Bryant Basketball Season Preview
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The last time the Bryant University men's basketball team took the court against another opponent was on March 4, 2020 in the Northeast Conference quarterfinal at Saint Francis U.
Wednesday, the Black and Gold will end 266 lonely days without basketball when they tip-off the 2020-21 season at 1:00 p.m. against Stony Brook at the Chace Athletic Center. The game is closed to fans but will be streamed, free of charge, on NECFrontRow.com.
And while the game of basketball itself hasn't changed much since March, the young men playing the game for the Bryant side have certainly changed.
Head coach Jared Grasso, two years into the rebuild of a storied program, had to fill nine openings amid a pandemic. His pedigree, resume and relentless pursuit of progress translated into a roster that is primed to challenge for an NEC title. Just ask the rest of the league coaches.
The return of the big man Hall Elisias and the energetic sophomore duo of Michael Green III and Charles Pride gives the Black and Gold a core to build around. Grasso has surrounded them with a leading cast that includes Peter Kiss, Chris Childs, Melo Eggleston, Luis Hurtado Jr., Luke Sutherland and Darius Guinn.
In case you were wondering, Kiss averaged 6.0 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in 30 games at Rutgers in 18-19, Childs was a JUCO All-American and Eggleston started his career at Wake Forest before averaging 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds at Arkansas State. Hurtado Jr. comes from UAB, Sutherland spent his true freshmen season at Siena and Guinn averaged 17.0 points and made 192 (!) free throws last year at Central Wyoming.
But back to those returners. Green III is the reigning NEC Rookie of the Year after a fabulous debut season saw him average 9.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and dish out 100 assists. Pride was just as productive, posting 8.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per outing while shooting 42.8 percent from the field.
And while Green III and Pride made Bryant's perimeter attack one of the more potent in the league, it was the presence of Elisias in the middle that brought it all together. One of the more imposing big men to don the Black and Gold, Elisias blocked a DI single-season program record 78 shots in his first season. The previous record was 54. He also chipped 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds to his 2.6 blocks per game.
Speaking of returners, Nathaniel Stokes, Nick Crocker, Dren Dedushaj and Timmy Kiggins are all back in the Black and Gold this winter. Stokes battled through injuries in his first season and has the chance to provide a jolt with his ability to stretch the floor at 6-8.
A year after racking up 10 NEC Rookie of the Week honors as a team, the Black and Gold have brought in three freshmen that have the chance to be key contributors. The Bulldogs got one right from their own backyard as the all-time leading scorer in Rhode Island Interscholastic League history, Erickson Bans, made the short trip from Pawtucket. Joe Moon IV joins the Bulldogs following his time at Woodstock Academy and Kai Kostmayer comes to Smithfield after a prep year at Gould Academy in Maine.
Wednesday's opening tip-off will be well worth the 266-day wait.