Potsdam 2016-17 ICE ARENA SWIMMING POOL JERRY WELSH GYM ATHLETIC FACILITIES The SUNY Potsdam athletic facilities are centered around and within Maxcy Hall. The multi- million dollar facility was built in 1971 and has undergone several major revisions since then. It is considered one of the finest sports complexes in the country. At the heart of Maxcy is the Bears' 1,100-seat ice arena, as well as the Jerry Welsh Gymnasium, which seats 3,600 people. Maxcy also houses a natatorium with an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a 33,000 square foot fieldhouse. On the building’s third floor is the 8,000 square foot Shane T. Shaul Fitness Center, which was completely remodeled in the Fall of 2009. Fifty acres of athletic fields surround Maxcy, including the recently-replaced, all-weather artificial field. The turf field serves as the home for Bears soccer and lacrosse events. A women's softball field was also recently added, while the tennis courts have been completely remodeled to include lights and a new court surface. TURF FIELD TENNIS COURTS SOFTBALL FIELD 2 01 6 -1 7 M EN ’ S B ASKET B ALL 1 ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT CONTACTS Athletic Director: Jim Zalacca…………………………[email protected]…315-267-2314 Maxcy Hall Facilties Manager: Dustin Smith…[email protected]…315-267-2305 Assistant Athletic Director: Bill Mitchell………….....………[email protected]…315-267-2307 Head Athletic Trainer: Jonathan Hewitt.............................................hewittjl@potsdam.edu... 315-267-3004 Department Secretary: Jen Sullivan……………....................................................................…315-267-3484 Department Fax…………...………………………….....……….…….....………..……..................315-267-2316 Sports Information Director: Dan Bronson....................................bronsodh@potsdam.edu....315-267-2315 Assistant Sports Information Director: Nicole Yost...........................yostnm@potsdam.edu....315-267-3476 Sports Website: potsdambears.com MEN’S BASKETBALL CONTACTS 2016-17 MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Head Coach………....................….........Jim Bechtel Date Opponent Time [email protected] Nov. 15 ST. LAWRENCE 7 p.m. Office Phone.......................................315-267-2308 North Country Invitational at Clarkson University Assistant Coach ...............................Ethan Nardone Nov. 18 vs. Gordon TBA Strength & Conditioning ......................Tanya Hewitt Nov. 19 vs. St. Joseph’s TBA Academic Coordinators...................Dr. David Smith and Dr. James Terhune Dec. 2 at Fredonia* 5:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at Buffalo State* 2 p.m. MEDIA GUIDE CREDITS Dec. 6 CLARKSON 8 p.m. Dec. 9 BROCKPORT* 5:30 p.m. The men’s basketball media guide is produced by Dec. 10 GENESEO* 2 p.m. SUNY Potsdam Sports Information. Designed by Lycoming Crosstown Challenge in Willamsport, Pa. Sarah Glagolev. Dec. 17 vs. Nazareth 4 p.m. Dec. 18 vs. Lycoming 1 p.m. SUNY POTSDAM FACTS Jan. 6 BUFFALO STATE* 5:30 p.m. Location........................................Potsdam, New York Jan. 7 FREDONIA* 2 p.m. President...........................................Kristin Esterberg Jan. 13 CORTLAND* 5:30 p.m. Enrollment...........................................................3,988 Jan. 14 OSWEGO STATE* 2 p.m. Conference....................................................SUNYAC Jan. 20 at Geneseo* 5:30 p.m. Founded................................................................1816 Jan. 21 at Brockport* 2 p.m. Nickname............................................................Bears Jan. 24 at Plattsburgh* 5:30 p.m. Jan. 27 NEW PALTZ* 5:30 p.m. Colors...............................................Maroon and Gray Jan. 28 ONEONTA* 2 p.m. TABLE OF CONTENTS Feb. 3 at Oswego* 5:30 p.m. Feb. 4 at Cortland* 2 p.m. Coaches..............................................................2 Feb. 7 at Canton* 7 p.m. Feb. 10 PLATTSBURGH* 5:30 p.m. Roster/Team Picture............................................3 Feb. 17 at Oneonta* 5:30 p.m. Season Preview...................................................4 Feb. 18 at New Paltz* 2 p.m. Player Profiles.............................................5 - 10 SUNYAC Tournament Feb. 21 SUNYAC Quarterfinal TBA 2015-16 Season Review...................................11 Feb. 24 SUNYAC Semifinal TBA Men’s Basketball Archives.........................12 - 14 Feb. 25 SUNYAC Championship TBA Academic Coordinators.....................................15 Home Games in CAPITALS SUNYAC History................................................16 SUNYAC Contest * 2 2016-17 C OACHIN G S TA ff Head Coach JIM BECHTEL Jim Bechtel enters his first season as SUNY Potsdam’s head men’s basketball coach. He is the 10th head coach in program history. Bechtel comes to SUNY Potsdam after building a strong program at SUNY Canton. He has NCAA Division I, II and III experience. “Jim’s proven success and experience as a head coach clearly separated him from an otherwise extremely strong pool of candidates,” said Zalacca. “He has demonstrated an ability to establish strong relationships not only with his athletes, both current and former, but also with the campus at