Hot Start for Rowan Basketball
By Jacob Keppen – Sentinel Sports Writer
Published in The Sentinel of Gloucester County Weekly Newspaper Print Edition Week of 11/22/2018
What a start it has been for the Rowan Men’s Basketball team! After going 13-13 last season the Profs had high hopes for an improved season. Headlined by five senior starters, the Profs are three games in and the Profs are 3-0. Rowan started their season successfully at home against Rosemont in the first round of the LaScala’s Fire Tip-Off Tournament, defeating the Ravens 96-87.
Rowan’s depth was key in the victory, with seven players reaching double figure scoring. Rowan played great defense, earning thirteen steals as a unit. Ramon Wright blocked two shots and Teirique Robinson swatted away one.
Rob DePersia was the facilitator for Rowan’s offense, dishing out five assists while also putting up ten points. Freshman Connor Dickinson was the big story of the night. Coming off the bench as Rowan’s sixth man, the guard put up seventeen points and three assists in twenty minutes of play. Rowan would roll over Penn State-Brandywine 121-81 in the championship game. In the blowout victory the Profs were able to experiment with different lineups, giving players most playing time than usual. Dickerson impressed once again in his second game, putting up seventeen points while shooting 5-6. Sophomore Ryan Legler (15 points) and junior Brian Thatcher (11 points) impressed with their outside shooting. Both hit three three pointers. That outside shooting, as well Thatcher’s ability to grab some rebounds, could be huge for Rowan this season.
Rowan ended their initial week of the season with an 88-78 victory over Neumann University. Nick DePersia continued his hot shooting, going 3-4 from the three point line. DePersia finished with 13 points, four assists, as well as two steals. Continuing his stellar defense from the previous two games in which he earned seven steals, DaRon Curry earned four steals on the night. Ramon Wright put up fourteen points on the night.
Seemingly out of nowhere junior forward Austin Kearney dominated Neumann, putting up 19 points in twenty minutes. This has been a theme of Rowan’s first three games, there’s seems to be always someone on the bench ready to provide the spark needed. In the first game it was Dickinson, then it was Legler, then finally Kearney was the one to step up. This is what makes Rowan so dangerous. Rowan already has a really good and experienced starting lineup. The DePersia brothers are as good of a back court duo that you’ll find around, as well as DaRon Curry who is a very good two way player. Ramon Wright has been a tank to start the year as has Teirique Robinson. That’s already tough enough to deal with, a five man cohesive and experienced unit. Then you add players on the bench who can add points in bunches at any point of the game. This Rowan team can be a dangerous threat in the NJAC. After starting out the season to a fiery 3-0 start, Rowan starts NJAC play. On Tuesday Rowan travels to Camden to face Rutgers-Camden. The following week Rowan will host TCNJ.