FAIRFIELD - It used to be in college basketball that if you lost eight of your 11 leading scorers, including your top five, you'd be facing a long, difficult season.
But now a smart approach, a little money and the right culture complemented by a good dose of experience and a conviction to prove yourself can reverse fortunes almost immediately. At least that is the perspective Sacred Heart men's coach Anthony Latina has taken heading into this season.
The Pioneers signed five experienced transfers, returned two top reserves and regained the services of a crucial leader who was sidelined last season with an injury. Add in some talented young players for depth, and if things fall into place as expected, they believe they can be Metro Conference contenders in their third season in the league.
"We tried to recruit older guys, but keeping Griffin (Barrouk), Abdou (Yadd) and Jaden (Slaughter) was a great place to start," Latina said. "That allows us to have guys who have college experience for us, and that comfort level is exciting.
"Our top eight are older veterans who have all have college experience, which is at our level now with all the transferring. We are excited, because we think we have some very good pieces. If we can stay healthy, which we didn't do last year, we think we can be right in the mix at the top of the league."
The team missed the leadership, toughness and physicality of Barrouk when he was sidelined last season. He's a 6-foot-5, 200-pound graduate guard with elite shooting ability who is expected to provide scoring and bring the entire group together.
Latina also expects to see a significant jump in the play of 6-5 senior guard Jaden Slaughter (5.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and 6-9, 250-pound sophomore forward Abdou Yadd (6.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg).
Then, of course, there are the transfers.
"Certainly, we have invested a lot in our transfers," Latina said. "We have brought in five that we think are all very good players who are going to have a major impact. We are relying on five brand new players, but all of them are going to be huge factors on our team."
They are highlighted by Danbury's Jojo Wallace, a 6-3 guard who was second nationally in Division II scoring last season for Southern New Hampshire, averaging 24.8 points per game while shooting 47.8% from the field, including 41.2% from 3-point range.
"He is just a scoring machine," Latina said. "You put him on the court, and he just finds a way to put the ball in the basket and make threes. He is as dynamic a scorer as we have had since I have been here, and we have had some really good scorers. We have to get him to improve in every facet of his game, but his scoring is elite."
Another Connecticut native, 6-2 junior guard Samson Reilly from Glastonbury and East Catholic, transferred from Quinnipiac to Sacred Heart. He only averaged 4.4 points and 8.9 minutes played, but he shot 48.1% from behind the arc. Given more opportunity, Latina believes Reilly will prove himself to be an "elite, elite, elite shooter."
The Pioneers also expect significant production from Kedrick Curtis, a 6-7 forward from Seton Hill, a Division II school outside of Pittsburgh. He led his team in scoring (16.5), rebounding (8.0) and field goal percentage (54.6) while shooting 38.1% from 3-point range and dishing out 109 assists.
"He is versatile," Latina said. "He has good skill level. He is physical. He has been a productive, winning player in his three years at Seton Hill, and we think he has a good chance to do that here."
Latina also believes that Indiana State junior transfer, Jo Van Buggenhout from Belgium, is talented enough to become one of the better point guards in the league. He averaged 6.3 points and 3.1 assists last season in 20.8 minutes per game.
The fifth transfer, 6-7 forward Jaylen Robinson from Richmond, is what Latina calls a "freakishly athletic and really smart player."
"All five of those guys will be major, major contributors," Latina said. "All five have a ton of college basketball experience, and all of them have had a certain amount of success in college.
"We also have a few young guys off the bench who could surprise people this season. DJ Brown is a talented freshman out of Middletown, N.Y. while Kevin Pikiell and Mooda Gittens are redshirt freshmen we really like. So, with those five transfers and our returners, we think we have a really good nucleus."
The Metro coaches voted Sacred Heart to finish ninth in the 13-team conference, but Latina believes they just don't know his players the way he does.
"I really, really like our group," he said. "We lost a lot of offensive talent from last year, but I think this year we have a really good mix of players who fit a little better into winning over the long haul. We will be a little more physical, a little better defensively, and we have some guys that will maybe fit into their roles better."
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This article originally published at Sacred Heart men's basketball lost its top 5 scorers. Why Anthony Latina is still optimistic.