FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University head men’s basketball coach Gary Tuell has released his roster for the upcoming 2012-13 season.

When talking about his new recruiting class, Tuell is taking a “wait and see” approach to the 2012-13 basketball season, his ninth as head coach at NSU.

“Honestly, I have no idea how we will be,” says the veteran NSU coach. “We’re so much smaller than we’ve ever been here. We lost our two leading scorers and four guys who contributed 40 points and 16 rebounds a game on a team that was first in the league in field goal percentage, free throw percentage and rebound margin. I loved our team last year and felt that we were as good as anybody whenever we stepped on the court. Hopefully I’ll fall in love with this group, too.”

If a lack of size concerns the NSU coach, he isn’t saying. “Being big is helpful, but it isn’t a prerequisite for winning a conference championship,” says Tuell. “A lot of coaches will tell you size is the most overrated thing in basketball. I don’t know if I agree with that, but you can certainly win without it. Florida Southern won our conference tournament last year without a lot of size, and a few years ago they dominated the league with a 6-4 center. They had a 7-foot D-I transfer one year, but he couldn’t beat out the 6-4 guy. Even at the NBA level, the Miami Heat proved last year that you don’t need a dominant big man to win a championship. Of course, they did have the best player on the planet in LeBron James, but still … more and more people are proving that you can win today with skilled guards and forwards who can spread the court and drive, kick and shoot.

“The ultimate challenge for us this year will be finding a way to successfully defend with a small team. But the ultimate question that can’t be answered right now is, ‘Do we have guys who love to compete as much, or more, than last year’s group did?’ For that answer, we have to wait and see.”

Whatever the Sharks’ lack in size for the 2012-13 season, they make up for in depth, according to Tuell. Even with prized-recruit Mike Terry, a 6-6 guard/forward from Ashland, Ky., being lost for the season with a leg injury, NSU is two-deep at every position.

“Mike is special and he would have helped us a lot,” says Tuell. “He chose us over Bellarmine, Eastern Kentucky, Lipscomb and Morehead State and was a member of the Kentucky All-State and Kentucky All-Star teams. He is a prolific shooter who can play inside and out.”

Terry is one of five newcomers to the Sharks. Other members of the 2012 recruiting class include three transfers, Garrett Frick, Stian Berg and Maurice Fuller – and one old, familiar face, 2009-10 Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year Brian Cahill. The class also includes freshmen Darren Nagar and Shane DeCelis.

“Besides bringing back Brian, we also planned to bring back David Naylor, who has a season of eligibility remaining and wants to begin work on his Masters Degree,” Tuell state. “But after discussing it thoroughly, David and I agreed it would be in everyone’s best interest if he delayed his return until the 2013-14 season. So essentially we have Naylor and Mike Terry waiting in the wings for 2013-14, which is a good start on next year’s recruiting class.

“Darren is a very competitive, skilled point guard coming out of a high school program (Miami Dr. Krop) where he had an opportunity to learn and develop. He has good leadership skills and is a tough-minded guy who will help us in a backup role at the point. Shane has a nice shooting touch for a big man but has a long way to go in terms of gaining the strength and speed necessary to play at this level. We think he has a bright future, but a redshirt year this season will probably help him. Both Darren and Shane are terrific teammates and bring a lot of things to the table for our basketball family.”

Frick, a 6-5, 225-pound sophomore forward from Pacific Palisades, Calif., comes to NSU after playing his initial college season at NCAA Division-I New Jersey Tech. Frick played in 23 games as a freshman, including two starts, logging 10 minutes a game while averaging two points and rebounds per game. He led NJIT in field-goal percentage, making 21 of 36 attempts for 58.3 percent shooting.

“Garrett is a very smart, skilled, strong guy who can play in and out and will help us at both ends of the floor,” says Tuell. “He’s long and reasonably athletic. We like his versatility and his toughness.”

