Men's Basketball | 11/3/2014 10:00:00 AM

2014-15 Huskies Media Guide  |  2014-15 Huskies Schedule  |  2014-15 Huskies Roster

The Bloomsburg University men's basketball team has been a program on the rise, making the postseason three straight years – the longest run for the Huskies since a seven-year stretch from 1995-2001.

Bloomsburg finished last season with a 16-12 overall record and a 10-6 mark in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, reaching the conference semifinals.

This year, the Huskies bring a mix of five players with starting experience along with an influx of seven new players and two redshirts looking to continue on the foundation laid by last season's team.

"Everybody has new roles to fill, from our seniors who are now in the role of being the main guys to score the ball and lead the team to the new guys who have to learn our system," head coach John Sanow said. "That takes time. The challenge of bringing everyone together as a team is what we're working on right now."

The Huskies were selected fourth in the PSAC East Preseason Coaches' Poll with East Stroudsburg, West Chester and Lock Haven taking the top three spots. Bloomsburg plays an exhibition contest at Division I George Washington on Nov. 8 before officially beginning the season Nov. 14 at Penn State Hazleton.

Here's a look at the 2014-15 roster, beginning with returners:
 
BACKCOURT
Senior Jon Riles (Philadelphia/Academy of the New Church) played most of last season as a starter at the point guard position, starting 23 of the Huskies 28 games. In his first season with the team after transferring from the University of Tampa, Riles averaged 9.2 points, 3.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds while scoring in double figures 14 times.

This year, he will move to the wing in a more natural spot as a shooting guard.

"We're looking for him to score more this year and be an extension of the coach on the floor," Sanow said. "He needs to lead our young guys."

Playing at the three spot is junior Charles Haigler (Charles Town, WV/Hargrave Military Academy), a two-year starter for Bloomsburg. Sanow frequently called upon Haigler to guard the opposition's biggest perimeter threat last year and he showed growth offensively as well, recording 8.7 points along with 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per night.

"He did a great job as a defender last year," Sanow said. "He really excelled at covering our opponent's best perimeter player."

Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) will see his first action in 2014-15 after redshirting last year. Mortellite brings the ability to shoot from the perimeter, finishing his high school career with over 1,600 points.
 
FRONT COURT
Senior Alssene Saintilus (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) made a big splash in his first year with the Huskies, averaging 11.9 points and 4.5 rebounds a season ago while serving as the team's strongest offensive threat at times. A candidate for post-season awards, Saintilus transferred from Chestnut Hill prior to last season.

"He's taken on a leadership role within our program and has done a great job of leading our young players," Sanow said. "He's improved his game in all areas; he's gotten stronger and better in the low post and defensively. He's very difficult to guard because he creates matchup problems with his speed and athleticism."

Moustapha Noumbissi (Upper Darby/Delaware County Christian School) returns for his fifth season with the program and is key to the Huskies hopes this season with his 6-9, 250-pound frame inside. Noumbissi flashed glimpses of his capabilities during the season, but injuries limited him to 22 games with 11 starts.

"We're looking to him to help us in the rebounding area," Sanow stressed. "We need him to rebound on both ends of the floor."

Redshirt junior Wes Lyons (Millville/Millville) also has starting experience with 12 starts a year ago and the Huskies hope he will expand offensively this fall.

"We're looking for him to be much more aggressive on the offensive end," Sanow said. "He has the ability to pick and pop and hit shots from three-point range."

Joining the equation is redshirt freshman Jameal Tucker (Philadelphia/Academy at Palumbo) who was with the team all of last season and will play at forward after averaging 20 points as a high school player.
 
NEWCOMERS
With such a large group of newcomers, the coaching staff has high hopes that they've brought in immediate impact players.

"We're looking for the transfers to make a huge impact and play minutes right away," Sanow said. "We feel those two guys are capable of meshing well with the guys who were here last year."

Those two players are point guards Anthony McKie (Blue Bell/Plymouth Whitemarsh), who joins the program after a year at East Stroudsburg, and Ashkan Naderi (Herndon, VA/Herndon), who spent the past two years at Penn State Hazleton.

McKie will fight for a starting role right away after playing 19 games for last year's PSAC champions, shooting 56 percent from the 3-point line and is good in the open court with the threat to score.

"His experience playing against quality players every day has helped his development. Even though he didn't play a lot of games, he was able to go against very good players every day in practice," Sanow said.

Naderi averaged 14.3 points, 4.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds last year at Penn State Hazleton and the junior has impressed the coaching staff with a tireless work ethic.
"He's always working on his game," Sanow said. "He has a lot of leadership qualities. We're looking for him to make the transition to the Division II level and help us improve in a lot of ways."

The addition of McKie and Naderi allows returners Riles and Haigler to move into more natural positions, giving the Huskies more options this fall.
 
"It's huge that we brought in two guys who can play the point guard position. It allows us to play more of a transition game offensively," Sanow said. "We feel we have a quicker team, one that will play more up-tempo."

The contingent of freshmen will also add depth to the roster. Chandler Junk (Pennsburg/The Perkiomen School) adds depth at point guard while Alex Prislupsky (Olyphant/Mid-Valley) brings a shooter's touch to the perimeter. Nate Feiertag (Zionsville/Emmaus) also will vie for time in the backcourt while Darius Robinson-Wallace (Philadelphia/Delaware Valley Charter) will fight for time at forward.

Senior Saige Spece (Pottsville/Pottsville Area) joins the active roster after three years as a manager for the team. Freshman Tyriek Steward (Wilkes-Barre/Elmer Meyers) also joins the program this fall and will redshirt this season.
 
SEASON OUTLOOK
The PSAC Eastern Division has been tough top to bottom in recent seasons and this year figures to be no different.

"Everyone is looking to catch East Stroudsburg," Sanow said. "We play them early in the year and that will give us a good test of where we're at and where we need to improve."

Bloomsburg will need to replace its top two scorers from last year – Dontahe Jordan (Williamsport/Williamsport) and Lorenzo Christmas (Norristown/Norristown), but there's enough returning that the Huskies believe they can again figure in the equation at the top of the league after finishing third a season ago.

"We feel that we have a team that can take on that challenge and is ready to compete for a top spot in the East," Sanow said. "The guys coming back have played in a lot of tough, big games. They played major minutes for us last year – that core group coming back understands what it takes to play in this league and the challenges that are ahead."

After the season-opening road date at PSU Hazleton, the Huskies debut at Nelson Field House on Nov. 15 vs. Adelphi. PSAC East play begins Nov. 19 with a trip to Cheyney.