Sometimes, a big change is the best thing to reverse painful juju.
Recently for Sacred Heart, injuries have been a major factor dampening the team’s ability to win the Northeast Conference Tournament and a chance to dance in the NCAA Tournament.
During the 2019-20 season, one of head coach Anthony Latina’s best teams, a broken ankle forced starting point guard Cameron Parker to end his season in January. The 2022-23 team was picked second in the Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll, but opening night starters Brendan McGuire and Aidan Carpenter did not suit up in the conference championship and played a mere 19 games combined.
Last season, the Pioneers earned their first preseason top ranking, receiving seven of the conference’s nine votes, but played just a handful of games with a complete, healthy roster. Starting power forward Tanner Thomas played eight games and in six of the team’s seven conference losses – all of which did not include Thomas – the team was missing at least one additional starter, whether it was Alex Sobel, Brendan McGuire or Aidan Carpenter. Backup big Raymond Espinal-Guzman was also injured throughout the team’s final eight games, forcing Latina to scrape together a seven-man rotation over the team’s last four games, including a narrow three-point opening round loss to Wagner, the eventual conference tournament championships.
“Injuries happen,” says Coach Latina, "and if it does happen again, we have enough guys to better absorb it this year.”
That being said, entering their first season in the MAAC, the Sacred Heart Pioneers excitingly start the next chapter of their program and look to compete right away. “The first thing that jumped out at us about the move is we’re going into a good league and it’s definitely going to be a step up for us,” says Coach Latina, “Between the new league and our new facilities. It’s an exciting time for our university and our program. The timing is really exciting for everybody and we’re ready to roll. I’m confident we put together a roster that can be competitive right away, but I’m sure every coach in our league feels that way. In the past, we’ve been competitive with some of the top teams in the MAAC, but being competitive is one thing, winning the games is a whole different thing, so we have to be that much better.”
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| A digital rendering of the new-look Pitt Center as the $30 million dollar renovation is scheduled to be complete in time for the start of the upcoming season (photo credit: S/L/A/M Collaborative) |
Entering his twelfth season at the helm, Latina’s Sacred Heart teams have built a reputation of being a fast-paced, offensive-minded team with a style that adjusts well to the strengths of the roster, but now entering the MAAC, Latina knows his team needs to match the size and uptick in blue collar energy found in their new conference. “We have to be much more physical playing in a much more physical league,” says Latina, “We have to be tougher defensively and we have to rebound better, especially on the halfcourt defense.”
With Tanner Thomas injured for almost all of last season, Sacred Heart’s physicality on the defensive end fell mostly on grad transfer Alex Sobel, who narrowly was beat out for the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award by Merrimack guard Jordan Derkack, who will now play the upcoming season in his home state for Rutgers. With a healthy Thomas and reinforcements joining in, Sacred Heart’s revamped frontcourt will look to lead the Pioneers on both ends of the floor.
Sacred Heart’s frontcourt will be led by the 6’6 205 senior Tanner Thomas, 6’9 205 redshirt junior Anquan Hill and 6’6 220 grad transfer Bryce Johnson, who returns to Sacred Heart after playing one season as a bench reserve at Northeastern. “We’ve now got an older, experienced and physical frontcourt that can hopefully compete against some really good teams. Those three also give us the versatility to continue to play four or five out.”
Unlike the end of last year that featured three and four-guard lineups, expect Thomas, Johnson and Hill to all be full-time starters, making up the foundation of quite possibly the biggest starting lineups in Sacred Heart’s history.
A heart-and-soul lunch pail forward who has grown his offensive game, Tanner Thomas is expected to be a two-way leader for Sacred Heart. “’He’s been fully healthy since April,” says Latina, “He’s a terrific player and was a major loss for us last season. When we were picked to win the league, he was a major factor in that.”
In addition to his motor, defense and hustle, Thomas averaged nearly 11 points, 6 rebounds and a steal-and-a-half per game while shooting 48% from three and 92% from the free throw line. “When he went down, that’s when we went on our little tailspin because we were a different team without him. We think he can be a reliable double-figure scorer, high rebound guy and a versatile offensive player making threes and scoring in the post. If you put a bigger guy on him, he can make threes. If you put a smaller guy on him, he’s excellent in the post and can finish with either hand.”
Anquan Hill, a St. Bonaventure transfer who, in his freshman season at FDU, earned the NEC Rookie of the Year award. Hill redshirted last season and possesses a sky-high ceiling. “I’ve coached some really, really good players, but Anquan has as much upside as we’ve had in our program, maybe ever,” lauds Latina.”
