by Jim Mullins
Assistant Director
Sports Information
UMass Dartmouth will mix veterans with newcomers
in hunt for another Little East Conference championship
Looking over his pre-season roster, one thing is very apparent to UMass Dartmouth basketball coach Brian Baptiste. His 1996-97 Corsairs have plenty of talent in the backcourt, experienced players up front and some exciting newcomers who should make significant contributions. What he's not quite sure of is who's going to play where and for how long.
The Corsairs return two starters from last year's 19-8 team that captured its fifth straight Little East Conference regular season title and qualified for the ECAC Tournament. Senior Ryan Bland (Dartmouth, MA) and sophomore Jason Antonio (Mattapoisett, MA) will lead a group of returning veterans which includes senior captain Rick Taylor (Freetown, MA), Tony Moreira (Pawtucket, RI) and sophomore Tim Nelson (Reading, MA).
Baptiste is working on a new look this season - a three-guard alignment to take advantage of UMass Dartmouth's depth and variety of skills in the backcourt. To achieve the new backcourt arrangement, Baptiste said he will make two positional changes for this season.
An LEC Honorable Mention selection at guard last season, Bland will be moved to the small forward to take advantage of his speed, defense and rebounding skills. Last year, Bland led the Corsairs in both scoring, (14.1 pts/game, 9th in the LEC) and rebounding (6.14/game). Bland led the LEC with 4.6 assist/game and was second on the team in steals (50).
Taking over the point guard duties from Bland will be Antonio's assignment. Coming off an impressive rookie season last year, Antonio will be at the controls of the Corsairs' fast-paced offense. He averaged 8.7 pts/game and 3.2 rebounds/game as a freshman. His 51 steals were tops on the Corsairs and he added 44 assists, second only to Bland.
In Antonio, Baptiste said the Corsairs have an excellent player who has a great sense of the game and outstanding anticipation. With a backlog of experienced players in the backcourt including Bland, Antonio and Nelson, Baptiste moved Antonio to the point to take full advantage of Nelson's shooting ability.
Nelson, who played some point guard last year, will slide over to shooting guard. He averaged 3.4 points/game last year and 32% (15-46) from three-point range in limited action, but Baptiste has confidence Nelson's shooting will pay big dividends.
"Neither Bland nor Antonio are pure shooters so we'll go with three in the back court and put both of them at positions which best take advantage of their skills," said Baptiste (13 seasons, 266-94, .738%), last year's LEC Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career. "Last year we used Bland to plug a hole at point guard and he was better than anyone we had, but it took away from his game. I think he'll have a better year and contribute more from his new position."
With three solid two-way players on the perimeter, the front court duties of scoring and rebounding will fall on the shoulders of Taylor and Moreira. Taylor averaged 7 points/game and 4 rebounds last season and played very well for UMass Dartmouth in the second half of the season. Moreira started quickly last season, earning LEC Rookie of the Week Honors in December, before giving way to Mosadi Caldwell at forward.
"We don't have that one big player up front," said Baptiste. "So what we have to do is establish someone in the post who can score and rebound for us. I think Taylor and Moreira can do that and they will get some help from the others forwards."
Without Caldwell, Eric Eaton and Steve Motta from last season's team, Taylor, Moreira and a pair of newcomers, freshmen Haskell Kennedy (Barnstable, MA) and Tom Wozniak (Worcester, MA), along with returners junior Mark Antinori (Dover,MA) and senior Chris Rizzy (Manchester, CT) will make up the Corsairs' front line.
Baptiste has high hopes for freshman Kennedy and Wozniak. Kennedy is a "wide-body" who should be able to score from the inside and has the skills to play the post. Wozniak has been a nice pre-season surprise, shooting from the perimeter and at the post position.
Several other freshmen may also work their way into the lineup as the season goes along. Craig Sullivan (Arlington, MA) has already proved he can handle the ball at the point, Tim Ladely (Pittsfield, MA) is an excellent three-point shooter who can also play defense and Jeff Clark (New Bedford, MA) is a player who will have an impact somewhere in the Corsairs' lineup.
"Clark is a mystery right now for us," Baptiste said. "I don't know where to put him. Its going to take some time but when we play the up and down game with our press, he's been effective on both offense and defense. There are time he's the most athletic player on the floor for us."
While Baptiste is taking a long look at the newcomers, he'll be counting on some of the returning veterans to step into the lineup. Senior Sean Donovan (Quincy, MA), one of the Corsairs' top three-point shooters last year (21-49, 43%), will see plenty of time at the small forward position while Bland adjusts to basketball after playing wide receiver on the Corsairs' football team. Another football player, sophomore Tyhon Pina (New Bedford, MA) is another weapon Baptiste will have at his disposal.
"We have pretty good depth and our strength is in the back court," Baptiste said. "Right now we're working on defense but as the season goes along I think we will shoot the three-pointer better than we did last year. We will play the up-tempo game because we have 10 people who will get some playing time and wear people out. It will be an exciting team to watch."
Entering his 14th season with the Corsairs, Baptiste's teams have qualified for 8 NCAA tournaments and 3 ECAC tournaments and a streak of 7 straight winning seasons, averaging more than 20 wins per season. Joining Baptiste on the sidelines this season will be former Corsair forward Steve Motta, who was recently appointed as an assistant coach. Motta will work with long-time assistant coach Len Desautels along side Baptiste.
Jim Mullins
Assistant Director, Sports Information and Daily News
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Road
Dartmouth,MA 02747-2300
Phone: News (508) 999-8965 Sports (508) 999-8720
Fax: (508) 999-9200
JMullins@UMassD.edu
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