The Chestnut Hill College Men's Basketball team will be playing their final game for the month of November on Tuesday when they travel to face area rival West Chester University/

The Series:

Tuesday's contest will be the 12^th meeting between these two teams.  The series dates back to the 2007-08 season.  West Chester leads the all-time series 10-1 with the Griffins lone win coming in November 2012, a 62-61 victory at Hollinger Field House.  West Chester has won the last five contests.  

About the Griffins:

The Griffins enter tonight's game with an 1-3 record, winning their home opener last Wednesday night against Bloomsburg University, their first win against the Huskies since 2013.   The Griffins put three players in double figures led by MJ Iraldi's 21 points.  David Erebor led the team with eight rebounds and four blocks.  The win comes following two tough regional losses to Adelphi University (#6 in D2SIDA region poll) on Saturday and Pace University on Sunday at the East Region Conference Challenge hosted by Pace University.  The Griffins followed up their win with a loss at Lock Haven to fall to 1-3 on the season.

First-year Head Coach JJ Butler and the Griffins return a mix of players from their 2019-20 squad that went 6-22 overall while adding several newcomers who should play key roles in their success throughout the season.  Two starters from that 19-20 squad return including leading scorer Trevonn Pitts.  Pitts a 6-2 guard, averaged 14.4 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game while dishing out 45 assists.

In addition to Pitts, the Griffins return starter Conor Regan, a 6-7 guard who averaged 8.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while recording 43 assists in 23 games played.    James Rider IV also returns in the backcourt.  Rider was a starter early in the 19-20 season, and finished the season as one of the first players off the bench.  Rider averaged 9.6 points and three rebounds per game.  Forward Amir Warrick rounds out the key returnees for the 2021-22 season.  Warrick was the only Griffins player to appear in all 28 games in 2019-20 and was a spot starter, averaging 10.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.  He led the team with 54 assists.

Size can be found in the person of David Erebor, one of four key newcomers to Butler's 2021-22 squad.  Erebor a 6-9 center out of Nigeria, played two seasons at Division I Brown University before transferring to Chestnut Hill.   Freshman MJ Iraldi should also be a solid contributor.  At 6-6, Iraldi, a 2020 West Deptford High School graduate, should see action at both the forward and guard positions.

A pair of guards will also be key newcomers for Chestnut Hill.  Nigel Haughton played the 2019-20 season at Towson University before transferring into Chestnut Hill while Noah Charles, a 2020 graduate of Glenelg Country High School should provide additional depth in the backcourt.

Through the first four games of the season, the Griffins are averaging 69.5 points per game while giving up 77.0 points/game.  The team is shooting 45.3% from the field, 33.8% from beyond the arc and 63.8% from the free throw line.  Opponents hold a slight rebounding edge over the Griffins, 35.2 to 31.3 rebounds/game.

Last time Out

The Chestnut Hill College defense struggled in the second half as Lock Haven University connected on nearly 70% of their shots and scored 54 points in the half handing the Griffins a 95-67 loss in men's basketball action at the Thomas Field House in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania Saturday afternoon.

The loss drops the Griffins record to 1-3 while the Bald Eagles improve to 2-0.

MJ Iraldi led the Griffins with 16 points and eight rebounds. David Erebor added 12 points (5-10 FG) and grabbed six rebounds, joining Iraldi as the only two Griffins to reach double figures.  Amir Warrick also had six rebounds

Coming off the bench, James Rider IV added eight points while Dylan Majors chipped in seven.  Colin Flach and Noah Charles also had six points apiece.

Iraldi Named to the CACC Men's Basketball Weekly Honor Roll

MJ Iraldi has been named to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Weekly Honor Roll for his performance in the Griffins two games last week.

Iraldi opened the week scoring 21 points as the Griffins won their home opener and first game of the season, defeating Bloomsburg University 76-69.  He connected on eight of 14 shots from the field and was a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line.

The freshman guard/small forward added 16 points on Saturday in a loss at Lock Haven University.  Iraldi also grabbed eight rebounds in the contest

For the week, Iraldi scored 37 points on 13-27 (48.1%) shooting from the field and made 10 of 12 free throws.  He grabbed a total of 11 rebounds, had two assists and two steals and one block. 

Iraldi is again under consideration for the Philadelphia Small college Basketball Association's Player of the Week honors.

First Win

Chestnut Hill Head Coach J.J. Butler earned his first win as a head coach last Wednesday night as his Griffins defeated Bloomsburg University 76-69.  Two newcomers MJ Iraldi and Nigel Haughton were the catalysts for the Griffins as was David Erebor on defense.  Iraldi and Haughton combined for 41 points while Erebor had four blocks and eight rebounds while also contributing 11 points.

