When the buzzer sounded on that Friday night in Atlantic City, and everyone realized what had happened, there was a brief moment of shock. A shock that instantly turned into heartbreak. Immediately, thoughts swirled of failure, of a wasted season, and maybe their only shot at the promised land.
Mouhamed Sow was the hero. Or for Quinnipiac, the villain. His buzzer-beater capped off a wild final minute of Saint Peter’s 62-60 win in the MAAC Championship semi-finals. The top-seeded Bobcats were stunned with yet another trip to the Jersey Shore in March. And this looked like their best chance.
“It’s a wake-up call for us,” head coach Tom Pecora said. “We have to understand it doesn’t matter who your opponent is.”
Fortunately, after 229 days with that sour taste in its mouth, another chance has arrived. The Bobcats unofficially opened up their redemption tour on Wednesday night by defeating Division III Albertus Magnus 79-68 in a preseason exhibition game at M&T Bank Arena in Hamden.
“You don’t need to go play a D3 team and win by 40. It doesn’t make you a better team,” Pecora said. “Not that we weren’t trying to.”
A luxury that Pecora has that not many schools around the country, let alone the MAAC, have is significant player retention. In the current era of college athletics, thousands of players enter the transfer portal each season. For Quinnipiac to return four starters – a pair of graduate students in guard Savion Lewis and Paul Otieno, a senior forward Alexis Reyes, and junior forward Amarri Monroe – from last season’s historic squad.
“Paul Otieno was tremendous,” Pecora said. “Every ball that’s on the ground, he gets. He’s relentless. He was the one guy I was pleased with.”
Monroe and Otieno each finished in double figures to lead the Bobcats in scoring. Monroe only played a handful of minutes in the first half and still finished 18, while Otieno had a respectable 15.
It’s not just the returning starters. Last year’s sixth man Doug Young, another senior guard, is back to lead a strong bench attack for Pecora. Young finished with 12 points and four assists in the win. Graduate student forward Richie Springs brings his championship experience back for one last hurrah. Sophomore guard Khaden Bennett is also back with a year of college under his wing.
The most fascinating aspect of this year’s “redeem team” is the deep freshman class that Pecora and his staff brought in. A five-man group headlined by a pair of dynamic wings in Grant Randall and Braylan Ritvo. Ritvo didn’t play Wednesday due to injury, but Randall had four points and four rebounds off the bench. Guards Jaden Zimmerman and Samson Reilly and center Spence Wewe fill out the talented class, giving Quinnipiac some added depth.
“I’m trying to get them some game experience,” Pecora said of his rookies. “Jaden Zimmerman and Grant Randall are very, very talented for freshmen and they have the physical ability to play in a game like that.”
The last of the additions, and perhaps the biggest, is junior guard Ryan Mabrey. Mabrey comes to Hamden after spending two seasons at Miami (OH) and fills a void on the perimeter lost with the departure of Matt Balanc. Mabrey showcased his shooting ability against Albertus knocking down a three-pointer and finishing with five points.
The Falcons kept the game close up until the latter stages when the Bobcats pulled away for a convincing-looking 11 point victory.
“Guys were playing a little bit of ‘me-ball’,” Pecora said. “I was forced to play some guys I didn’t think were gonna get a ton of minutes. I was forced to not play some guys I was hoping to get in tonight.”
Even if it’s just an exhibition game against a DIII opponent, it marks a new beginning for the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team. A fresh chance to create history and clinch that elusive first NCAA Tournament bid the program is lacking.
The Bobcats officially kick off their season on Monday when they travel to Yale before their home opener next Thursday against WPI.
“We’re going to be playing better opponents,” Pecora said. “Starting next Monday with a really good Yale team.”
