HOOPLA 2017
Get ready for basketball season with HOOPLA, The Statesman’s annual issue dedicated to the Stony Brook Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams.
Here you’ll get an inside look at how the teams are preparing for the 2017-2018 season. Read below to find out which athletes are expected to take on leadership roles and how the coaches plan to help their teams succeed.
MULTIMEDIA
HOOPLA 2017: What it means to play for Stony Brook
Stony Brook men’s and women’s basketball players answer the question, what does playing for Stony Brook mean to you? Watch the video.
Men’s Basketball
SPORTS
Ochefu hopes to carve out a role on the court in his first year with Men’s Basketball
Stony Brook Men’s Basketball freshman forward Anthony Ochefu had a shortlist of three or four schools he was considering committing to when he came to Stony Brook University for a tour in the fall of 2016. A couple of days later, that list dwindled to one. Read the story.
SPORTS
A revamped Sturdivant prepares to reclaim America East glory
Sturdivant’s skillset was on display in the Seawolves’ first game of the season, a Nov. 10 match-up against the Maryland Terrapins. He led all players with 17 points in 30 minutes, and recorded three rebounds and one assist. He also showcased an ability to shoot from deep, connecting on three of 10 attempts from beyond the three-point arc. Read the story.
SPORTS
From the bench to starting lineup: Yeboah prepares for upcoming season
Fast forward to the start of the 2017-18 season: the expectations Yeboah has set for himself are straightforward and to the point. He plans on using the knowledge he learned from the championship-winning team back in the 2015-16 season and translating it into his actions on the court to bring Men’s Basketball the success it tasted two season ago. Read the story.
SPORTS
Men’s Basketball head coach Jeff Boals establishing a new culture
Earning a Division I head coaching position typically comes with high expectations, particularly if it’s the first time at the helm like Stony Brook Men’s Basketball Head Coach Jeff Boals. But the former Ohio State assistant coach had bigger shoes to fill in his first season with the Seawolves last year. Read the story.
SPORTS
Taking a look at Men’s Basketball team’s new point guards
After losing the team’s leading scorer and starting point guard, Lucas Woodhouse, Stony Brook Men’s Basketball will primarily look to two new point guards to replace him. Read the story.
SPORTS
Men’s Basketball Preview: Sturdivant and Yeboah prepared to lead Seawolves
Don’t ever count out the Seawolves. Last season, the Stony Brook men’s basketball team faced an uphill battle the likes of which they had not seen in years. Critics and reporters did not give the Seawolves the time of day. However, the team stepped onto the court and proved the critics wrong. Read the story.
Women’s Basketball
SPORTS
Healthy and prepared, Gouchie-Provencher ready to contribute
Overcoming adversity is often a challenge faced by athletes, and their response can make or break their career. In college athletics, a player must juggle classes while staying mentally tough enough to compete at a high level. Sports are the ultimate test of will and overcoming adversity is how greatness is measured.Greatness has always been the goal for redshirt-freshman forward Oksana Gouchie-Provencher. Read the story.
SPORTS
Perez plays for family in Puerto Rico after hurricane
Before sophomore point guard Giolibeth Perez returned to Stony Brook to suit up for her second season in a Seawolves uniform, she spent her summer as the captain of the Puerto Rico women’s national basketball team. Read the story.
SPORTS
Matthews prepares to be a scorer for Women’s Basketball this season
Junior guard Jerell Matthews played off the bench in her first two seasons on the Stony Brook women’s basketball team. This year, however, after four members of last season’s starting lineup graduated, Matthews is working to prove she deserves a larger role on the team. Read the story.
SPORTS
Women’s Basketball head coach Caroline McCombs focusing on development
When Stony Brook Women’s Basketball Head Coach Caroline McCombs first arrived at the university in 2014, she was clear about her expectations for the team. Four years later, McCombs is not quite as assertive when it comes to her team’s immediate future. Instead, she is focusing on the day-by-day growth of her young roster. Read the story.
SPORTS
Women’s Basketball Preview: Revamped roster growing game by game
Stony Brook Women’s Basketball’s 2016-17 season ended with a 58-49 loss to No. 1-seeded New Hampshire in the opening round of the America East Tournament. For better or worse, this year’s squad can expect almost nothing for sure except a great deal of change. Read the story.
