The only school seeming close to their level is fellow NEC school Wagner from Staten Island.  Things were not always this way of course as the Terriers are the oldest basketball program in the five boroughs and at one point, for a brief moment, were a national power (back when the NIT was king and East Coast basketball ruled).  Those day are long gone however as the Terriers now struggle for mediocrity in the less than respected NEC.  Being a tiny private school (less than 3000 students) and playing in this underappreciated conference does not help much either.  Still, there was hope going into this season as veteran Coach Daniel Lynch had many returning starters with a wealth of experience, some who date back to the Glory days.  To get back there, Lynch knows he will have to count on the biggest strength of this program.  Depth.  The Terriers have an abundance of similar players at almost every position who seemingly rotate in on every clock stoppage.  The problem here though is that though they are deep everywhere, not many of these guys are all that athletic.  They are tough and know how to play the game but rely way too much on that instead of physically dominating their opponents. 

The two most gifted players returning for Lynch are senior Al Inniss and Junior Dennis McDermott.  McDermott and Inniss were the go to guys last year offensively for the Terriers and look to continue those roles.  Both know how to get the ball in the hoop.  Their play up front was the key to any of this team’s success and in an ever-shuffling lineup they were the only two guys who averaged more than 26 minutes a game.  Inniss has been a stable influence under the basket and has had some glory days for the Terriers including a twenty-rebound effort in their conference tourney win over Wagner.  McDermott really stepped to the forefront last year leading the team in scoring by a nice margin over Inniss.  As you can probably surmise, they were the only two double digit scorers on the roster and were without question the best two players on the team.  McDermott goes six foot eight but is not your back to the basket type of guy.  He can do this but leaves most of that to his pal Inniss as he is best from the perimeter, hitting mid-range jumpers and slashing to the basket ala Bob Petit or even somewhat like Larry Bird.   He of course is not at that level but he is closer than you might think and around this campus he is the king.  McDermott did not average high in rebounds but he could, he is just more important playing the perimeter and on this team actually played some at the three.  Without question the best offensive player on the team it showed when he missed three games late in the year after a huge win over St. Peter’s (in a game he hit the winning shot after he twisted his knee pretty good).  The Terriers barely averaged 60 points a game during his absence, well below their almost 75 a game they averaged on the year.  McDermott was never quite the same after the injury as his averaged dropped to 12.4 for the year, well below his high point of almost 15 at one point.  McDermott will be back this year for more and without question will be the primary offensive weapon for the Terries and hopefully will get some of the recognition those other great forwards get instead of just being a legend in Brooklyn.  Inniss is a banger inside who grabs boards and puts them back up for easy scores on the offensive end.  He is not nimble of foot nor subtle with his brute game of using his size to dominate the paint.  At six seven he would be too small for center in most leagues but not in the NEC as he is one of the dominant big men in the league.  He does have moves on the blocks but really relies on his strength to get to a position and then cause havoc.  He averaged just over 11 a game and 7 and a half boards but those numbers could have been higher if Lynch had not have backed off his playing time in lieu of the younger guys the last ten games.  He even set down his senior stud for a couple of games after a little injury as Inniss does have a chance at playing at the next level though his old school game has become a bit outdated.  Coach Dan Lynch tried to find some depth on his front court though they did not have the size of even some of the teams in the smallish Northeast conference outside of these two warriors.  The one guy that did have some size was Senior center Henry Daubenschmidt.  Boy, that is a mouthful, so they just call him Hank in Brooklyn.  Everybody knows Hank as he casts quite a shadow when he enters a room.  At six foot eight and with large, broad shoulders, Daubenschmidt definitely takes up some space.  This of course helps on the basketball court but he never could beat out Inniss for the starting role throughout his career.  He was a solid number two center though and might have been the best backup big man in the league.  Hank got caught up in the youth shuffle as Lynch had to start playing younger guys after the horrendous start.  Too bad because this kid was getting some looks from the pro scouts as they are always looking for a big body to eat up space down low who can score a little and that definitely defines Hank!  Hopefully he can regain his status as a primary contributor for the Terriers as he had a year not too long ago where he was the man.  And this team was better when he was.  Fellow seniors Walt Adamushko and Gil Radday have been solid role players since arriving three years ago.  Both have some size and are good rebounders and can set some mean screens.  Adamushko is infamous for being the enforcer on this team and Radday is even bigger and badder.  Jerome Williams, a junior, is a solid rebounder down low but needs to work on his offensive game.  He does work hard and should improve in his final season.  Williams got quality minutes throughout the year off the bench and produced some solid numbers but is not really a center but could be ipso facto starter if Lynch does go younger again this year.  Either way, Williams will play. 

