Wagner Seahawks
Northeast Conference (22-10, 13-5)
Wagner was the most consistent team in the Northeast Conference and that is why they won the regular season title. The Seahawks ended up winning their final five regular season contests and won the NEC by two games over Fairleigh Dickinson, St. Francis Brooklyn and Sacred Heart. For a team that most expected to once again finish towards the bottom of the conference, Coach Bashir Mason made sure his team played better defense this year and it really paid off.
Big Wins: 12/6 American (55-48), 12/8 at Rider (65-64), 2/18 at Fairleigh Dickinson (94-74)
Bad Losses: 1/2 at St. Francis (65-73), 1/14 LIU Brooklyn (70-71), 1/24 Sacred Heart (58-67)
Coach: Bashir Mason
Why They Can Surprise:
Wagner has won games with their defensive toughness and their toughness on the glass. The team allows the opposition to shoot just 40.3 percent from the floor. That is a solid, all-around team effort. Michael Carey is just a 6-5 guard and he does not even start all of the time, but he is a beast on the glass, averaging a team high 9.4 rebounds per game. Carey can block a few shots too, as can fellow guard Dwaun Anderson and forward Henry Brooks. Carey is also a very effective and efficient scorer, especially when he attacks the basket. Anderson is a good slasher and helps quite a bit on the glass. For a team that often basically runs four guards around one forward, they are very good on the glass. It is not just Carey and Anderson. Forward Mike Aaman is the best rebounder in the frontcourt and Brooks and Japhet Kadji certainly play their part too.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The Wagner offense can be stagnant at times and that is when Coach Mason needs point guard JoJo Cooper and leading scorer Corey Henson to step up their game. Cooper is not much of a scorer at all, but the sophomore has done a very good job creating for his teammates. However, he is young and turnovers can be an issue. The story is the same with Henson, although he is a very good shooter and knocks down 41.5 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. Wagner does need Henson to be more aggressive at times though, especially when his shot is not falling. Without Henson’s outside shooting, the offense can quickly turn into Carey and Anderson slashing to the basket and any good defense will be able to collapse into the paint and stop them.
Probable Starters:
JoJo Cooper, Sophomore, Guard, 3.6 ppg, 2.9 apg
Romone Saunders, Sophomore, Guard, 9.5 ppg, 2.1 apg, 4.3 rpg
Corey Henson, Sophomore, Guard, 13.7 ppg, 3.0 apg
Dwaun Anderson, Senior, Guard, 9.8 ppg, 1.7 apg, 4.7 rpg
Henry Brooks, Senior, Forward, 5.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Mike Aaman, Senior, Forward, 8.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Michael Carey, Junior, Guard, 12.6 ppg, 1.5 apg, 9.4 rpg
Aaren Edmead, Sophomore, Guard, 4.9 ppg, 1.3 apg
Japhet Kadji, Sophomore, Forward, 4.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.2 (245th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.2 (16, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.6 (246, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.3 (41, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.0 (273, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.6 (227, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.6 (105, 1)
Rebound Margin: 7.5 (22, 1)
Assists Per Game: 13.3 (183, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.4 (240, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2003 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Pittsburgh
2002 NIT First Round loss to Richmond
*all team stats through 3/6
