Both Sacred Heart University men’s and women’s basketball opened their inaugural seasons in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) this month.
SHU women’s basketball is off to a 1-0 start, with their first win against Hofstra University on Monday, Nov. 4.
“At the end of the day, I know that our team was grateful for the win and how we pulled it out, but we thought we should’ve played better,” said women’s head coach Jessica Mannetti. “It was a fair starting point for us. We have bigger expectations for ourselves, and we want to continue to get better everyday.”
On the contrary, SHU men’s basketball is off to an 0-2 start, with losses to Temple University and University of Connecticut (UConn).
Redshirt junior and forward Tanner Thomas driving to
the basket against UConn on Wednesday Nov. 6.
“Those games are experiences with jumping into the deep end of the pool and seeing where we are against UConn, a top team in the country,” said men’s head coach Anthony Latina. “The way you judge yourself on those games is not the result but how are we competing and are we doing the things we want to do?”
Part of the transition to the MAAC is a new level of play and higher competition for the men’s team.
“We’re going to need to be better and that’s the reality of it,” said Latina. “The better teams are better and the bottom teams are better. If you don’t play well in the MAAC, you’re going to lose.”
The women’s team is coming off back to back Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship titles. The team now competes in the MAAC, but expectations haven’t changed.
“We will still hold our team to the same standards as we did when we were in the NEC,” said junior Amelia Wood. “We are still going to be playing Sacred Heart basketball, and we are excited to play in a new conference and for a new challenge.”
With the move to the MAAC, both teams will face cross-town rivals, Fairfield University, two times a season.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how excited our team is about this hometown rivalry. We’re already talking about the game,” said Mannetti. “I think it’s going to create a really special tradition where we can have great fan engagement. It’s going to be a really fun rivalry as we move forward.”
Both teams will play their first game in the newly renovated William H. Pitt Center this month. The women’s team will face Monmouth University on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 5:30 p.m. and the men’s team will face Central Connecticut State University the same day at 8:00 p.m.
“The new arena is a major benefit for our men’s basketball program but it’s great for the whole student population to come and see a game,”said Latina. “We encourage everyone to come on Nov. 21. I think they’ll really enjoy it and they’ll comeback for more. It’s going to be a really fun environment.”
