By Chris Granozio
Another year of hoops action is underway, and our team here at D2easthoops.org is primed to provide our faithful readership with more East Region coverage, along with some bonus content you won’t want to miss (more on that later this month). So without further ado, let’s set the stage for the regional season, shall we?
We begin with the changes. The region, once with 40 member institutions, is down to 33 this season as two programs are no longer part of the landscape. Le Moyne College has reclassified to Division I, following the path of fellow Northeast-10 alums Merrimack and Stonehill in recent years. The Dolphins join a growing list of former regional D2 teams that jumped up over the past 40 years, a list that includes Sacred Heart, UMass-Lowell, Central Connecticut, Quinnipiac, Bryant, Hartford, Albany, Stony Brook, Binghamton and NJIT. On the other side, Alliance University (formerly Nyack College) made the difficult decision to close its doors over the summer, relegating the program to the history books along with former schools Southampton, Dowling, Concordia, Green Mountain, LIU Post and University of the Sciences, the latter two having been absorbed by existing D1 universities (Long Island University and St. Joseph’s, respectively). New York Tech still exists as a school, though it eliminated athletics nearly four years ago. Keene State and Springfield both reclassified down to D3.
Welcome (Back)
There are three coaching changes to report, though two of them are familiar faces who have combined for over 1,000 wins at the D2 level. We begin with Brian Beaury returning to his alma mater, Saint Rose, where he guided the Golden Knights to a spectacular record of 643-226 before hanging up his whistle five years ago. Beaury – who hasn’t been on the sidelines since 2017, primarily due to health issues – takes over for his protégé, Mike Perno, who decided to step down.
After a year coaching a JUCO in Florida, Mike Ruane returns to the region, this time in Rindge, as he takes the mantle from the successful David Chadbourne at Franklin Pierce. Ruane compiled a terrific 404-222 record with perennial contender Bridgeport, and ironically, FPU was the team that kept Bridgeport from its best shot at a regional title during Ruane's reign, in 2013. Chadbourne opted to return to his home state of Maine and will head the Southern Maine women’s basketball team, aptly bookending his stellar career, which began as coach of the Ravens’ women’s program.
The fresh new face on the horizon is Andrew Radomicki, who takes over the reins at Chestnut Hill, replacing the brief but successful tenure of J.J. Butler, who is now an assistant at Division I Delaware. Radomicki is a graduate of Widener University and served as associate head coach last season.
Opening Tip
The regular season kicks off for most of D2 this weekend, and all 33 teams that we track will be in action. But before we look forward, let’s take a quick glance back as two of the region’s top programs got a jump on the competition by participating in early tournaments:
Bentley, which captured the regional title in 2022 and lost the East Championship Game to New Haven last March, split a pair of games vs. high-caliber opponents at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, hosted by Florida Southern. In the Falcons’ win vs. #18 Colorado School of Mines, NE10 Player of the Year Zach Laput picked up where he left off with 18 points and 17 rebounds to lead #16 Bentley, which limited the Orediggers 30 points below their scoring average last year, when they went 26-6. Next day vs. Elite-8 participant Missouri-St. Louis (receiving votes at the moment), Troy Glover II was a force down low, amassing 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Tritons, who won a close one. Ivan Misic, who missed all of last season with an injury, showed no signs of rust for the Falcons, notching a career-high 23 points, while Laput chimed in with 22 points and seven boards, playing all 40 minutes in a losing cause.
On the other side of the continent, Daemen kicked off its campaign by going 1-2 vs. first-time opponents from the GNAC at the Conference Commissioners Association DII Canadian Tip-Off Classic in Burnaby, British Columbia. The Wildcats took the middle game against Canadian club Simon Fraser, thanks largely to Dylan Fasoyiro’s 18-point effort, a 12-0 second-half run that seized the lead for good and the team’s 5-6 showing at the foul line over the final nine seconds (7-15 prior to that). In losses to Western Washington opening night and Seattle Pacific on Day 3, Daemen was outworked at the line (20-26 to 9-17 vs. WWU) or from 3-point land (14-35 to 6-17 vs SPU). Bright spots for the ‘Cats included Justin Glover – forced into starting point guard duty as Ryan Salzberg is out with a season-ending injury – who scored in double figures in all three contests, including a personal-best 16 in the last game. Joey Atkins also turned in a career performance with 23 points (11-16 FG) in the lid-lifter, though he was outshined by B.J. Kelly, who tallied 20 on perfect 9-9 shooting for the victors.
There are eight tournaments in our region opening weekend, and two will not follow the traditional ‘classic” format. Alliance’s departure left a hole in Bridgeport’s Purple Knight Classic, so UB, Southern Connecticut and District of Columbia will play a three-day round robin. It will also be a three-day affair at the Caldwell Tournament, as Dominican and Mercy will play Sunday rather than Saturday, and for very good reason. The oldest daughter of Chargers head coach Joe Clinton – Tara – will be getting married that day. Cool footnote! There’s one solo game on the schedule that day as Bentley will make its first-ever trip to Lakewood to face Georgian Court.
Odds and Ends
Along with Bentley at #16, the preseason NABC Division II Top 25 poll shows some love to St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Anselm, New Haven and Daemen, all of whom are receiving votes this time around. Northwest Missouri State holds down the #1 spot.
There was one notable upset in the Exhibition Season as Pace led from wire to wire against Division I St. John’s, handing a gracious Rick Pitino his first loss with the Johnnies, though it obviously won’t count. More on that, as well as a complete regional history of D1 upsets, in the next column. Enjoy the games and hoop it up!