1 HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
NEED TO KNOW GAME DAY NOTES
BY THE #’S
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The Hawks look to preserve their perfect 6-0 record inside Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion when they host NJIT this weekend.
35
Hartford’s last home game came 35 days ago, when it defeated Binghamton, 77-74, on an Austin Williams three at the buzzer on January 3.
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Williams has netted double figures in his last 10 contests, the longest rally since Malik Ellison recorded twin figures in 12 straight games a year ago.
NOTES TO KNOW SETTING THE SCENE
Coming off road splits in each of its past three weekend series at UMass Lowell, UMBC and Stony Brook, Hartford men’s basketball returns home for the first time in five weeks to host NJIT. The Hawks and Highlanders battle for the first time as conference mates on Saturday at 2 p.m., before concluding the two-game set Sunday with a 2 p.m. tipoff.
SHARE THE WEALTH
The 2020-21 edition of the Hawks features an extremely balanced offense, with three active players — and four total — averaging twin figures. Senior Austin Williams leads the pack, entering the weekend averaging 12.5 points. Despite his scoring average being the 12th-best mark in the America East, it is the lowest mark for Hartford’s leading scorer since 2014-15, when Mark Nwakamma (’15) averaged a team-high 12.1 points per game.
PROTECT THE NEST
The Hawks’ undefeated, 6-0 record inside Reich Family Pavilion marks the program’s best start at home since 1989-90, when they won their first nine home games. In addition, Hartford’s current six-game winning streak is the longest since 2002-03. That season, the Hawks won six straight home games to finish with a 12-1 record in West Hartford. The Hawks are averaging 71.3 points in home games, compared to 60.0 on the road.
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SCHEDULE AND RESULTS HARTFORD HAWKS 10-7 OVERALL [7-5 AMERICA EAST] Nov. 27
at UConn
CBS Sports Net. L, 57-69
Dec. 1
vs. #12 Villanova
ESPN2
L, 53-87
Dec. 2
at Fairfield
ESPN3
W, 66-61
DEC. 4
CCSU
ESPN3
W, 80-65
DEC. 7
FAIRFIELD
ESPN3
W, 67-54
DEC. 19
MAINE *
ESPN3
W, 63-60
DEC. 20
MAINE *
ESPN3
W, 65-50
Dec. 27
at New Hampshire *
ESPN+
L, 69-77
Dec. 28
at New Hampshire *
ESPN3
L, 51-53
JAN. 2
BINGHAMTON *
ESPN3
W, 76-56
JAN. 3
BINGHAMTON *
ESPN+
W, 77-74
Jan. 9
at UMass Lowell *
ESPN3
L, 62-71
Jan. 10
at UMass Lowell *
ESPN3
W, 75-58
Jan. 16
at UMBC *
ESPN3
W, 70-63
Jan. 17
at UMBC *
ESPN3
L, 49-57
JAN. 23
VERMONT *
ESPN3/+
PPD
JAN. 24
VERMONT *
ESPN3/+
PPD
Jan. 30
at Stony Brook *
ESPN+
W, 59-57
Jan. 31
at Stony Brook *
ESPN3
L, 49-63
FEB. 13
NJIT *
ESPN3
2 p.m.
FEB. 14
NJIT *
ESPN3
2 p.m.
Feb. 21
at UMass Lowell *
ESPN3/+
TBD
HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
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MEET THE HAWKS
#0
#1
#2
HUNTER
BRIGGS
D.J.
