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2013-14 VIDEO SEASON PREVIEW | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | NEWS
opening tip... Saturday's season opener between Saint Peter's and LIU Brooklyn marks the 35th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1957-58 season.
• The home team has won the last six meetings in the series.
• The Peacocks lead the series, 21-13.
• Saint Peter's last win in the matchup was last seaon at the Yanitelli Center with an 80-67 decision on Dec. 19, 2012 while the Blackbirds last win in the series was an 82-80 victory on Dec. 17, 2011.
about the blackbirds... LIU Brooklyn is coming off its third-straight Northeast Conference Tournament title after posting a 20-14 overall mark and 12-6 in league play in 2012-13.
• Senior G Jason Brickman is the squad's top returner after averaging 9.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game while dishing out a circuit-best 290 assists.
• Sophomore G E.J. Reed averaged 7.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last season in 34 games that included two starts.
• Senior F Julian Boyd averaged 18.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last season before an injury ended his season. Boyd is expected to miss the game against the Peacocks due to an injury.
last time we met... Desi Washington scored 28 points to lift Saint Peter's past LIU Brooklyn on Dec. 19, 2012. Yvon Raymond added 14 points and Blaise Ffrench registered 12 points in the winning effort. Jamal Olasewere paced the Blackbirds with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Brandon Thompson added 13 points, C.J. Garner recorded 12 points and Jason Brickman chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
season openers... Saint Peter's will begin the season away from Jersey City for the sixth-straight season and the 20th time since joining the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in 1981-82.
• It will mark the first season opener against LIU Brooklyn, but the Peacocks will face a Northeast Conference opponent in the first game for the third time in program history after facing Rider (1995-96) and Robert Morris (2011-12) in the inaugural game of the year from that league.
• In addition, Saint Peter's will battle the defending NEC Champion for the second time in team history after LIU Brooklyn and Rider both won the league title the previous year while Robert Morris was in the NEC Championship Game in 2010.
• The Peacocks are 15-19 in the inaugural game of the season since 1981-82 and 4-15 away from the Yanitelli Center (1-14 on the road and 3-1 at a neutral site).
• From 1981-82 until 1999-00 where the team played the season opener made a difference. Saint Peter's was 9-0 at home, 0-7 on the road and 3-0 at a neutral site during that stretch.
• The Peacocks had not won a season opener away from the Yanitelli since joining the MAAC until its win against the Scarlet Knights in 2012-13.
• Saint Peter's is 2-5 in season openers under head coach John Dunne after the squad defeated Rutgers 56-52 last season. With the win against the Scarlet Knights, the Peacocks won its first season opener since 2006-07.
will it be deja vu all over again in 2013-14... Saint Peter's won its first three games to start the season in 2012-13.
• It was the team's best start since the 1990-91 team started the season 5-0 on its way to a 24-7 season and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
• The Peacocks have posted a winning streak to start the season since joining the MAAC eight times, including an 8-0 start in 1983-84.
preseason poll... Saint Peter's was picked to finish ninth according to the MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Manhattan, who advanced to the MAAC Championship Game last season, has been tabbed as the preseason favorite while the 2012-13 MAAC Tournament Champion Iona Gaels finished second in the poll. Canisius and Rider finished 3-4 while Marist, Fairfield, Quinnipiac, Niagara, Saint Peter's, Siena and Monmouth rounded out the 11-team poll. Quinnipac and Monmouth will compete in MAAC play for the first time after playing in the Northeast Conference last season.
next on tap... Saint Peter's will make its Yanitelli Center debut on Tuesday night against Hampton.
• The Peacocks will then hit the road, traveling to Kent State (Nov. 17) and Fairleigh Dickinson (Nov. 23) before returning home to host Binghamton on Nov. 26.
washington preseason honor... Junior Desi Washington was named to the All-MAAC Preseason third team. Washington, a 6-2 guard, was the Peacocks leading scorer last season after averaging 14.6 points per game and added 3.4 rebounds per game. Washington also led the team in minutes per game (34.4), 3-point field goal percentage (37.0) and free throw percentage (88.0). The transfer from Delaware State made the most of his first season in Jersey City after registering double figures in 20 of the 30 games played. Washington reached 20 points in a game seven times in 2012-13, including a career-high 32 points against Boston University on Dec. 1. Saint Peter's was 5-2 in games the junior recorded a 20-point performance last season.
the schedule... Saint Peter's will play 13 games at the Yanitelli Center and 16 on the road.
