By James Kassan (@JamesKassan4)
Stony Brook finished .500 in Coastal Athletic Association play a season ago, ultimately falling to Campbell in the second round of the conference tournament. With six players returning from last year’s team, the Seawolves enter this season looking to make noise in the CAA and get back to the conference title game for the first time since the 2023-24 season.
That 2024 run showed what the Seawolves could become under head coach Geno Ford. But getting back to that point has not been easy. Stony Brook will have to find a new identity and players to step into bigger roles, with three of its top contributors from a year ago no longer with the team. Erik Pratt and Rob Brown III graduated, while freshman Andrej Shoshkikj transferred to USF for his sophomore season.
“I like our group. We got a lot of high-character guys that really love to play and love to work. We intentionally went out and tried to add shooting,” Ford said Thursday. “Obviously, Ethan (Simmon) was second in the league last year in 3-point shooting. Jaden Daughtry led the Atlantic 10 in 3-point shooting. That was a real priority for us, their ability to shoot the ball.”
After finishing 8-24 in 2024-25, Stony Brook improved to 17-15 last season and went 9-9 in conference play. But the Seawolves entered the CAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed and saw their season end in the second round. Now, there are plenty of new faces around the program as Stony Brook has nine newcomers joining six returning players, leaving Ford with a roster that will need time to come together. Still, the Seawolves believe they have enough returning experience to help ease that transition.
“Ethan was a real big plus for us a year ago,” Ford said of Simmon. “We brought him in from New Haven, he certainly impacted games. He is a much better player today than he was a year ago. With Collin (O’Connor), we were 6-2 last year before he broke his foot. We got to 17 wins, but I think it’s safe to say if we had him, we’d have gotten to over 20. We certainly missed him, and with Tomas Valentiny, he’s had a really good preseason. We’ve been really happy with him.”
One of the most important additions is Jaden Daughtry. The senior transfer arrives from Richmond after shooting 45 percent from 3-point range last season, a mark that led the Atlantic 10. His shooting gives the Seawolves an immediate threat from beyond the arc and adds a needed spark to an offense that lost several key pieces. Daughtry was named second team preseason All-CAA, while Stony Brook was picked seventh in the conference’s preseason coaches poll.
For a team still trying to figure out its identity, some of that will come from newcomers such as guards Morris Ugusuk and Bryan Ndjonga. Both have already made an impression on teammate Ethan Simmon.
“Morris Ugusuk is a really good point guard all around,” Simmon said. “We guard each other in practice a lot. He plays defense and facilitates really well, and Bryan, he’s a great defender. He can defend one through five, has a really high motor and just makes it tough.”
Collin O’Connor is another key piece returning to the lineup. O’Connor started Stony Brook’s first eight games last season before an injury ended his sophomore campaign. In those eight games, he averaged 7.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 55% from the field. As a freshman, O’Connor earned CAA all-rookie honors after averaging 8.1 points and 3.2 assists per game.
Now healthy, O’Connor gives the Seawolves another experienced player as they try to bring together a roster with significant turnover. He was named a preseason All-CAA honorable mention, giving Stony Brook two players recognized among the conference’s preseason honorees.
“There’s a lot of mental concentration and toughness that goes into performance,” O’Connor said. “Having so many new guys, there’s a lot of value in having a lot of nonconference games early. It’s hard every night. Losing is easy and winning is difficult.”
That will be the challenge for Stony Brook this season. The Seawolves have already shown they can reach the top of the CAA, making the conference championship game in 2024. Last season was another step forward after the program went 8-24 the year before, but the Seawolves still finished in the middle of the conference standings.
Now, with six returners and nine newcomers, Stony Brook has another opportunity to move up. The roster is different, the roles are different, but the goal remains the same: Getting back toward the top of the CAA.
Leave a Reply