Men's Basketball Season Outlook

The St. Thomas Aquinas men's basketball team will play their home opener this afternoon as they take on cross town rival Nyack College in Aquinas Hall at 3 PM.  The Spartans return six players who competed in the 08-09 season including ECC Co-Rookie of the Year Ra'Shad James.

James is coming off a strong freshman campaign where he averaged 8.1 points per game shooting forty-five percent from the field.  The Spartans have big shoes to fill behind the loss of guard Akeem Comas who averaged 14.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. 

The Spartans brought in key newcomer Justin Brown from Uniondale, NY.  The 6'4" guard is looking to earn a starting role and be an inside-out threat for STAC.  Junior Jamie Blanchard will also contribute in the front court for the Spartans as he looks to improve upon his numbers from last year.  Linton Brown and Shaun Weaver will provide depth in the paint for STAC along with 6'6" freshman Dane Dixon.  

In the back court STAC returns seniors Chad Williams at the point and Vincent Johnson.  Both player are coming off a season where they earned quality minutes and will be looked on to help spark the STAC defense.  The Spartans are excited about the return of guard Jason Halloway who has been out for the past two seasons.  Freshman Flynn McFadden, Jordan Ward-Adams and Charlie Van-Devren add depth in guard spot.  Juniors Nick Zolotas along with sophomores Daniel Skinner and Tony Turkovic round out the Spartan line-up giving Head Coach Dennis O'Donnell multiple options.