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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men’s basketball team (2-3, 0-0 SSC) will begin Sunshine State Conference play this Saturday, Dec., 3 at 4 p.m. as the Sharks face South Florida rival Barry Buccaneers (3-3, 0-0 SSC) at the NSU Arena in the Don Taft University Center. The game will broadcast live on 640 Sports.

“Obviously we’d prefer to play three or four more non-conference games before starting Sunshine State Conference play, especially since league games weigh so heavily on everyone’s post-season opportunities,” said head coach Gary Tuell. “But like it or not we have to get ready for two conference games in the next eight days, beginning with Barry here on Saturday.

“Without Sean Mullan (Jr., Mangerton, Australia) (injured against West Georgia) this will be the sixth game of the season where we’re playing short-handed. Unfortunately, Sean is playing the one position (small forward) where we have our least amount of depth. It’s difficult to get a feel for this team or get any continuity going when we’re always patching together a lineup, and that’s another reason I wish we weren’t playing conference games this time of the year. I wasn’t pleased with the play of the guys who filled in for Sean at West Georgia, but at least they got almost a full game of experience in a different role so hopefully that will help us Saturday against Barry.”

The Sharks have a stable of athletes to pull from that can play in Mullan’s place, including Teddy Tassy (Sr., Port-au-Prince, Haiti), Tim Traversa  (Jr., Chicago, Ill.) and Raj Prabhakar (Jr., Miami, Fla.). Regardless of who plugs up the three-hole, fans in the Shark Tank are in for another NSU/Barry Classic. Last season the Sharks went 1-1 against the Bucs with both games coming down to one possession. Robert Huntington (Sr., Perth, Australia), who Tuell once called the “Barry Killer,” has made game-winning shots against Barry two seasons in a row.

“Whenever NSU and Barry get together the games are usually close,” stated Tuell. “There’s no reason to believe this game will be any different from most of the games we play against each other. Barry has one of the league’s premier big men in Keion Palmer. He’s a long 6-9 shot-blocker who runs the floor extremely well and has a habit of finishing plays with some spectacular dunks. They also have Emory Bennett, a 6-7, 300-pound double-wide center in the low post. He can set a double pick all by himself. Jermaine Edwards and Bartas Visinkis are also two experienced post players.

“On the perimeter they have a host of talented players. Chad Renfro is one of the league’s best shooters. Some of their guys have struggled with the three-point shot this year, but we’re not fooled by their stats. We know how good they can shoot it. Besides Renfro, Levon Williams, Justin McCoy, Bryan Van Cott, Evan White and Vladimir Raymonvil are all very good shooters. This is a talented team that can beat you inside and outside, so we’re going to have our hands full.”

The early season schedule as designed for the Sharks to test their mettle against tough competition in order to become a more cohesive unit. Due to the loss of several key players, the Sharks spent the first four games trying to survive with a limited lineup. The Sharks started 2-2, with wins against Valdosta State, 88-77, and Ave Maria, 79-71. In the win over VSU, the Sharks won against a team they lost to the previous year without players that accumulated 64 of 200 minutes against the West Georgia Wolves.

Against the undefeated Wolves, Tuell used the game to prepare all of his players for Saturday’s game. Tuell used a 10-man rotation, with all but Mullan receiving at least 16 minutes of playing time. Unfortunately, the team will not be 100 percent against the Bucs, but the heart of the season has arrived whether the team is ready or not.

“Although our execution and our effort was not as good as we wanted at West Georgia, I do think our guys started coming together as a team in the second half of that game,” said Tuell. “I saw some positive signs for the first time this year. We’ll look to build on that Saturday. Right now it isn’t about Barry and what they do. It’s about our effort and paying attention to the little things that make you better. Win or lose, we want to use Saturday’s game to get better as a team.”

Fans can follow the game by tuning into 640 Sports, watching through live video HERE or following live stats HERE. Follow the men’s basketball team on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/NSU_MBasketball.

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