Playing a bench role at St. Bonaventure, Hill ended his freshman season at FDU on an upswing, averaging 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and nearly a block and a steal apiece per game across the final thirteen games of the season, while also shooting a sweet 51 2P%, 42 3P% and 85 FT% during that span.
“Anquan is a high level athlete with the way he moves at his size. He fits what we are all about and we were thrilled to get him last offseason,” says Latina, “His tools are unique at this level. He is an extremely versatile player. His skill level has increased too.”
When speaking about the versatility and impact of his new-look frontcourt, Latina adds “[Hill and Thomas] give us the experience, the size and athleticism that we’re going to need to compete. They can really play together because both can post up, score on the perimeter and are versatile defensively. Those two guys make us more physical and more formidable, certainly on the offensive and defensive glass.”
The return of Bryce Johnson will also certainly improve the Pioneers rebounding and two-way versatility. In his junior season at Sacred Heart, Johnson earned career highs averaging 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal per game while shooting 52% from two and 32% from three. Often playing as an undersized 5 alongside Nico Galette, the addition of Hill will allow Johnson to shift full-time to the 4, which better utilizes his physicality down low and could even make him a more potent defender and rebounder.
It would be remiss to discuss Sacred Heart’s frontcourt without mentioning returning junior Raymond Espinal-Guzman, a 6’8 220 Rhode Island native who has steadily developed as he’s gotten stronger and earned more reps in his sophomore season. At times, Espinal-Guzman played point during his high school career and it shows in his awareness in the halfcourt, as well in his ability to put the ball on the deck and make plays passing from the perimeter. Expect him to, yet again, play valuable minutes and be the first forward off the bench while 6’11 235 sophomore big Lucius Gibson-Savadel is a long-shot for a regular rotation role, but remains an intriguing long-term prospect.
Like many of their MAAC compadres, Sacred Heart’s backcourt is nearly brand new with 6’5 190 senior Aidan Carpenter as the team’s only returning guard. Back in the MAAC after starting his career at Siena, Carpenter is coming off his healthiest and most productive season to date, starting 16 of his 30 games after playing just 34 games combined in his first three collegiate seasons. A bouncy athlete, Carpenter is a weapon in transition and a dangerous catch-and-shoot threat after averaging nearly 10 points-per-game while shooting 51% from two and 37% from three. Injuries forced Carpenter to play many games out of position at the 4, but Carpenter will be able to switch between the 2 and the 3 next season, which should ultimately improve his defensive metrics as he will spend more time defending similarly sized players.
Hofstra transfer Griffin Barrouk is Sacred Heart’s only other guard with Division 1 experience. The 6’5 210 Pennsylvania native has only played a combined 149 minutes across his first two years with the Pride, but Barrouk is a textbook “change of scenery” transfer who understandably struggled to earn consistent minutes behind Hofstra’s uber-talented cavalcade of guards led by the likes of All-CAA selections and MBWA All-Met Haggerty Award winners Aaron Estrada and Tyler Thomas. “Griffin has the archetype to be a really great 3-and-D threat on a winning team with consistent minutes,” says Hofstra radio play-by-play announcer Dylan Brett, “He’s a sizey wing that excels in the catch and shoot game and has the makeup to defend multiple positions well.”
Size at the guard position has also been fortified by transfers Amiri Stewart and Keyishon Miller. “Keyishon and Amiri – if you look at their productivity and efficiency – those guys are plug-in players. They’ve got experience and they’re used to being productive,” says Latina, “They can just find ways to help you win. Both are versatile guys offensively and defensively. They also have good positional size, and give us some length and athleticism that you need in the MAAC. We’re super excited about both of them. We can play both of them at the 2, 3 or small ball 4.”
First Team All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference performer Amiri Stewart is a 6’4 senior who was a potent two-way guard for Wilmington University after averaging 17.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 5.9 free throw attempts, 1.8 steals and 0.9 blocks per game with an efficient 53.7 FG%, 43.4 3P% and 77 FT%. “Amiri showed great improvement each season,” says Wilmington head coach Kevin Burke, “ He’s an extremely explosive and powerful above-the-rim athlete. He showed great versatility last year shooting over 40% from three-point range while also being extremely efficient in the post when guarded by smaller players. Amiri uses his feel for the game to be an effective passer and has potential to be a lockdown wing defender.”
Keyishon Miller is a 6’5 power wing from Northwest Kansas Technical College out of the venerable Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference where he averaged 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and nearly 3 steals per game while shooting an efficient 51 FG%, 41 3P% and 80 FT%. “He’s an extremely productive player,” says Latina, “His numbers were not only terrific, they were efficiently terrific.”
