BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Villa Maria College Men's Basketball team returns to the hardwood ready to reestablish the dominance it displayed the season before last as national runner-up in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).
Men's Head Basketball Coach
Ricky Yahn enters his inaugural campaign at the helm with several key returning and incoming players on this year's roster as the team competes in the North American Conference for Intercollegiate Athletics (NACIA).
"We are excited about the challenge of restoring the program back to one of the top programs in the USCAA. If we commit to the defensive end of the floor, we have the ability to frustrate a lot of teams," Yahn said.
"Our success will depend on how quickly we all come together. We have a new coaching staff, a new style of play, and several new contributors. We obviously want to win games and earn the opportunity to play in the postseason, but we are focused on the daily habits of laying the foundation for a successful program. We have some key guys who are returning from injuries, so our team identity will probably change a little bit throughout the season. When we are fully healthy, I really like our size and athleticism."
Key returning players include
Jaylin Gadley,
Aiden Banks,
Greg Sanders,
Ruben Noris,
Tyeon Sanford,
Maurice Woods, and
Spencer Utomi.
The latter three saw reduced action last season due to injury, but Coach Yahn is excited to see those players get back to full health, adding, "Tyeon (Sanford) will give us some good depth at the guard positions. Maurice (Woods) really opens up options for us on both ends of the floor, and Spencer (Utomi) has impressive strength and physicality at the guard position."
Of the remaining key returnees, Yahn added, "Jaylin (Gadley) has a great combination of size, athleticism, and skill, and is one of our most complete two-way players who I expect to have a breakout season. Aiden (Banks) is one of the most experienced players on the team. With our style of play, his ability to make shots at his size is extremely valuable. Greg (Sanders) is a very versatile guard that can fill a lot of roles for us, and Ruben (Noris) has the tools to be a very good shooter for us."
The key incoming players include
Nathaniel Parker,
Keiyan Clarke,
Zack Phillips,
Emil Hernandez,
Ny'zere Mills, and
Jamai Jackson.
"Nate (Parker) does a great job of breaking down the defense and reading when to score and when to pass. Keiyan (Clarke) has a steady presence who is capable of some big scoring nights. Zack (Phillips) is one of our most complete all-around scoring threats. Emil (Hernandez) is a really versatile player who really fits our style of play. Ny'zere (Mills) has some toughness and physicality, and will be an important piece for us on both sides of the ball. Jamai (Jackson) has a huge upside when he's fully healthy."
The Men's Basketball season gets underway this weekend at Niagara College with a 4 p.m. tipoff on Saturday, Oct. 10.
