By Joe Budzelek (@JBudzelek)
For all that Tom Pecora has accomplished throughout his career, there is one thing he has yet to do as a head coach: Lead a team to the NCAA Tournament.
In fact, no Quinnipiac men’s basketball team has ever reached the NCAA Tournament since the program moved to Division I in 1998. That makes the opportunity ahead for Pecora and the Bobcats this season particularly clear.
Quinnipiac won back-to-back Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season championships in Pecora’s first two seasons at the helm, but neither season ended with the program’s first trip to March Madness. Now, the Bobcats are once again trying to put themselves in position to make history in the renamed Metro Conference.
“I think it’s about chasing history,” Pecora said.
The path there will look different this time.
After losing former MAAC Player of the Year Amarri Monroe and several other key pieces, Pecora rebuilt through the transfer portal, bringing in veterans from different levels of college basketball to join a group that includes a trio of freshmen and several players entering their second seasons.
“Recruiting is speed dating now,” Pecora said.
There is plenty to like about the group he has assembled. Quinnipiac has size, athleticism and versatility, along with a formidable duo in Asim Jones and Keith McKnight. But before the Bobcats can chase history in March, they first have to figure out how all those pieces fit together.
For a program that has mastered the art of winning the regular season, the next step is finding a way to win in March. If Quinnipiac is going to make the jump from regular season champion to NCAA Tournament participant, it will likely need McKnight to make a leap to stardom.
The Hudson Catholic product showed flashes of his considerable potential as a freshman, averaging 11 points, six rebounds and nearly two stocks per game, and Pecora believes the New Jersey native now has the opportunity to become one of the league’s best players. The 6-foot-7 forward can impact a game in a variety of ways, from attacking the rim and creating in transition to blocking shots and rebounding at both ends of the floor.
“Keith is key to us in every way, shape and form because he’s athletic on the highest level,” Pecora said. “He can make plays in transition, blow by people and get to the rim.”
McKnight has also spent the offseason expanding his offensive game. His mid-range jumper has improved, and Pecora said his range is now extending to the three-point line, giving him another way to punish defenses.
“He’s becoming more of an offensive player, playing to his strengths and understanding where his wins are coming from,” Pecora said.
That development could be particularly important for a Quinnipiac team replacing Monroe’s production. The Bobcats don’t necessarily need McKnight to become a replica of their former star, but they do need him to become a player capable of carrying a larger share of the offensive load. Pecora believes he is capable of doing much more than that.
“He’s only 19 years old, but he’s got Player of the Year talent,” he said.
The biggest question surrounding Quinnipiac’s roster may also be the one that could have the biggest impact on its ceiling: Will Asim Jones be back?
Jones was an all-MAAC selection last season after averaging 12.5 points and 3.9 assists per game, and his potential return would give the Bobcats another proven backcourt piece alongside McKnight.
“If he’s eligible, he’s back,” Pecora said. “It’s huge.”
Jones continued to improve throughout last season, and Pecora said there were plenty of moments when he wished he had the combo guard for more than one year. If he does return, Pecora believes Jones and McKnight could both have legitimate first-team all-Metro potential.
“There are probably a lot of people who would look at that and say both could be first-team guys,” Pecora said.
Jones’ return would also create an intriguing dynamic with sophomore Tai Turnage, another player Pecora expects to take a step forward. Turnage spent the offseason working on his body, adding strength that Pecora believes will allow him to become more effective on both ends of the floor.
“He really worked on his body, and that was a big thing for him,” Pecora said.
Turnage’s biggest value may come from what he can do with the ball. His ability to shoot from three and make plays as a passer forces defenses to extend, creating opportunities for him and the players around him.
“His superpower is his ability to pass the ball and shoot the ball from three,” Pecora said.
If Jones is back, Quinnipiac has a third all-conference-caliber piece in duo in Turnage, who provides versatility around Jones and McKnight. For a team trying to replace Monroe while finally breaking through to the NCAA Tournament, that combination could be the difference.
Regardless of Jones’ status, Quinnipiac’s backcourt has been heavily fortified by a trio of Division II veteran transfers who will add size, skill, toughness and experience to the roster.
“Backcourt play is always something I’ve lived and died with — having good guard play — and that’s going to be key,” Pecora said. “We have three guys coming in from the Division II level and now they’re going to have to step it up, but they’re older, mature and physically prepared to do it.”
Assumption transfer Tayeshawn Cunningham-Pemberton averaged 14.0 points and 1.6 steals per game last season, giving Quinnipiac a downhill, defensive-minded guard who has impressed Pecora during summer workouts.
“If the season were to start tomorrow, Tayeshawn would probably get a starting spot,” Pecora said. “Tayeshawn physically is going to be able to get into the lane, make plays and finish around the basket. He’s probably our best on-ball defender right now. He’s every bit of 6-foot-2 and about 190 pounds of muscle, so he’s tough to get by. He has done a great job up to this point.”
Alongside Pace Prosser, who is heading to Siena, Lucas Sekasi is coming off a Division II championship season at Gannon before transferring to Quinnipiac to make his Division I debut in the Metro. Best classified as a big guard and facilitator, the 6-foot-6 Sekasi averaged 11 points, five rebounds and nearly five assists per game while recording 63 steals last season.
“Lucas can distribute the basketball, and he’s got great size — about 6-foot-4½ — playing with the ball in his hands,” Pecora said. “So once again, he’s a guy who can play on or off the basketball because of his size and skill set. Those guys are huge for us. The fact that we have so many guys who can play multiple positions is a positive. It’s a positive for them, too, because it gives them opportunities to find minutes and, in turn, maybe find a spot in the starting lineup.”
