The Mount Ida College men’s basketball team welcomes a plethora of new faces this season in Rico Cabral’s 22nd year at the helm of the program. Cabral and the Mustangs, who qualified for the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) post-season tournament the past four years, will introduce nine new players and return four very important pieces from last year.
Head Coach Cabral has hired four new Assistant Coaches with very different backgrounds that have worked in every aspect from Division I thru III including some experience in the American Basketball Association (ABA) as well.
Eggie Mcrae, Jr., Dan Sullivan, Jaykyri Simpson and Travis Hillery will be aiding Cabral’s decision making for the 2012/2013 season. Mcrae comes to the Mustangs following a part-time Assistant Coaching gig for Curry College men’s basketball team during the 2011 season assisting in all regions of team management. McRae has been the Assistant Head Coach of the Boston Amateur Basketball Club since 2009. He coordinates player recruitment and the development of players specifically responsible for forward and guard development. He is the Head Coach for the 15 and under group and has compiled an impressive overall record of 73-5 since 2009.
Dan Sullivan has been involved in Division I basketball as a student at Syracuse University. Sullivan was the head manager for the 2011-2012 Syracuse University men’s basketball program under Head Coach Jim Boeheim. Sullivan was responsible for facilitating and streamlining team practices and workouts, assisting in day-to-day basketball operations, supervising and managing 25 student managers, and managing the recruiting database for the coaching staff.
Jaykyri Simpson is familiar with the Division III model and was most recently the Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach for Division III member the University of New England since 2009. Simpson was involved in all aspects of the team’s operation including recruiting, practice planning, game operation, fundraising, individual workouts for players and all on-and-off the court duties for the Nor’Easters. Simpson’s playing resume is impressive as a two-time first team All-Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) player at the University of New England from 2007-2009. Simpson led the Nor’Easters to a regular season and CCC post-season tournament championship back in 2008-2009 and was named Defensive Player-of-the-Year for the CCC that same year.
Finally, Cabral went to his alumni roster and hired recent graduate and 1,000 point scorer Travis Hillery this season. Hillery is the 10th player in the history of Mount Ida men's basketball to eclipse 1,000 points. Hillery is also the newest member of the 500 rebounds club ranking fourth all-time in the books at 587. Hillery is fourth all-time in offensive rebounds (236) and defensive rebounds (351) as well.
RETURNS:
Cabral named two captains this year, both seniors, who have demonstrated their commitment to the program since their inception with the team. Senior center Captain Jeffrey McNair (Brockton, MA/Brockton) returns to the Mustangs for his final season of play. McNair can do it all offensively for Mount Ida including driving to the basket and knocking down jump shots from inside the arc. McNair will need to dominate underneath this basket this season defensively as the tallest player on the team and will be the catalyst to the rebounding game. McNair was second on the squad last year in rebounds (7.9/gm) and four overall in points scored (9.9/gm). He led the team in blocks (55) for the entire season as well.
Senior point guard and Co-Captain Brett Heimann (Miami, FL/Lasell College) returns for his final season. Heimann will look to get the ball to the playmakers and control the tempo of the Mustangs. He has outstanding court vision and is a throwback classic pass-first point guard who will average plenty of assists. Heimann saw action in 17 games last year joining in the second semester averaging 1.2 assists a game.
Junior forward Kenny Jean (Dorchester, MA/Brighton) returns for his second season seeing action in 24 games in 2011/2012. Jean will play a huge role off the bench this year rebounding and playing solid defense against opposing team’s bigger players.
Sophomore forward Treace Macklin (Brockton, MA/Brockton) returns after a productive first year. Macklin is tough defender who will help the Mustangs create turnovers. He can guard in multiple positions and will be physical defensively and on the boards.
NEWCOMERS:
Freshmen John Fortes (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford) and Cameron Walker (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford) come to Mount Ida after playing four years at New Bedford High School together as a dangerous tandem that will give opponents lots of problems up-and-down the court.
Fortes will be one of the two starting forwards for Cabral and the Mustangs. He is an efficient and unselfish player who can do it all offensively whether shooting from outside or slashing in the lane. He is very athletic and can finish around the rim. He has the potential to be one of the conference’s premiere lock down perimeter defenders.
Walker will be the other starting forward and will bring a ton of versatility to the team. Walker is a solid shooter who also has the ability to drive the basket and produce for the Mustangs either in the paint, rebounding or scoring. He is also a lock down defender who will only become better as the year goes on.
Sophomore guard Aaron Kelly (Norwalk, CT/Norwalk) comes to the Mustangs for his first season of play transferring in. Kelly is a solid outside shooter who takes over as one of the elite of the group. Not only will Kelly’s shooting ability be an asset this season, he can drive to the hoop and has proven his defensive skills are there to be a lock down defender.
Freshman guard/forward Evens St. Juste (Hartford, CT/Bulkeley) will be primarily the first off the bench for Mount Ida this season and can score in bunches with a great stroke from downtown. He is a strong, taller presence in the paint that will be aggressive with driving to the basket or in the rebounding game.
Freshman Derryck Kilgore (North Kingstown, RI/North Kingstown) will be an important addition to the Mustangs playing alongside senior center Jeffrey McNair in the five spot or in the forward position helping to stretch the floor. He can knock down shots and will be helpful to the Mustang offense.
Freshman point guard Brandon Castro (Dorchester, MA/Arlington) will log a ton of minutes in his first year of collegiate basketball according to Head Coach Cabral. Castro is lightning quick off the dribble and can score in a variety of ways. He is very solid at getting into the lane and distributing to his teammates and will learn from senior captain Brett Heimann all year.
Freshman guard Tyree Singletary (Newark, NJ/Scotch Plains Fanwood) will be another weapon in the arsenal for Mount Ida. Singletary has many strength’s that will help the Mustangs be successful including a tenacious defensive style, high intensity and a “tough as nails” ability. His on-ball defense will be a key asset for Mount Ida this year.
Freshman guard Jahad McNeil (Dorchester, MA/Wakefield) will see his first season in a Mustang uniform that has the ability to make big plays for his squad. He brings it all offensively whether it’s driving to the basket or knocking down a big shot from outside.