Philadelphia, Pa. - (11/9/2018) – "I am very excited to see how far our effort and chemistry can take us," gleamed an assured Coach Balcer. "We have a lot of big personalities who care about the success of this team above anything else. The past couple years we have been working to build a winning culture and now we have the pieces to complete that process." Chestnut Hill College's 2018-2019 roster – Coach Balcer's 16^th reiteration - features an interesting combination of experience and youth as six seniors and six freshmen sandwich a sophomore and a junior. "Our mix can be both a strength and a weakness. Our depth is good, but we will rely on production from a number of freshmen and that is always a gamble. First and foremost, we want to be in the playoffs. After that we would love to win a CACC (Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference) Championship. Either way, I am very confident that we will shock some people, especially those who placed us seventh in a seven-team division."
 
In 2017-2018, a season of growth included a dozen (12) contests decided by six points, or less. The high points for Chestnut Hill College (5-21, 4-15 CACC) were a 115-109 overtime win over Mercy College at the Redhawk Alumni Classic on Sunday, November 19, a 61-60 win over CACC Men's Basketball Championship Finalist, Dominican College on Tuesday, January 16, three late-season wins over Concordia College (NY) (W, 89-69 on January 27), Georgian Court University (W, 88-68 on February 7), and CACC postseason qualifier, Wilmington University (W, 79-77 on February 13), as well as the historic accomplishments – 1,230 career points (5^th all-time) and a swan-song season that included top-three, all-time numbers in minutes (3^rd, 35.8), assists-per-game (3^rd, 4.5 APG), and total assists (3^rd, 116) - of senior guard senior Demetrius Isaac '18.
 
Chestnut Hill College recently collected 29 points in the 2018-2019 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll to finish seventh in the forecast for the CACC South. The Griffins will look to their senior captains – forward Ed McWade (Wildwood, N.J.), forward Tony Toplyn Jr. (Sicklerville, N.J.), guard Cartier Talford (Reading, Pa.), and guard Liban Awl (Manassas, Va.) – and an eager freshman class to prove their critics wrong.
 
The latter three Scarlet and Gold captains scored in double digits least season. Awl (12.3 points-per-game) was Chestnut Hill College's best shooter from long range (49-of-123, .398 3PT%), while reporting 98 rebounds (3.8/game), 61 assists (2.3/game), a block, and 20 steals. He earned three CACC Weekly Honor Roll appearances (December 18, January 29, February 19). Talford (11.5 PPG) added 59 rebounds (2.6/game), 33 assists (1.4/game), seven blocks, and 29 steals to his scoring, while Toplyn (10.1 PPG) broke out for a team-high 150 rebounds (5.8/game), 27 assists, 21 steals, a team-high 49 blocks – which ranked him third in the CACC. Talford appeared on the CACC Weekly Honor Roll on November 29, while Toplyn was named the CACC Defensive Player of the Week on February 12 and was recognized with the team's 2017-2018 Coach's Award. McWade returns from a red-shirt season with a full bill of health and a reenergized spirit; he has accumulated 685 points over his three active seasons and enters this year averaging 9.8 PPG and 4.8 rebounds-per-game (RPG). Additional senior leadership will be provided forwards Roman Letterlough (Harrisburg, Pa.) and Dexter Thompson (Providence, R.I.), who helped Toplyn handle a lot of the dirty work in 2017-2018; the duo combined for 194 points, 180 rebounds, 47 assists, 12 blocks, and 19 steals.
 
The Griffins' sophomore and junior components are both perimeter specialists; the former, guard Colin Flach (Glenside, Pa.) and the latter, guard Billy Miller VI (Pine Hill, N.J.), took 13% (69-of-528) of the Chestnut Hill College's 2017-2018 three point shots, while averaging a combined 20.5 minutes-per-game (MPG). Flach was the larger contributor, hitting 13-of-47 (.277) of his long range attempts.
 
The talk of the Scarlet and Gold is focused on the freshman class, which features five new recruits and red-shirt holdover, guard Trevonn Pitts (Wyncote, Pa.). Pitts will have an immediate impact on Chestnut Hill College's game as a tremendous on-ball defense, who can score, rebound, and pass with ease. Moreover, Coach Balcer believes his intensity and competitive nature are contagious, "He has the ability to make every player on this team better." His young benefactors include guard Juston Bailey (Riverdale, Md.), forwards Keyon Butler (Chester, Pa.), Amir Warrick (Washington, DC), and E.J. White (Dumfries, Va.), and center Alex Rogat (Vienna, Austria). With good size, Bailey (6-4, 205) is a combo guard who can shoot the three point shot. He possess a high basketball IQ and leadership skills that will earn him significant minutes in the backcourt. Butler (6-2, 220) makes up for his height with his strength and versatility. He will be effective in the paint, but he can also step out for the perimeter shot; his work ethic positions him for easy buckets and put-backs. Warrick (6-5, 180) is a long versatile wing player, who can defend multiple positions, while White is extremely athletic with an insatiable energy and nose for the ball. At 6-7 and 205 pounds, Rogat's ceiling is immeasurable. With a long and athletic frame, he will provide the Griffins with depth at the forward position.
 
"The strength of this team is its chemistry and that should help us reach our full potential," remarked Coach Balcer. "We have a feel for each other and the game. It feels good." Chestnut Hill College opens their 2018-2019 season schedule on Saturday, November 10, with a 6:00 p.m. contest at Pace University.