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Men's Basketball Season Preview
Posted: Nov 12, 2015

Men's Basketball Season Preview

Written by Andrew Capitelli (SJC-LI Sports Information)

Patchogue, NY| After a successful first season at the helm of the St. Joseph's College (L.I.) men's basketball team—that saw the team finish runner-up in the Skyline Conference—head coach Kevin Spann looks to improve on the team's strong performance in 2015-16.

Despite losing Skyline First-Team selection Sean McCarthy to graduation, Spann returns seven players from last season, including Second-Team members Andy Laurent (Jr., guard) and Fernando Vazquez (Jr., forward). The duo finished second and third, respectively, on the team in scoring last season, with the former posted a 14.0 point-per-game average and latter averaging 13.4.

In addition, both players were top-10 scorers in the conference, with Laurent finishing eighth amongst all Skyline competitors in both assists (3.04) and steals (1.44).

Other key returners include sophomore forward Isaiah Moore (7.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG), senior forward Billy Heenan (7.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG) and sophomore guard Stephen Cohen (3.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG).

The 2015-16 recruiting class features the duo of Dominique Spann (Sr., forward) and Michael Herring (Fr., guard), both of whom will be leaned on to make instant impacts. Spann, a transfer from NCAA Division II side Dowling College, appeared in 30 games for the Golden Lions from 2013 to 2015.

The Golden Eagles, who were selected to finish third in the Skyline Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, were the conference's top defensive side in 2014-15, surrendering just 65.8 points-per-game. Additionally, St. Joseph's finished second in scoring offense with 73.0 points-per-game.

2015-16 Skyline Conference Men's Basketball - Preseason Coaches Poll

Place. Team (first-place votes), voting points (2014-15 record / Skyline record)

  1. Sage (8), 97 (23-5 / 15-3)
  2. Old Westbury (1), 82 (13-14 / 12-6)
  3. St. Joseph's-Long Island (1), 74 (17-10 / 13-5)
  4. Mount Saint Vincent, 64 (18-9 / 13-5)
  5. Yeshiva, 61 (14-11 / 11-7)
  6. Purchase, 55 (9-17 / 9-9)
  7. Mount Saint Mary (1), 53 (8-17 / 7-11)
  8. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn, 43 (18-10 overall)
  9. Farmingdale State, 42 (8-17 / 6-12)
  10. Maritime, 24 (6-19 / 4-14)
  11. Sarah Lawrence, 10 (1-24 / 0-18)

Spann and the Golden Eagles open their 2015-16 campaign on Friday, November 13 when they travel to Queens, NY to face York College at 7:00 PM. Conference play opens on Tuesday, November 24, when SUNY Old Westbury plays host to St. Joseph's for a 6:00 PM tip-off.

The Golden Eagles' home-opener will take place on Wednesday, December 2 when they welcome Sarah Lawrence to the Danzi Center for an 8:00 PM match.