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 Kindel Oxilus, who last year played at NCAA Div. I Maryland Eastern Shore College. "Kindel 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.
FOR THE FOURTH STRAIGHT YEAR, the "top cop" of the men's basketball team at Southampton Graduate Campus of Long Island University will be Charles M. Peck.
A Suffolk County police officer for the last 13 years, he is serving as head coach of the Runnin' Colonials, who are entering their 38th season.
"Charles Peck brings a strong commitment to our athletic department," said College Provost Tim Bishop. "He is very student-oriented, and has an exceptional reputation in the basketball community on Long Island."
Assistant coach Peter Quinn begins his third season with the coaching staff of the Runnin' Colonials, after serving as a volunteer coach in 1998-99.
