Stony Brook 2010 NIT Tournament Preview

Stony Brook Seawolves - America East Conference (22-9, 13-3)

Seed: #8 - Illinois Bracket

Big Wins: 11/30 at Lehigh (71-52), 1/2 at Boston U (84-75), 1/21 at Vermont (65-60)

Bad Losses: 12/8 at Fordham (77-93), 12/20 at Sacred Heart (70-78), 2/28 at New Hampshire (55-77)

Coach: Steve Pikiell

Probable Stony Brook Starters:

• Bryan Dougher, Sophomore, Guard, 13.6 ppg, 1.9 apg

• Chris Martin, Junior, Guard, 10.7 ppg, 1.5 apg

• Muhammad El-Amin, Senior, Guard, 16.7 ppg, 1.9 apg

• Tommy Brenton, Sophomore, Guard, 7.8 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.7 apg

• Dallis Joyner, Sophomore, Forward, 8.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg

Key Stony Brook Roleplayers:

• Danny Carter, Sophomore, Forward, 2.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg

• Eddie Castellanos, Senior, Guard, 1.1 ppg, 1.4 apg

• Preye Preboye, Freshman, Forward, 2.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg

• Marcus Rouse, Freshman, Guard, 4.5 ppg, 1.1 apg

Why The Seawolves Can Surprise:
A year ago Stony Brook was a really young team that had a great year. That led to high expectations heading into the 2009-2010 campaign and Coach Steve Pikiell and company have not disappointed. The Seawolves are still a relatively young team, but they do not lack in experience. Stony Brook wins games with their defense and by creating extra possessions for themselves. One way they do this is by minimizing turnovers. The credit for that can go to point guard Bryan Dougher. Dougher is only a sophomore, but he has two years of starting experience under his belt and is making smart decisions. Dougher is also a great shooter and guarding the 6-1 New Jersey product is never easy.

The Seawolves also need to create some turnovers and Tommy Brenton does plenty of that. Brenton is certainly undersized for a power forward at 6-5 and 215 pounds, but he does a great job getting into the passing lanes. Brenton is also the catalyst behind the team’s other way to get extra possessions…rebounding. Despite his size, Brenton grabs 9.8 rebounds per game. Dallis Joyner, yet another sophomore, is the starter under the basket. He too is a fine rebounder and has developed into a relatively consistent scorer under the basket.

Why The Seawolves Can Disappoint:
What this team lacks is a complimentary player to superstar scorer Muhammad El-Amin. Dougher is mostly a pure shooter and when his shot is not falling, somebody else better be scoring. Junior Chris Martin is the best option. He is not much of an outside shooter, yet he does a superb job attacking the basket and at least getting to the charity stripe. When the offense is stagnant because the opposition is successfully stopping El-Amin, somebody needs to be able to create shots for themselves and Martin is usually the answer. Freshmen Marcus Rouse and Preye Preboye can play that role too, but both have been inconsistent during their opening campaign.

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Who To Watch for Stony Brook:
El-Amin is the unquestioned star of this team on so many levels. He is the team’s leading scorer, will take all the big shots and is one of only two seniors who play significant minutes. The 6-5 Lansing, Michigan product came in from the junior college ranks last year and dominated the scoring for the Seawolves. He has not stopped this year. While his outside shooting can be a little inconsistent, El-Amin can finish above the rim and will do plenty of scoring one way or another.

Stony Brook By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 69.0 (174th in nation, 3rd in conference)

Scoring Defense: 63.6 (55, 3)

Field-Goal Percentage: 43.1 (191, 2)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.4 (89, 4)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.9 (191, 6)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.5 (102, 2)

Free-Throw Percentage: 69.3 (158, 3)

Rebound Margin: 3.2 (76, 1)

Assists Per Game: 11.6 (266, 4)

Turnovers Per Game: 12.7 (84, 3)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Illinois