The plan was to ride a roster full of seniors to glory in what would have been the Stony Brook men’s basketball team’s best chance at reaching the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament since 2016.
The Seawolves entered the game looking to avenge last March’s improbable homecourt upset in the America East Tournament. They left inexplicably stunned again by a team that has been consistently ranked as one of the worst in Division I over the past decade.
Despite being surprisingly absent from his usual place in the starting lineup, junior forward Elijah Olaniyi set new career highs as the Stony Brook men’s basketball team overcame an early deficit to blow by the Brown Bears (5-4) by a final score of 79-63, improving to 7-3 having won seven of their last eight games.
Sturdivant and his fellow seniors are conscious of the fact that this is the last time they will take part in the America East Conference Tournament, with a trip to the NCAA tournament on the line.
Iroegbu banked home a three-fourths court shot at the end of the first half, and the Seawolves used that shot to coast to an 81-68 victory over the UMass Lowell River Hawks on Thursday night at the Island Federal Credit Union Arena.
Five Seawolves scored in double figures, led by senior guard Bryan Sekunda tying his career high with 21 points to lead the Seawolves to a 101-58 victory over the Bears at the Island Federal Credit Union Arena.
In order to make an impact at the college level, Ochefu understands that he must continue to grow. It will not be easy to crack Stony Brook’s starting lineup, but he is up for the challenge.
Now in his second season coaching the Seawolves, he will have the chance to develop young guards such as Cornish and McKenzie as well as continuing to establish a foundation for the culture he is forging at Stony Brook.
For Stony Brook, a mid-major conference team from the America East, scouting comes with an additional caveat: trying to recruit big name players to a small name school.
