PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team will enter the 2021-22 with a much different look than the last time they took the floor on March 10, 2020.
The Hawks fell to Delaware State in the first round of the MEAC Tournament to end their 2019-20 season. It was the end of head coach Jason Crafton's first season in Princess Anne. The team had seen some positive moments and looked to build on that heading into the offseason. If only it could have been that simple.
The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic would end the MEAC Tournament two days after the team fell to DSU. At that point, the future of sports were unknown.
The 2020-21 season was played with many restrictions. Some schools opted out of playing and the Hawks were one of them. With that being said, Eastern Shore is looking to come back on the court with a tough mindset in 2021-22.
"We have to reset a foundation for being a strong defensive team," Crafton said. "We also have to do a great job of being competitive and playing with edge and that will be our starting point."
Eastern Shore was fourth in the conference in scoring defense in 2019-20, but the missed season has led to a complete overhaul of the roster for the squad on the floor and on the sideline. The team will have three new assistants on the sideline alongside Crafton and 10 players will make their debuts on the court for Maryland Eastern Shore this season.
The new faces on the sideline with Crafton will be CJ Council, Larry Roberson and Kassim Kaba as the new assistants for the team. Council comes to Eastern Shore from Brooklyn College where he helped them to the NCAA Tournament in 2020. Roberson comes in with major connections to the grassroots basketball world in the DMV. Kaba is in Princess Anne after spending last season with Raritan Valley Community College.
On the court, only juniors Da'Shawn Phillip and Kevon Voyles are back from the 2019-20 campaign. Phillip was a member of the MEAC All-Rookie team that year as he led the Hawks in steals and blocks. Voyles played in 27 games with three starts as he averaged 4.2 points per game.
"We will see Da'Shawn a lot more at point guard this season than his freshman year," Crafton said. "He is a good IQ player and he knows all the positions on the floor and does a good job of telling guys where to be on the court.
"Kevon has made a lot of strides, especially with his body because he has matured physically. He is an improved shooter and can finish in the lane versus contact so you'll see him at multiple positions."
With just two players that have played games in the maroon and gray, audiences will see a lot of new faces on the court for the team. The quartet of Zion Styles, Nathaniel Pollard, Jr., Donchevell "Tuka" Nugent, Mike Mensah and Mayowa Akinsanya were all on campus during the 2020-21 school year. Each got a chance to adapt to the Princess Anne environment for a year and are poised to contribute on the court for the squad.
Nugent and Mensah will both see time at guard for the Hawks. Each should contribute to the team in the form of outside shooting for the Hawks as they look to improve on the 25.1% that the team shot during 2019-20. Styles will be a wing player that brings athleticism to the squad and can play inside and outside.
Pollard and Akinsanya will be two of the interior players that Eastern Shore will utilize this year. Pollard averaged a double-double at Eastern Arizona College in 2019-20 as an undersized forward, while Akinsanya averaged 11 points on 63% shooting in 2019-20 with Allan Hancock College.
The other players for Maryland Eastern Shore came to Princess Anne this fall. Junior Dom London headlines the group that came at the beginning of the semester. He is a transfer from Florida Gulf Coast that played 16 games at FGCU during the 2020-21 season. London's outside shooting will be a welcomed site for the Hawks.
Juniors Lamont Sanders and Kohen Thompson each played at the junior college level a season ago. Sanders will be another point guard for the Hawks and will provide strong on-ball defense at the top of the team's defensive attack. Thompson stands at 6'7" and will be an outside shooter for The Shore along with the ability and frame to guard multiple positions.
The final members of the squad are freshmen Chace Davis and Marko Milivojevic. Davis will be another athletic guard for Eastern Shore and provide depth on the perimeter. Milivojevic is the team's tallest player at 6"10". His size should give the team a presence inside that can change shots at the rim.
"The goal for this team is to get them back in the flow of competing," Crafton said. "It's hard to say what I think we can be until we get some games under our belt, but it's going to be a process as we have a very dynamic schedule early."
Maryland Eastern Shore will open their season in Philadelphia with a pair of games. They will take on Saint Joseph's on Tuesday (November 9) at 8 p.m. and then face Temple on Wednesday (November 10) at 7 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
