The College of Staten Island men’s basketball team will be ushering in the 2016-17 season when they travel to Maryland tonight to participate in the Optimist Tournament at Salisbury University. Cabrini College will take on Johns Hopkins University in the evening’s first match at 5:30pm and that will be followed by CSI taking on the host Seagulls at 7:30pm.
CSI vs. SALISBURY UNIVERSITY AT-A-GLANCE
Matchup: CSI (0-0 overall, 0-0 CUNYAC) vs. Salisbury University (1-0 Overall, 0-0 CAC)
Where: Maggs Center – 1101 Camden Avenue, Salisbury, MD 21801
Tip-Off: 7:30pm
Live Stats: http://www.suseagulls.com/sports/mbkb/2016-17/boxscores/20161118_hvy5.xml
Live Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/salisbury/
All-Time Series: Series tied 2-2
Last Meeting: 1986 – Salisbury won, 89-87
Players To Watch (CSI): CUNYAC All-Star and 1,000-point scorer Frank Schettino is one of a small handful of seniors for the Dolphins who will expect to be the backbone of the back court this season. He needs just 18 assists to tie the school’s all-time assists record, so the countdown will start tonight. Senior Khaleeq Baum came to the Dolphins last year as a junior transfer and will look to build on his 8.0 points per game average and 4+ rebounds per game. Three-point sharp shooter Edin Bracic will look to steady the long ball tonight as well. Look for his to develop as a starting junior.
Players To Watch (SU): Fourteen Seagulls saw minutes in SU’s opening-season win on Tuesday, with no player seeing more than 27 minutes. Chad Barcikowski led the way with 18 points adding 10 rebounds, while Wyatt Smith chimed in with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the win. Guard Justin Witmer banked four three-pointers, finishing with 16 points. Forward Gordon Jeter led the Seagulls last year with a 13.7 points per game average. He finished with three points and five rebounds on Tuesday.
News & Notes: Tonight’s matchup between the two sides renews a rivalry that has been dormant for almost 30 years. These two teams met four times between 1982-86, but haven’t met since. CSI won the first two meetings including the only meeting ever played on Staten Island, 96-82, back in 1983. This is the third meeting at the Maggs Center, with each team winning once on Salisbury’s floor. CSI took an 83-81 win back in 1982 between the squads, while Salisbury took a 78-69 win to open up the 1983-84 campaign. Not only does CSI senior Frank Schettino need 18 assists to tie the school’s all-time record, he also needs 18 points to crack the all-time top 25 in scoring. He also currently ranks 9th all-time in steals, and will need 58 this season to tie that all-time mark as well. Look for rebounding to tell an important story in today’s game. CSI was 14-4 last season when they won the battle on the boards. The Dolphins were also 17-3 a year ago when they shot 45% or better, and they were just 1-5 when they failed to meet that threshold.
