STONY BROOK, N.Y. – The Stony Brook Seawolves have been the definition of futility during the past three seasons, and after a 1-3 start, many fans are ready to once again write off Stony Brook, as they are once again murmuring that head coach Steve Pikiell should be on the first bus out of town. But the Seawolves have actually been one of the pleasant surprises of the young season.
Sure, the Seawolves’ only win was over the University of Marlyand-Eastern Shore, a team at the bottom of the Division I ranks, and losses to Lafayette and Wagner are certainly uninspiring on paper, but those are three games that Stony Brook may well have not shown up for last year.
No one is predicting that Stony Brook will compete for a league title this season, but the Seawolves look very improved over last year’s squad. Last year the Seawolves played as five individuals; this year they actually look like a unit on the floor. Last year it seemed that Stony Brook played five athletes with no real position on the floor; this year the Seawolves have gone with a real lineup. Brian Dougher, Jonathan Moore, Chris Martin, and Marques Cox rotate through the guard position, Tommy Brenton and Muhammad El-Amin see time on the wing, and Brenton, Dallis Joyner, Danny Carter, Andrew Goba and Demetrius Young playing in the low post.
The Seawolves have been in every single game they have played, and could have won all three games that they have lost so far. Pikiell has developed a set 9-man rotation, and the Seawolves have begun to work the ball into the low post (a huge step in the right direction from last year).
On the court, the Seawolves look like a completely different team than last year’s squad. Last year Stony Brook ran an offense that resembled five chickens running around with their heads chopped off. Stony Brook lead the conference in three pointers attempted while finishing dead-last in three-point shooting, as the Seawolves played like five individuals auditioning for the And-1 Mix-Tape tour. This season, Stony Brook looks like a team on the floor, have taken more shots from around the hoop than behind the arc, while actually moving the ball around on offense.
Perhaps most indicative of the Seawolves’ new direction has been the lack of playing time for Young, a 6’6″ leaper, as well as super athlete Jermol Paul and pint-sized chucker Michael Tyree, as Pikiell is going for production and performance above raw athleticism this year.
Especially encouraging for Stony Brook was Tuesday night’s performance against American. Stony Brook fell 56-53, but they played as equals with the best team in the Patriot league all night, which is not bad for an America East cellar-dweller. The Seawolves not only played as a team, but they fought all the way to the end in a game that they would have simply rolled over in last year.
“I’m extremely proud of the energy and effort our players showed tonight,” said Pikiell. “We played some excellent basketball against a terrific American team and unfortunately they just made a few more plays than we did down the stretch.”
Stony Brook still isn’t distributing the ball particularly well, but that may well be due to having two first-year players handle the point guard responsibility. That’s a role that freshman Dougher and junior college transfer Moore may grow into as the season progresses.
Brenton, a true freshman, has not only been Stony Brook’s best player, but the best freshman in the conference through the first two weeks. Pikiell raved about Brenton’s desire and work ethic in the low post, calling him the best rebounder on the team before the start of the season, and he has more than lived up to the billing, pulling down a league-leading 11.3 rebounds per game through for games. A natural wing at 6’5″, Brenton has played far bigger than his size, controlling the glass through tenacity and guile rather than size. He’s also shown a nice touch around the hoop.
“Tommy is a coach’s dream, he’s relentless around the hoop, our toughest player, and incredibly smart, and he just gets the job done,” said Pikiell. “He’s going to be a very special player for us before all is said and done.”
Martin has also been one of the best bench players in the conference, averaging 8.8 points in only 13 minutes a game. And he has been coming on stronger as the young season progresses: after only playing four minutes in the season opener, Martin scored 11 points in 14 minutes of action versus Lafayette, 14 points in 16 minutes versus Wagner, and 10 points in 18 minutes versus American. At 6’1″, 230 pounds and less than 10 percent body fat, Martin is a unique player in the conference. Already with the ability to handle the ball and run the point, and a developing outside shot, he can also post up America East guards at will, and has all the makings of an All-Conference player by the time he becomes an upperclassman. Martin is proving to be a weapon off of the bench, and more importantly gives the Seawolves’ offense a new dimension, as he can put the ball on the floor and really get to the hoop.
And the Seawolves have the look of a team that will be playing it’s best basketball at the end of the season, as Joyner, a 6’8″, 250-pound bruiser, and Carter, a 6’9″ sharpshooter, have shown flashes as true freshmen, and will only get better as the year goes on. Ditto for Dougher, who has started all four of the Seawolves’ games at point guard as a true freshman. The learning curve is especially tough at the point guard position for first-year players, but Dougher has a bulldog mentality and some legitimate skill to go with it, and has the tools to be a fine floor general.
The biggest lift for Stony Brook, however, will be the return of Desmond “Big Des” Adedeji, a 6’10”, 315-pound nightmare in the middle and the Seawolves’ best player. Fans are quick to overlook the fact that Stony Brook has been in a position to win every game they have played this season despite playing without their centerpiece, as Pikiell’s offense had been designed to revolve around Adedeji, The impact that Adedeji could have – the ideal word here is “could” – can not be overstated, as there may not be a player in the conference that can stop him if he gets the ball on the low blocks. Adedeji has tremendous hands, a soft touch, is an exciting finisher around the hoop, and can run the floor like a deer, and could average 15 and 10 right away.
Adedeji has served four games of a six game suspension, and the lay-off combined with off-season surgery and the year he spent away from the court last season as a transfer (from Dayton) should temper immediate expectations for Adedeji, but the talent and potential are there, and the Seawolves are only going to get better with his return.
Stony Brook is still a long way from becoming the “Evil Empire” that some boastfully predicted a few years back. But there may finally be light at the end of the tunnel for the Seawolves, and they could certainly play the roll of spoiler at the end of the season.