Berg, a 6-2, 180-pound sophomore guard from Baerum, Norway, transfers to NSU after playing his freshman season at D-I Northern Illinois. At NIU, Berg played in all 30 games, starting 13, while logging 17 minutes per game. The combo guard averaged four points while shooting 34 percent from the field, including 34.2 percent on threes. 

“Stian reminds me a lot of Rhys Martin, who played two years for us and was probably the best point guard we’ve had since I’ve been here,” says Tuell. “He’s quick, penetrates and passes extremely well and makes a lot of plays for his teammates. He is also a very good 3-point shooter. He has quick feet and a high basketball IQ, in part because his father is a highly regarded professional coach in Norway. He gives us a solid point guard who can play just as easily off the ball.”

Fuller, a 6-1, 200-pound sophomore from Westfield, Ind., comes to NSU after spending his freshman-season at Oakland City. The sharp-shooting Hoosier is the son of Maurice “Kojak” Fuller, who was Indiana’s prestigious “Mr. Basketball” in 1993. Fuller averaged 15 points a game in his first college season, including a whopping 47 percent from the three-point line. In big games, Fuller was at his best, scoring 20 points against D-I Butler, 20 against D-I Eastern Illinois and 14 and 24 in two games against Alabama-Huntsville, which advanced to the Elite Eight.

“Maurice is a very economical offensive player,” says Tuell. “He has the ability to score without taking a lot of shots. I was very impressed with the way he moved the ball, fed the post and rarely took a bad shot. He has a very good understanding of the game and based on what he accomplished as a freshman, he obviously can score. Not too many freshmen in D-II could get the numbers he got against those caliber of teams.”

Cahill, a 6-3, 180-pound sophomore from Arlington, Va., returns to NSU after redshirting in 2010-11 and sitting out of school completely in 2011-12. As a freshman for the Sharks in 2009-10, the versatile guard played in 28 games, including 22 starts, averaging 9.1 points and 3.8 rebounds while earning the league’s Freshman of the Year award. He had individual highs of 19 points and 8 rebounds in a loss at Florida Southern while leading the Sharks in scoring seven times, rebounding four times, assists 12 times and steals 12 times. Cahill finished his inaugural season with a team-high 84 assists while making 40 percent of his field goals and 35 percent of his three-point shots. He tacked on 81 percent shooting at the foul line.

“Brian was coming off back surgery and probably playing at 75 percent all year,” says Tuell. “His numbers were staggering when you consider what he was going through with his back injury. He had a second back surgery before his sophomore season could begin, and it’s been a long, difficult road back for him since then. But he’s healthy and happy and ready to resume his collegiate career and we’re thrilled to have him back in an NSU uniform.”

Tuell believes the four newcomers will all compete for starting jobs, and he’s quick to point out, “they’re all sophomores. These guys are going to play together for the next three years and that’s huge. When you add Justin Jeangerard (So., Weaverville, Calif.) with this group, that’s five pretty good sophomores to build around. When Mike Terry and David Naylor join them next year, the future is obviously pretty bright here. It will be fun watching these guys learn and grow together this year.”

The influx of sophomore talent will create some interesting battles in practice, but also give the Sharks depth at every position. Senior Louie Schonauer  a 6-3 guard from Lincoln, Ill., will be paired with Berg at the point. Junior Louie Schonauer  a 6-3 shooting guard from Perth, Australia, is hoping for his first injury-free season and will battle with Fuller at the two guard. Redshirt-freshman Brent Armitage  a 6-2 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native, is coming off an April surgery and could join the battle in December. Jeangerard will test Cahill at the third guard position as well.

“Justin had a terrific freshman campaign before injuring his knee,” says Tuell. Jeangerard had off-season surgery and is on track for a clean bill of health. “We’ll definitely play three guards, and sometimes four,” Tuell says. “And all of those guards can play anywhere in the backcourt. they all have the versatility to play any backcourt position.”

