STONY BROOK, N.Y. — The existing members of the Stony Brook men's basketball program's 1,000-point club during the Division I era are excited to soon welcome a 10th person to their ranks.
Reigning America East Player of the Week
Elijah Olaniyi now sits 26 points shy of reaching the milestone.
Olaniyi, a junior from Newark, could tally his 1,000th career point as soon as Wednesday's game at Hartford, with Saturday's home contest against Albany the next potential date.
The nine current members of Stony Brook's 1,000-point club are Jameel Warney (2,132 points), Bryan Dougher (1,609), D.J. Munir (1,590), Carson Puriefoy (1,572), Mitchell Beauford (1,359),
Akwasi Yeboah (1,317), Dave Coley (1,228), Anthony Jackson (1,048) and Mike Popoko (1,048).
"I've known Elijah for three years now. I love that he competes every day, whether it is a game or practice," said Warney, a Seawolf from 2012-13 through 2015-16, who currently is playing in South Korea. "From watching games and being around, to working out with those guys in the summer, you can see the focus he has and the willingness to improve day by day. He's gotten better in his all-around game, which is not only beneficial for him, but also his teammates. I'm happy for him because he's a good basketball player, but a better person."
The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Olaniyi has been a key cog as Stony Brook has raced to a 3-0 America East record, which places the Seawolves alone atop the conference standings.
He earned his third America East Player of the Week honor of the season on Monday after tallying consecutive double-doubles against defending league champion Vermont as well as New Hampshire.
"We're both from Jersey. He brings that gritty kind of attitude and plays with a chip on his shoulder — something that's very common with guards where we're from," said Puriefoy, who played with the Seawolves during the same four-season span as Warney. "His growth from freshman year has definitely impressed me. He's now the undisputed leader of the team and plays like it. He's definitely fun to watch."
Said Dougher, a current assistant coach at Fairfield: "I've seen Elijah play a few times on TV. I love how he's constantly in attack mode. He seems like an extremely competitive kid who places a great value on winning. He's really improved his three-point shooting from his freshman and sophomore years. Scoring 1,000 points as a junior is an incredible accomplishment. He has that Jersey toughness that has been successful for SBU guards over the years."
