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Nov. 12, 2004 Garden City, N.Y. - Adelphi is entering the 2004-05 season looking to get back to normalcy, and normalcy in Woodruff Hall and Garden City is winning. Adelphi finished the 2003-04 season with its eleventh straight winning season, but failed to make the NCAA Northeast Regional for the first time in a decade. Third-year head coach James Cosgrove guided a team of 10 freshmen and sophomores plus two seniors to a 15-13 mark last season and posted a record of 13-11 in the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) to place sixth. Adelphi bowed out of the NYCAC tournament with a first-round loss to host NYIT. "Our goals this year are similar to every year," said Cosgrove. "We want to be playing our best basketball at the end of the year and be in a position to compete for the conference title. That's a strong goal this year and I think we've put ourselves in a position to have a very successful season." Adelphi returns eight players from last year's team, including three starters and several key role players. Coach Cosgrove has also brought four new players into the Adelphi fold, including three transfers. Who bring a wealth of collegiate playing experience to Garden City, and one freshman who will make Adelphi's already deep bench even deeper. "We set the foundation last year to prepare to make a strong run this season," said Cosgrove. "All of our players who participated last year have a good understanding of our system. Our three juniors and five sophomores all have valuable game experience and we added three veteran collegiate players." Backcourt The Adelphi backcourt is loaded with returning depth and incoming maturity. The Panthers return five guards from last year's squad and have three new faces in the backcourt for added depth. "We feel we're very deep in the backcourt," said Cosgrove. "Our veterans coupled with the newcomers give us tremendous flexibility at the guard position." Junior Aaron Cummings (Bay Shore, N.Y.) comes to Adelphi after competing for Suffolk Community College for the last two seasons. Cummings led the nation in assists per game last season and led the Clippers to an undefeated season and the NJCAA National Title. Cummings could step in and take over at the point for the departed Thomas McCormack, who was lost to graduation. Sophomore Kimani Blaize (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had an outstanding freshman season, averaging 8.9 points per contest and grabbing 3.9 boards from his guard spot. Blaize, a two-time NYCAC Rookie of the Week, appeared in 27 contests and made ten starts. He also hit on 36 percent of his three-point attempts and could see increased minutes this season. Fellow Brooklyn native Samuel Jenkins also came on strong down the stretch. Jenkins hit 13 three-pointers in limited action last season and is poised to have a breakout season after appearing in 24 games in 2003-04.
Sophomore transfer Moustafa El Zanaty (Montreal, Canada) is a pure scorer and will compete for playing time. El Zanaty led North Dakota State College of Science in scoring last season as a freshman with an average of 16.44 points per game and could have a similar impact at Adelphi. Along with El Zanaty sophomores Keshaun Horne (Glenmont, N.Y.) and Thomas Paul (Plainview, N.Y.) and freshman Ian Natoli (Brooklyn, N.Y.) will add depth to the backcourt. Swingmen, junior Ben Kenyon (Union, NJ) and senior transfer James Samuels (Uniondale, N.Y.) will also see some time in the backcourt. Both Kenyon and Samuels will be used primarily as forwards but will add height and toughness to an already deep backcourt and allow the Panthers to post up smaller guards. The added height will also be an advantage on defense. With the unbelievable depth and experience at the guard spot the Panthers have the ability to play a number of combinations. Coach Cosgrove feels that this line-up can change from game to game depending on the match-ups he wants to create. Frontcourt The frontcourt has a tremendous amount of veteran leadership coming back in co-captains and juniors Jamaal Wagner (Jamaica, N.Y.) and Eric Martin (Laurelton, N.Y.) along with swingman Kenyon. These three upperclassmen have appeared in a combined 164 games for Adelphi and made 89 starts in just two seasons. Wagner led the team in scoring last season with an average of 12.3 points per contest. He was also the team's second leading rebounder, grabbing 5.1 rebounds per game. Wagner was Adelphi's go-to player during the 2003-04 campaign and this season could be even more dangerous to opposing defenses. Martin battled injuries early last season but still appeared in 26 games and made 20 starts. Martin averaged 5.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and will look to increase those numbers as Adelphi's post threat this season. Kenyon is Adelphi's toughest defender and regularly guards the opposing team's best player. Despite this, Kenyon has scored in double digits on several occasions. He appeared in 28 games last season and made 25 starts, averaging 5.3 points per game and should continue his role as the Panthers defensive stopper and receive some added touches on the offensive end. Sophomore Mike Mosby (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) had a strong second half of the season, seeing extended action in eight of Adelphi's final 10 games. He was named NYCAC Rookie of the Week for a 17 point and eight rebound performance against New Haven late in the 2003-04 campaign. Coach Cosgrove expects Mosby to continue to progress and become a major contributor in the front court in 2004-05. Samuels comes to Adelphi after playing three seasons at Division I Sacred Heart University. As a junior Samuels appeared in 27 games for the Pioneers and made 23 starts, while averaging 5.6 points and four rebounds per game. Samuels' versatility and experience will give the Panthers an added dimension this season in both the backcourt and the frontcourt. Schedule The Panthers will open the season hosting two-time defending Northeast Regional Champion UMASS-Lowell at home. Adelphi was the two-time Northeast Regional Champion prior to Lowell. The Panthers trail Lowell in the all-time series by a count of 4-3.
Adelphi opens their conference schedule on November 23rd when they travel to Dobbs Ferry to take on a young and athletic Mercy team. This is followed by the team's conference home opener against Dowling on December 1st. The NYCAC is continuing to improve, with Philadelphia being ranked #1 in several Division II pre-season polls. In addition to Philadelphia, four other teams competed in the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional in 2003-04, making the NYCAC one of the stronger conference in Division II. "The NYCAC is strong. Our teams are as good as any in the nation," said Cosgrove. "We feel that [Adelphi] is right up there, but no one in the conference can be taken lightly. There are no easy games." Some of the Panthers tougher games will be played against Philadelphia, New Haven, Bridgeport, NYIT and conference rival C.W. Post in opposing gyms. Adelphi will be looking to move upward from their sixth place finish a year ago, but will have to face every conference team twice. "We need to be ready to play and compete with the top teams in the region starting with game one," said Cosgrove. |
