Stonehill men's basketball team faces Providence College in exhibition game
By Jim Fenton
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
EASTON - For the second year in a row, the Stonehill College men's basketball team will be squaring off against an opponent from the Big East.
The Skyhawks, who traveled to Notre Dame last season, will play an exhibition game against Providence College at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Saturday at 7 p.m.
They also have an exhibition game on Monday night against Div. 1 Fairfield University, coached by former Stonehill player and assistant coach Ed Cooley, at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn.
"I think the benefit is that you are playing against high level players and it's good competition,'' said Stonehill coach David McLaughlin. "It helps prepare you for the season. You play under NCAA rules in front of a good crowd and it's not just a scrimmage. It allows you to work on game situations.
"I think it can be a confidence builder when you play well and stay with teams like that. You try to get the most out of it.''
Stonehill, which was 21-8 and 16-6 in the Northeast-10 Conference last season, returns 10 players, including three starters.
The Skyhawks, who are picked to finish fifth in the NE-10 after reaching the NCAA Div. 2 tournament a year ago, open the regular season on Nov. 15 by traveling to Queens University. The home opener is Nov. 21 against the University of the District of Columbia.
McLaughlin, who took over the program in January 2004, has point guard Randall Stallworth, forward A.J. Rudowitz and Mike Kernan back in the starting lineup while losing Matt Hall and Colin Scanlon to graduation.
Rudowitz, a senior, led Stonehill in scoring, averaging 13.5 points, and was the top rebounder with 7.4 per game.
"He's a first-team all-league player and he scored over 35 points in two games,'' said McLaughlin. "His work ethic makes him so good. He just doesn't take a play off at all.''
Stallworth was third on the team, averaging 10.7 points, to go with 4.1 assists. The senior tied for the team lead with 39 3-pointers made.
"He are going to need him to pick up his scoring more this season, and he really has that ability to score more,'' said McLaughlin.
Kernan, a junior, averaged 9.7 points and 7.1 rebounds and will be counted on to do a variety of things once again.
"He does everything for us on the floor,'' said McLaughlin. "He's like an anchor for us out there.''
The other starters will come from a group that includes junior Sean Costigan, junior Daniel Heppert, redshirt freshman Ivan Almeida, a 6-foot-4 forward from Cape Verde, and sophomores Andre Tongo and Patrick Lee.
The 16-team NE-10 figures to be a difficult conference once again this season. Le Moyne College, which is picked to finish fourth, stunned Syracuse, 82-79, in an exhibition at the Carrier Dome on Tuesday night.
Adelphi and New Haven are in the 16-team conference now, and Stonehill will be playing seven teams situated in the northeast twice and the remainder of the teams once.
"Coaches say a lot about this conference,'' said McLaughlin. "You never have a night off in this conference. There are no bad teams, teams have bad nights.
"I think if we stay healthy and whoever the five players that start and whoever the players coming off the bench by into their roles, we're going to be very competitive. We need the guys all on the same page to want to win.
