Thursday, November 15, 2007 
Mercy College Men's Basketball Begins New Era in 2007-08
The 2007-08 campaign will mark the beginning of a new era for the Mercy College men's basketball program as Tony Staffiere takes over for his first year as head coach. After spending the previous season as an assistant with the women's squad helping to turn that program around, Staffiere will be looking for similar results with the men.
The Mavericks will try to improve on a 5-22 overall record and a 4-16 mark in East Coast Conference (ECC) play last year. Knowing that he has five seniors returning, including four regular senior starters, Staffiere believes this year's squad can not only reach that goal, but exceed it.
"We're focusing on the little things and look to make progress every day," said Staffiere. "I'm not going to quantify how many wins I expect. I don't want to limit us. We're shooting to get into a position to contend for a conference playoff spot. That's an attainable goal, to play in March, and a three-game win streak is all you need from there."
To get back to the conference tournament, the Mavericks will look to overcome a lack of overall team size by being consistent on both ends of the court and take advantage of their strengths.
"I think we're one of the more athletic teams in the league," said Staffiere. "We're quick, cut well, can advance the basketball, and have a couple of guys that can jump and rebound very well. We also have two or three guys that can stretch defenses with the three-pointer."
That athleticism begins with guards Chanze Wellington and Victor
Sidberry, who will handle the ball again and can knock it down from
long range. Senior guard Paul Flowers was among the nation's
best in steals (2.6 spg) last year and sophomore Vince Jordan is
arguably one of the most athletic players in the conference, while
junior Michael Marin is an intelligent player that is versatile
enough to contribute at several positions. The Mavericks' lone
returning big man is 6-foot-7 senior Keiron Guy who possesses great
hands and will be looked to for a presence in the paint and on the
glass. Sophomore Julio Torres also returns as another versatile
player at the two or the three spot.
Staffiere will have three newcomers this year, all of which will play a role in determining the success of the program. Headlining the group is freshman Jimmy Gunville, who once drained 12 three-pointers in a single game at Bridgewater-Raynham High School. He can stretch a defense beyond 20 feet and will be a threat to disturb any zone. Freshman Ed Wilson is a lightning quick guard who can go by defenders and freshman Orlando Daniel is another athletic guard that defends well and can handle the ball at the point.
"We're not real big, so if we get some gaps we can take advantage of it," said Staffiere. "We're going to be concise on offense and our perimeter players can shoot with anyone. I think that we'll surprise some teams."
Staffiere wasted no time showing that he has his sights set on building the program for a strong future as he put together a non-conference schedule that looks as though the Mavericks are an associate member of the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10). Six regular season tilts will be played at NE-10 foes, along with one from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) and their 20-game ECC slate.
"It's a very strong schedule, with some of the best programs in the northeast," said Staffiere. "The ECC has been on the upswing and our non-conference schedule will also be a challenge."
The regular season will tip-off at the DoubleTree Doc Jacobs Classic on November 16 and 17, where the Mavericks will take on host Saint Michael's and Franklin Pierce. Mercy will then face Nyack College on November 20, before opening ECC play at Queens College on November 28, followed by four more league tilts against New Haven, Dowling, Concordia, and NYIT.
The Mavericks will resume non-conference action and close out the calendar year with contests at Stonehill on December 20, LeMoyne on December 22, St. Anselm's on December 28, and Southern New Hampshire on December 30. Mercy will then play a stretch of 15 ECC opponents, beginning with a home game versus Adelphi on January 5, and will close the regular season on March 1, at Bridgeport.
"We're excited to play against the upper echelon of Division II basketball," said Staffiere. "The young talent in the ECC is going to keep this conference rolling. With the direction our program is headed in, the league will continue to get stronger."