SO » F » 6-9 » 190
FR » G » 6-4 » 175
JR » G » 6-0 » 160
PHILLIP ISLAND, AUSTRALIA
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NEW JERSEY
MARKS
McCLAIN
MITCHELL
#3
#5
#4
JAKUB
MOSES
CAMERON
SO » F » 6-11 » 210
SO » G » 6-3 » 180
SO » G » 6-0 » 170
OSTRAVA, CZECH REPUBLIC
DORCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA
DOMBEK
FLOWERS
#11
MCCRAVY
#12
#14
PJ
MIROSLAV
RASTISLAV
SO » G » 5-10 » 165
SO » F » 6-10 » 235
FR » F » 6-6 » 215
HOUSTON, TEXAS
LIBEREC, CZECH REPUBLIC
SERED, SLOVAKIA
HENRY
STAFL
4 HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
SIPKOVSKY
MEET THE HAWKS
#15
#20
#21
THOMAS
AUSTIN
MATT
FR » F » 6-10 » 240
R-SR » G » 6-4 » 200
SR » G » 6-4 » 200
CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND
ROSELAND, NEW JERSEY
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
WEBLEY
AJ
WILLIAMS
HOBBS
#23
#22
#25
MICHAEL
TRACI
FR » G/F » 6-4 » 205
JR » G » 6-0 » 190
GR » G » 6-1 » 175
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK
MATAWAN, NEW JERSEY
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
GRAY
DUNNE
CARTER
COACHING STAFF
JOHN
TOM
YOLONZO
TIM
ANDY
Head Coach 11th Season
Associate Head Coach 8th Season
Assistant Coach 4th Season
Assistant Coach 2nd Season
Director of Operations 2nd Season
GALLAGHER DEVITT
MOORE II
BROOKS
HURD
HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
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THIS WEEKEND'S MATCHUP THE MATCHUP
HARTFORD HAWKS
vs
(10-7, 7-5 AE)
(6-8, 5-7 AE)
SERIES BREAKDOWN
SERIES HISTORY Hartford and NJIT meet for the first time as conference mates this weekend. The history between the two teams is short, with the Hawks defeating the Highlanders, 50-38, on neutral ground in their first — and only — meeting, in 2008.
LAST MEETING The Hawks buckled down defensively and handed the Highlanders a 50-38 defeat at the Palestra as part of the Philly Hoop Group Classic. It marked Hartford’s best defensive effort since the 198586 season, when it held Colgate to just 37 points in a 56-37 triumph.
NJIT HIGHLANDERS
Division I Series...................... Hartford leads, 1-0 At Hartford.................................... Series tied, 0-0 At NJIT............................................... Series tied, 0-0 At Neutral Venue................... Hartford leads, 1-0 Current Streak...................... Hartford, one game Last Meeting............ Hartford, 50-38 (11/28/08)
STAT BREAKDOWN
STREAK
L1
L1
64.0
POINTS PER GAME
67.2
63.2
POINTS ALLOWED
69.8
-3.1
REBOUND MARGIN
-5.9
.418
FG%
.406
.420
FG% DEFENSE
.447
.317
3-PT FG%
.323
.297
3-PT FG% DEF
.313
.695
FT%
.682
10.5
ASSISTS/GAME
9.6
12.6
TO/GAME
10.9
7.6
STEALS/GAME
6.4
2.0
BLOCKS/GAME
2.2
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NJIT'S ROSTER NJIT HIGHLANDERS 6-8 OVERALL [5-7 AE] # Name
Yr. Pos. Ht. Wt.
Hometown
0 Adetokunbo Bakare Fr.
G
6-2
185
Newark, N.J.
1
G/F
6-4
185
Westland, Mich.
2 San Antonio Brinson Sr.
F
6-8
210
Thomson, Ga.
3 Miles Coleman
Jr.
F
6-5
210
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
4 Zach Cooks
Sr.
G
5-10
165
Lawrenceville, Ga.
5 Diego Willis
So.
G
6-4
180
Hermosillo, Mexico
13 Jason Murphy
R-Fr. F
6-8
240
Owings Mills, Md.
Dylan O’Hearn
Jr.
21 Souleymane Diakite Jr.
F
6-9
230
Bamako, Mali
23 Antwuan Butler
Jr.
G
6-0
205
Philadelphia, Pa.
24 Mekhi Gray
Fr.
G
6-4
180
Montrose, N.Y.
