WEST CHESTER, Pa. – West Chester University opens its 114th season on the hardwood this Saturday afternoon with a non-league tilt against Wilmington University (Del.) inside Hollinger Field House at 3 p.m. The Golden Rams will rely on young talent mixed with veteran leadership during the 2010-11 campaign.
Third-year head coach Damian Blair is excited about the potential with this year’s squad.
“Every player, 1 thru 14, has a chance to contribute this year,” Blair said. “We have a lot of guys, who enjoy playing basketball and know how to play the game the right way.”
Blair is surrounded by an abundance of underclassmen and transfers, who will be led by senior co-captains Elie Daniel and Thiel Benn. How quickly the players learn the coach’s system and mesh together as a unit will be a deciding factor for the Golden Rams this season.
The men’s basketball team will face an uphill climb this season both in PSAC play and non-conference action. The Golden Rams look to return to the PSAC playoffs after missing out last season.
The team lost a total of 11 players from last year’s squad. A majority of the 11 played significant minutes and produced valuable points. However, with the talent on the squad, coupled with the development of younger players by Blair and assistant coach Roy Blumenthal, the Rams will be a force to be reckoned with all season.
Blair is entering into his third season as West Chester’s basketball mentor. Blair led the Rams to an 18-10 mark and a trip to the PSAC quarterfinals during his first year at the helm. He followed that up with a 16-11 season a year ago. Blair’s up-tempo coaching style will look to lead West Chester back to the playoffs this season.
Daniel is coming off a year where he averaged nine points and three rebounds per contest. He possesses a very cool, calm demeanor and will be relied upon to help the younger players mature and adjust to the system that Blair runs.
Benn is a low-post force for the Golden Rams. He has been a defensive presence for Blair the past two seasons, but will see an increased role on both ends of the floor this year.
Blair will go into this season with the same intentions as the past two seasons having confidence in both his players and coaching staff. In his many years of coaching experience, Blair has been able to recruit local and Philadelphia area talent.
Along with Daniel and Benn, Blair will look to the underclassmen and transfer players to come in and contribute early. Blair will be looking to Shannon Givens, Lance McDowell, Khalif Foster, Londell Nimmons and Carl Johnson to only name a few.
Givens is a talented guard, who can push the ball up court and score for the Rams. Givens is the son of West Chester’s all-time leading scorer Kevin Givens. Givens will be looking to McDowell often. The 6-7 big man, has the ability to shoot the three, block shots and get up and down the floor.
The core of this year’s squad will predominately be true freshmen and transfers. The recruiting class this season is very strong and loaded with athletic ability and talent. Blair is extremely excited with the recruits that they were able to bring to the university.
Blair feels these newcomers can contribute immediately and develop into great players within the West Chester system.
The West Chester recruiting class consists of Troy Hockaday, Ryan Naylor and Jaleel Mack. Blair believes all of them have the potential to be instant impact players. However, in the preseason, Hockaday and Mack have shown the ability to play at this level early in their careers.
The younger players will be relied on at least in the first half of the season with all PSAC performer Kehinde Roberts out with a shoulder injury. Roberts was voted first team All-PSAC before the start of this season. Last year, Roberts appeared in all 27 games, starting 26. He averaged 12.4 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game. He is West Chester’s top returning scorer. Roberts adds explosiveness to the Golden Ram offense, which will be missed at least in the first half of the season.
The Rams will also be without 6-4 shooting guard Tim Flecken. Flecken added a 3-point presence last season, converting 11 3-point field goals. Flecken will redshirt this winter after undergoing shoulder surgery to repair a torn ligament.
The Golden Rams went 5-9 in the PSAC last year. This season, the Rams hope to change that result when they face 14 PSAC East squads in their last 14 games with minimal rest in between. Blair will have the team prepared to succeed against the tough PSAC competition.
“Everybody’s good, just because you’re coming down from a Division I school doesn’t mean you will be successful in this league,” said Blair in response to the level of play in the PSAC this season. Blair will have his team ready for the start of another exciting season when they tip off against Wilmington.