Senior Vernon Stokes only made it though half the season and has been a great scoring option on the wing for Lynch.  He is an undersized forward (6’2) that started next to Inniss and McDermott the first 12 games but even then his playing time was reducing rapidly as Lynch knew he needed someone bigger at the three.  When he got hurt Lynch rotated in several others trying to find some talent.     He can block a shot but that is not his forte, rebounding is.  Sophomore Darrwin Purdie is the best wing option for the Terriers and is almost for sure going to start this year if he can keep his head on straight.  Purdie is a tremendously physical athlete who can flat throw it down.  He is a gifted athlete who can flat score on in the paint and can run the court as well.  At six seven and about 220 he has supreme strength but also understands how to play the game.  His effort sometimes lacks as shown by a lower than you would thing rebounding number for such a big, physical guy.  Still, he has talent this team needs and will be a huge part of this team’s future for the next two years.  Juniors Manny Figueoroa and Gerard Trapp also played well in limited minutes but Figueoroa seems more like a baseball player with the skills to catch but both will be in line for a shot at playing much more this year.  He is a post player, however, though to get on the court last year he did play some three.  Trapp is the most overlooked player on the team and could surprise especially if Purdie is inconsistent.  Trapp led the JV team in scoring and when he got called up was solid.  This 6’5 kid can flat play and if he gets a chance might be the real deal. 

Lynch looked to the backcourt with their experience and leadership to have a good season.  When senior Jim Luisi left unexpectedly midway through the year to pursue an acting career (he was shooting a Rifleman episode) sophomore Jim Paguaga was suddenly getting huge minutes.  Seniors Tony D’Elia and Daniel Mannix were caught in the youth movement and though they played some early were sent to the end of the bench when Lynch brought up the kids.  The only Senior that played throughout the year in the back court was John Conforti.  This gamer still started at the two guard most of the year and was solid but he also lost time to the younger players as Lynch realized he has to get some experience for his underclassmen.   Conforti and Panigua are both solid defenders who love to pressure the other team’s backcourt.  Pagugua in particular can really lock down point guards but can he score? At all?  As good of a passer as he is Panagua must figure out a way to hit a jump shot once in awhile as teams were already backing away from his last year and that was before they got a scouting report on him.  Fellow Sophomore Edgar DeLaRosa also got some minutes at the point and can really pass but Lynch was looking for more scoring and defense here.   The funny thing though with all of these new kids getting a shot last year Lynch is still old school and believes in seniority so don’t be surprised if Luisi (he is coming back) or D’Elia start, at least to begin the year.  That goes for Stokes and even Dauberschmidt as well.  The future is not quite now.  But it is coming. 

The St Francis Terriers play in the capital of college basketball reasonably unnoticed.  They try and play that great NYC style with shut down man to man in your face defense.  Playing in New York City, the Terriers almost get no fanfare.  Of course, when you are an average program in a small league playing in a gym that seats about 1500 those things will happen.  Still, the Terriers do have their minutes and like their nickname fight til the end of every game.  One thing is for sure in this soon to be forgotten season, the Terriers will always have their epic win over rival LIU in the Battle of Brooklyn to brag around Flatbush for the next oh let’s say 70 years!  But beyond that veteran coach Dan Lynch understands that his team must get better.  Quick.  The fans are not getting restless but far worse.  They don’t care anymore and as any coach will tell you the worse thing in the world is apathy.  If things don’t get better fast the powers to be in this Catholic school (they actually once won the short-lived National Catholic Invitational Tournament and got to three final fours in the four years it existed) might just drop this program.  Then again would anyone notice if that did happen?