“Each day we lace up our shoes and go to work at practice. On game day, we go to battle together, and that’s something special.”

Senior Guard Mark Schulze opens up about the chemistry behind Saint Anselm Men’s Basketball team as they finish their first few weeks of practice together.

“We have a lot of talent on our team and we can make a lot of things happen if we come together as a whole,” explains Schulze. “We definitely have all the pieces.”

Schulze is referring to the five new players on the team and how they will be integrated this season. Sophomore Harrison Taggert, a transfer student form the University of Vermont, discusses his personal goals for the season as a new player.

“I hope to get used to this system and Coach Dickson. I want to be a productive addition to this team” Taggert explains. “I can already tell we have a tight-knit locker room and everyone gets along pretty well.”

Manager Jake Hamel ’16 observes the transition into this season. “The new guys came on to the team and it was like they had been there for a while already. We didn’t even skip a beat.”

This year, the men’s team was listed number one on the 2014-15 Northeast 10 Pre-Season Poll. After being ranked first in their conference, the Saint Anselm Men’s basketball players have a lot to live up to this season.

“In my personal opinion, polls like this don’t really matter,” Schulze explains. “Especially at the beginning of the season…we haven’t proved anything yet. Our plan is to win one game at a time and not look past our next opponent.”

Assistant Coach John Mariano explains how the team plans to go far this season.

“We play an unselfish style of basketball,” said Mariano. “Everyone wants to do well as a group rather than individually, which can be a problem for other teams.”

Assistant Coach Mariano is a Saint Anselm Alum ’11 and played on the Men’s basketball team during his years here.

“St. A’s is my alma mater, I love this place. Everyone on this team is really close; it’s fun to be around them,” said Mariano when asked about his coaching experience here.

A common thread among the players and coaches alike has been the comradery of the group. Captain Chris Santos ’15 strongly believes in his team this year.

“Even after a short amount of time practicing together, there have been signs for good chemistry,” said Santos.

When it comes to goals for the Men’s team, there are three championships in mind.

“Every year we set three goals. First, win our regular season championship, which we have done the past two years,” Schulze explains. “The next two we have fallen short of however. We hope to win the NE-10 Tournament Championship and a NCAA Regional Championship. This is what we are working towards every day.”

Junior Captain Mike McCahey shares similar sentiments about this upcoming season.

“As long as we play together and play to the best of our ability, we can have a very successful year.”

The men’s basketball team finished their season last year with a conference record of 17-4. They were Regular Season Champions but lost to New Haven for the NE-10 Championship Tournament. However, they did advance to the NCAA East Regional Finals, where they were defeated by Southern Connecticut.

This year’s team is made up of experienced returners, like Santos, McCahey and Schulze as well as new faces, like Taggert. Players and coaches seem to be in agreement that this team has good chemistry and will go far with hard work and dedication.

“I think it’s something special to say that we have a strong team who works together,” Schulze said. “We can look to each other for help both on and off the court.”

The men’s first game is Saturday November 15th at Bridgeport. The Hawks first home game is Wednesday November 19th against cross-town rivals Southern New Hampshire University at 7:00pm in Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.