WATCH | Live Stats | Game Notes
Richmond, VA - The Wagner College men's basketball team will take the road for the first time during the 2021-22 season and travel to Atlantic 10 member VCU on Saturday, with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 pm. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Starting The Season Strong
Wagner opened the 2021-22 season with a wire-to-wire 77-59 victory over Hartford in front of 1,924 fans at the Spiro Sports Center on Tuesday night.
The Seahawks led by as many as 27 points midway through the second half and delivered multiple highlight-reel plays to get the energized crowd out of its seats.
Mason Closing In On 150
Tuesday's win over Hartford was the 145th of head coach
Bashir Mason's head coaching career, as he continues to inch closer to 150 career wins.
Mason entered elite territory, becoming just the second coach in the conference's 40-year history to win three Jim Phelan Coach of the Year honors, joining NEC Hall of Fame coach Howie Dickenman, who earned the distinction four times in his storied career at CCSU.
Following the 2020-21 season, Mason was also a finalist for the 2020-21 Hugh Durham Award, which is presented annually to the top Division I mid-major coach in college basketball.
Wagner's head coach was also a finalist for the Ben Jobe award, which is presented annually to the top Division I minority coach.
Sharing The Ball
As a team, the Green and White combined for 17 assists in the victory over Hartford, most since compiling 20 assists in a 95-86 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson on February 13 of last year.
Last season, Wagner was 4-0 when combining for 17 assists or more.
Deep Rotation
Head coach
Bashir Mason called on 11 players in the season-opener, with 10 Seahawks recording points and nine players logging at least 10 minutes of game action.
Newcomers Make An Impact
Wagner's newcomers made a big impact in the Seahawks' win over Hartford. Redshirt-senior
Raekwon Rogers contributed 10 points in his first action as a Seahawk, while freshman
Zaire Williams added five points. All of Wagner's five newcomers saw action, combining for 20 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.
The Series
Saturday's matchup marks the third-ever meeting between the Seahawks and Rams, with Wagner holding a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series. The Seahawks earned an 88-83 win over VCU during the 2001-2002 season, before picking up an 80-72 victory one year later.
As a player,
Bashir Mason faced VCU seven times, hitting a game-winning three-pointer from 35 feet away at the buzzer to give Drexel the win at VCU on January 12, 2005.
Scouting The Rams
VCU enters Saturday's game with a 1-0 overall record after earning a 57-54 victory over Saint Peter's on Tuesday. Junior forward Hason Ward provided the game-winner for the Rams, who finished last season with a 19-7 overall record.
First-Year First
Freshman
Zaire Williams earned the start against Hartford, marking the first time that head coach
Bashir Mason has featured a freshman in the starting lineup for Wagner's season-opener in consecutive seasons. Last season, reigning Northeast Conference (NEC) Rookie of the Year
DeLonnie Hunt and
Elijah Allen earned the start in the lid-lifter at Seton Hall.
Williams only became the fifth freshman under Mason to start in the season-opener.
Seahawks Sign Julian Brown
Wagner head men's basketball coach
Bashir Mason has announced that standout Bergen Catholic point guard Julian Brown has signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his academic and athletic career at Wagner.
"We are really excited to welcome Julian Brown to our program," Mason commented. "His ability to score the ball at all three levels and play make for others will get him an opportunity to make an impact right away. His passion for the game and toughness make him a perfect fit for what we have been building here at Wagner. Julian comes from an excellent high school program that has a reputation for producing student-athletes who are ready to excel in the classroom and on the court. We enjoyed getting to know Julian and his family throughout the recruiting process and can't wait until he joins us on Grymes Hill."
The 6-1 guard is a two-time All-Bergen County, First Team All-Big North Division, and Second Team All-North Jersey selection.
At Bergen Catholic, Brown has averaged 15.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, three assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
Brown will begin his collegiate career at Wagner during the 2022-23 season and is the first member of the incoming recruiting class to sign his NLI.
The Schedule
The Green and White will play consecutive home games against Saint Peter's and NJIT on November 17 and November 20.
Next up, the Seahawks will play four straight road games, traveling to Army (11/23), Seton Hall (12/1), Stony Brook (12/4), and Penn State (12/8).
Wagner will host Immaculata on December 16 and Delaware State on December 20, before closing out the non-conference schedule at Fairfield on December 23.
The Seahawks will open conference play on December 29 at Saint Francis U.
