Towson Tigers (25-11 overall, 13-3 conference)
Projected starting five:
Jr. G Josh Ivory
Jr. G Four McGlynn
Jr. F Timajh Parker-Rivera
So. F John Davis
So. F Walter Foster
Important departures:
Four big pieces to last season’s team have graduated: F Jerrelle Benimon, F Rafriel Guthrie, F Marcus Damas and G Mike Burwell,
Returning:
26.3 percent of scoring and 30.6 percent of rebounding
Additions:
So. G Alex Astroth (transfer from Vanderbilt)
Sr. F Alex Gavrilovic (transfer from Dayton)
Fr. G Byron Hawkins
Jr. G Josh Ivory (junior college transfer)
Fr. G-F Eddie Keith
Schedule Highlights:
The non-conference schedule has plenty of land mines, as Skerry is challenging them right away. They open at Alabama in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic, which then takes them to Monmouth for three games. They travel to play Georgetown and Temple while welcoming La Salle to SECU Arena. After opening CAA play at James Madison, they play three straight at home, then go over a month before they have back-to-back home games. During that time, they play back-to-back road games three separate times.
Projected finish and outlook:
Only Delaware lost nearly as much from last season as the Tigers, who lost the two-time Player of the Year and three other starters. There is still good talent, but the lack of experience means they’re likely to have some growing pains early on. The backcourt is almost entirely new, as McGlynn is the only returning guard, and his shooting is well-suited to coming off the bench. Ivory is more likely to start at the point over Hawkins, largely because he’s more seasoned, but Hawkins will be very much in the mix. Astroth will compete for minutes on the wing along with Davis, who they are high on but was in and out of practice last season due to illness and injury. Up front, they will hang their hat on Parker-Rivera, their top returning rebounder, and Foster is healthier as well. Gavrilovic and Jamel Flash should be in the mix up front as well, giving them experience. In short order, Pat Skerry has rebuilt this program, and now comes a big challenge with a mostly new cast of characters.
