MAAC_Program_2025_V4_Pages

2024–25 SACRED HEART MEN’S BASKETBALL

QUICK FACTS LOCATION FAIRFIELD, CT

MEN’S ROSTER

NICKNAME PIONEERS COLORS RED & WHITE YEAR FOUNDED 1963 PRESIDENT JOHN J. PETILLO, PH.D.

No. Name

Cl.

Pos.

Ht.

Hometown/High School/Previous College

0 Keyishon Miller 1 Griffin Barrouk 2 Nyle Ralph-Beyer

Jr. Jr.

G/F 6-5 Philadelphia, PA/West Philadelphia

G 6-5 Glen Mills, PA/Baynard Rustin/Hofstra

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS JUDY ANN RICCIO HOME ARENA WILLIAM H. PITT CENTER (2,000)

Fy. Fy.

G 6-4 West Chester, PA/Henderson

3 Mekhi Conner

G 6-1 New Haven, CT/Notre Dame West Haven

4 Jaden Slaughter

R-So. G 6-5 Buffalo, NY/St Joseph's Collegiate Institute

5 Amiri Stewart

Sr.

G 6-3 Boothwyn, PA/Archbishop John Carroll/Wilmington

7 Anquan Hill

R-Jr.

F

6-9 Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Carroll/St. Bonaventure

10 Taj Bryant

Fy. Fy. Fy.

G 6-2 Queens, NY/The Patrick School

11 Malik Sheppard

G 5-10 Edgewater, NJ/Don Bosco Prepatory

13 Fallou Gueye

G 6-6 Raleigh, NC/Putnam Science

PLAYER TO WATCH After missing most of the 2023-24 season due to injury, Tanner Thomas has returned better than ever. Before this year, he was named to the MAAC Preseason Third Team after averaging 10.8 points per game through nine games in 2023-24 before going down with an injury. This season, Thomas leads the team in points and rebounds. Despite missing a few games due to injuries, Thomas averages double figures. He scored a career-high 30 points against Siena on January 16. The redshirt junior has consistently been in the top 10 in the conference in scoring and top 20 in rebounding. A threat from anywhere on the court, Thomas has some of the best field goal and three-point field goal percentages in the MAAC. NOTABLE ALUMNI Shane Gibson, a standout player for Sacred Heart University's men's basketball team, is the program’s Division I all-time leading scorer with 2,079 points. A three-time All-Northeast Conference selection, Gibson ranked fourth in the nation in scoring with 22.0 points per game during his junior year and during his senior year, he averaged 21.6 ppg, ninth in NCAA DI. From Killingly, CT, Gibson went undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft but played Summer League with the Sacramento Kings. He later joined the NBA D-League’s Idaho Stampede, averaging 12.5 ppg with impressive shooting percentages. Gibson’s career spanned teams in Italy, Canada, Cyprus, Croatia, and Hungary, including stints with Basket Recanati, Halifax Hurricanes, and AEK Larnaca. In 2023, Gibson signed with the Edmonton Stingers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League after a brief tenure with the Fraser Valley Bandits.

15 Raymond Espinal-Guzman R-Jr.

F F F F F

6-8 Cranston, RI/Woodstock Academy

21 Bryce Johnson

Gr.

6-6 Stockton, CA/St. Mary's/Northeastern

23 Lucius Gibson-Savadel

R-Fy.

6-11 Bay Shore, NY/Millbrook

25 Tanner Thomas

R-Jr.

6-6 Stamford, CT/Williston Northampton

33 Alex Woodring

Fy.

6-7 Wyckoff, NJ

35 Aidan Carpenter

R-Jr.

G 6-4 Hamden, CT/Lee Academy/Siena

Head Coach: Anthony Latina Associate Head Coach: Kyle Steinway Assistant Coaches: Tom Barrett, Donte Gittens, Jeremy Kipness

HEAD COACH ANTHONY LATINA In his 12 th season as Head Coach at Sacred Heart, Anthony Latina has revitalized the Pioneers' basketball program. Sacred Heart enters a new chapter in its first year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Under Latina's leadership, the team made 10 Northeast Conference Tournament appearances, including six consecutive (2019-24) and two top-four finishes in its final NEC seasons. Known for recruiting and player development, Latina has guided players to multiple NEC awards, including Defensive Player of the Year, Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, 16 All-NEC selections, and six All-Rookie Team honors. Before becoming head coach, Latina spent eight seasons as an assistant under the legendary Dave Bike. He previously coached at Central Connecticut State, leading the Blue Devils to two NCAA tournaments and helping develop the school's first NBA draft pick, Corsley Edwards. Latina began his coaching career at Division II UMass-Lowell, where he earned a Master's in Education. A four year starter and two-year captain as a point guard at Brandeis University, Latina earned his undergraduate degree in History and American Studies.

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