Press Releases

December 6, 2000
Southampton Runnin' Colonials Revamp, Add More Firepower

Contact:
Darren Johnson
(631) 287 8313
Fax: (631) 283 4081

After making the league playoffs last season with a bruising, opportunistic style of play, Southampton College men's basketball coach Charlie Peck finds himself with a team with more razzle and dazzle for the 2000-01 campaign. "This year we've added a tighter defense and sharpshooters along the perimeter," Peck said. "We also recruited three outstanding rookies and have the best team chemistry in the four seasons I?ve been here."

Of those new recruits is Jye Watson, an 18-year-old 6-foot-4 guard from Warrnambool, Australia. A deadly three-point threat, he was a member of his country's junior Olympic team and averaged 17.9 points a game playing for the Warrnambool Seahawks, an elite club team. "He's mentally tough for his age with all of the international experience he's had," Peck said.

Freshmen Chris Taylor (6-7 from Westbury, NY) and Billy Mandell (6-2 from Revere, Mass.) also should make an immediate impact on the Runnin? Colonials. A highly skilled ball handler and fast-break threat, Taylor was a conference Player of the Year and made Newsday's All Long Island First Team. An excellent perimeter shooter, Mandell went to prestigious Bishop Fenwick Prep in Boston and was named to the city's All-Metro Team.

The rookie trio joins returning players that include captains 6-2 sophomore guard Jordan Sztern (1999-2000 team-highs: 81 steals and 108 assists) and 6-6 junior forward Jason Lewis (15 points per game, 10.4 rebounds), 6-6 sophomore guard Richard Fleming and 6-9 sophomore center Eric Bradley. A notable transfer is 6-2 senior forward Kindell Oxilus, who last year played at NCAA Div. I Maryland Eastern Shore College. "Kindell will be a key player on this relatively young team," Peck said. "He has a great basketball IQ and is an extension of us coaches out on the court."

Last season, the Runnin' Colonials (13-14, 12-10 league) made the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference playoffs for the first time in three years.