2024 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships Digital Program

2023–24 QUINNIPIAC MEN’S & WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

QUICK FACTS LOCATION HAMDEN, CT NICKNAME BOBCATS COLORS NAVY AND GOLD YEAR FOUNDED 1929 PRESIDENT DR. JUDY OLIAN ATHLETIC DIRECTOR GREG AMODIO HOME ARENA PEOPLE’S UNITED CENTER (3,570)

MEN’S ROSTER

WOMEN’S ROSTER No. Name Cl.

No.

Name

Cl.

Pos.

Ht.

Wt.

Hometown/High School/Previous School

Pos.

Ht.

Hometown/High School/Previous School Port Orange, Florida/Father Lopez Catholic

0 1 2 3 4 5

Alexis Reyes

Jr.

G/F

6-7 195 Roxbury, Mass./Putnam Science Academy/East Carolina

00 01 02 04 05 10 11 12 14 15 21 23 24 32 33

Tiera White

Sr. Fy. Fy.

F

6-0

Richie Springs

R-Jr.

F

6-9 6-4

235 195

Brooklyn, NY/MacDuffie School/UConn

Emma Carman

G/F 5-10 Barnegat, New Jersey/Red Bank Catholic G 5-10 Mullica Hill, New Jersey/Camden Catholic

Matt Balanc

Gr. Gr. Fy.

G G G G G G

Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook HS

Kassidy Thompson

Savion Lewis

6-1

175 Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East HS

Grace LaBarge

Jr.

F

6-3

Inverness, Illinois/William Fremd

Khaden Bennett

6-4 185 Grand Prarie, Texas/South Grand Prarie

Paige Girardi

Fy. Fy. So. So. Sr. Fy.

G 5-9 Warwick, N.Y./Warwick Valley

Doug Young

Jr.

6-0

175 Houston, Texas/Midland College

Maria Kealy

G

5-9 Donegal, Ireland/Loreto Letterkenny

10 11 12 13 14 15 23 33

Nicholas Margetson Sr.

6-1 178 Dix Hills, NY/Holy Trinity

Bri Bowen

G/F 5-10 Chalfont, Pa./Archbishop Wood/Delaware

PLAYER TO WATCH A first year from Woodstock, Georgia, Karson Martin has quickly risen to one of the top players on the team. Karson Martin scored a career high 23 points against Canisius (1/18/24) while attempting 18 field goals. Martin had back-to-back games of setting a new career high in points, initially setting her career high at 22 in the win over Iona (1/13) and then shattering that against Canisius. Martin has scored double digit points in nine out of the 13 games that she has appeared in. Martin has started the last nine games for the Bobcats and averages 31.3 minutes per game. As of Jan 24, Martin is averaging 13.7 points per game, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. Martin is shooting 46.2% (72 156) so far this season. NOTABLE ALUMNI After graduating in May 2019 with 538 points, 231 assists, 130 steals and three MAAC Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances with the Bobcats, Edel Thornton returned home to Ireland to play professionally. Since returning home, Thornton rejoined Team Ireland and is now currently serving as the Irish National Team’s senior captain. In three games at the 2022 European Championships, Thornton averaged 9.7 points, 3.3 assists and 3.0 steals per game for Team Ireland.

Arion Lewis

Sr. Fy. Fy.

6-3 175 Philadelphia, Pa./Valley Forge Military Academy

Ella O’Donnell

F

6-3 Shankill, Ireland/Rathdown

Rihards Vavers Daemar Kelly Quinn Guth Amarri Tice

F

6-7 195 Adaži, Latvia/Archibishop Carroll

Jillian Casey

G

5-10

Horseheads, New York/Horseheads Central

G/F

6-5 190 Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills

Karson Martin Jackie Grisdale

G 5-7 Woodstock, Ga./Woodstock

Jr.

F F F F

6-2 185 Brookfield, Conn./Kimball Union Academy

Jr.

G 5-9 Poland, Ohio/Poland

PLAYER TO WATCH Graduate guard Matt Balanc has paced the Bobcats’ offense during 2023-24, ranking among the top of the MAAC in total points. The Silver Spring, Maryland native has registered double-digit point totals in all but one game so far this year, including a 29-point game vs. Rider (1/5/24) and a 26-point performance vs. Siena (1/19/24). The Preseason All-MAAC selection is averaging 18.7 points per game on 43.8% shooting through 19 matchups as of Jan. 26, 2024. He ranks second in the MAAC in scoring. At his current pace, Balanc will crack the top 15 in Quinnipiac’s program history for scoring after reaching 1,500 points. He’s averaged 10+ points per game in each of the last three seasons with the Bobcats (14.6 PPG in 2021-22, 12.0 PPG in 2022-23, 18.7 PPG in 2023-24). NOTABLE ALUMNI Cameron Young – the former Quinnipiac AP All American/2018-19 MAAC Player of the Year – is currently playing for Runa Basket (Moscow) of VTB United League. He spent the 2021-22 and the 2022-23 seasons in the NBA G League, averaging 16.2 PPG over 55 contests. Young played for the Nevada Ignite, the Cleveland Charge and the Memphis Hustle during that span. Young recorded a MAAC-best 23.5 points (No. 12 nationally) to go along with 5.1 rebounds per game, shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 43.7 percent from three-point distance as a graduate student for the Bobcats in 2018-19. He scored a Quinnipiac Division I single-season record 728 total points, breaking his own record (622) from 2017-18.

