Stony Brook Preview, 2024-25
Stony Brook Seawolves
November 4th, 2024 at Fiserv Forum
Head Coach: Geno Ford (240-232 overall, 78-78 at Stony Brook)
Three-Year NET Average: 244.3
Three-Year kenpom Average: 249.0
Projected 2023-24 T-Rank: 283
Photo from Stony Brook Athletics
State of the Program
Streaky was the definition of the 2023-24 season for Stony Brook. They started the season 2-5, bounced back to win 4 of 5 to finish non-conference at 7-6. Conference play went similarly, with a 2-4 start followed by an 8-4 bounce back and 10-8 overall record. Stony Brook really caught fire in the CAA Tournament, winning three straight to reach the final, where they lost in overtime to Charleston. It will be hard to sustain that momentum, however, as the Seawolves lost their top-5 scorers. They do return two players who were rotational starters, which puts a lot of pressure on Andre Snoddy and Jared Frey to lead the way.
Rotation
Jared Frey is the leading returning scorer. He started the year hot but his role diminished as the year went on. Luster was one of the best JUCO shooters in the country and will be expected to take on much of the scoring load. Joe Octave may be a familiar name to some Big East fans, as he scored a career high 33 points in Holy Cross' upset of Georgetown. Octave was efficient relative to his team and should be an effective offensive contributor. Snoddy started 24/34 games last year and while he's not much of an offensive threat he is a formidable rebounder on both ends of the floor. Ben Wight transfers in from Toledo, where he was a virtual non-factor, but should be a much bigger impact player for SBU. He was a starter for two years at CAA rival William & Mary, where he posted 10+ ppg/5+ rpg for consecutive seasons before the Toledo move. The bench has some experience, as both Onyekonwu and Philip were at Stony Brook the year before, and Nick Woodard adds some size and scoring punch off the bench.
Style of Play
Geno Ford runs his offense through the middle. His bigs excel offensively and are able to post up, pass out to open shooters when doubled, and cut to the rim. He frequently puts 4 shooters around the post. They try to create catch-and-shoot threes and while Ford has lacked slashers who could get to the rim, his teams use the midrange extensively and to great effect. They also limit turnovers and don't beat themselves. This roster should match what Ford wants on offense. Frey and Luster can stretch the floor, Octave adds the driving that wasn't present, and Wight has the ability to score in the post and kick it out if he returns to his CAA form.
Defense is likely where this team will need to improve. Frey and Snoddy were both net negatives on that end while Octave was far from a stopper. The Seawolves like to pack the paint and take away the interior, but do so at the expense of giving up open threes. Opponents got 37.1% of their points from beyond the arc, the 12th highest rate in the nation. They don't force turnovers, but should be better at limiting second chance opportunities.
2024-25 Outlook
This is a tough team to evaluate. T-Rank is down on this team, but while they lost a lot, so did the rest of the CAA. The pieces are there to execute Ford's offense. While most of these guys have been role-players at the D1 level, the roles they play compliment each other. Ford has never been to the NCAA Tournament as a head coach, so losing in overtime last year with a tourney bid on the line had to sting. The CAA is Towson's league to lose, but if Stony Brook can put the pieces together, they could be a top-4 team in the CAA. Each of the past three years, everyone that finished top-4 in that league was a Quadrant 3 opponent. Don't be surprised if the Seawolves find themselves there come March.
Marquette Connection
Marquette point guard Sean Jones once shared a backcourt with Stony Brook's Jared Frey. The two played together on the All Ohio Red EYBL team in their AAU days. Coming up in Ohio, both were high profile guards from the Columbus area, with Jones leading Gahanna-Lincoln and Frey leading Hilliard-Davidson. They won a number of AAU tournaments their senior year, including the Dru Joyce Classic and the Buckeye Classic X Nike Cup, but once the EYBL season started in earnest, the team struggled and failed to reach Peach Jam. Unfortunately they likely won't face each other in the game as Jones is expected to be out with injury, but the winner will still be able to take bragging rights back to Columbus.