Stony Brook Seawolves men's basketball
Encyclopedia
The Stony Brook Seawolves men’s basketball team is the college basketball program representing Stony Brook University in Stony Brook
, New York. The Seawolves currently participate as part of the NCAA’s Division I basketball, and compete on the America East Conference
. The Seawolves currently play their home games in the Pritchard Gymnasium
located within the Stony Brook Sports Complex
, while the larger Stony Brook Arena is renovated. The team had their most successful year in the 2009–2010 season falling just short of entering their first ever NCAA tournament
and participating in the NIT tournament, and are currently coached by Steve Pikiell
.
in the late 1960s. Since the 1960s then Stony Brook Patriots played at the Division III level and participated several different conferences, also spending many years of its development as an independent program. While first struggling in its initial years with Dan Farrell (1960–64), Stony Brook later enjoyed some success in the Knickerbocker Conference. Coaches Ron Bash, Dick Kendall, and Joe Castigle helped develop the program in the late 70's and 1980's and by the early 1990s Stony Brook participated in the New York metropolitan based Skyline Conference
.
The 1990s saw the University experience tremendous growth in its academic programs leading Stony Brook to become one of the leading public research universities of the SUNY system, and a leading institution at the national level. However, its athletic programs were not on par with the rest of the successes at the university, and then president Shirley Strum Kenny set out to transition Stony Brook to the Division I level. In 1995, then Stony Brook Patriots were renamed as the Seawolves, the basketball program initiated a transition to Division I offering scholarships for the first time in 1995. Division II basketball was played until 1999, when the men's basketball officially entered Division I after a four year transition under the command of head coach Bernard Tomlin. In 2001, after two years of basketball at the D-I Independent level, the Seawolves joined the America East conference.
at the Gampel Pavilion resulting in a 79–52 loss to the eventual national champions. The Seawolves then opened their home season two days later with a 80–43 win against Division III Mount Ida. The Seawolves posted a second straight win at Monmouth on for a 51–49 end of the game for their first ever national broadcast on ESPN (College Tip-off Marathon). The Seawolves went on to win their third straight with a 66–59 over Fairleigh Dickinson. Coming back home the Seawolves played against Wagner, losing a close 58–54 game in which free-throws percentage largely affected the team. After the lost against Wagner, the Seawolves hosted Lehigh at the Gymnasium and at one point in the second half held to a 14 point lead, however, a late run by Lehigh allowed the team to get tie and eventually beat the Seawolves on overtime by a score of 79–76. The Seawolves then traveled to New York, NY
to play a match up against the Columbia Lions
, a game which the Seawolves lost by a score of 73–72 which resulted in the third straight lost by the Seawolves by four or less points, and the second straight lost in which the Seawolves held substantial leads in the second half but weren't able to close it. The Seawolves then traveled to Holy Cross to play a game which also resulted to be very close but which ended on Seawolves favor with a game winning layup by Dave Coley with a second of regulation to capture the Seawolves fourth win of the season, a score of 54–53. The Seawolves battled Sacred Heart but fell at home to a score of 75–66 and then traveled to South Bend, Indiana to face off against No. 24 Notre Dame
, their second Big East team of the season. Seawolves battled Notre Dame for most of the first half keeping a score of 29–26 but allowed an 8–0 run to end the half leading to an eventual 88–62 loss.
The Seawolves opened conference play with a win against UMBC and continued throughout the season with struggles in the offensive end and with injuries affecting their sole senior Chris Martin and other players for most of the season. Due to injuries, Pikiell resorted to using the bench more often allowing for Sophomore like Leonard Hayes to get more playing time. Hayes was able to show his potential, entering the starting five and showing his improvement in the conference tournament. Overall, Stony Brook ended the regular season with a 13–16 record and 8–8 in the America East and headed to the tournament as the number fifth seed. In their quarterfinal match against Albany the Seawolves were able to use strong defense and a stellar offense to drag a 67–61 win against Albany at Hartford against an opponent that swept them in the regular season. The Semifinals then played the next day against No. 1 Vermont ending in a surprising offensive effort by Stony Brook, who led from the beginning to the end, to capture a 69–47 promising win against a Vermont team who also swept them in the regular season. For the first time in Stony Brook's Division I program history, the Seawolves were to participate in the America East championship game. Their next match up was announced to be the No. 2 Boston Terriers. On March 12 the Championship was hosted at Agganis Arena at Boston. Again, Stony Brook showed a strong first half outing and a strong defense for most of game and held to a lead of up to 15 points. However, with less than a minute in the clock the terriers tied the game thanks to the John Holland (America East POY), and then captured the lead with a decisive foul on Stony Brook with 2 seconds of regulation left. Boston went on to win 56–54 to end the Seawolves hopes for their first-ever NCAA tournament bid. Chris Martin is to graduate, and Tommy Brenton (injured Junior) is set to return for the 2011–12 season
. The arena became the new home of the Seawolves men's and women's basketball program. In 2007 it was announced that the arena would undergo a $20 million renovation project. The arena was scheduled to be returned for use by 2010–11 season, however, the project has been put on hold until the 2012–13 season. While most of the games are currently in the gymnasium, the arena has been used for special occasions like the 2010 NIT first round against Illinois and also hosted one game of the 2010–2011 regular season due to its larger seating capacity and better media accommodations.
Stony Brook
Stony Brook, Stonybrook or Stoney Brook may refer to:In California* Farwell, California, once known as StonybrookIn Massachusetts* Stony Brook , a tributary of the Charles River in Boston...
, New York. The Seawolves currently participate as part of the NCAA’s Division I basketball, and compete on the America East Conference
America East Conference
The America East Conference is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located mainly in the northeastern United States. The conference was known as the ECAC North from 1979 to 1988 and the North Atlantic Conference from the fall semester of 1988 to the end of the spring...
. The Seawolves currently play their home games in the Pritchard Gymnasium
Pritchard Gymnasium
Pritchard Gymnasium is a 2,000-seat multi-purpose gymnasium located within the Stony Brook Sports Complex in Stony Brook, New York. The gym opened in 1969 and it is the current home of the Stony Brook University Seawolves basketball and volleyball teams until the Stony Brook Arena completes it...
located within the Stony Brook Sports Complex
Stony Brook Sports Complex
Stony Brook Sports Complex is a multi-purpose complex located in Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. The Complex houses the Stony Brook Arena on the west end, the Pritchard Gymnasium, a 25 yard long swimming Pool, an athletic performance center and many other athletic facilities within...
, while the larger Stony Brook Arena is renovated. The team had their most successful year in the 2009–2010 season falling just short of entering their first ever NCAA tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
and participating in the NIT tournament, and are currently coached by Steve Pikiell
Steve Pikiell
Steve Pikiell is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Pikiell's record is 57-89 through the completion of five regular seasons....
.
Team history
The Seawolves have an all time win-loss record of 632–618 (.506), 122–199 (.380) in Division I play entering the 2010–11 season. Stony Brook has a 5–9 America East tournament record. The last couple of years have been a tremendous rise in Stony Brook's basketball program achieving post-season play for the first time in the 2009–10 season, as an NIT participant.Pre-Division I era (1960–1999)
Stony Brook University first fielded a basketball program in the 1960–61 basketball season initially playing their home games at the local Walt Whitman High School (1960–1962) while located at Oyster Bay (at that time State University College on Long Island). The campus relocated to its present site in 1962 and temporarily played their home games at Port Jefferson High School (1962–64) until the construction of the Pritchard GymnasiumPritchard Gymnasium
Pritchard Gymnasium is a 2,000-seat multi-purpose gymnasium located within the Stony Brook Sports Complex in Stony Brook, New York. The gym opened in 1969 and it is the current home of the Stony Brook University Seawolves basketball and volleyball teams until the Stony Brook Arena completes it...
in the late 1960s. Since the 1960s then Stony Brook Patriots played at the Division III level and participated several different conferences, also spending many years of its development as an independent program. While first struggling in its initial years with Dan Farrell (1960–64), Stony Brook later enjoyed some success in the Knickerbocker Conference. Coaches Ron Bash, Dick Kendall, and Joe Castigle helped develop the program in the late 70's and 1980's and by the early 1990s Stony Brook participated in the New York metropolitan based Skyline Conference
Skyline Conference
The Mountain States Conference, also known as the Skyline Conference, was a college athletic conference based in the Western United States. The league was established in 1938 when the seven charter members pulled out of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.From 1938 to 1946, the conference was...
.
The 1990s saw the University experience tremendous growth in its academic programs leading Stony Brook to become one of the leading public research universities of the SUNY system, and a leading institution at the national level. However, its athletic programs were not on par with the rest of the successes at the university, and then president Shirley Strum Kenny set out to transition Stony Brook to the Division I level. In 1995, then Stony Brook Patriots were renamed as the Seawolves, the basketball program initiated a transition to Division I offering scholarships for the first time in 1995. Division II basketball was played until 1999, when the men's basketball officially entered Division I after a four year transition under the command of head coach Bernard Tomlin. In 2001, after two years of basketball at the D-I Independent level, the Seawolves joined the America East conference.
Early years in Division I and Steve Pikiell (1999–2009)
The initial years of the Stony Brook men's basketball program in a America East play faced many hardships and the team remained in the bottom slots of the conference standings year after year from 2001 through 2008. Through this initial seven seasons Stony Brook didn't have a single conference winning season, even less overall. The program also struggled in the academic end being held in NCAA probation for the 2004–05 season prior to Pikiell's arrival due to a low APR. The program bottomed-out on the 2005–06 season in which the team ended with a 4–24 overall season, and 2–14 in the America East being ranked ninth in the conference standings. The 2006–07 didn't see much improvement as the Seawolves again performed poorly to a 9–20, 4–12 in the America East ending the season last in the standings for the second straight year. A 2007–08 season again reserved the last place for the Seawolves with a 7–23 overall, 3–13 America East record. During this initial seven year stretch the Seawolves were 55–140 overall , 32–84 in the America East. The 2008–09 season showed signs of improvement in the program leading to the first winning season under the America East with an 16–14 overall, 8–8 in America East play allowing the Seawolves to be fourth seeded for the first time in the AE tournament, however, they lost in the opening round against New Hampshire.Recent success (2009– present)
After coming off their most successful season in 2008–09 the Seawolves showed signs of a more improved team. In the 2009–10 the Seawolves marked a 22–10, 13–3 record to propel them to the top of the ranks of America East conference in the 2009–2010 season. Ranked as top seed for the AEC tournament, the Seawolves posted a Quarterfinals 68–59 victory over 8th seeded Albany advancing to the semifinals to face off the Boston Terriers. The Seawolves played against Boston University in a decisive game but ending in a 70–63 loss against BU, erasing their chances of reaching their first ever NCAA tournament. However, due to their regular-season record the Seawolves were invited to the post-season NIT but lost to the top seeded Illinois in a sellout crowd at the Stony Brook Arena. After a successful season for the Stony Brook Seawolves, with increased expectations for the upcoming year and increased interest from fans, the Seawolves were able to obtain their largest broadcasting package in the school’s young Division I history. A 2010–2011 season broadcastin package included a historic three regular season national broadcast on the ESPN network, a game on SNY, and five games spread throughout the season to be broadcasted on MSG+PLUS across the tri-state region. New expectations also came in with disappointments as one of the prominent players was lost with a season-ending injury, the forward Tommy Brenton who was out for the entire season with a medical redshirt.2010–11 Season
The 2010–2011 season started with a season opener game against the Connecticut HuskiesConnecticut Huskies men's basketball
The Connecticut Huskies is the name of the men's college basketball team representing the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, Connecticut, USA. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big East Conference...
at the Gampel Pavilion resulting in a 79–52 loss to the eventual national champions. The Seawolves then opened their home season two days later with a 80–43 win against Division III Mount Ida. The Seawolves posted a second straight win at Monmouth on for a 51–49 end of the game for their first ever national broadcast on ESPN (College Tip-off Marathon). The Seawolves went on to win their third straight with a 66–59 over Fairleigh Dickinson. Coming back home the Seawolves played against Wagner, losing a close 58–54 game in which free-throws percentage largely affected the team. After the lost against Wagner, the Seawolves hosted Lehigh at the Gymnasium and at one point in the second half held to a 14 point lead, however, a late run by Lehigh allowed the team to get tie and eventually beat the Seawolves on overtime by a score of 79–76. The Seawolves then traveled to New York, NY
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to play a match up against the Columbia Lions
Columbia Lions
The Columbia University Lions are the collective athletic teams and their members from Columbia University, an Ivy League institution in New York City, United States. The current director of athletics is M...
, a game which the Seawolves lost by a score of 73–72 which resulted in the third straight lost by the Seawolves by four or less points, and the second straight lost in which the Seawolves held substantial leads in the second half but weren't able to close it. The Seawolves then traveled to Holy Cross to play a game which also resulted to be very close but which ended on Seawolves favor with a game winning layup by Dave Coley with a second of regulation to capture the Seawolves fourth win of the season, a score of 54–53. The Seawolves battled Sacred Heart but fell at home to a score of 75–66 and then traveled to South Bend, Indiana to face off against No. 24 Notre Dame
2010–11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2010–2011 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Fighting Irish were coached by Mike Brey and played their home games at the Edmund P. Joyce Center in Notre Dame, Indiana. The Fighting Irish...
