Boston, MA- The Men's Basketball team is tipping off their 2019-20 campaign this weekend as they head to Bryant & Stratton College in Buffalo to take on the host Buffalo along with the Bryant & Stratton Bobcats of Rochester. The team is filled with many new faces along with a veteran core that look to improve on a 9-16 record last season. Third-year Head Coach Rob Blouin is pleased about his roster depth. "We are looking forward to have a skilled roster from top to bottom. We have a good hard-working group of juniors and seniors that will carry us through the season to success," said Blouin.
The Falcons have eight returners from the 2018-19 team; Senior Victor Casildo (Bronx, NY), Senior Abrian Dickson (Indian Wells, AZ), Senior Anthony Lewis (Lodi, CA), Senior Jhalen Lumpkins (Sacramento, CA), Senior Dante Marshall (Oxon Hill, MD) Senior Ville Milan (Turku, Finland), Junior Daniel Perez (Humacao, PR), and Senior Chris Sorapuru (Temecula, CA). Of the eight, all but Sorapuru and Casildo play the guard position for the Falcons. Lumpkins led the way for the Falcons in his first season last year, finishing first on the team in points scored (317), rebounds (148) and steals (44). Coach Blouin is looking for Lumpkins to take his game to the next level, finishing his career as an All-Conference player. He also has high expectations for his 3-point threats in Dickson and Milan who combined for 57 made 3-pointers last season. Lewis and Sorapuru will look to use their toughness and agility to get to the rim to create opportunities to score.
Coach Blouin also welcomes 13 incoming players to the squad, with all but one a transfer student. Of the new players, nine play at the guard position. Kyle Williams (Fairfield, CA) and Cole Barton (Los Angeles, CA) are junior point guards, both with community college experience under their belt and will look to lead the Falcons offense. Senior transfer, Nico Gonzalez (Madrid, Spain), played for Faulkner University, an NAIA Division I program prior to attending Fisher and will look to make an immediate impact for his team. Juniors Jason Augliera (Discovery Bay, CA), Jaleel Holdford (Ontario, CN) and Darnell White (Santa Cruz, CA) all bring speed and energy to the lineup for the Falcons with the ability to score. Rounding out the guards are Sophomore Zach Anderson (Sanford, FL), Junior Jalen Holdford (Ontario, CN) and Junior Michael Odiana (Dracut, MA), a transfer from the University of Maryland-Eastern Shores.
Fisher also have height this season under the basket, something they lacked last year. Along with Sorapuru and Casildo, the Falcons welcome four forwards, all of which are 6'5 or taller. Paul Oha Jr. (Antioch, CA) and Malik Seldon (Los Angeles, CA) are both senior transfers, both with collegiate experience, looking to finish their careers as Falcons and to help anchor the team in the paint. Junior Chris Lennear (Sacramento, CA) and the only freshman on the squad, Machel Shirley (Boston, MA) round out the forward position.
The Falcons face a strong and competitive schedule with their ultimate goal to receive a bid to the AII Conference Tournament. "This team can make a big push in the AII Tournament if we work hard and put everything together," said Coach Blouin. The Falcons will be tested by numerous NCAA Division III teams from the New England region such as Johnson & Wales, Western CT, and the University of Saint Joseph (CT), as well as other quality competition throughout the region. The key contests for the Falcons are the home and away matchups with AII Conference rival Washington Adventist University Shock who went to the AII Conference Finals last season.
Fisher will travel with the women this weekend as they head to Bryant & Stratton College in Buffalo to take on the Bobcats of Buffalo and Rochester. The action is set to tip-off Saturday evening at 7pm with Buffalo up first. For a full look at the Falcons schedule click here.