COLONIA, NJ – Fresh off of receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll, St. Thomas Aquinas is set to open the 2024-25 season at the prestigious 2024 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic at Florida Southern College's Jenkins Fieldhouse in Lakeland, FL this weekend. The Spartans, who finished the 2023-24 campaign 25-6 overall and 14-2 in ECC play, accepted the invitation to play in the event in April.
STAC will first face preseason nationally-ranked No. 9 University of North Georgia on Saturday, November 2 at 8:00 PM. The Nighthawks finished 28-7 overall last year, won the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Championship, and reached the NCAA Division II Championship Quarterfinals last year.
The Spartans will then face preseason nationally-ranked No. 2 Nova Southeastern on Sunday, November 3 at 3:30 PM. The Sharks went 32-3 overall last year, won the NCAA Division II South Region Championhsip, and finished as the NCAA Division II Championship runner-up, falling to Minnesota State University Mankato, 88-85.
Both games will be streamed free of charge via the
Sunshine State Conference Digital Network.
This is the STAC's third invitation to the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, having previously played in the 2017 and 2021 editions. The Spartans are 1-3 all-time, with their win coming against Rockhurst, 78-56, in 2021.
Matt Capell leads the Spartans (25-6, 14-2 ECC), who have won eight of the last nine ECC titles and led the ECC in 11 categories last season, including winning percentage (80.6), scoring offense (90.8), scoring margin (11.0), rebounds per game (9.0), steals per game (9.3), and fewest amount of turnovers per game (12.9). STAC will look to fill the hole left by ECC Player of the Year James Patterson, the ECC leader in points (743, fifth nationally) and points per game (24.0, fourth nationally), rebounds (262), double-doubles (13), and steals (57), and All-ECC Second Team selections Kyle Pulliam (442 points, fourth in the ECC) and Rich Smith (ECC leader in all assist categories).
Capell returns seven letterwinners and brings in 10 newcomers for the 2024-25 campaign. Among newcomers of note are Derrick James (9.8 ppg/5.0 apg), a transfer point guard from Gannon; James finished second in NCAA Division II in steals (85, 2.5 per game) and led Gannon to the NCAA Division II Elite 8 and a final record of 32-3. Hartnel Haye (12.5 ppg/8.0 rpg) joins the Spartans from ECC foe District of Columbia after ranking second in the conference in field goal percentage last season, shooting at a clip of 52.9 percent. Returners Luiz Risquez (31 games played) and Shaun Arnold (30 games played) bring a good deal of game experience from last season, while a welcomed return to the line-up is Kyle Jones, back after missing 40 games due to injury.