32 Xavier Mayo
So.
F
6-7
230
Beacon, N.Y.
33 Kjell de Graaf
R-So. F
6-10
230
Rotterdam, Netherlands
35 Da’mir Faison
R-Fr. F
6-7
200
Philadelphia, Pa.
Head Coach: Brian Kennedy, Fifth Season (Monmouth ’90) Assistant Coaches: Jeff Rafferty, Kim Waiters, Joe Gutowski Director of Operations: Danny Manuel
SCOUTING REPORT NJIT split each of its past two America East series, going 2-2 against Stony Brook and UMBC in Newark. The Highlanders have taken great care of the ball this season, committing a leaguelow 10.9 miscues per game to lead the conference with a +3.29 turnover margin.
#4 ZACH COOKS Averaging a league-high 38.2 minutes per game, Cooks is third in the conference in scoring with 14.6 points per game.
WHO TO WATCH
HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
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LAST TIME OUT HARTFORD at STONY BROOK
JAN. 30, 2021
22 37 59 28 29 57
JAN. 31, 2021
26 23 49 30 33 63
The Hawks split a pair of league games at Stony Brook last month. After clawing back from a late six-point deficit on back-to-back threes from Miroslav Stafl and Hunter Marks, Hartford won the opening game of the series, 59-57, on a putback by Austin Williams with 15 seconds remaining. The Seawolves held the Hawks to 13.6 percent shooting from long range the next day to take the series finale, 63-49.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
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HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
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FEATURED HAWK D.J. MITCHELL
A junior guard from Englewood Cliffs, N.J., D.J. Mitchell has become one of the league’s top three-point threats in 2020-21. He enters the weekend tied for second in the America East with 32 made triples on 42.7 percent shooting from three-point territory. Averaging a career-high 7.7 points and 25.6 minutes in 17 games and eight starts this season, Mitchell’s 72 career appearances are most among active Hawks, while his 76 career makes from long range also lead all current Hartford players.
GET TO KNOW...
10 HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
FEATURED HAWK
IN THE HOT SEAT...
D.J.
MITCHELL THE LAST SHOW THAT D.J. BINGE-WATCHED WAS THE OFFICE. MICHAEL SCOTT FROM THE OFFICE IS ONE OF HIS FAVORITE CHARACTERS OF ANY SHOW ON TELEVISION MOST PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW THAT HE ENJOYS LISTENING TO ALICIA KEYS D.J.’S THREE MOST-USED EMOJIS ARE:
BESIDES BECOMING A PRO BASKETBALL PLAYER, HIS DREAM JOB WOULD BE TO BECOME A GENERAL MANAGER OF A BASKETBALL TEAM THREE WORDS THAT D.J. USES TO DESCRIBE COACH GALLAGHER ARE ENERGETIC, CARING AND INTELLIGENT
HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
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HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
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HARTFORD STATISTICS & standings INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS
CLICK HERE FOR ALL 2020-21 STATISTICS
SCORING Austin Williams 12.5 per game REBOUNDING Miroslav Stafl 5.9 per game ASSISTS Traci Carter 3.4 per game STEALS Traci Carter 2.9 per game MINUTES Hunter Marks 33.8 per game FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE Miroslav Stafl 53.1% (52-of-98) 3-PT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE D.J. Mitchell 42.7% (32-of-75)
AMERICA EAST STANDINGS
OVERALL AE W-L PCT W-L PCT
UMBC Vermont Hartford New Hampshire Stony Brook UMass Lowell UAlbany NJIT Maine Binghamton
13-4 .765 9-3 .750 7-3 .700 7-3 .700 10-7 .588 7-5 .583 9-8 .529 8-6 .571 8-10 .444 6-6 .500 7-9 .438 6-6 .500 4-6 .400 4-4 .500 6-8 .429 5-7 .417 2-7 .222 2-6 .250 2-13 .133 2-10 .167
HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
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ALUMNI FEATURE WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
ANDRES TORRES BY THE #’S
3
Dishing out 129 assists in his final season in 2011-12 — the fifth-most in program history — Torres ranks third in alltime assists with 331.