, their second Big East team of the season. Seawolves battled Notre Dame for most of the first half keeping a score of 29–26 but allowed an 8–0 run to end the half leading to an eventual 88–62 loss.
The Seawolves opened conference play with a win against UMBC and continued throughout the season with struggles in the offensive end and with injuries affecting their sole senior Chris Martin and other players for most of the season. Due to injuries, Pikiell resorted to using the bench more often allowing for Sophomore like Leonard Hayes to get more playing time. Hayes was able to show his potential, entering the starting five and showing his improvement in the conference tournament. Overall, Stony Brook ended the regular season with a 13–16 record and 8–8 in the America East and headed to the tournament as the number fifth seed. In their quarterfinal match against Albany the Seawolves were able to use strong defense and a stellar offense to drag a 67–61 win against Albany at Hartford against an opponent that swept them in the regular season. The Semifinals then played the next day against No. 1 Vermont ending in a surprising offensive effort by Stony Brook, who led from the beginning to the end, to capture a 69–47 promising win against a Vermont team who also swept them in the regular season. For the first time in Stony Brook's Division I program history, the Seawolves were to participate in the America East championship game. Their next match up was announced to be the No. 2 Boston Terriers. On March 12 the Championship was hosted at Agganis Arena at Boston. Again, Stony Brook showed a strong first half outing and a strong defense for most of game and held to a lead of up to 15 points. However, with less than a minute in the clock the terriers tied the game thanks to the John Holland (America East POY), and then captured the lead with a decisive foul on Stony Brook with 2 seconds of regulation left. Boston went on to win 56–54 to end the Seawolves hopes for their first-ever NCAA tournament bid. Chris Martin is to graduate, and Tommy Brenton (injured Junior) is set to return for the 2011–12 season
Facilities
The Seawolves currently play most of their home games in the Pritchard Gymnasium constructed in the late 1960s with a capacity of 1,600. In the early 1990s, Stony Brook, anticipating a transition to Division I, embarked in the construction of a 17$ million, 4,000 seat arena in the west-end of the Stony Brook Sports ComplexStony Brook Sports Complex
Stony Brook Sports Complex is a multi-purpose complex located in Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. The Complex houses the Stony Brook Arena on the west end, the Pritchard Gymnasium, a 25 yard long swimming Pool, an athletic performance center and many other athletic facilities within...
. The arena became the new home of the Seawolves men's and women's basketball program. In 2007 it was announced that the arena would undergo a $20 million renovation project. The arena was scheduled to be returned for use by 2010–11 season, however, the project has been put on hold until the 2012–13 season. While most of the games are currently in the gymnasium, the arena has been used for special occasions like the 2010 NIT first round against Illinois and also hosted one game of the 2010–2011 regular season due to its larger seating capacity and better media accommodations.
Head coaches
The following have been the head coaches of Stony Brook men's basketball since 1960- Dan Farrel (1960–64)
- Herb Brown (1964–69)
- Rollie Massimino (1969–71)
- Don Covaleski (1971–74)
- Ron Bash (1974–78)
- Dick Kendall (1978–84)
- Joe Castigle (1984–91)
- Bernard Tomlin (1991–99)
- Nick Macarchuk (1999-05)
- Steve Pikiell (2005–present)
Current coaching staff
| Name | Type | College | Graduating year |
| Steve Pikiell Steve Pikiell Steve Pikiell is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Pikiell's record is 57-89 through the completion of five regular seasons.... |
Head Coach | Connecticut University of Connecticut The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually... |
1990 |
| Jay Young | Associate Head Coach | Marist Marist College Marist College is a private liberal arts college on the east bank of the Hudson River near Poughkeepsie, New York. The site was established in 1905 by Marist Brothers, and the college was chartered in 1929... |
1986 |
| Lamar Chapman | Assistant Coach | Lane Lane College -Namesake:SS Lane Victory, a World War II Victory Ship, and one of the few such ships surviving, was named for Lane College. It is now docked in San Pedro, California . It is now open as a museum.-External links:*... |
1993 |
| Dan Rickard | Assistant Coach | Stony Brook | 2004 |
| Ricky Lucas | Director of Basketball Operations | Stony Brook | 2008 |