Men's Basketball

Men's Basketball Preview 2019-20: Brooklyn Gets Slight Edge for 1st; JJC's Levy Earns Preseason Honors

Flushing, NY (Nov. 8, 2019) - On Friday, the first day of the new season, the City University of New York Athletic Conference released its annual men’s basketball preseason poll and Brooklyn College just edged out John Jay College to be named the the favorites for the 2019-2020 campaign, as voted by the conference coaches. The two league standouts actually tied for first place with 58 points each, but Brooklyn had more first place nods (4) than John Jay (3), therefore the Bulldogs get the sole distinction. Still, the Bloodhounds earned the only individual honor, as senior forward Doug Levy was overwhemingly voted the Preseason Player of the Year by the coaches.

The entire predicted order of finish:
1. Brooklyn • 58 points (4 first place votes)
2. John Jay • 58 points (3 first place votes)
3. Baruch • 50 points (1 first place vote)
4. Lehman • 40 points
5. Hunter • 29 points
6. Medgar Evers • 25 points
7. York • 19 points
8. CCNY • 9 points
    ^ Conference games for The College of Staten Island will not count due to reclassification to NCAA Division II.

While the 2020 Championship match will be held at York College on February 28, quarterfinal and semifinal games will be played on the higher-seeded team’s home court on February 22 and 25, respectively.

The Bloodhounds success this year will be centered around CUNY Preseason Player of the Year Doug Levy. The 6'7" senior from Smithtown, Long Island was a force to be reckoned with last season as he finished with 417 points (15.4 PPG), 361 rebounds (13.4 RPG), 81 blocks, 42 assists, and 13 steals to receive many accolades.
 
The Brooklyn Bulldogs (15-13, 9-7 CUNY) return a senior-laden team with seven on this year’s fifteen-man roster.  Brooklyn is especially experienced in the backcourt with three regular starters in 2018-19 Second Team CUNYAC All-Star Michael Tesoriero (10.o points, 6.2 assists), Anthony McClean (14.8 points) who led BC in scoring average last year, and Jordan Wright back (12.9 ppg) back for their final season on Bedford Avenue.  The Bulldogs have also added depth to the frontcourt this season with a couple of transfers and a solid core of freshmen forwards.Brooklyn tips off the 2019-20 campaign at home against William Paterson University on Tuesday, November 12, at 7 p.m.  
 
“We are fortunate to have an experienced group coming back after helping win a number of big games last season,” said second-year Head Coach Jeff Jean-Baptiste, the 2018-19 CUNYAC Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year. “A basketball season is a long winding road and it’s going to be nice to have guys that have been there before show some of our younger players the way.” 
 
Coming off their best season in six years, the John Jay Bloodounds (16-12, 9-7 CUNY) finished the 2018-19 with 16 wins and was selected to the ECAC postseason tournament for the first time since 2012-13. Alongside Doug Levy, junior Romello Ford will once again quarterback the offense and look to pick up where he left off. Kyle LaGuardia and Luciano Cruz-Fernandez will also provide steady leadership for John Jay.  
 
The team brings back nine returners and includes the addition of six freshmen and two transfers. Senior transfer Jayson Brower, sophomore Angel Rivera, and rookies Dan Kenny and Garrison Watkins will look to make an impact right away. The Bloodhounds will look to take the next step following their back-to-back semifinals appearances the last two seasons.  

 The Baruch Bearcats (22-6, 14-2 CUNY) are seeking to defend its 2019 CUNYAC title with seven new faces and the return of several key contributors. The Bearcats will be relying on the leadership of Benjamin Boateng (6.6 points, 6.0 rebs), Allen Villar (5.1 points), and George Smyth Jr. (5.0 points) to lead this year's very young squad. The team will play another competitive schedule, looking to toughen the team up for the CUNYAC Championship in February.
 
"We are excited to see what this season brings," said eighth-year Head Coach John Alesi. "Obviously, we graduated a great senior class but we are optimistic about our newcomers and blending them with our returners who are ready to take on larger roles. I feel the league is wide open this year with a number of very good teams, so it should be a very fun season."

