Northeastern Huskies (14-17 overall, 9-9 conference)
Projected starting five:
Sr. G Jonathan Lee
Sr. G Joel Smith
Fr. G-F Zach Stahl
So. F Quincy Ford
So. F Reggie Spencer
Important departures:
F Kauri Black (4.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.2 apg, transferred to Tulsa) is the only starter who departed, while G-F Alwayne Bigby (3.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.2 apg) and Ryan Pierson (1.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg) also transferred (to Rhode Island and Vermont, respectively) and G-F Kashief Edwards (5.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg) graduated.
Returning:
76.2 percent of scoring and 69.3 percent of rebounding
Additions:
Fr. G Derrico Peck
Fr. G-F Zach Stahl
Fr. G-F David Walker
Schedule Highlights:
Northeastern’s non-conference slate isn’t as loaded as it has been in other years under Bill Coen. In fact, they have as many home games (six) as road and neutral site games. They open with cross-town rival Boston University at home, head to Ivy League favorite Princeton and host America East contender Vermont before heading to the Great Alaska Shootout. After that, a four-game homestand awaits, featuring UMass and La Salle. Early on in CAA play, we’ll find out something about this team as four of the first six games are on the road, including trips to George Mason, Drexel and Delaware.
Projected finish and outlook:
The Huskies are a sleeper contender this season, especially after a couple of players transferred this off-season. While Black and Bigby helped, neither lived up to their potential and Pierson didn’t improve from his freshman season. What they return is an underrated and experienced backcourt, with Lee as the team’s unquestioned leader although he’ll miss some early time with a foot injury. Ford’s ceiling is very high, and he’s only begun to show how good he can be. Spencer is the X-factor, as he had some good moments as a freshman but also the inconsistency one expects of a freshman and some offensive limitations. If he makes a nice leap, the frontcourt will be in better shape. The big keys for the Huskies besides Spencer’s development are some freshmen filling in as role players and taking better care of the ball after only Towson committed more turnovers last season. Stahl played well in the Huskies’ summer trip and looks to be the freshman most ready to contribute immediately, while Walker has a bright future and Peck should get minutes. Northeastern can contend, but they’ll need to improve defensively as well, so while the personnel is there to be a sleeper there’s some work to be done. The thinking here is that they will make the improvements and the senior backcourt will drive this team a long way.
