Introduction:
The Bloomfield Deacons are coming off another successful campaign in 2007-08 that took them one step away from the CACC finals. The Deacons had their best season since 2005-06 posting an overall mark of 16-16, and a 4th place regular season finish in the CACC North with a record of 6-10. The Deacons would travel to Post University for the first round of the conference tournament and come away with a 90-85 overtime victory. BC saw its season come to an end by the eventual CACC tournament champ Philadelphia University in the semi-final round by a score of 88-74. The Deacons are hoping to get out to a hot start 2008-09 much like they did last season when they began the season by winning 10 of their first 13 games.
Letter winners returning (6):
The Deacons returners include 1 senior, 3 juniors, and 2 sophomores. Senior Omari Knox led Bloomfield in 2008 in minutes per game with 34.9, points per game with 17.9, and was second on the team in rebounds with 228, assists with 67, and steals with 34. Knox finished second in the conference in scoring and was an All-Met selection for the 2nd consecutive year. Omari also garnered 2nd team All-CACC honors in 2007-08. This summer Knox was named team co-captain for the upcoming 2008-09 season with junior Elias Brantley.
Brantley leads the juniors after starting 19 of 31 games in his sophomore campaign. Brantley shot 41% from the field in 07-08 and was 4th on the team in assists with 44. Nnamdi Ahaneku returns after a solid sophomore season where he finished 6th in the CACC in rebounding. Ahaneku also led the Deacons in steals with 50 and finished 3rd on the team in points per game with 8.3. Chris Sampson started 12 of 31 games in 07-08 finishing 4th on the team in rebounds with 152 while averaging 6.5 points per game.
The Deacons return two sophomores both who gained plenty of experience in their freshman seasons. Gage Daye started 15 games as a freshman and finished second on the team in scoring averaging 11.8 points per game. Daye was also third on the team tallying 64 assists and was second on the team in made 3 pointers with 54. Roahn Sheppard started 12 games as a freshman averaging 6.4 points per game while also pulling down 149 rebounds.
Guard Ahmad Harris is ready to go in 2008-09 after redshirting last season. Harris is a tremendous defender with plenty of quickness.
Newcomers (6)
Bloomfield welcomes 6 new faces to the 2008-09 squad, featuring 4 transfers, and 2 true freshman. All 3 junior college transfers should make considerable impacts this season. Emery Mitchell joins the Deacons from Grossmont Community College in El Cajon, CA. In his sophomore season Mitchell averaged 6 points per game and also pulled down 196 total rebounds. Jeff Sawyerr transfers from Chaffey Community College in Rancho Cucamonga, CA where he was an honorable mention All-Foothill Conference selection last season. Sawyerr started 20 games averaging 4.3 points, and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 64% from the field. Fellow transfer Wilson Pilarte is set to be a major presence coming from Dean College, near Boston, MA. In 2007-08 Pilarte averaged 16 points per game and 7 boards. Jimmy Lynch rounds out the transfers coming to Bloomfield last semester after beginning his college athletic career as a quarterback at Wagner University for one season. Lynch, a redshirt freshman, brings a tremendous outside shot and depth at the guard position.
The Deacons freshman class is made up of two freshmen from New York, Robert Young and forward Woody Eliezer. Young brings to the Deacons plenty of options as he can play anywhere on the court. The very talented Eliezer will immediately play a large role for BC this season with his combination of size and basketball intelligence.
SCHEDULE:
Bloomfield will encounter 16 CACC contests with home and away series versus Northern Division opponents Caldwell, Dominican, Post, Nyack, and Felician. The Deacons have single games against every team in the Southern Division: USP, Wilmington, Holy Family, Goldey Beacom, Chestnut Hill, and Philadelphia University.
The non-conference schedule is made up of 3 home contests and will also take part in the Pace Holiday Tournament over winter break, in Pleasantville, NY. Bloomfield is set for 7 regional games squaring off against 5 teams from the very tough Northeast-10 conference and has 2 games scheduled against East Coast Conference Members.
Included on their schedule are two games against schools that finished last season as conference champions. The Deacons take on national power Bentley, who has won the NE-10 four consecutive years and is also set for a game against last year’s CACC champion Philadelphia University.
Quoting Coach Gerald Holmes:
“Last year was a great experience for our younger players. It was unfortunate that we lost several players at the midway point of the season, but it opened up opportunities that will contribute to the overall development of our team. This team has had an outstanding off season and looks ready to make a run for a CACC championship. 2008-09 should be a very good year for us if we can stay healthy. We are deep at every position, talented, and have great team athleticism.”
Summation:
This year’s version of the Deacons has a lot going for itself. It returns 6 players who gained invaluable regular season and playoff experience and added talent and depth to an already talented group. The Deacons will rely heavily on one of the most dangerous scorers in the CACC in Co-captain Omari Knox. Gage Daye is a proven threat from the perimeter and Elias Brantley and Ahmad Harris are more than capable at running the offense. Inside, the Deacons have a host of forwards with playing experience at the collegiate level. Included in the mix are returners Chris Sampson, Roahnn Sheppard, and newcomers Emery Mitchell, Jeff Sawyerr, and Wilson Pilarte.
The Deacons were picked to finish third in this year’s preseason coaches’ poll receiving 2 first place votes. Bloomfield opens up the 2008-09 campaign with a trip to West Chester University for a kickoff tournament on November 15th & 16th. The Deacons have their first home game December 2nd versus CACC rival Dominican College at 8pm.