large. His knowledge of the game is outstanding. His passion for teaching the game and recruiting high caliber student-athletes is unparalleled and his energy and work ethic are infectious. We’re thrilled to have Jim join our team and look forward to him beginning his work with our program. “ Bechtel spent the last four seasons coaching the Kangaroos, overseeing the program’s transition into the Division III ranks. Canton posted a 54-36 record for a .600 winning percentage under his leadership. Bechtel’s Roos broke out this sea- son with a 20-4 mark, the most by a Canton team in 30 years. “I’m very honored and humbled to be chosen as the next head men’s basketball coach at SUNY Potsdam,” Bechtel said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead such a storied program and compete in the SUNYAC conference. I look forward to building a program that the Potsdam community is proud of.” Before joining the Kangaroos, Bechtel spent two seasons across town as the assistant coach and strength and conditioning coordinator for St. Lawrence University. With his tutelage, the Saints defense thrived, finishing 2011- 12 in the top five for all defensive categories in the Liberty League. Bechtel began his basketball coaching career as the graduate assistant for Division I Coastal Carolina in 2004-05. He spent the next three seasons as an assistant coach and assistant director of summer camps at Susquehanna University. There he helped the Crusaders capture the 2008 Landmark Conference regular season championship. His last stop before the North Country was a two-year stint as the assistant coach for Division II Shepherd Universi- ty from 2008-10. Bechtel also served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach and an academic counselor at his alma mater Penn State from 2000-2002. With the Nittany Lions he was responsible for monitoring the aca- demic progress of the football and men’s basketball teams throughout the year. During his 16-year collegiate coaching career, Bechtel has recruited and coached nine All-Americans, multiple all-conference selections as well as a conference player of the year and rookie of the year. Bechtel earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Penn State in 2000 and a master’s in advanced level coaching from Springfield College in 2006. Assistant Coach ETHAN NARDONE Ethan Nardone enters his first season with the Bears men’s basketball staff. Nardone served in the same roll under Bechtel for the previous two seasons at SUNY Canton. During his tenure with the Kangaroos, the team compiled a 36-10 record, produced four USCAA DI All-Americans and multiple D3 Hoops Team of the Week honors. For a three-week stretch during the 2015-16 campaign, the Roos sported the best field goal and points-per-game scoring defense in the country for NCAA Di- vision III. Canton won 20 games last season, the most for the program in nearly 30 years. During the season, the Roos defeated teams from several high profile DIII conferences including the NESCAC, Liberty League, SUNYAC and Empire 8 among them. With Bechtel, Nardone played an integral role in all aspects of pro- gram building including student-athlete recruitment, practice and game planning as well as player development. Before arriving at Canton, Nardone was a skill development trainer and head coach at the high school and AAU level in the New York City area. Nardone is a native of Forest Hills, N.Y. He graduated from Stony Brook University in 2011 with a bachelor’s in History. He resides in Potsdam. 2016-17 ROSTER/TEAM PERSONNEL 3 2016-17 Men’s Basketball Team (L-R) Back Row: Jim Bechtel (Head Coach), Josh Blagrove, Kristoff Saunders, Al Berete, Serigne Kane, Tyrone Adeyeye, Nosa Onabor. Front Row: Josh Tocays (Student Asst.), Aaron Armstrong, Danny Delsol-Lowry, Dante Langley, Kevin Baksh, Matt Piercey, Andrew Hoag, Tanner Stone, Jayquan Thomas, Keagen Briggs, Ethan Nardone (Asst. Coach) No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown/High School 0 Kristoff Saunders C 6-7 Fr. Queens, N.Y./Queens H.S. of Teaching 1 Jayquan Thomas G 6-2 Fr. Hollis, N.Y./Richmond Hill 2 Matt Piercey G 5-10 Jr. Ogdensburg, N.Y./Ogdensburg Free Academy 3 Andrew Hoag G 5-10 So. Hoosick Falls, N.Y./Hoosick Falls 5 Kevin Baksh (C) G 5-7 Jr. Queens, N.Y./Richmond Hill 10 Tyrone Adeyeye F/G 6-4 So. Brooklyn, N.Y./Benjamin Banneker 11 Tanner Stone G 5-11 So. Schroon Lake, N.Y./Schroon Lake 12 Danny Delsol-Lowry G 6-1 Fr. Queens, N.Y./Queens H.S. of Teaching 21 Aaron Armstrong G 6-2 Fr. Lisbon, N.Y./Madrid-Waddington 23 Dante Langley F/G 6-4 So. Schuylerville, N.Y./Schuylerville 30 Josh Blagrove (C) F 6-6 Jr. Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Ford 33 Serigne Kane F 6-7 So. Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooklyn Prep 35 Nosa Onabor G 6-4 So. Brooklyn, N.Y./Northside Charter 44 Al Berete C 6-9 Jr. Queens, N.Y./Clara Muhammed Head Coach: Jim Bechtel Assistant Coach: Ethan Nardone Student Assistant: Josh Tocays Athletic Trainer: Alex Berking Academic Coordinators: Dr. David Smith and Dr. James Terhune 4 2016-17 SEASON PREVIEW The SUNY Potsdam men’s basketball team begins this season under newly appointed head coach Jim Bechtel.