Roster turnover and injuries turned Long Island University’s men’s basketball team from three-time defending conference champions to a club that won just nine games overall last year, but the Blackbirds’ skipper believes the program has started the rebuilding process this year, with a strong group of newcomers joining a veteran core.
“It’s really like completely starting over,” said Blackbirds coach Jack Perri. “It’s almost like building a culture over again. It’s been fun and exciting, but it is being patient.”
The third-year coach has the task of meshing seven returning players with seven fresh faces. Long Island University was picked to finish eighth in the Northeast Conference by the league’s coaches. Many of its players are still unproven.
Two players the Blackbirds will no doubt rely on are senior guard Gerrell Martin, who averaged 12.4 points per contest last season, and forward Lando Atterberry, who posted 10.8 points and 4.1 rebounds a year ago. Martin hopes to improve on the other end of the floor also.
“I know the offense is going to come,” Martin said. “I want to show I can really defend.”
Long Island University’s biggest loss came with the graduation of point guard Jason Brickman, who finished his career with more than 1,000 assists. Perri believes he has his replacement in freshman Elvar Fridriksson from Iceland, saying he sees the floor well and has more of a scorer’s mentality than Brickman did.
His former teammate in Iceland’s Dominos League, Martin Hermannsson, is expected to add perimeter scoring. Both will be asked to contribute right away.
“Between the two of them, they are not normal freshmen,” Perri said. “I’m going to have expectations of them not of normal freshmen because they are going to have to come in to play a bit.”
Red-shirt freshman Nura Zanna is expected to shore up the frontcourt after missing last season because of injury. The 6-foot-7 forward is a strong, physical, and athletic presence in the paint. It is something the Blackbirds sorely need after the team struggled on the boards last season.
“He gives us a different dynamic that we didn’t have last year, but we have had in the past.” Perri said.
Freshman forward Jonathan Tshibuy and guard Jamil Hood will also be asked to contribute, and more is expected from sophomore guard Iverson Flemming. Long Island University will have new faces for sure, but it hopes to bring back its more familiar winning ways.
“If we are able to stay healthy, we will be able to compete with anybody in our league,” Perri said.
