This is the fifth of what will eventually be capsules for each of the NYC teams when I’m sure their season has concluded.
Team: Wagner
Record: 25-6 (15-3 in the NEC)
Season High: Winning at then #15 Pittsburgh
Season Low: Losing final regular season game to Central Connecticut
Really Good At: Defense — Wagner had the best defense by far in NEC play this season. The Seahawks led the conference in effective field goal percentage defense, three-point percentage defense and block percentage.
Struggled With: Fouling too much — The aggressive, pressing style that Wagner plays leads a lot to the interpretation of the officials. It might’ve been Wagner’s downfall in the conference semifinals against Robert Morris. The Seahawks finished 11th in the NEC in defensive free throw rate.
Key Losses:
- Tyler Murray (All-NEC Second Team guard, 12.0 PPG, efficient scorer)
- Chris Martin (spark off the bench, 7.1 PPG, 82.3% FT%)
Key Returnees:
- Latif Rivers, So., G (All-NEC Second Team, 14.6 PPG)
- Jonathon Williams, Jr., F (13.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 53.4% FG%)
- Kenneth Ortiz, So., G (NEC Defensive Player of the Year, 4.5 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.8 SPG)
- Naofall Folahan, So., F/C (1.7 BPG, strong offensive rebounder)
Outlook: Great. The season came to an abrupt end for the Seahawks, but that doesn’t mean the future isn’t bright. Dan Hurley is going to keep bringing talent to Grymes Hill and it’ll just supplement the young core that’s already here. The addition of transfer Ortiz gives Wagner an amazing sophomore class that should just continue to develop. Also, another year of development and a healthy off season could mean Mario Moody is the NEC’s most improved player next season. After finishing second in the NEC to LIU this season, Wagner still has unfinished business left. It has the talent coming back to unseat the Blackbirds if everything goes right and return to the postseason, maybe even in the NCAA tournament.
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