Luke Scoville
Sports Editor
lscoville@oswegonian.com
It has been just over nine months since Oswego State Lakers men’s basketball last took the floor, and the reigning SUNYAC champions are set to get things going once again.
The Lakers are officially in the post-Brian Sortino era, who goes down as one of the greatest Oswego State basketball players of all time. Familiar faces return from last year’s championship roster and will begin their quest to fill the big shoes left from last year’s senior class.
“This year’s senior class has watched from their freshman year until now and have watched the way strong captains have operated in this program,” head coach Jason Leone said. “They’re excited for it to be their turn now, and they’ve done a great job preparing our guys when I can’t be around in the fall.”
Seniors and returning starters Ian Schupp and Jamir Ferebee will be vital leaders for the Lakers all season. Last season, the two stars were second and third on the team in scoring, with Ferebee at 12.5 points a game and Schupp at 12.3 points per game.
Schupp was named to last year’s SUNYAC Championships All-Tournament Team, where he scored 22 points in the championship game against his former team, SUNY Oneonta, in an 83-80 victory.
“We’re looking forward to it, Jamir and I,” Schupp said on being primary scorers. “We were impacts in the playoffs last year and down the stretch at the end of the year. [Sortino] was a big part of the success that Oswego has had, but I think we have a lot of good returning guys, and we brought in a lot of new comers that can bring us back to where we were.”
Last year, as Schupp and Ferebee grew in the offense, they were placed in the starting lineup at a three-guard set with Sortino. The system worked well for them and can potentially continue similarly with the addition of junior-transfer Romero Collier.
Collier was named Central New York’s “Mr.Basketball” during his senior year at Henniger High School in 2015. Originally, he enrolled at Div. I Niagara University as a freshman, but he left the team halfway through the season due to academic issues, according to syracuse.com.
After playing his sophomore season for NJCAA SUNY Sullivan, Collier has returned to Central New York to join Leone and the Lakers.
“I like the school; I like the team. When I came here on a visit, I just knew this was the right team for me,” Collier said. “[Oswego State’s success] was definitely a big influence of why I came. I’m a winner, so I like to win. They’ve been winning the past few years, and I’ve been familiar with Leone since I am from Syracuse.”
Collier put up true point guard numbers last season at SUNY Sullivan, averaging 14.9 points and 7.9 assists per game. His great talent will still go through the adjustment process in Leone’s system against Div. III opponents.
NJCAA basketball is seen as highly talented, but Leone compares it to a different game in regards to how teams in Div. III scout, prepare and play as a unit. On top of Collier not seeing the floor much at his time at Niagara University, Leone considers this season his “first time playing college basketball.”
“So, in [Collier]’s defense, I do not want him to be held at too high of a standard,” Leone said. “He’s still learning how he’s supposed to play in our system, so, in a lot of ways, he’s still a freshman. We’re excited we have him here. He’s an awesome person, and you can tell he has instant credibility with the players on the court.”
Expected to be starting down low in the frontcourt for the Lakers are juniors Josh Ivey and Tyler Pierre. Both transferred here last year and saw a substantial amount of minutes off the bench.
Pierre bloomed as the season went on behind last year’s starting center, Mykelle Krecko. His rebounding ability in the SUNYAC Championships also earned him a spot on the All-Tournament Team with 17 rebounds in the championship win against SUNY Oneonta.
Prepared to take an increased role as a leader down low, Pierre also added some weapons to his game on the offensive end.
“This year, you’re going to see a lot of me behind the arc shooting threes,” Pierre said. “Hopefully I’m making them, and my free-throw percentage has definitely gone up a lot.”
Last season, Pierre only missed one 3-point attempt and had a 63 percent free-throw percentage.
“We’re going to be able to play [Pierre] more if he continues to play the way he’s played in practice [because] he doesn’t foul as much,” Leone said. “He’s just a more disciplined player, and he’s become more comfortable being verbal with our guys. Tyler is going to make a big jump this year for us.”
Outside of the projected starting lineup, there will be a lot to learn, especially with six first-year players.
Sophomore guard Brandan Gartland appeared in 24 games last year and made starts in seven of them. His role and play is also expected to take a leap as a guy off the bench.
“I think the biggest growth has been in his confidence,” Leone said on Gartland’s presence. “He knows the system. He knows what to expect year two compared to year one.”
Oswego State officially starts their season in the Elmira Tip Off Tournament, where they face Hamilton College for the second season in a row. Last season, Hamilton College defeated the Lakers 78-70 in their home tournament on Nov. 27.
“This is [Hamilton College’s] most veteran team and most gifted team they’ve had in the last five or six years,” Leone said. “We’ve had some success. I’m sure this will be a game that they have circled, and we have it circled on our schedule as well.”
Oswego State and Hamilton College will tip off at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Elmira College. The winner of that game will take on the winner of Elmira and Keystone College on Sunday afternoon.
“We do play a very challenging schedule, and I don’t know what the results will look like,” Leone said. “Not because I think they will be bad, but I’m uncertain this year compared to the maybe last three with how things are going to look in the beginning. That’s why I am looking forward to the games starting this Saturday.”
Photo by: Katherine Zenteno | The Oswegonian
