RED FLASH MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM LOOKING TO CARRY MOMENTUM INTO 2007-08
LORETTO, Pa. (Oct. 29, 2007) - Saint Francis University head men’s basketball coach Bobby Jones stressed during Monday’s Media Day Tipoff Luncheon that his team worked hard to improve their conditioning during the summer and that has led to one of the better preseason practice sessions during his nine-year tenure in Loretto.
The Red Flash will provide a glimpse into the 2007-08 season when they play host to Juniata College in an exhibition game at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night at DeGol Arena. General admission tickets to get into the game are $3 each. The game can also be heard live on The EDGE 1400 AM, and a link to listen online will be available at www.goRedFlash.com .
Saint Francis returns 12 lettermen and five starters to a team that finished the 2006-07 season by winning four of its last five games, including the last three. Redshirt sophomore Devin Sweetney (Washington, D.C. / Riverdale Baptist) and redshirt junior Cale Nelson (Newville, Pa. / Big Spring) have been named team captains, and will provide leadership to the returning cast plus newcomer Sorena Orandi (Vastra Frolunda, Gothenburg, Sweden / Solebury Prep), a freshman point guard.
"We have had one of our better preseasons," said Jones, who is the second-longest tenured men’s basketball coach in school history. "Our staff did a great job over the summer of keeping in contact with our players. This is the first time that we have had every player return to campus in great shape. They all did very well on our conditioning test, and that is an indication of how hard they were working. Credit goes out to my staff for that."
Saint Francis will play two exhibition games before tipping off the regular season at 7 p.m on Nov. 10 against American, at DeGol Arena. The Red Flash will begin the season with four games in eight days, including three home contests. They will travel to Penn State for a 7 p.m. game on Nov. 12 before returning home to play Morgan State (Nov. 14) and Lehigh (Nov. 17).
The game against the Mountain Hawks will be preceded by Saint Francis University’s induction ceremony for its Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2007. Tickets to the event are available by calling Margie McHenry at 814-472-3286.
The first four games will give Jones and his staff an indication of what to expect in 2007-08.
"It’s very important to get off to a good start, especially with how we finished last season," Jones said. " We have focused a lot of our time and energy on the defensive end of the game. At this level, you win on the defensive end. With so many games at home to start the season, some big wins will hopefully springboard us into having a good season."
The players are also looking forward to carrying the momentum of a three-game win streak into Nov. 10’s clash with American.
"We’ve got to start on a positive note like we ended with last season," said junior forward Chris Berry (Seagoville, Texas / Seagoville). "We all kept in touch over the summer and helped to keep each other focused on the task ahead. Practice has been really good so far. We just can’t wait to get on the floor to play someone else."
Red Flash fans will have their chance to see the team against other competition for the first time Wednesday night.