
The 2007-2008 season was an exciting look into the
future for the Men’s Basketball program. This
year’s edition of the Soaring Eagles relied heavily on
its youth. With only three players in their third or fourth year
the Soaring Eagles lacked experience but made up for it by playing
a high paced exciting game.
Providing upperclassmen leadership for the Purple and Gold was
Co-Captain
Nick Molak ’08 (Barrington, RI -- Barrington).
Molak would add valuable court presence to this
year’s offense and defense while averaging 3.2 points
from the shooting and an impressive 46% from behind the arc.
Behind
Molak was fourth year player
Shannon Harmon ’08 (Bolivar, NY --
Bolivar-Richburg) and third year player
Chris O’Brien ’09 (Oneonta, NY --
Oneonta).O’Brien would shine at the defensive
end as he would often be called upon to make crucial stops in
almost every game for the Soaring Eagles.
The Soaring Eagles Class of 2010 would shine this year and would
play with the poise of players far beyond their time. At the head
of the pack was
David Nelson ’10 (Bainbridge, NY --
Bainbridge-Guilford).Nelson would have a break out year as we would
lead the team in scoring averaging almost 10 points per game, free
throw percentage and would be second in three pointers made with
36. His best performance of the season would come against Ithaca
College where he would lead the team in scoring with a career high
30 points.
Behind
Nelson were co- captains
Palen Andreozzi ’10 (Albany, NY -- Christian
Brothers Academy),Bryan Mathews ’10 (Horseheads, NY --
Horseheads) and
Nick Woitach ’10 (Vestal, NY -- Vestal
Senior). This talented group of returnees added valuable
leadership and poise throughout the season.
Andreozzi would add a valuable presence in the
post and would average 7 points per game and would help lead the
team in rebounds (83) and block shots (20).
Mathews would see valuable time at the point this
year for the Soaring Eagles as he would play in each game averaging
just over 17 minutes per game and would lead the team in assists
with 44.

Rounding out the Class of 2010 were
Chris Henderson ’10 (W. Bridgewater, MA - Coyle
Cassidy) and
Jon Adamson ’10 (Herkimer, NY --
Herkimer).Henderson’s skill at the defensive end
of the court would be crucial to the team’s success. In
that role
Henderson pulled down 52 defensive boards and
picked up another 15 steals.
At forward
Adamson would start in all but two of the Soaring
Eagles games this season. He averaged just over 6 points per game
and led the team in rebounding pulling down 31 offensive and 57
defensive boards.
First year standouts
Bobby DiPiazza ’11 (Ridgewood, NJ - Bergen
Catholic),Noah Zazulia ’11 (Palm City, FL -- Jensen
Beach) and
Evan Taylor ’11 (Naples, FL -- Lely)
were thrown right into the mix and handled the transition to the
College game very well. This talented threesome of newcomers saw a
significant amount of playing time throughout the season.
At guard
DiPiazza entered the game off the bench and added
a valuable shooting presence from beyond the arc. Averaging 7
points a game in his inaugural season
DiPiazza also led the team in steals with 25.
Capturing Empire 8 Rookie of the Week honors this season were
Zazulia and
Taylor.
Taylor who captured the honor four times in his
first year with the Soaring Eagles added 9 points a game this year
while averaging just over 40% from the field and sinking a team
high 48 three pointers.
Zazulia would be honored by the Empire 8 twice for
his accomplishments and would average 20 minutes a game while
starting in all but two of the teams 25 games.
Also making valuable contributions in their first season with the
Purple and Gold were
Peter Lokai ’11 (Manlius, NY --
Cazenovia) and
TJ Woitach ’11 (Vestal, NY -- Vestal
Senior). Both saw time in almost every game for the
Soaring Eagles in their inaugural season and will be looked upon to
make a valuable impact as they continue their career at Elmira.
The Soaring Eagles lost
Molak and
Harmon to Graduation.