Dynamic Duo

Chestnut Hill had two players scored 20 or more points in Wednesday night's win over Bloomsburg as MJ Iraldi led the team with 21 points and Nigel Haughton added 20.   This marks just the 14^th time since 2015 that the Griffins had at least two players score 20 or more points in the same game. (a span of 139 games)

The last time this feat occurred was on February 18, 2020 when three members of this year's squad, Amir Warrick (28 points), Trevon Pitts (20), and James Rider (20) all reached the 20-point mark.  

Haughton Named to CACC Weekly Honor Roll

Nigel Haughton was named to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Men's Basketball Weekly Honor Roll for his performance in the Griffins two games last week.

Haughton, in his Chestnut Hill College debut, scored 24 points on 10-12 shooting from the field as the Griffins were narrowly defeated by Adelphi University, 78-74 at the east Region Challenge on Saturday.  The sophomore guard also had five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

On Sunday, against host of the East Region Challenge, Pace University, Haughton added 12 points and seven rebounds in a 66-61 loss.

For the week, Haughton averaged 18.0 points per game, 6.0 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 56% from the field (14-25); 50% from beyond the arc (3-6) and 62.5% from the free throw line. (5-8).

An Impressive Debut

Freshman MJ Iraldi made eight of 11 shots from the field en route to 19 points in his collegiate debut Saturday against Adelphi.  The following day, Iraldi made seven of 14 shots including three three-point baskets as he led the Griffins with 17 points in their 66-61 loss at Pace.  Iraldi shot 56% from the field in the two games and 50% from beyond the arc (5-10).  He also grabbed nine rebounds in the two games.  

Philadelphia Small College Basketball

Iraldi was one of six area players under consideration for the Philadelphia Small College Basketball Association's Player of the Week honor for November 15, 2021 which was announced via social media last Wednesday and awarded to Manny Toha of Holy Family.  

The Philadelphia Small College Basketball Association (PSCBA) is an organization devoted to the promotion of small college basketball in the Philadelphia area that has been in existence since 1986.  The Player of the Week Award, once only given out at the organization's bi-monthly luncheons has been expanded to a weekly honor in an effort to further promote small college basketball in the area.

An Impressive Debut- Part II

Nigel Haughton made his Chestnut Hill College debut in the Griffins' season opener against Adelphi, scoring 24 points.  The Towson University transfer connected on 10 of 12 shots from the field, including one three-point basket.  Haughton also grabbed five rebounds and recorded three assists and two steals.  He added 12 points and seven rebounds the next day in a 66-61 loss at Pace University

Scouting the Golden Rams

The Golden Rams, under the guidance of Damien Blair have opened the season with three convincing wins, defeating two CIAA teams, Elizabeth City State and Lincoln and Chestnut Hill CACC rival Wilmington University 

West Chester is coming off a 20-10 season in 2019-20 losing in the PSAC quarterfinals.  Despite losing their two leading scorers from that team, West Chester remained a dangerous team entering the 2021-22 campaign. Junior forward Josh Samec entered the season as the team's leading returning scorer and rebounder, averaging 9.4 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per contest in 2019-20. Matt Dade and Kyle McGee enter their sophomore seasons on the court for the Purple and Gold, having averaged 6.7 and 5.8 points per game during their rookie 2019-20 campaigns. West Chester also returns Malik Slay and Marcus Littles, who each saw time in the starting lineup a season ago, starting in six and five games, respectively, during their first seasons as Golden Rams.  The Golden Rams also picked up a transfer from Chestnut Hill, Eli Barrett

PSAC coaches this year picked the Golden Rams to finish third in the East.

West Chester is averaging 85.7 points through their first three games, outscoring their opponents by an average of 17.7 points.  The team is shooting 45.3% from the field and 37.1% from three-point distance.  The Golden Rams are also outrebounding their opponents by a large 11.7 margin, averaging 48.3 rebounds per game.

Four players are averaging double figures for the Golden Rams, led by Robert Smith's 17.3 points per game. Jamil Manigo is averaging 16 points per game while McGee and Dade and averaging just over 12 and 11 points/game respectively.  Dade is the team's leading rebounder, averaging ten per game. Dame Wall has 14 assists through three games.

Last Time Out for West Chester

The West Chester men's basketball team (3-0) continued its road heavy start to the 2021-22 season on Sunday afternoon, visiting CACC foe Wilmington for a non-conference battle. The game remained close throughout the early part of the first half but West Chester pulled away with a big run early in the second half to earn the 75-58 non-league victory.

Robert Smith and Kyle McGee tied for the team and game-high in scoring, as they each scored 14 points in the victory while Matt Dade and Josh Samec  also ended their nights in double figures with 12 and 10, respectively to help West Chester earn the victory. Dade also ended with a double-double, pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds while Dame Wall dished out a team-high eight assists en route to the victory.