Considering the length of Carpenter, Stewart, Miller and Barrouk, it is a good bet that most, if not all of Sacred Heart’s rotations will feature at least four players at 6’4 or taller, providing the Pioneers historically high levels of length.
Flush with forwards and secondary ball-handlers, the biggest question mark for Sacred Heart entering this upcoming season is at point guard. “We’ve lost most of our ball-handlers, so some young guys are going to have to be ready to go,” says Latina, “Right now, point guard duties are likely to fall on a young kid.”
The team’s need for a breakout performance at point guard exists concurrently with the talent level of their high school recruiting class that features four freshmen guards. When asked if this class was Sacred Heart’s most talented, Coach Latina said “No question. A few factors played a role in this. Firstly, joining the MAAC has something to do with that so that brings more cache now than before. Secondly, the fact is that our university, when you come here, it just blows you away and that includes new facilities that excites recruits. Also, we’ve established ourselves as a program that can say ‘if you’re a great offensive player, we’re going to give you freedom to play your game’ and when you look at our freshmen coming in, they’re creative, dynamic guards. We need one or two of these guys to be productive right away. They can be, and I think one of the reasons they chose us is because they saw the opportunity to play right away.”
Three of Sacred Heart’s freshmen guards hail from regional high school powerhouses – Mekhi Conner and Fallou Gueye played at CT-based Putnam Science Academy while Taj Bryant graduated from The Patrick School in New Jersey.
The 6’1 Mekhi Connor is the team’s closest semblance of a true point guard. Mentioning former Sacred Heart greats like Cameron Parker and Phil Gaetano, Latina says “Makai is in the mold of some of the point guards of our past, a really creative passer, like some of the passes you see him make and you’re like, how did he see that?” Prior to committing to Sacred Heart, Connor was offered by PSA pipelines St. Bonaventure, Gardner-Webb and Bryant, along with FIU.
On the 6’2 Taj Bryant, Latina adds “We signed Taj Bryant late and he’s another guy who is a potential point guard. He’s played on some great teams and at the end of games, he’s always one of the key guys on the floor.” In addition to the Pioneers, Bryant was offered by former and current NEC members LIU, Robert Morris and Le Moyne, in addition to NJIT, Holy Cross and Portland.
Even though Fallou Gueye measures in at 6’6, Latina thinks he has point guard potential, similar to recently graduated point forward Brendan McGuire: “Fallou is long, athletic, just an elite mover. He’s so quick. He covers so much ground and he can help you in transition offensively and defensively.” Charleston, one of the best mid-majors in the nation, offered Gueye a few months after Sacred Heart.
Rounding out the freshman class is 6’4 guard Nyle Ralph-Beyer, a Pennsylvania native that was previously offered by new conference mates Rider and Mount St. Mary’s, as well as Hampton and Stonehill. “Nyle reminds me of a young Tyler Thomas, we’re really excited about him,” says Latina.
In addition to the freshmen competing for immediate time at point guard, it would not surprise if Amiri Stewart gets minutes at point, providing the Pioneers with an extra big lineup of five 6’4+ players.
All in all, Sacred Heart has what it takes to have a competitive first season in the MAAC. Ten of their thirteen scholarship players will be making their debut with the team and this aligns with widespread roster turnover across the MAAC: Iona and Niagara are fielding entirely new teams while half of the teams in the conference bring in seven or more new scholarship players.
Yes, there is a major question at point guard, but the MAAC has been a breeding ground for impact freshman guards and last year was no exception: Jeremiah Quigley was, at times, the most reliable guard for Iona; Manhattan’s Jaden Winston finished second in the conference in assists; Ahmad Henderson of Niagara was a potent double-digit scorer; Jadin Collins-Roberts started every game at point for Marist; Dallas Hobbs filled in admirably for Mount St. Mary’s once Xavier Lipscomb injured his foot. The precedent is there and one of the more exciting stories to follow in the conference is finding out which Sacred Heart freshmen will ultimately beat out the competition.
When starting a freshman at point guard, bumps in the road are expected and progress isn’t always linear, so the previously unforeseen size and toughness on the roster will mitigate this and help the Pioneers compete against more physical teams. The offensive versatility across the roster will make it difficult for opponents to scout while the added length is essential in improving their rebounding, halfcourt defense and also in transition, translating defense and rebounding to quick, easy buckets on the run.
Filled with multi-positional talent, Sacred Heart is better equipped than last year to make adjustments at full health and pivoting in times of injury, so considering the lack of certainty within the conference, Sacred Heart has all the right to believe that they can battle and compete nightly to the tune of finishing the season as a top-half team in the conference.
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