feb. 16), then travel to Bryant (Feb. 21) and wrap up the road stand at Fairleigh Dickinson (Feb. 23).
The final two contests of the 2018-19 regular has the Seahawks back at the Spiro Sports Center as Wagner welcomes Saint Francis U (Feb. 28), before capping off the regular season against Robert Morris (Mar. 2).
This year's NEC Tournament quarterfinals round is slated for March 6, while the semifinals will take place March 9 and the championship will be March 12, with all three games being hosted by the highest remaining seed.
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