Starters:
Jordan Burton (#0)
Five-Foot-Ten
180 lbs.
freshman
Guard
Toledo, OH
Cardinal Stritch High School
New teammate Bruce Hodges talked about the addition of Burton:
" Jordan is a really good player. He reminds me a lot of Jason Jolly from Fairmont last season (no disrespect to him.) He is going to help our team win a lot of games."
Pete's Take: Burton is a big time player as a freshman. He has already cracked the starting lineup, which tells you a lot about the talent that is there. Burton can really shoot and get to the rim when you need him.
Larenz Thurman (#4)
Six-Foot
200 lbs.
senior
Guard
Wilmington, DE
Philadelphia Electric and Tech High School
Cuyahoga Community College
2018-19: Played in and started 29 games. Led the team with 90 3-pointer's made. Made 47 percent of his 3-point attempts, which was good for fifth in NDC history and assist average (4.93 was good for sixth in school history and second in the MEC.) Was second on the team in minutes played (1022.) Made 152 field goals- 97 free throws- and- scored 491 points. Averaged 16.9 points per contest. Was All MEC First Team. Averaged 15 points and 5.7 assists a game in the team's run to the MEC tournament title. Made nine 3-pointer's and was named to the All MEC Tournament First Team.
On his health going into the season:
"I'm feeling good. No complaints about my body."
On the importance of taking care of the ball:
" Taking care of the ball is extremely important. The more shots we can get up, the better position we will be in."
On the group of new guys:
"Everyone's cool of the newcomers. I wouldn't want to go into my senior year with any other group of guys."
On the new system:
" I think with coach's system the guys that we have fit right into the system. We have a group of guys that fit well with each other. We have to believe in the system is the next step. The system in place is good and all of us can be successful in it. If we all buy in- we should be able to make a deep tournament run."
On the carry over from last season:
" Hard work pays off. Last year we put a lot of work in and people counted us out early. I'm sure a lot of people did not place their bets on us winning the MEC Championship. We knew we had a good shot going into it though."
On the biggest takeaway from last season:
"Always believe in yourself. There were many doubts early on in the season last year, but we came out as the best team in the conference when it was all over."
On the senior leadership on this squad:
" Senior leadership is always key to a team. Whether it's on the court or off, hearing from a senior is always helpful. I want to be the person that if the guys have questions, they can come to me and ask."
Pete's Take: The importance of Thurman can't be overstated, as we all learned when he was injured in the Finals of The MEC Tournament last season. Thurman was First Team All-MEC for a reason. His health and shooting is one of the keys to this season's success.
Levi Frankland (#25)
Six-Foot-Four
185 lbs.
redshirt sophomore
Guard
Queensland, Australia
Hillcrest Christian College
2018-19: Redshirted
2017-18: Played in 23 games and made 14 starts. Averaged 8.8 points and shot 42 percent from the field.
Hodges spoke about the importance of having Frankland back:
" He is tough. Levi has game. I believe if we have him last year we go further in the NCAA tournament. Levi can do pretty much everything on the court. He is a big guard, and his 3-point shooting is going to take our team over the hump. Getting Levi back along with Renz- Drew- and- myself is going to help."
Teammate Dan Lott agreed:
"Having Levi back is big time important. We are getting another double digit scorer back, and a guy who can defend multiple positions. His best attribute is that he just plays the game the right way."
Drew Scarberry also talked about the importance of having Frankland back:
" Getting Levi back is also a big help. He is a great shooter and offensive player in all. As well as a great teammate on and off the court."
Thurman talked about how much they missed Frankland last season:
"We missed Levi last season. His play making and scoring ability is big for us."
Frankland gave his thoughts on incorportating the new guys this season:
"It will be different incorporating new guys, but we will make it work."
On the importance of staying healthy this season:
" I will do my best to keep my body healthy and ready to go after the long season coming into the playoffs.
On the importance of each game this season:
" We have to build off each game during the season so that come February and March we are in top form."
On the biggest key to this season:
" We are going to a small team this year so definitely shooting."
On the best part of this team:
" It is a fun group of guys that just love to play."
Pete's Take: The Falcons will rely on the scoring ability of Frankland this season. After sitting out last season with an injury Frankland is hungrier than ever. If he gets hot from long range, look out! Frankland can fill it up with the best of them.