• Prior to the New Year, the Peacocks will play eight of its 11 games on the road.
• The squad will go 32 days in between home games. Saint Peter's will host Binghamton on Nov. 26 and then embark on a five-game road trip before returning home to host Cornell on Dec. 28. It will be the team's first five-game road trip since starting the 2005-06 season with five-straight road games.
• In addition, Saint Peter's will play games in four states this season (New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Ohio).
• During the non-conference slate, the Peacocks will face teams from the America East (Binghamton, Hartford), Big East (Seton Hall), Ivy League (Cornell), Mid-America Conference (Kent State), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (Hampton), Northeast Conference (LIU Brooklyn, Fairleigh Dickinson) and Patriot League (Boston University).
realignment schedule… Saint Peter's will play four teams in 2013-14 that were affected by conference realignment this season.
• Boston University moved from the America East to the Patriot League.
• Seton Hall was apart of the Catholic 7 that split away from the football schools in the Big East, but the Pirates remained in the Big East.
• Monmouth and Quinnipiac both move over to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference after playing in the Northeast Conference last season.
hi, how are you doing... Saint Peter's will have eight newcomers eligible to play in 2013-14.
• Juniors Marvin Dominique and Jamel Fields each sat out last season due to NCAA Division I transfer regulation. Fields played his first two seasons at Fairfield while Dominique played two years at Fordham before coming to Jersey City. Fields has a 20-point game on his career resume while Dominique posted one 10-point performance and four double-figure rebound games with the Rams.
• Juniors Vic Adams, Tyler Gaskins and Kris Rolle join the team after playing two seasons at community college while freshmen Howard Sellars, Trevis Wyche and Quadir Welton also join the team this season.
the familar faces... While the team have eight newcomers, the Peacocks also return six players from last year's team.
• Senior Chris Burke is the lone senior on the team. The senior averaged 5.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season. Burke scored double-figures 10 times last season, including a career-best 18 points against Iona on Jan. 25.
• Junior Desi Washington paced the team in 2012-13 with 14.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Washington scored double figures in 20 of the 30 games in his first season in a Peacocks uniform, including a career-high 32 points against Boston University on Dec. 1. Saint Peter's went 5-2 when the junior posted a 20-point performance.
• Junior Markese Tucker averaged 5.1 points and 2.0 rebounds as a sophomore. Tucker reached double digits five times in his 28 games off the bench.
• Sophomores Chazz Patterson and Elias Desport averaged 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds per game and 1.0 points and 1.3 rebounds per game, respectively, in their first season at Saint Peter's. Patterson had a career-high seven points in the regular season finale against Niagara on Mar. 2 while Desport had a personal-best six points against Fairfield in the MAAC Tournament on Mar. 8.
• Junior Mohamed Farih did not appear in a game last season.
double your pleasure... Senior Chris Burke and junior Markese Tucker are the only two players on the roster that have recorded a double-double in their career.
• Burke notched his first career double-double after posting 18 points and 10 rebounds against Iona last season.• Tucker recorded the trick in his freshman campaign.
• Junior Marvin Dominque recorded a 10-point game and four double-digit rebound performances at Fordham, but he is looking for his first career double-double.
a different looking staff for dunne... Head coach John Dunne has added Matt Henry and Serge Clement to his staff in 2013-14.
• Henry comes to Saint Peter's after serving as an assistant coach and the active head coach for the final four games of the 2011-12 season at Mount St. Mary's. The Mount was 2-2 in the four games he served as active head coach.
• Clement comes to Jersey City after serving as an assistant coach at Adelphi for the last two seasons.
countdown to 1,000... Saint Peter's is playing its 94th campaign in program history after the program started in the 1930-31 season.
• The Peacocks are eight wins away from 1,000 in program history with the record currently sitting at 992-970.