144
Torres finished with 144 career steals, including a career-high 60 in 2011-12, to hold down the 11th spot in Hartford’s career record book.
1
Torres led Hartford to the program’s first-ever appearance in the America East Championship’s title game as a freshman in 2008.
Andres Torres’ (’12) experience with the Hartford men’s basketball team goes beyond the wins and losses. He forged lifelong relationships with coaches and teammates, and learned several life lessons along the way through his time in a Hartford uniform that helped shape who he is today. In addition to leading Hartford to its firstever America East Championship Game appearance as a freshman, another one of Torres’ top memories as a Hawk was playing on the big stage against opponents such as Kentucky, Baylor and UConn. That, unfortunately, also resulted in one of the biggest setbacks of his career. Playing the third-ranked Wildcats inside Rupp Arena on ESPN2 in 2009-10, Torres tore his PCL with four minutes remaining in the first half. He missed 10 games of his junior season as a result. But despite the injury, Torres still finished as the team’s leader in assists that season. The injury presented yet another challenge down the road for the guard.
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ALUMNI FEATURE Torres needed surgery in the offseason, which led to him having to take a medical redshirt during his senior season in 2010-11. In his return to the court in 2011-12, Torres was remarkable. He came back better than ever, averaging a career-high 11.7 points — up from his previous career-best average of 6.7 points in 2009-10 — while adding 1.9 steals and 4.1 assists per game. The most impressive part of his return can’t be found in any box scores, though. Torres was the veteran leader of a Hartford team that featured 10 underclassmen, seven of which were freshmen. That season, the Hawks lost their first 13 games, getting off to the worst start in program history. But Torres’ leadership helped lead to a huge turnaround for Hartford. Winning eight of their final 16 regular-season games, the sixthseeded Hawks upset Boston University, the third seed, in the quarterfinals of the America East Championship. Torres was one win away from leading the Hawks back to the Championship Game, and becoming the first player in program history to be a part of two title games. In what proved to be his final game in a Hartford uniform, Torres left everything on the court. Fouling out with 53 seconds left in regulation of the semifinals, he was forced to watch the Hawks battle the Vermont Catamounts in front of a packed Reich Family Pavilion from the bench. Torres still finished as the game’s top scorer with 18 points, but Hartford fell after battling for 50 grueling minutes to eventual league champion Vermont, 77-73, in double overtime. Torres capped off his career by earning Third Team All-Conference honors. His name is still inked throughout Hartford’s record book, as he is tied for third in assists (331), 11th in steals (144) and 19th in minutes (2,788).
HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
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ALUMNI FEATURE After graduating in 2012, Torres took his game to the professional level, a journey that landed him in three different countries and granted him the opportunity to explore new cultures. His time at Hartford helped him prepare for this career, as he credits his success to the discipline that was instilled in him throughout his five years as a Hawk. After nine years of playing at the pro level in Ecuador, Mexico and Puerto Rico, Torres decided to trade in his shorts and basketball sneakers for a suit, tie and dress shoes, taking on a new job as an internal auditor at a bank in Puerto Rico. Despite the challenge of adjusting to life outside of basketball — and the change in apparel that he had grown so accustomed to for most of his life — Torres quickly discovered that another skillset that he developed throughout his years on the court, including leadership and teamwork, transferred to success in the “real world.” The time that he once put it on the court and in the weight room is now being dedicated to hitting the books. Torres is currently studying for his Certified Public Accountant Exam, with hopes of putting the most valuable part of his University of Hartford experience to good use — the undergraduate and Master of Science degrees he earned in accounting and accounting & taxation, respectively. Jeff Dooley, the voice of the Hartford Hawks, had a chance to catch up with the former standout point guard in the interview below.
ONCE A HAWK, ALWAYS A HAWK
HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
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18 HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH