Nelson, Sweetney Named Saint Francis Men’s Basketball Team Co-Captains
LORETTO, Pa. (Aug. 27, 2007) – Saint Francis University head men’s basketball coach Bobby Jones announced on Monday that redshirt junior Cale Nelson (Newville, Pa. / Big Spring) and redshirt sophomore Devin Sweetney (Washington, D.C. / Riverdale Baptist) will serve as team co-captains for the 2007-08 season, which begins with the team’s first practice on Oct. 13th.
The Red Flash held their first team meeting of the season on Sunday night upon arrival of all students on campus. Saint Francis University began classes on Monday morning.
“I am very happy with the leadership that we have on this team,” said Jones, who is entering his ninth season in Loretto. “But Cale Nelson and Devin Sweetney have worked extremely hard, and are ready to step into this new role. We are very fortunate as a team to have this kind of leadership for the next two to three years.”
Nelson and Sweetney emerged as team leaders during the 2006-07 campaign, helping Saint Francis double its win total from the previous season.
Nelson started the first five games of the season, and then the last five games, helping the Red Flash to a 6-4 record in those contests. After taking a redshirt year in 2005-06, he came back to average 8.7 ppg, 3.6 apg and 2.1 rpg. His .863 free throw percentage ranked third in the Northeast Conference, while his 3.6 apg were 11th in the league.
“I am very proud of Cale for the way that he has conducted himself since the day he stepped on campus,” Jones said. “He is a walk-on player who has earned everything that he has gotten here. The other players on the team look up to him as a player and as a teammate. He will do very well in this role.”
Sweetney earned a spot on the NEC All-Rookie Team in 2006-07 after leading Saint Francis in scoring (13.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg). He was 18th in the league in scoring, third in rebounding, and sixth in free throw percentage (.834). He also led the team with 31 steals, and added 60 assists and 8 blocks. Among returnees in the league, Sweetney is second in rebounding heading into the 2007-08 season.
“Devin handled his redshirt and freshman seasons in a very professional manner,” Jones said. “He has been a team leader since the first day he arrived on campus, and this is a natural role for him. We look forward to watching the progress he will make over the next three seasons.”
The Red Flash will play host to Juniata (Oct. 31) and Penn State-Altoona (Nov. 3) in a pair of exhibition games before they open their season with a 7 p.m. tip on Nov. 10 against American, at DeGol Arena.
Saint Francis won four of its last five games, including the last three, to wrap up the 2006-07 season. Jones returns 12 letterwinners and all five starters in 2007-08.
“Our players reported back to campus in very good shape this week,” Jones said. “They have obviously followed our workout routine for the summer, and they are ready to begin preseason workouts.”