So.

6-7

220 Newburgh, N.Y./South Kent

Anna Foley

Fy.. Fy..

F/C 6-3 Andover, Mass./Andover

JJ Riggins

R-Sr.

6-6 6-8

245 225

Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Institute Charter HS

Ava Sollenne

G 5-6 Greenwich, Conn./St.Luke’s

Paul Otieno

Sr.

Nairobi, Kenya/Sunrise Christian Academy/Kilgore CC

Reiven Douglas Khadijah Tungo

Jr.

G 5-7 Raleigh, North Carolina/Millbrook

So.

F/C 6-6 Luanda, Angola/Complexo Escolar Privado Frei Joao Domingos

Head Coach: Tom Pecora (Adelphi ‘83 • 7 th Season at QU, 1 st as HC) Associate Head Coach: Shaun Morris (Lycoming ‘05 • 7 th Season at QU)

Head Coach: Tricia Fabbri (Fairfield ‘91 • 29 th Season) Assistant Coaches: Sam Guastella (Quinnipiac ‘15 • 1 st Season), Jen Fay (Quinnipiac ‘19 • 4 th Season), Bill Sullivan (UConn ‘95 • 2 nd Season) Director of Operations: Jasmyne Fogle (Franklin Pierce ‘17 • 3 rd Season) Strength & Conditioning Coach: Brijesh Patel (Connecticut ‘02/’04 • 16 th Season) Athletic Trainer: Becky Mella (Ithaca ‘95 • 13 th Season) SID/Athletic Communications: Patrick Kraemer (Quinnipiac ’22 • 1 st Season)

Assistant Coaches: Bradley Jacks (Babson ’18 • 5 th Season at QU), Tahar Sutton (Wilmington ’11 • 2 nd Season at QU) Director of Basketball Operations: Jeff Robinson (Worcester Polytechnic Institute ’11 • 2 nd Season at QU) Director of Player Development: Aaron Robinson (Quinnipiac ’19 • 1 st Season at QU) Graduate Assistant: Nolan Meehan (Villanova ’20 • 2 nd Season)

Strength and Conditioning Coach: Brijesh Patel (Connecticut ‘02/’04 • 16 th Season) Athletic Trainer: Sara MacDonough-Civitello (Johnson State ’00 • 10 th Season) SID/Athletic Communications: Nick Solari (Quinnipiac ’16 • 6 th Season)

HEAD COACH TOM PECORA Tom Pecora, a veteran with 14+ years of experience as a head coach at the Division I level, is currently in his seventh season at Quinnipiac University. He is in his first campaign at the helm of the Bobcats' program, assuming the role of Quinnipiac Men’s Basketball Head Coach on Thursday, April 13, 2023. Pecora served as the head coach at Hofstra for nine years (2001-2010) and at Fordham for five seasons (2010-15). Prior to taking over the head coaching position at Hofstra, Pecora served as the associate head coach under Jay Wright for seven seasons, the last two of which resulted in America East Conference titles. Pecora compiled a 155-126 mark in nine seasons as the head coach at Hofstra, leading the Pride to four postseason appearances (three NIT and one CBI) – the most for any New York City team over that nine-year span. In 2006 and 2009, he was named Coach of the Year by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) and he also received regional Coach of the Year honors from the NABC and the BCANY.

HEAD COACH TRICIA FABBRI The first full-time, female coach in school history, Tricia Fabbri enters her 29th year as the coach at Quinnipiac University. Fabbri was hired in 1995 after a three-year stint as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Fairfield University. As a player under Coach Dianne Nolan, the former Tricia Sacca won two MAAC championships, scored 1,622 points, grabbed 1,037 rebounds, and earned three First-Team All-Conference selections and an All-Team selection. She was twice selected to All-Conference teams, a feat later matched by her daughter, Carly, in 2017 and 2018 at Quinnipiac. The all-time winningest coach in Quinnipiac women’s basketball history, Fabbri enters the 2023-24 campaign with 503 career wins, ranking 32nd among active Division I head coaches. During her nine-year MAAC tenure, Fabbri and Quinnipiac have won four MAAC championships, three NCAA Tournament games, and two WNIT games. Quinnipiac has had a Player of the Year, a Defensive Player of the Year, a Rookie of the Year, and three Sixth Players of the Year. Quinnipiac has had 32 players selected to All Conference teams, including seven first-team selections. She has been named conference Coach of the Year four times.

@QU_MBB @QU_WBB #BOBCATNATION #FOUNDATION @QU_MBB @QU_WBB #BOBCATNATION #FOUNDATION

64

JIM WHELAN BOARDWALK HALL | ATLANTIC CITY

2024 | HERCULES TIRES MAAC MEN’S & WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS 65