By Joe Budzelek
Playing from behind for nearly the entirety of Saturday afternoon, Sacred Heart closed the final three-and-a-half minutes of the second half on an explosive 14–0 run. An Anquan Hill and-one tied the game before he clinched the Pioneers’ lead with a made free throw with just two seconds remaining, as Sacred Heart defeated Niagara, 71–70.
In a season full of multi-game slumps, Sacred Heart is now surging. The Pioneers have won four straight games after losing six in a row, snapping the team’s third—and longest—multi-game losing streak of the season. The turnaround comes after Sacred Heart began the year picked third, with two first-place votes, in the 2025 MAAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
“We dug ourselves a hole, but we’re back in the mix,” said Sacred Heart head coach Anthony Latina following the Pioneers’ thrilling comeback victory. “When you’ve been losing like we did before, you’re thinking, ‘How are we going to lose this one?’ But now that we’ve been winning, it flips. You see the guys believing and thinking, ‘How are we going to win?’ There’s a snowball effect.”
How did a team playing so well now struggle so mightily early in the season despite league-wide hype entering the year? There’s no single explanation, but like many of Anthony Latina’s most talented Sacred Heart teams, the injury bug has struck again. A late-offseason leg injury ended projected starting guard Griffin Barrouk’s season—though he is expected to return next year—and only one other player has suited up for every game this season.
“When Griff got hurt right before the season started, our whole plan changed,” said Latina. The sharpshooting veteran guard finished last season strongly, scoring at least 17 points in three of his final seven games.
Latina added, “Griff brings toughness, leadership, and shot-making—he can wreck a game. When you lose a guy like that, rotations change, roles change, and before you know it people are asking, ‘What’s wrong with Sacred Heart?’ Believe me, I was asking myself the same question.
“With Griff out, our younger guys were thrust into much bigger roles. People think Mekhi [Conner] and [starting guard] Nyle Ralph-Beyer are veterans, but they’re sophomores. All of a sudden, especially with Anquan Hill out, they’re not third or fourth options anymore—they’re one, two, or three. That’s tough.”
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| Sacred Heart center Anquan Hill (#7) keeps watch in the paint as Yann Farrel (#6) mans up Niagara's Josiah Sabino (photo credit: Joe Budzelek) |
Speaking of Hill, an injury in December forced the Preseason All-MAAC First Team selection to miss six games, during which the Pioneers won just once. Three of those losses came by four points or fewer, highlighting the impact Hill's injury.
“The margins in this league are tiny,” said Latina. “The difference between a two-point loss and a two-point win is massive psychologically, even if analytically it’s almost the same.”
A major issue for Sacred Heart this season has been its defense in the paint, but the 6-foot-9 Hill and freshman Abdou Yadd have played together in just two of the last 11 games. Yadd remains day-to-day, but a fully healthy frontcourt could have compounding effects up-and-down the lineup: Hill could log more minutes at the four alongside Yadd at center, allowing Yann Farell and Jaden Slaughter to play fewer minutes at the four and more as bigger threes. That would also help Nyle Ralph-Beyer defensively, as he has understandably been outmatched at times while playing small-ball at the three.
Until Yadd returns, Sacred Heart’s coaching staff is getting glimpses of what this team could become, with the program’s first goal being to secure a top-six seed and a first-round bye in the MAAC Tournament in Atlantic City.
“Obviously, we’re playing better,” said Latina. “We played great at Siena—winning a game there is nearly impossible. We’ve started playing faster, and that really fits our personnel, especially with Mekhi Conner running the offense at point. He’s turned it up lately. He didn’t shoot it well today, but when he’s shooting well and we’re playing fast, we’re really explosive.”
Another silver lining of Sacred Heart’s injury struggles has been the emergence of FIU transfer Dashon Gittens. The senior is not only the team’s best backcourt defender, but he also leads the team in steals and ranks second in points, rebounds, and assists.
“Dashon’s a veteran—he’s versatile and impacts the game in so many ways,” said Latina. “With Griff out, his role has grown, and he’s playing at an all-league level.”
Despite the injuries, Sacred Heart has achieved one of its key analytical goals from the offseason: improving its defensive rebounding. After finishing ninth in the conference last season, the Pioneers currently sit atop the MAAC in that category.
With nine regular-season games remaining and locked in a three-way tie for seventh alongside Mount St. Mary’s and crosstown rival Fairfield, Sacred Heart may have taken its punches early. But its mid-January surge is positioning the Pioneers to chase the high standards they set for themselves entering the season—as one of the most dangerous and talented teams in the MAAC.
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