Bruce Hodges (#3)
Six-Foot-Two
185 lbs.
senior
Guard
Lima, OH
Lima Perry High School
Dodge City Community College
2018-19: Played in 30 games and started 21. Played 25.2 minutes per game and shot 51 percent from the field. Was second on the team in defensive rebounds (105-) and- total rebounds (152-) and- rebounding average (5.1) Averaged 7.5 points per game. Dished out 3.4 assists per contest. Was second in the MEC and 13th in the country in assist to turnover ratio (2.97 to 1.) Led the team with 51 steals. Scored 22 points in the MEC Championship Game against West Liberty. Named to the MEC All-Tournament Team.
2017-18: Played at Dodge City Community College as a sophomore.
2016-17: Played at Tri-C. The team was 28-3. He was an Academic All-Conference Freshman.
On the biggest thing he learned from last season:
" To complete games. We had a few games where we had a decent lead and let the teams back in it. Can't be up 27 and lose. That is just not ok."
On the luxury of senior leadership on this squad:
It's a good thing to have a team that has six senior's and three of them being starters on last year's championship team. You have a guy who can help teach the young guys and hold everyone accountable."
He also spoke about the addition of the new guys this season:
" I love the new guys! They all have game. When we figure out how to play all the way together as a team we will be scary come March.
On the biggest thing he got out of the run last March:
" When the lights are on, it's time to perform. We have to go to work- Sebastien Telfair's brother used to tell him and I just always think that quote goes a long ways for me. The bigger the game the more ready you should be to play in it."
On the importance of rebounding:
" We have to rebounds as one. Last year in the tournament we rebounded well and finished every defensive possession that we could have. We might have given up three to seven offensive rebounds and that always helps when the other team can't get second chance points.
Frankland talked about Hodges role this season:
" Bruce plays a big role on our team. He will get his points where they are needed but he does a great job of getting others going to."
Scarberry talked about how hard Hodges plays, especially on the defensive end:
" Bruce plays amazingly hard when on defense. It is not just a couple possessions at a time either. Bruce plays hard all of the time and is always making it rough on the other team's best player's. He is smart when it comes to knowing what teams can and can't do, as well as knowing individual players strengths and weaknesses."
Thurman agreed:
" Bruce plays with heart. He takes pride in shutting down his man and playing good defense. His defense gets the team going as well."
Thurman continued and talked about what great strides Hodges has taken as a player:
"Bruce is going to laugh if he reads this, but I remember when I first met Bruce he didn't even want to dribble. Now he has improved his game to play every position on the court. He's a triple-double threat every time we step onto the floor."
On the added importance of his offense this season:
" Bruce's offense is very important. In some cases he's put in position to make a play and he can do that for sure."
Pete's Take: Hodges is the glue guy for this team. He was under the radar for much of last season before he became First Team All Tournament Team in the MEC Tournament last season. You will not find a guy who plays harder than Hodges does- and- this is one of the reasons why he is such a good defender.
Drew Scarberry (#44)
Six-Foot-Six
200 lbs.
redshirt senior
Forward
Franklin Furnace, OH
Northwest High School
2018-19: Played all 32 games for NDC- making 16 starts. Tied for second on the team with 89 3-pointer's made and shooting 38 percent from the 3-point line. Tied for third on the team by shooting 84 percent at the free throw line. Was fourth on the team averaging 10.2 points per game. Was ninth in the MEC with 2.78 made 3-pointer's per game. Was also 10th in 3-point percentage.
2017-18: Started all 28 games. Was second on the team averaging 14.3 points per game.
2016-17: Played in all 29 games- making eight starts and was third on the team averaging 10.1 points per game. Had 48 rebounds- 26 assists- 11 steals- and- 11 blocks.
2015-16: Redshirted
Hodges talked about what Scarberry brings:
" Drew's durability is solid. He is six-foot-six and can play inside-outside. He plays hard and helps the young guys out. I think from a leadership standpoint helping the younger guys is what it's all about. Come next October these guys won't have us and will be able to teach the young guys."
Lott concurred with the sentiments of Hodges:
" Drew is a work horse and will play thru anything. On top of that he is always taking care of his body properly."
Scarberry talked about the biggest thing he learned last season:
" That you can not take days off when you want to compete for a championship."
On the experience of this season's team:
" We might have one of the most experienced teams in the conference. I believe the amount of time we spent on the court last year and the battles that we had to go through really made us better coming into this year. We have a solid core coming back that can handle anything that is thrown at us. Now as the leaders of the team we have to pass the experience and knowledge onto the younger guys and the new guys that have come in so that we can make a repeat run for a championship.
