PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball program looks very different from just a few short years ago.

In the first season of head coach Jason Crafton's tenure, the identity of the program shifted. The squad set a school record for blocks with 102 and boasted the fourth-best defense in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference despite finishing with a 5-27 record.

The Hawks did not have the chance to build on this start the following season, as the university opted out of athletic competition during the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite the year layoff, the program took the next step in its return to the court.

The 2021-22 season saw a seven-win improvement for the Hawks, who finished at 11-16 and accumulated six conference victories during the season. The team stayed true to its new identity and built on it, ranking fifth in the nation in steals per game and 10^th in turnovers forced while showcasing the second-best scoring defense in the MEAC.

"It was exciting to see the guys carry over a lot of the things we talked about in the year that we didn't play," Crafton said. "Being tougher, playing with tenacity, playing together and sharing the basketball."

"Last year was pretty much about putting Maryland Eastern Shore back on the map after not having a season," graduate forward Nathaniel Pollard, Jr. said. "Now that we're back, we have the chance to actually make a name for this school."

The efforts earned Maryland Eastern Shore its first postseason appearance since 2014 against Coastal Carolina in The Basketball Classic. After the season, guard Da'Shawn Phillip was named to the All-MEAC Third Team, Pollard was named to the conference All-Defensive team and guard Chace Davis received All-Rookie honors.

Staring down the start of a new year, the Hawks are ready to put last season in the rear view mirror and take the next step.

"Last year is done, this is a new year," Crafton said. "We've got new expectations for our program moving off of that."
 
Running it back
 
The team has the chance to further build on the foundation it has laid since Crafton took the reins with eight players from the 2021-22 squad returning, including four out of five starters.

The returning group boasts plenty of experience, made up of graduate forward Pollard Jr., graduate guards Donchevell Nugent and Zion Styles, senior guards Phillip, Kevon Voyles, and Glen Anderson, senior forward Kohen Thompson and sophomore guard Davis.

In his All-Defensive campaign, Pollard led the Hawks in rebounding (178) and blocks (21) while being the lone player in the MEAC to rank in the top 10 in steals and blocks per game. Pollard averaged 8.7 points per contest and 6.6 rebounds per game as well.

Nugent appeared in all 27 games last season, averaging 6.4 points over 19.1 minutes per game. Nugent's best performance came on January 31 against Morgan State, where he poured in a season-high 23 points.

Styles flashed his potential in the Hawks backcourt, finishing second on the team averaging 10 points per game and posting 10 double-digit scoring performances throughout the year. Voyles led the team in three-point percentage (40.5) and tallied nine double-digit efforts.

Anderson made eight appearances during conference play and recorded five points, five assists, four rebounds and six steals. Thompson played in 25 games with nine starts, recording 87 total points, 55 total rebounds and 20 steals on the year. 

Davis played in all 27 games and started nine for the Hawks. He averaged just over seven points and two rebounds on the season while shooting a team-best 84 percent from the free throw line. Davis showed out against North Carolina Central on February 21, recording career highs in points (22), field goals (8), and made threes (6).

Phillip's All-MEAC Third Team nod was justified as the now-senior guard did it all for the squad a year ago. As the primary point man last season, Phillip led the Hawks in total points, steals and assists while ranking top 10 in the MEAC in steals and assists per contest.
 
New In Town
 
Despite returning this veteran core, Crafton expects this team to have its share of differences from last season's Hawks.

"Jay Wright always told me every year is a new team, and I always believed that," Crafton said. "We still have five new people… it's a team with a veteran tag on it, but it also has three freshmen and two transfers new to our program and new to our way."

Of the five new Hawks, two come to Princess Anne via the transfer market: graduate guard Ahamadou Fofana and sophomore forward Troy Hupstead. The team also welcomes freshmen Victory Naboya, Dionte Johnson and Toby Nnadozie.

Fofana will step in as a true point guard for Maryland Eastern Shore. At Canisius, Fofana averaged 9.4 points while recording 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. His 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio was good for sixth-best in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

"[Fofana] is just going to make everyone's life easier," Crafton said. "He's very similar to a Chris Paul-type of player that finds a way to get guys easy baskets."

With Fofana joining the fold, Crafton can shift Phillip away from running the point and into a more natural position for him.

"[Phillip] is our highest IQ player and he can play every position," Crafton said. "The impact of Ahamadou is he alleviates some of the stress for [Phillip] of having to play all point guard and he can play more off the ball."

Hupstead nearly averaged a double-double at Panola College, posting marks of 11.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game last season. His breakout performance came against Paris Junior College, where he tied his career-high 26 points and stacked up 18 rebounds in a winning effort.

"[Troy] has really challenged our frontcourt guys to get better, because he brings so much energy and so much physicality every single day," Crafton said. "The dynamic of Troy and also Victory [Naboya] along with [Pollard] has given us the ability to have three different dynamics at the five spot."

Naboya stands at 6'8", the tallest listed player on the roster. Guards Dionte Johnson and Toby Nnadozie stand at 6'0" and 6'3" respectively, looking to add depth to the backcourt.

"As a team, we fell short of our expectations toward the end of last season," Pollard said. "The great thing about this season is we have so many more weapons that we can utilize all around."
 
Looking Forward
 
The Hawks open the year on the road against the Monarchs of Old Dominion University on Monday, November 7. They play seven games in the month of November, one coming on the road against the University of Virginia.

The month of December, though, is a different story. Maryland Eastern Shore runs the gauntlet before starting conference play with five of their six games in the month on the road, including a trip to Durham to face Duke on December 10.

Crafton said the tougher opponents began to appear on the schedule after the program's improvement.

"As we have improved, scheduling became harder," Crafton said. "There's definitely an upgrade in the level of opponents we are playing this year from those strides, many teams no longer wanted to play us. We view it as a great opportunity to compete against the best, and our players are looking forward to the challenge."

When it comes to conference play, the Hawks were chosen to finish sixth in the conference in the Preseason Poll. Crafton knows teams will not be caught off guard when they face his team this year.

"We're going to get everybody's best shot," Crafton said. "I expect teams to be ready at a place that they've never been ready in terms of playing Maryland Eastern Shore."