MULTIMEDIA | NOTES
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men's basketball team will begin the 2013-14 season at the SSC vs. SIAC Tip-Off Challenge in Melbourne, Fla. NSU will take on Paine on Friday and Claflin Saturday, with both games beginning at 5:30 p.m.
NSU is fresh off a full preseason, which included a scrimmage and two exhibition games against Marian and NCAA Division I Butler. Despite weeks of running, swimming and full-speed practices, the Sharks still have to live with the fact that they are integrating eight new players into their unique offensive system.
"To be honest, what this team needs is two or three more weeks of practice," said head coach Gary Tuell. "We have 12 players, and eight of them – for all practical purposes – have either never played or barely played, in a regular season college basketball game. But even practice can be tough for us. We have so many young kids we have to stop every four minutes to change a diaper. I've thought about starting the four returning juniors but they're all guards and somebody has to get a rebound. So we've got to play the young guys and live with their mistakes early in the year and hope they get better."
The Sharks' recruiting class consists of four freshmen and three sophomore transfers who have minimal in-game collegiate experience. Although they are an extremely talented group with upside for the future, Tuell has freely expressed his concerns for the early portion of the schedule.
"Defense and rebounding are our major concerns," admitted Tuell. "Young kids don't understand the importance of defending and getting stops. Nor do they play with a sense of urgency on the defensive end of the floor. And they certainly don't understand the difference in physicality from high school to college. It's a long learning experience and as coaches we just have to be patient with them and hope they will eventually learn what it takes to win at this level. "Our freshman class is full of really smart kids. They're all quick learners, but they're also freshmen. So they forget quickly, too."
Alongside the young Sharks are four veteran guards returning for their junior seasons.
Brian Cahill (Arlington, Va.),
Justin Jeangerard (Weaverville, Calif.),
Maurice Fuller (Westfield, Ind.) and
Stian Berg (Baerum, Norway) were all crucial to the 2012-13 Sharks and will see their roles increase this coming season.
"Brian Cahill has had a very good preseason for us," said Tuell. "In our three exhibitions he has 15 assists and only 3 turnovers. He's much more comfortable at the point than he was a year ago. He's worked really hard in the off season to get stronger and better and it shows.
"Stian Berg and Maurice Fuller have been up and down in the preseason, but both have improved. Stian has a much better understanding of the offense and he's so valuable to us because he can play either the point or shooting guard positions and be productive at both. Mo has matured a lot and it shows. He's been a good leader and I think he's going to have a really nice season.
"Justin Jeangerard struggled in the preseason at both ends of the floor, but we have a lot of confidence in him and know the light switch is going to come on sooner than later. He has a ton of talent and works so hard at his game. His energy is vital to our team, and once he gets going we will be a much better team."
NSU fans will get used to the new talent in a hurry, as they will all be vital to the team's success. NSU returns all guards and will rely solely on newcomers in its front court.
"The new guys have been pretty much what we expected," stated Tuell. "
Casey Carroll (So., Youngstown, Ohio) improves more and more each day. He's getting more comfortable in his role and he's getting more aggressive defensively and on the glass, which is critical for us. One of our biggest worries is finding someone who can spell him when he's tired or in foul trouble.
Brandon Patchan (Fr., Tampa, Fla.), because of his size and athleticism, is our first choice to back up Casey. But Brandon is so young and has so far to go. Ultimately, our success may hinge a lot on how quickly Brandon learns and grows into his role."
"A lot of guys like
Mike Terry (Fr., Ironton, Ohio) and
Chris Page (Plainfield, Ind.) and
Cameron Denney (Norwell, Ind.) have had moments in the preseason when they've been very good. But Mike is still coming off the ACL injury and not back to where he was before that. I do see improvement in him and as long as he keeps getting better, eventually he will regain his confidence and play a big role for us. Chris can be very good at both ends of the floor. He is learning and progressing. Cam has that great college body, but he also has the most bad habits and he's working to eliminate them. It just takes time. "
NSU's schedule is arguably the toughest in the nation and the most difficult in program history. The Sharks' first two games are no exception. The coaching staff expects tough competition from a conference that has produced several national contenders through the years.
"Paine is an outstanding team and a very tough opener for us," said Tuell. "With all the talent and experience they have I wouldn't be surprised to see them unseat Benedict this year as the best team in the SIAC. Benedict has been so good for so long, and they will be again this year. But Paine is coming. They have the look of an NCAA tournament team with solid guards, experience and great athletes. Their inside guys are very good and they are a terrific rebounding team. They have a whole bunch of good returning players and some Division I transfers. I don't know much about Claflin, but fortunately we will get to see them Friday night against Florida Tech. But I know about Paine. They will be one of the best teams we see all year, and that's saying a lot because we see some of the best DII teams in America this season."
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