BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The prognosticators, conference coaches in this case, have ordained LIU as the favorite. Fairleigh Dickinson, the defending champion, is tabbed for fourth. The Knights did get two first-place votes. Coach Greg Herenda is not overly concerned about the prediction. Herenda, though maintains an attitude of excitement going into the season.
“We are young and athletic,” Herenda said at the Northeast Conference Media Day last week at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. “Our workouts have been very competitive. Guys are coming to work hard each day and we’ve had some excellent practices.”
Herenda is molding a group including five true freshmen and a redshirt freshman. “That’s six guys who haven’t touched the floor,” Herenda observed. The coach is also weathering the loss of two standout seniors from a year ago. They are Mike Holloway Jr. anchored the middle, earning Second Team All-NEC honors last season, and Darnell Edge, a first team All-NEC performer at the guard spot who also garnered recognition as the NEC Tournament MVP.
For the Knights, the cupboard is far from bare. Jahlil Jenkins, a junior guard, was chosen to the NEC All-Tournament team last March. The versatile Jenkins is the leading returning scorer (13.6 ppg) and added 4.5 assists per outing. Xzavier Malone-Key is a 6’4” redshirt junior who also scored in double figures (11.4 per game) and added 3.9 rebounds a game. Kaleb Bishop, another returning starter, could hold the key to FDU’s season.
Bishop, who played for Bob Hurley at St. Anthony’s, averaged 10.0 points per game and is the top returning rebounder (6.4 per). The 6’8” senior will have a major role. “Kaleb can hit the three (he canned 37 last season) and is an excellent rebounder,” Herenda said. “But the thing we also need is leadership. As a senior Kaleb will have to provide that all important senior leadership, especially with us being young and losing two senior starters.” Bishop accepts the challenge, saying, “This is a new team. We have new guys here and we are getting better every day. It’s just looking at where we fit in.”
The Knights will get some indication early on. Herenda’s pre-conference slate features eight of eleven games on the road, including dates at Notre Dame and Kentucky. “My first year here we played Arizona,” Herenda recalled. “We like to take that challenge. Competition like that toughens you up. We want to be ready for January and February. And eventually build to being ready in March.
Life in the one-bid NEC means getting ready for March, with potentially three post-season games in the NEC Tournament with a trip to the Big Dance at stake. The early portion of the season will tell us a great deal about the Knights, namely, how the newcomers and returning vets can blend into a smooth rotation. Especially with so many early games away from the confines of Rothman Center.
For Herenda, it’s a daunting task. One that has him not apprehensive but excited.
