STONY BROOK, N.Y. -- The Stony Brook men's basketba program opens the 2016-17 season hosting the Columbia Lions. Both teams welcome new head coaches and are coming off of historic post season appearances.
NOTEWORTHY
- Stony Brook embarks on its 57th season of men's basketball, 18th at the Division I level. It marks the start of a new era with first-time head coach Jeff Boals at the helm.
- The Seawolves have come out on top in their last four season openers and are 9-8 in season openers since moving up to Division I.
- Stony Brook will unveil its banners prior to the Columbia game, honoring the historical 2015-16 season that concluded with the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament as a Division I team, after winning the America East Tournament for the first time and earning its fourth regular season conference title.
- The 26 victories in 2015-16 marked a Division I era, program best, making it five straight seasons with 20-plus wins.
- In their two seasons playing in Island Federal Credit Union Arena, the Seawolves boast a 28-3 record at home. They have yet to lose a non-conference game in the arena.
- The Seawolves welcome five newcomers in 2016-17, as well as two redshirt freshmen that did not see the floor last season.
- Senior Lucas Woodhouse is the top returner for the Seawolves after logging 812 minutes of game time and scoring 208 points in his debut season at Stony Brook.
THE OPPONENT
Columbia finished the 2015-16 season with a 25-10 record, 10-4 in the Ivy League, and a CollegeInsider.com championship. It marked the first time the Lions had won a post-season title as they knocked off UC Irvine, 73-67, in the final. Luke Petrasek is the top returner for Columbia after starting 28 of the 35 games a season ago. Petrasek averaged 10.2 points per game and blocked 41 shots on the year, more than double any other teammate. His 159 rebounds were good for second on the squad, behind only Jeff Coby (163). Coby played in all 35 games and made seven starts while averaging 5.7 points on the season.
THE SERIES
The Seawolves are 11-5 all-time against Columbia after first meeting on Dec. 8, 1999. Stony Brook earned a 63-50 win at home to begin the series. The Seawolves have claimed the last three match-ups, including a 69-60 victory last season. They boast a 5-3 record at home in the series, as well as a 22-16 record against Ivy League opponents.
SEASON OPENERS
Stony Brook is 9-8 in home openers since moving up to Division I and has started the season with a victory in each of the last four years.
AT THE ISLAND
The Seawolves are 28-3 through two seasons at Island Federal Credit Union Arena. They have yet to drop a non-conference game in the new building.
A NEW ERA
The Columbia game marks the start of a new era for Stony Brook men's basketball as first-time head coach Jeff Boals was named to the position in April 2016 after spending the last seven seasons as an assistant at Ohio State. Boals and his staff will direct a team with five newcomers and a pair of redshirt freshmen. Alonzo Campbell and Akwasi Yeboah, who both sat out last season, will join freshmen Michael Almonacy and Andrew Garcia in making their collegiate debuts. Stony Brook has also added three junior college transfers in juniors UC Iroegbu and Junior Saintel, and sophomore Blair Mendy.
RAISING THE BANNER
Prior to the Columbia game the Seawolves will raise the banners that honor the 2015-16 season that saw the first Division I NCAA Tournament appearance in program history that came after the team won its first America East Conference Tournament. Stony Brook positioned itself for a successful conference tournament run after claiming its fourth America East regular season title.
FAMILIAR FACES
Stony Brook returns a number of familiar faces in 2016-17, including assistant coach Lamar Chapman, who enters his ninth season with the Seawolves. Just two starters return from last season as Lucas Woodhouse enters his final season and junior Bryan Sekunda is back from a late-season injury. Jakub Petras, Roland Nyama, Kameron Mitchell and Tyrell Sturdivant round out the returnees for the Seawolves and all saw time in at least 21 games last season.
