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Record: 1-4
Head Coach: Anthony Latina
Kenpom Rating: 229
The Sacred Heart Pioneers started off the season on a high note, defeating Quinnipiac 76-64 in their season opener at the Connecticut 6 Classic. Despite being outrebounded 60-43 and shooting just 28-51 from the free throw line, they were able to comfortably beat the Bobcats behind Cane Broome's performance. The sophomore guard scored a game high 27 points on 7-16 shooting and went 12-20 from the charity stripe.
Since their season opener, however, head coach Anthony Latina's squad has dropped four in a row, all to New England schools- Yale, 99-77, UMass-Lowell, 87-84, Fairfield, 83-79, and Holy Cross, 69-60.
Statistically, Sacred Heart ranks in the middle of the pack in major offensive categories and rebounding but is struggling mightily on the defensive end. They are averaging 75.2 PPG and shooting 44.4% from the field and 31.8% from three, but the Pioneers are allowing an uninspiring 80.4 PPG and rank 268th in Kenpom's adjusted defensive efficiency. Sacred Heart must start to clean it up on the defensive end if they are going to compete for victories.
Latina has gone to a deep bench so far this season, with ten players averaging over 10 minutes per game. The Pioneers have three players averaging over 30 MPG and six averaging over 20.
Key Players:
#1 Cane Broome, Sophomore, Guard (6-0, 160): The team's leader in minutes, points, and assists, the East Hartford native is averaging 23.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 3.2 APG in 38.6 MPG. Broome's 47.9% field goal shooting and 33.3 3-PT percentage has contributed to his 23.2 PPG, which is 10th in the nation. He dropped a season-high 32 points against Yale.
#34 Tevin Falzon, Senior, Forward (6-7, 215): Despite missing the first three games with an ankle injury, the team's leading rebounder from a year ago is right on track, averaging 16.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 1.5 BPG in his first two games. Clearly the ankle is no longer an issue for the senior forward, who is shooting 44.0% from the field and 4-10 from three while playing an average of 34.0 MPG in his first two games. The Newton, Massachusetts native is coming off a 21 point, 7 rebound performance in the loss to Holy Cross.
#0 Jordan Allen, Senior, Forward (6-6, 210): A graduate student who spent his first three years at Hofstra University, Allen is making a serious impact through the first five games of the season. He is averaging 11.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 2.0 APG while shooting a team high 57.1% from the field. Allen is in his second year with Pioneers, but is looking to expand on his sixth man duties from a year ago. He has scored in double digits in four of five games, but is coming off his worse game of the season as he only scored 3 points in the loss to Holy Cross.
#11 Quincy McKnight, Freshman, Guard (6-3, 180): Despite being a freshman, Latina has liked what he has seen from the Bridgeport, Conn. native, playing him just over 30 MPG in his first five contests. McKnight is averaging 10.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 2.8 APG, but is struggling from the field, shooting just 38.2% and 0-8 from behind the arc. He has scored in double figures in four of five games this season, but like Allen, he is coming off his worst game of his young career: a 2 point performance on 1-7 shooting in the loss to Holy Cross.
#14 Chris Robinson, Sophomore, Guard (6-3, 165): Averaging 8.4 PPG and 4.6 RPG, the sophomore from Bronx, New York is arguably the team's best three point threat as he is shooting 7-18 from three. Robinson has scored in double figures just twice this season, including a 16 point performance against UMass-Lowell in which he went 6-9 from the field and 2-5 from behind the arc.
Sacred Heart head coach Anthony Latina is in his third year with the team, where he has compiled a 21-47 record. The first season did not go very well as the team finished just 5-26, but the Pioneers are moving in the right direction, finishing with a 15-17 record. Before accepting the head coaching position with Sacred Heart, Latina was an assistant coach for eight years under former head coach Dave Bike. Before Sacred Heart, the Wethersfield, Connecticut resident spent six seasons as an assistant under Howie Dickenman and CCSU. Before Central, Latina was an assistant coach at UMass-Lowell. Sacred Heart is his first head coaching position.