On the addition of the new guys:
Bringing in new guys was a great thing for our team to do in the offseason. Bringing in youth and some athletes to the program allows us to take another step forward in our progression and journey as a program."
On the depth of this group:
" Another thing we took away from last season was that depth in a team is very important. Every member of the team has to know exactly what is happening in the game. Everyone on the team must be mentally and physically ready to jump in the game and not skip a beat."
On what has to happen to repeat as conference champions:
" We have to be a complete team. From the starting five to the last man on the bench, we will all be a part of the journey. We must come to work everyday and make everyone on the team better."
On the difference of not having a true post man this season:
"Not having Will in the post is going to be a big difference this year, but that's how it goes sometimes. This year we will really need to focus on executing our offense, and running up and down the floor more so that we can get quick buckets for our shooter's.
Pete's Take: Scarberry will be one of the leaders on this team for his senior season. He will be playing out of position due to the team's lack of height, but he will be as important as anybody on this squad. His shooting ability can really make him a difference maker and he has improved as a defender since arriving on campus."
Bench:
Dae John Walker-Bey (#14)
Six-Foot-Five
205 lbs.
junior
Forward
Garfield Heights, OH
Garfield Heights High School
Cuyahoga Community College
Lott talked about knowing Bey for a little while and what he brings:
"I've known DB for a little while now. He is a good dude on and off the court. He is a true hustler and team player."
Pete's Take: DB as he is called by his teammates will provide a post-presence and he can step out and knock down the 3-ball as well. He plays much bigger in the paint than the height that he is listed at."
Dan Lott (#10)
Six-Foot-Two
185 lbs.
senior
Guard
Cleveland,OH
Brooklyn High School
Lorain Community College
2018-19: Played in 13 games. Scored 14 points- grabbed 13 rebounds- and- dished out eight assists. Played a season high 12 minutes and grabbed four rebounds in the NCAA DII Tournament game against Virginia State.
On the importance of senior leadership this season:
"Very important. We are senior heavy this year and we're going to need each guy to show the younger guys the ropes."
On the biggest adjustment with all the new guys this season:
"It's a lot of people all over the place. We all just have to be willing to gel."
On the importance of staying healthy this season:
" We all have to pay attention to our health and be honest about it with our trainer's."
On what the team's identity is going to be this year:
" We have a different identity this year. Just finding it and playing harder than our opponents every night. We have to bring the energy and competitiveness every night."
Scarberry talked about the importance of Lott since he arrived on campus:
" Lotto has made great strides in his game since being here. I think he has really improved in his defense as well as the mental aspect of the game, and making the right pass or shot when it comes to the game. He will be a big piece to our success this year. "
Pete's Take: Lott was put in a really difficult situation last season and responded well which will help tremendously this year. Lott played 12 minutes in the NCAA tournament game against Virginia State after both Thurman and Hodges were unable to play due to injuries. Look for Lott to be a contributor off of the bench this season.
Bryce Douglas (#30)
Six-Foot-Three
180 lbs.
freshman
Clifton,Va.
Centreville High School
Hodges talked about Douglas:
" Bryce has great talent. He is a great shooter and scorer.
Pete's Take: Douglas is a solid player who is not your typical post guy. He plays solid defense and will provide some tangibles that this team needs as a group.
Randy Slink (#11)
Six-Foot-Three
190 lbs.
freshman
Guard
Swanton, OH
Swanton High School
Hodges talked about the youth factor with Slink:
" He is a young freshman, he has talent. He does have to learn a lot still."
Pete's Take: Slink will be a good addition to this team. Will not get many minutes, as he will have to pay his dues as many freshman do.
Jordan Soyers (#23)
Six-Foot
180 lbs.
freshman
Guard
Barberton, OH
Barberton High School
Hodges gave a simple description of Soyers:
" Soyers is just a hard working kid. The kind of kid that you want to go to battle with everyday."
Pete's Take: Soyers can really shoot the ball. He is a big time hustler and will see some minutes down the road. Look for him to start the year outside the rotation, but he could work his way into the group by mid season.
Brandin Tucker (#32)
Six-Foot-Four
200 lbs.
junior
Cleveland, OH
Brush High School
Pete's Take: Tucker is a good team guy. He will help this team in the long run.
Injured:
Rahmel Thompson (#13)
Six-Foot-Three
195 lbs.
junior
Guard
Queens, NY
Genesee Community College
Thompson averaged 20.2 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per contest at Genesee. He shot 69 percent at the free throw line a season ago.
Hodges talked about what Thompson will add:
"Rahmel is a killer. He is coming off a year off and the kid just puts work in."