As much as the veteran NSU coach likes his backcourt, he’s quick to tell you that the key to his team’s success rests on the shoulders of the four remaining team members: The 6-5 Frick, 6-5 Iran Hollis (Sr., Hollywood, Fla.), 6-5 Lukas Roesch (Sr., Sugar Grove, Ohio) and 6-5 Sean Mullan (Sr., Mangerton, Australia).

“The two guys who got the bulk of playing time and had the responsibility to anchor our defense last year were Rob Huntington and Shaun Pratl,” Tuell stated. “Together they were 12 feet, 17 inches of toughness. We were fourth in the league in defensive field goal percentage and held teams to 67 points a game, and most of that was a credit to Rob and Shaun and the dirty work they were able to do in the paint. For us to achieve similar success we need Garrett, Iran, Luke and Sean to play big and play tough. None of them are centers, and we won’t ask them to be something they are not. We will play with three guards and two forwards. Heck, at times we may go bigger and play Cahill at the point with the four forwards all on the floor at the same time. But whatever we do, we need our forwards to be special.”

Frick had the unenviable task of playing center for NJIT as a freshman, often going head-to-head with much bigger, taller D-I opponents.

“He’s used to the wars,” says Tuell. “He’ll be better matched against teams in D-II, and he’ll have more freedom to play on the perimeter here. He has the strength and length to defend inside and rebound in traffic.”

The remaining three Sharks competing for playing time at forward are veterans. “Iran, Luke and Sean have some miles on them,” says Tuell. “Even Garrett is old for a sophomore. But Iran and Luke have been around the block a few times and Sean has a lot of international experience as well as D-I experience when he was at Penn. They’re battle-tested.”

Hollis started 18 of his 27 games a year ago, averaging 10 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds, while shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 71 percent at the line.

“All players love having the ball in their hands, and that includes Iran,” says Tuell. “But unlike some others, Iran doesn’t need touches to score. If you don’t throw it to him, he’ll go get it off the glass. One way or the other, he’s a tough guy to deny. He was really our most consistent post player last year, which is why he was third on the team in minutes played. I love the way he has matured since his freshman year, love the edge he plays with, and love the way he has become more economical with his game. He understands who he is and what he’s about and he probably does a better job of playing within himself than most of the post players we’ve had here over the years. That’s a credit to Iran and his desire to keep the team first.”

Roesch started five of 27 games as a junior, averaging 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 53 percent from the field and 71 percent at the line.

“Luke has a lot of experience starting and coming off the bench and always gives us great effort,” says Tuell. “He can stretch the defense with the three, but his middle game is outstanding and he’s a solid passer. He’s not tall and won’t jump over any buildings, but he’ll battle and claw and scratch for rebounds. His defense continues to improve. He’s a warrior who isn’t afraid of dirty work. He’s always been an undersized post player, so this year won’t be anything new to him.”

Mullan, started 16 of 26 games a year ago, averaging 5.4 points and 2.2 rebounds. He connected on 37 percent of his 3-point shots and led the team in charges taken.

“Last season Sean got most of his minutes at small forward,” said Tuell. “When he’s on the floor he’ll give us a fourth guard, but also a tough-minded guy who competes on every possession and battles at both ends of the floor. We’ll need him to do more on the glass without Shaun and Rob, but he’s capable of improving his rebounding numbers. Even though his role may change slightly in that he’ll have to guard a bigger player, the things we’ll ask him to do offensively will be the same as a year ago. Like Iran and Luke, he plays without fear and has the toughness to compete inside when we need him.

“Those four guys will be mixed and matched in every possible combination. They’ll be asked to stretch defenses at times and to post up strong at other times. They’ll have supreme challenges on the defensive end and they’ll have to do the bulk of the rebounding, although certainly we have some guards who will help them on the glass. But in the end, I firmly believe we will go as far as those four guys can take us. Our guards are good enough to keep us in position, but the forwards will be the guys who bring us home. Can they do it? Obviously as a coaching staff we have confidence that they can. We recruited our guards for the future, but the four forwards are the guys who will determine the present. Let’s wait and see.”

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