With three starters returning and six returning players the Lehman Lightning (9-17, 6-10 CUNY) look to improve upon last season. Isaiah Geathers (15.3 points, 7.7 rebounds) leads a list of talented returnees which includes Miguel Haboosh (11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds), Will Feldman (7.8 points, 4.7 assists) started as a freshman a year ago and looks to improve this season.
 
Leading the newcomers is 6'4” guard Gain Batista, a transfer from Monroe College where he scored over 1,000 points in just two seasons and was named to the Region XV All Star team.  "Gian should be an immediate impact player in our conference,” commented Lightning longtime coach Steve Schulman. “We are also expecting big things from Basheeru Camara, a transfer from Medgar Evers (8.0 ppg in 2017-18).  Newcomers Ocean Scott and Sybri Traore should also battle for minutes in the rotation.”
 
Schulman continued, "We have a long way to go in terms of coming together as a unit but our talent level is strong and we are looking forward to working with each other and improving each and every day.”
 
The Hunter Hawks (6-19, 4-12 CUNY) look to improve on their six-win season from a year ago. They return a handful of experience with nine players coming back and will be complemented by eight new faces. George Keener returns as the Hawk’s leading scorer last year after averaging 18.1 ppg.
 
“We are looking forward to the 2019-20 season. We have a solid mix of younger players along with experience returners. As always, the CUNYAC will be very competitive and we are excited to get started.” The squad kicks off the season on Tuesday, November 12 on the road against USMMA.
 
The Medgar Evers Cougars (9-17, 6-10 CUNY) returns three of last season's starting lineup - senior Jafet Thomas (6.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.4 bpg), sophomore Mousa Sinera (4.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg), and sophomore Elias Scott (8.8 ppg, 38/120 3PM). Newcomers Jonathan Grimsley, Keison McIntosh, Devin Berrios, and Nagay Herrera Jr. are considered likely to deliver valuable contributions this season. "We are hoping to be competitive every night and put ourselves in position to win," said Head Coach Brian Nigro. "In order for this to happen, we have to be willing to do the little things and out work our opponents every time we step foot on the floor."

The York Cardinals (9-16, 5-11 CUNY) will look to carry the momentum gained from a season ago that saw its highest win total since the 2015-16 campaign.  Under fourth-year head coach Nolan Adams, the Cardinals produced a CUNYAC Rookie of the Year in sophomore guard Devine Chisholm, the program’s first since 2007-08.  Chisholm, who was one of three Cardinals to see action in all 25 games, finished his rookie season averaging 9.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per contest.  Adams returns one upperclassmen and a pair of sophomore while welcoming nine fresh faces to the program.   
 
The 2019-20 season promises to be an exciting one for the Staten Island Dolphins (17-10, 12-4 CUNY), as they embark on their first year as an NCAA Division II program. One of the richest CUNYAC programs in history, the CSI was on the doorstep of a third-straight CUNYAC Championship a year ago, but a stinging loss has left the Dolphins with plenty of motivation with what will be a 16-game CUNYAC slate. When it comes to out-of-conference competition, the Dolphins have a healthy contingent against DII competition that will start in Florida for tip-off and sees a few stops at some future East Coast Conference sites. With a veteran-heavy roster, CSI will be looking to showcase at a high level this season, laying a foundation for a future of success at a higher level of college basketball.
 
First-year Head Coach Sean Clores takes over a CCNY Beavers (6-19, 6-10 CUNY) program that has missed the CUNYAC Tournament in each of the past two seasons. His goal is to bring the Beavers back to the postseason, and he feels he has the personnel to do just that. Senior Romello Rashad averaged 12.7 points and ranked fourth in the league in assists last season, while senior Isaiah Denard tallied 10.5 points per game last year. They lead a roster that also boasts several talented newcomers, which has Clores excited about the season. "We have a hard-working, connected and competitive group that continues to improve," he said. "My staff and I are excited about continuing to get better and seeing how far this team can go."  

Team previews provided by the school’s Sports Info. office.