Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Dec. 19, 2002

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook and Hofstra rumble for Long Island bragging rights when the two square off at 1 p.m. at the Indoor Sports Complex. The Seawolves aim to get back on the winning track after having its three-game win streak snapped at the hands of Boston College last Sunday.

MEDIA: Radio- WLIE 540-AM, WUSB 90.1 FM; Internet - www.islandtalk540.com, www.goseawolves.org

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Hofstra holds a 14-1 edge in the series and has won the last eight meetings. Stony Brook's only win came in 1985, an 86-75 win at Hofstra.

VERSUS HOFSTRA - AT DIVISION I: A look at the three results between the two teams since SB joined the Division I ranks: 10/27/99 at Hofstra 68, Stony Brook 53 10/25/00 Hofstra 72, at Stony Brook 60 12/8/01 at Hofstra 76, Stony Brook 67

VERSUS THE CAA: Stony Brook is 0-1 versus CAA teams - the loss came last year against Hofstra.

LAST TIME OUT: Stony Brook trailed Boston College 32-31 at the half but Craig Smith's 28 points and 11 rebounds powered the Eagles to a 79-61 win. Jairus McCollum led the way for Stony Brook, recording his second double-double of the year with a 20-point, 12-rebound effort. JonPaul Kobryn chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds.

SCOUTING HOFSTRA: The Pride is coming off a 84-59 loss to St. John's at Madison Square Garden last weekend. Kenny Adeleke is the Pride's main man averaging a team-best 15 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Woody Souffrant has handled the bulk of the point guard duties, averaging 13.5 points and over five assists per game.

THE VIEW FROM THE TOP: For the first time since joining the America East, the Stony Brook men's basketball team entered the week tied for first place in the standings along with Binghamton.

WELCOME BACK: Stony Brook will welcome back D.J. Munir to the starting lineup today. The All-Conference guard returns after sitting out the first semester due to academic reasons. The third-team All-Met selection averaged 17.2 points per game last year.

MORE NEW FACES: Stony Brook will also see Cori Spencer and Tyrone Stallings don the Seawolves white for the first time today. Spencer and Stallings transferred to Stony Brook from Fordham last spring and sat out the first semester due to NCAA transfer rules.

SEEING DOUBLE: Junior Jairus McCollum registered his second double-double of the season on Sunday against Boston College. His superb 20-point, 12-rebound effort led the Seawolves in both categories. McCollum notched 21 points and 14 rebounds against Sacred Heart. McCollum is tied for third in the league in rebounding (7.3 rpg.) and ranks first in offensive rebounds per game (4.0).

IT'A A BA THING: Former prep school teammates D.J. Munir and Cori Spencer are reunited on the court today. Both played for Bridgton Academy during the 1999-00 season and helped their team to the New England Prep School Athletic Conference semifinals.

THE RENAISSANCE MAN: Rookie Bobby Santiago has been doing it all so far in 2002. The freshman out of All Hallows HS in the Bronx leads the team in scoring (13.9 ppg), assists (32) and steals (10). He ranks third on the team in field goal percentage. In just four weeks, Santiago has twice earned America East Rookie of the Week honors.

RECORD PACE: Santiago is on pace to score 389 points this season which would be the most for any incoming freshman since Stony Brook joined the Division I level. The record most points scored by a freshman in a single season is 622, set by Emeka Smith during the 1989-90 season.

TURN THE BEAT AROUND: Stony Brook has made dramatic improvements from one year ago. Through seven games, Stony Brook sports a 4-3 record compared to a 1-6 mark a year ago. The most dramatic improvement has occured in the area of shooting. After seven game the Seawolves rank third in the America East in field goal shooting at 45 percent and first in three-point field goal percentage with a 40 percent mark. Last year, the Seawolves shot only 41.1 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from three.

FROM WAY DOWNTOWN: Stony Brook's improvement from long distance an be attributed to the addition of freshman Bobby Santiago and Hendrik Feist. Santiago is shooting a solid 42.9 percent from beyond the arc and Feist has been downright deadly, connecting on 61.1 percent (11-18) of his three point attempts.

ON THE GLASS: Stony Brook is outrebounding opponents 35.9-33.1 this season.

HOME FACTS: Stony Brook has won three of four at home this season. The Seawolves have won two straight at the Sports Complex. SB won three games at home all of last year.

JPK: Center JonPaul Kobryn is averaging 10.2 points and seven rebounds per game in his last four outings.

TOEING THE LINE: Stony Brook has made it a point of getting to the free throw line this season. After seven games, the team has converted more free throws (88) than its opponents have taken (79). The Seawolves have gone to the line 141 times in seven games, an average of over 20 trips per game.

AT THE QUARTER POLE: With seven games in the book, the Seawolves have completed one quarter of the regular season with a 4-3 record. Last year, the squad was 1-6 after seven games. In coach Macarchuk's four years at the helm, the team has put up the best numbers it ever has in several categories seven games into the season. SB is shooting 45 percent from the field, over 40 percent from three-point land and are outrebounding its opponents by over 20 over the seven-game stretch - all seven game bests under Macarchuk.

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP: Stony Brook earned its fourth win of the season against Army. Last year, the Seawolves did not notch their fourth win of the year until a 57-53 win over Maine on February 10.

CONFERENCE RANKINGS: A look at where the Seawolves stack up in the America East: Scoring Defense - 2nd (61.9 ppg.) Scoring Margin - 2nd Rebounding Margin - 3rd - +2.6 3-point FG% - 1st - .400

DEFENSE AND REBOUNDING: The team emphasized improvement in team defense and rebounding in the preseason. Through seven games, Stony Brook is allowing 61.9 points per game, second best in the America East and is third in the league in rebouding margin, outrebounding its opponents by almost three per game. Last year, SB was outrebounded by over five per game.

THE X-FACTOR: Junior forward Jairus McCollum has emerged as the X-factor for the Seawolves during his two plus years at the Brook. During that time, he has scored in double figures on 21 occasions and the Seawolves have gone 15-6 in those games.

A ROAD WARRIOR: Stony Brook's JonPaul Kobryn has proven he feels quite comfortable on the road. In his last 10 road games dating back to last season, the sophomore has scored in double figures eight times, averaging 12.9 points per game. In his only road game of the season, JPK scored 18 points and pulled down six rebounds against St. John's.

EARLY SIGNINGS Mike Popoko (Baltimore, Md./The McDonogh School) and Gordon Hurley (East Brunswick, N.J./East Brunswick have signed National Letters to play basketball for Stony Brook next season.