Pete's Take: Thompson is a solid addition to this team. As evidenced by his numbers last season he can really play. Thompson was injured to start the preseason, but came back just in time to help the Falcons in the Cleveland State victory. Only to get re-injured and go back on the shelf.
DeAnthony Owens (#24)
Six-Foot-Four
190 lbs.
senior
Guard/Forward
Austin, TX
St.Stephen's Episcopal High School
Edinboro College
Ownes played in 16 games, starting 10 for Edinboro last season. He averaged 12.9 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game in 24.6 minutes per contest. He shot 34 percent from the 3-point line and 57 percent from the free throw line on the year.
Lott talked about the addition of Owens:
" I met DeAnthony this year. He is a good player for us to pick up. He is an athlete and can do a little bit of everything."
Hodges sees Owens as a big piece to say the least:
" He is the missing piece to the puzzle if you ask me."
Pete's Take: Owens is a guy who can really help this team if healthy as evidenced by his numbers at Edinboro last season. Is injured at the moment and no one really knows if/ when he will come back.
Marek Hulva (#34)
Six-Foot-Eight
230 lbs.
senior
Forward
Opava, Czech Republic
Slezske Gymnazium Opava
University Of Incarnate Word
Lewis and Clark Community College
Scarberry talked about the addition of Hulva:
"Marek was a good pickup as he gives us some good experience and big body down in the post."
Pete's Take: Hulva has struggled with injury much of his college career and that is where he is to begin this season. Will be able to help with this team's lack of height if he is able to get his health back on track.
Jacob Sala (#20)
Six-Foot-Nine
225 lbs.
redshirt freshman
Lakewood, OH
Lakewood High School
2018-19: Played in six games and made two starts. Scored eight points- and- grabbed four rebounds. He received a medical redshirt.
Hodges talked about what it will be like when they get Sala back:
"To get Sala back will be amazing. I feel like he is the big we are missing out there. If we had Sala we would be a more complete team. It's important to be able to throw a guy the ball in the post and let him go to work. Easpecially when guys are tired. We feel like Sala can destroy the league."
Pete's Take: Sala is one of the biggest keys to this season's team success. Although he has had problems staying healthy in his early career he will change so many things for this team. They will have a post-presence that they can get the ball to and the return of Sala would mean some players who are playing out of position would be able to return to their more natural positions.
Redshirts:
Jordan Roland
Five-Foot- Eleven
junior
Beecher High School
Mott Community College
Scarberry talked about Roland:
"Jordan is another athlete that can be disruptive on the defensive end and is an explosive player when it comes to the offensive end of the floor."
Thurman agreed with Scarberry, and gave his thoughts about the redshirt:
" I wish he was playing this year because he would help us out a bunch. He can shoot it and drive it. He is also lightning quick. He's going to be a special player."
Pete's Take: Roland has some skills that will definitely help this team in the long run. Will also be beneficial to him to learn from the group of underclassmen that the Falcons have on hand this year.
Mike Simpson
Six-Foot-Six
freshman
Twinsburg, OH
Twinsburg High School
Hodges gave his thoughts on Simpson:
" Mike is a freak athlete with height and a long-long-long wingspan that can disrupt teams when he is on defense."
Pete's Take: Simpson will be a great addition to this team next season. He has the size and can really play.
TJ Boykins
Five-Foot-Six
130 lbs.
freshman
Guard
Castle Rock, Col.
Douglas County High School
Lott gave his thoughts on Boykins:
" TJ is a little dude who is crafty and confident with the basketball."
Pete's Take: If the name sounds familiar it is because the son of former NBA player and current University of Arkansas assistant coach Earl Boykins. Boykins was recruited out of Colorado and is really small just like his dad. He can shoot as well.
Ryan Cartaino
Six-Foot-Two
190 lbs.
freshman
Guard
Newbury Park, Cali
Newbury Park High School
Hodges gave his thoughts on Cartaino:
" Ryan is another great shooter. He understands the game. When you understand the game it makes it easier for you.
Pete's Take: Cartaino is a good player. He is currently a red shirt but that is not a given for the rest of the season.
Front Row:Bryce Douglas- Dae-John Waker-Bey Markek Hulva Drew Scarberry Jacob Sala DeAnthony Owens Levi Frankland TJ Boykins
Back Row: Head Coach Mark Richmond Randy Slink Ryan Cartaino Bruce Hodges Larenz Thurman Jordan Soyers Jordan Burton Assistant Coach Duncan Williams
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