By Connor Wilson (@Conman_815)
HAMDEN, Conn. — What transpired last season in New Britain felt like a once in a decade-type campaign for Patrick Sellers and his Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils.
Dominating the NEC regular season, the program finished 25-7, with a 14-2 record in conference play. The veteran-led squad had six rotational seniors and had experience that many of its league foes did not.
As we all remember, the dream season in Hard Hittin’ New Britain came to an abrupt halt in the NEC tournament championship game, as the Blue Devils hosted Saint Francis in what was one of the uglier displays of offensive basketball we’ve seen from a combination of teams in recent memory. CCSU unfortunately was on the losing end of a 46-43 contest that snapped its 14-game win streak and crushed any hopes of the program getting back to the dance for the first time in nearly two decades.
While you can reminisce all you want, the page from that team has officially been turned. This year’s rendition of the Blue Devils is a mix of youthful returners and experienced veterans from the portal, a group that Sellers knows is going to take time to mesh together.
“We have 10 new guys and a lot of guys who are new to their roles,” Sellers said. “All of the guys have to learn their role to be productive.”
After a strong blowout win over Division III Vermont State Johnson on opening night Monday, the growing pains were evident Thursday, when CCSU went on the road and lost to in-state foe Quinnipiac, 71-49, to fall to 1-1 on the year.
“Our guys stuck to our game plan on the defensive end for the most part,” Sellers said. “If you look at halftime (where Quinnipiac led, 37-27), we were taking more free throws, our rebounding was up five, all of that was in the first half. Then we just didn’t make shots.”
The list of impactful players who departed from last season for the Blue Devils is extravagant. The whole starting lineup — Jordan Jones, Joe Ostrowsky, Devin Haid, Jayden Brown and Abdul Momoh — are all gone. Sixth man Davonte Sweatman is gone. Jaelen McGlone, who came back from injury as a key reserve in conference play, is also gone.
The returning list is much shorter. Darin Smith, Jr. and James Jones are back as starters on the wings after their freshmen seasons off the bench last year. Max Frazier is manning the middle for his second year in the program after transferring in from Siena. Jay Rodgers, who started 31 games in 2022 and 2023 before getting hurt, is back too after redshirting last season.
“We have some good leaders,” Sellers said. “Darin Smith has been here for three years, Jay Rodgers for four years, and James Jones has been here for two years but he's like a veteran. We’ve got good leadership guys, but every team is different. Last year, we were led differently, but this year, they have to lead us with their personalities. Everyone is learning.”
On Thursday, the offense never clicked. It felt like the Blue Devils were missing that alpha dog archetype on that end of the floor, someone who you can just give the ball to and he can go get a bucket. Smith was the only player to score in double figures, and he barely got to 10 points with a late bucket. The team as a whole shot an abysmal 28 percent from the field, but for the most part, it felt like they were getting quality looks.
“For us tonight, it was the offense,” Sellers said. “We got some open looks, some layups inside that we didn’t finish. We let the lack of offense bleed into our defense. We just didn’t make shots and in this game, you have to make baskets.”
The growth for CCSU on both ends of the floor as the season progresses is going to be fascinating to watch. The construction of the backcourt allows Sellers to test different lineups early on. Arkansas transfer Melo Sanchez and Division II Edward Waters transfer Ja’Kobe Williams have started the first two games and have shown mixed results. The duo combined for just four points in Thursday’s loss.
“Tonight was Ja’Kobe Williams’ first game at this level, probably the biggest arena he’s ever played in as our point guard,” Sellers said. “Melo Sanchez essentially hasn’t played in a year, he was at Arkansas last year, so it was a tough atmosphere for those guys.”
Defensively, Sellers liked how his team competed for the most part. Quinnipiac stars Amarri Monroe and Jaden Zimmerman combined for 39 points, but with what everyone expects that duo to do this season, that number may end up being on the low side. James Jones swatted a pair of shots and finished with a game-high 12 rebounds, and Division II Lees-McRae transfer Nico Ashley had a chasedown block of his own.
Overall, the key for CCSU as the months go on is to find an identity on the offensive end. It was never supposed to be pretty right away, but the display in Hamden opens up discussions that you probably weren’t expecting to have about a program that has high hopes of breaking a long NCAA Tournament drought. There is definitely time for improvement, however.
The Blue Devils have two major tests on the road next week when they take on Boston College on Tuesday and UMass on Sunday. If Sellers can guide the team to victory in either of those games, many of our questions will likely have solutions.
As for Quinnipiac, the Bobcats look to build off this win on Tuesday when they take on local rival Yale at M&T Bank Arena, and hope to have similar fan support as to what there was for the opener.
“The crowd was great, especially for a Thursday night, first home game,” Monroe said. “We always have to thank them. Coach (Tom Pecora) told us to go into the stands after the game and thank them. I hope we get the same kind of crowd on Tuesday against a really tough Yale team.”
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