Nine Teams, Nine Days – Over the next nine days we’ll take a look at each of the America East’s nine men’s basketball programs in a lead up to the 2023-24 season. The regular season begins on Monday, Nov. 6 with eight teams in action and the full schedule of contests can be found here.
Bryant’s first season in the America East started off strong with the Bulldogs earning a victory over Syracuse in non-conference play and then they posted a pair of three-game win streaks in conference action. However, they were unable to sustain that level of success over the last portion of the season, dropping the final three games of the year by a combined 13 points.
Despite the setbacks, acting head coach Phil Martelli, Jr. and his staff made resilience a focus of the offseason and he is pleased with what he’s seen from his returners as well as his newcomers.
“It’s a good group, they’re willing to learn,” said Martelli, Jr. “They’re very hungry guys. They want to be good and want to do something… There’s a resilience to this group that I really like that I think will hopefully push us forward in those later months of the season.”
Bryant will be led by its two returning all-conference performers, Sherif Gross-Bullock and Earl Timberlake. Gross-Bullock was a revelation in first season as a Bulldog, averaging a league-best 17.1 points per game while shooting 39.6 percent from deep with 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Timberlake was a force all over the court, leading the team with 8.4 rebounds per game while averaging 13.8 points and 2.7 assists per game.
In addition to that duo, Bryant also returns Kvonn Craemer, Tyler Brelsford and Doug Edert who all averaged over 20 minutes per game and provided scoring and play-making. The team brought in seven newcomers, highlighted by Rafael Pinzon and Daniel Rivera. Pinzon averaged 6.1 points per game at St. John’s last year while Rivera played for Saint Louis a season ago.
Bryant begins its 2023-24 campaign at home against Manhattan on Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. and takes to the road for the first time on Nov. 12 against Rutgers. The team travels to play No. 10 Florida Atlantic on Nov. 18 and then hosts Howard two days later. Bryant faces Cincinnati, Towson and Mississippi in December before beginning conference action on Saturday, Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. against UMBC on the road.
Bryant – Roster - Schedule
Acting Head Coach: Phil Martelli, Jr.
2022-23 Record: 17-13, 8-8 (4th)
Scoring Offense: 79.4 points per game (6th)
Scoring Defense: 73.1 points per game (5th)
Rebounds/Game: 39.3 (1st)
Returning Starters (4)
Sherif Gross-Bullock, G – 17.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.8 apg
Earl Timberlake, G – 13.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.7 apg
Tyler Brelsford, G – 6.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.6 apg
Doug Edert, G – 5.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Notable Newcomers (9)
Rafael Pinzon, G - transfer from St. John's
Daniel Rivera, G - transfer from Saint Louis
Aaron Davis, G - freshman
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