St. Thomas Aquinas transfer Mike Parrotta is the son of Northeast basketball coaching mainstay Tom Parrotta, who will rejoin Pecora staff after spending the previous five seasons at Hofstra. A product of the full-court pressure and physical style that has become a hallmark of STAC basketball, Parrotta brings that same intensity to Quinnipiac.
“Mike is physically tough, just like his old man was when he played at Fordham,” says Pecora. “His dad was a hell of a player at Fordham, and Mike is just involved in every play when he’s out on the floor. He’s a physical specimen at about 6-foot-5½ and plays really, really hard.”
While Parrotta projects as a deeper bench option, both Sekasi and Cunningham-Pemberton are candidates to start for the Bobcats, particularly if Jones is unable to suit up. Physical junior guard Nate Guerengomba will reprise his reserve role, while freshman Malik Fields, a Cardinal Hayes product from the Bronx, has impressed this summer after choosing Quinnipiac despite having previously received offers from Power 5 programs Texas A&M and TCU. London native Nedas Cholevinskas also joins the fold as a six-foot-five floor spacer with pro experience with the Surrey 49ers of England’s top-tier league. Overall, the backcourt is versatile and deep, with a high floor and an elite ceiling if Jones is ultimately cleared to play.
Conversely, Quinnipiac’s frontcourt is facing a major facelift. While the group lacks experience, it makes up for it with versatility, intrigue and upside.
“When you lose an all-conference player and player of the year like Amarri Monroe, you’re going to see who’s going to rise,” Pecora said. “It’s an interesting process.”
Currently sidelined with a hip injury, Cleveland State transfer Holden Pierre-Louis finished last season as the team’s second-most-efficient defender. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound incoming junior will provide the Bobcats with a steady, two-way interior presence and a particularly strong rim protector. Pierre-Louis started 21 games last season and will compete for the starting center position.
La Salle transfer Nas Hart is a contrast to Pierre-Louis because his game is all about his athleticism. A Top 250 three-star recruit according to 247Sports’ rankings, Hart struggled with paint scoring efficiency in his freshman season, but Pecora has been excited by his potential as he gains experience and strength.
“Nas is electric and bouncy,” he said of Hart. “He’s a bit on the thin side, but he has a good set of shoulders, gets up on the offensive and defensive glass, and can switch everything if need be defensively.”
Even after fortifying the frontcourt with a pair of transfers, Quinnipiac’s upside lies in the untapped potential of returning forwards Jayden Reid and Braylan Ritvo, along with freshman Ali Diouf.
After appearing in just eight games last season, the 6-foot-8 Harlem native Ritvo brings the versatility to play either the three or the four, with a clean perimeter shot that could help him carve out a consistent role this season.
“Braylan Ritvo is a veteran,” Pecora said of the Stepinac alumnus. “He’s been here for three years, and it’s his time to shine. He’s got to step up and get more minutes. He’s done a great job with his body, which was important. He’s down under six percent body fat, has been living in the weight room and is looking good. He still has the ability to shoot the ball and he comes from a winning program at Archbishop Stepinac. He knows how to win and he knows how to play basketball.”
Among the trio of three-star recruits in Quinnipiac’s 2025 high school recruiting class, the 6-foot-10 Reid was the only one to redshirt last season after finishing his high school career at Westminster School, where he averaged 14.5 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Blessed with elite length, he spent last season adding strength and learning the demands of defending at the Division I level. Pecora believes that development could translate into an impact role this season.
“Jayden Reid has been working hard in the weight room, but he’s still a puppy,” the coach said. “It’s hard for these true high school guys to come in when you’re playing against a lot of men, especially when guys also transfer in. That’s why, from a recruiting standpoint, this year we really just brought in two high school kids. You’ve got to wait. I don’t want to start bringing guys in and just recruit over everyone I bring in if that’s what you have to do in the spring.”
“With that being said, Jayden’s working on his body. He’s much bigger and stronger than he was, and he’s showing us flashes of brilliance. He’s going to get on the floor and push guys for minutes.”
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the offseason has been the play of 6-foot-10 Canadian freshman Ali Diouf, who boasts arguably the most diverse offensive skillset in Quinnipiac’s frontcourt.
“Ali Diouf has really been a surprise for us,” Pecora said. “He’s every bit of 6-foot-10, a lefty who can shoot threes, so he can play both the four or five for us. He’s a quick learner. He’s a little on the thin side, but he has great feet and can really run the floor, so I think his speed and quickness at that spot could help us.”
If Diouf’s defense catches up to his offensive game in short order, the freshman is a dark horse to emerge as the Bobcats’ leading frontcourt scorer outside of McKnight. More broadly, his development, and the ability of one or two of Quinnipiac’s other new frontcourt pieces to provide a steady impact, could go a long way toward determining just how high this team can climb.
On paper, Quinnipiac has assembled yet another intriguing roster under Pecora, with size throughout the lineup, veteran additions in the backcourt, and enough young talent to create significant upside. But the Bobcats’ ceiling may ultimately depend less on the individual pieces than on how quickly those pieces come together, and whether they can peak at the right time in March at the Metro Conference tournament in Atlantic City.
“We just have to go in playing at the highest level at the right time, and then you need all the little things to come into place,” Pecora said. “But for now, I really look at it day to day, game to game, and then we’ll see where we are at the end of the season.”
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