2008-2009 Season In Review

The Elmira College Men’s Basketball team finished
its season under first-year Head Coach
Randie Torgalski
with a 4-19 record The Soaring Eagles gained valuable experience in
2008-09 season as 10 players played over 10 minutes per game, nine
of which will return to next year’s squad.
The Soaring Eagles found success against out-of conference
opponents SUNY Cortland 69-63 and Skidmore 86-70 while also winning
Empire 8 contests against Harwick College 72-61 and Alfred
University 70-64. As a team EC was second in the Empire 8 with a
72.8 free-throw shooting percentage.
The lone fourth-year player this past season was forward, and team
co-captain,
Chris O’Brien ’09 (Oneonta, NY -
Oneonta) who appeared in 24 games while making 13 starts
for EC.
O’Brien averaged 1.6 points and 1.6
rebounds a game in his last year with the Soaring Eagles.
With just one player from the 2009 class, members from the 2010
class were relied upon to provide not only quality minutes, but
leadership as well.
For the second-straight year, forward
Jon Adamson ’10 (Little Falls, NY –
Herkimer) started 23 games and was a force down low
totaling eight double-digit rebounding performances.
Adamson used his 6’4”
frame to help pull in a team-high 7.5 rebounds a game which was the
fifth best average in the Empire 8.
Adamson also scored 15 points per game and was
fifth in the league with a 53.5 field goal percentage while his
78.6 percent shooting from the foul line was also the Empire
8’s fifth best percentage all leading to an Empire 8
Honorable Mention selection.
.
Local product
Bryan Mathews ’10 (Horseheads, NY –
Horseheads) acted as the main distributor this year for
the Soaring Eagles leading the team with 3.36 assists per game in
25 games played while averaging the third most minutes played a
game at 27.8.
Mathews, whose assist totals were eighth best in
the Empire 8, had eight assists in Elmira College’s win
over Hartwick on Jan. 23. The 5’10” guard
also showed he was not afraid to fight in the paint by pulling in
3.3 rebounds a game, the second best average on the team.
Fellow guard
Noah Zazulia ’10 (Palm City, FL -- Jensen
Beach) played 22.8 minutes a game in 22 games making 10
starts.
Zazulia improved in virtually every category in
2008-09 and finished averaging 6.6 points per game, 3.2 rebounds
per game and 1.4 assists a night. The Palm City native also led EC
in steals in five games this season including a two-steal night
against St. John Fisher on Jan. 11.
Palen Andreozzi ’10 (Albany, NY -- Christian
Brothers Academy) appeared in 20 games this past season
including nine starts.
Andreozzi was fourth on the team in scoring;
finishing with an average of 6.3 points a night. Averaging 20.2
minutes, he tied the team lead with 13 blocks.
Andreozzi had a career-night against St. John
Fisher by scoring 19 points.
Chris Henderson ’10 (West Bridgewater, MA --
Coyle Cassidy) and
Nick Woitach ’10 (Vestal, NY -- Vestal
Senior) came off the bench to provide the Soaring Eagles
with quality minutes of play.
Henderson, Elmira College’s
representative on the E8’s Sportsman of the Year
selections, made 12 starts in 22 games.
Woitach scored 29 points in 17 games and was
second on the team with 1.8 assists per game.
David Nelson ’10 (Bainbridge, NY --
Bainbridge-Guilford) battled injuries all season, but
managed to play in 15 games scoring 6.1 points a contest to go with
1.8 rebounds a game.
Nelson led EC in three-point percentage by
shooting 34.5 percent (19-for-55) from distance and poured in a
season-high 18 points against Keuka College in the second game of
the year.
Tyler McEnroe ’10 (Millbrook, NY –
Millbrook) played in 20 games this season scoring four
points and grabbing nine rebounds while also handing out nine
assists and coming away with two steals.
The driving force behind Elmira College’s offense this
past season was none other than second-year player
Bobby DiPiazza ’11 (Wyckoff, NJ -- Bergen
Catholic).DiPiazza, who set career-highs in minutes played,
field goal percentage, three-point percentage, points per game and
steals, led the Soaring Eagles and was fifth in the Empire 8 with
17.2 points per game. The Bergen Catholic alum was the top scorer
for the Purple and Gold 14 times this season even dropping 20 more
points nine times with his best game coming at Nazareth College on
Feb. 24.
DiPiazza scored 32 points in the losing effort.
Elmira College’s biggest body was
6’7” 235 pound forward
Zach Simpson ’11 (Savona, NY --
Campbell-Savona).
Simpson patrolled the paint in 25 contests
including 11 starts shooting 49.3 percent from the field averaging
3.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
TJ Woitach ’11 (Vestal, NY -- Vestal
Senior) and
Ryan Patterson ’11 (Brattleboro, VT --
Brattleboro Union) both continued to improve gaining
experience that will pay dividends in the future appearing in 20
and 18 games respectively
In their first year with the Soaring Eagles,
Nick Vona ’12 (Lockport, NY –
Newfane) and
Caleb Pruch ’12 (Bolivar, NY --
Bolivar-Richburg) saw action in 19 and 15 games with
Vona making two starts.
With Coach
Torgalski returning virtually every member of this
year’s squad next season, the future of Elmira
College’s Men’s Basketball team is bright.