Stony Brook Seawolves
2014-2015 Overall Rank: #135
Conference Rank: #1 America East
Stony Brook was cruising along nicely until the Ides of March. The Seawolves finished America East play at 13-3, second only to Vermont, and went into the conference championship game against Albany with a 23-9 overall record. But the end of the Albany game went very poorly. Stony Brook blew a lead and had to settle for the CIT. In the CIT, they lost their opener to Siena, putting a quick and painful end to an otherwise superb season. This team will be back in the mix in the America East thanks to the return of Jameel Warney. The 6-8 junior forward averaged a team high 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds. Warney started his sophomore season by recording five double-doubles in the first seven games of the year, including a 32 point, 21 rebound effort in a triple overtime win over Detroit. The day before he totaled 23 points and 19 rebounds against Florida Atlantic. Except for the Catamounts, there was not a defense in the conference that could stop him. This year Warney should be a 20 and 10 player.
2013-14 Record: 23-11, 13-3
2013-14 Postseason: CIT
Coach: Steve Pikiell
Coach Record: 143-137 at Stony Brook, 143-137 overall
Who’s Out:
It is not necessarily a good thing if Warney scores 20 points per game. Last season Stony Brook was able to spread the ball around to proven scorers. Four of those scorers are now gone. Anthony Jackson and Dave Coley were both double digit scorers. Those two were also the most prolific outside shooters and often took advantage of the opposition focusing too much on Warney in the paint. Eric McAlister often went underappreciated, but he did the dirty work in the paint to help free up space for Warney. Guard Ahmad Walker has opted to transfer after starting 31 games last season. His shot never came around, but he was a good defender and rebounder. Little used Anthony Mayo has also left the program.
Who’s In:
There are some big holes to fill, but there are also a few freshmen who are capable of filing them. Guard Deshaun Thrower is the highlight of the three man recruiting class. The 6-1 shooting guard had an amazing prep career in both basketball and football. The Muskegon, Michigan product is tough and can score in bunches. He very well could be starting from day one. Roland Nyama may have a spot in the starting lineup too. He redshirted last season and the 6-6 wing offers a lot to this team. With his length and quickness, Nyama is already a proven defender, yet he can knock down some jumpers too. Wing Bryan Sekunda and forward Tyrell Sturdivant are the other two incoming freshmen and will look to add quality depth this season. Sturdivant and his rebounding ability will get a long look for the starting power forward spot.
Who to Watch:
Carson Puriefoy joins Warney as the only other player returning who averaged over a dozen minutes per game in 2013-2014. The 6-0 point guard ranked second to only Warney with 12.9 points per game and added 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals. Puriefoy, a junior, will be asked to become more of a leader this year and that should not be a problem. He is a great outside shooter and will create plenty of shots for himself and his teammates.
Final Projection:
Warney and Puriefoy are a great duo to work around, but Stony Brook needs production from quite a few unproven players if they want to win the America East. Sophomore guard Kameron Mitchell has potential after a pretty disappointing freshman campaign. Wing Chris Braley rarely saw the floor. Scott King is a big body who can stretch out the defense with his shooting, but he will need to be tougher on the glass in order to earn the starting job beside Warney. Rayshaun McGrew is a pretty good interior scorer, after averaging 3.4 points per game as a sophomore and is tougher in the rebounding department than King. Between those returning players with little experience and the four freshmen, there are three starting spots and a lot of minutes to fill. Puriefoy and Warney can carry this team far, but it cannot be the Puriefoy and Warney show all season long if this group wants to finally get to an NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting Five:
Carson Puriefoy, Junior, Guard, 12.9 points per game
Deshaun Thrower, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Roland Nyama, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Scott King, Junior, Forward, 3.2 points per game
Jameel Warney, Junior, Forward, 14.5 points per game
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.4 (162nd in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.3 (74, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.3 (122, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.4 (74, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.4 (253, 7)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.5 (119, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.0 (99, 3)
Rebound Margin: 5.6 (19, 1)
Assists Per Game: 12.8 (159, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.5 (198, 2)
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