STANDISH, ME – The Saint Joseph's College men's basketball team figures to make some noise in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) this winter.

A veteran team, the Monks feature 12 returners – four seniors, three juniors and five sophomores – and expect the veteran leadership to pay dividends as the Royal Blue looks to make another lengthy postseason run. Head Coach Rob Sanicola '99, now in his 11th season at the helm, has high hopes for the group, which appears to be as well-rounded a team as Saint Joseph's has enlisted in recent years.

Last winter, the Monks went 17-10 overall and 11-7 in GNAC play en route to earning the #5 seed in the conference tournament. St. Joe's defeated #4 Emerson College in overtime, 73-68, in a quarterfinal on February 19th, but saw the season come to a close with a semifinal loss at the hands of Anna Maria College two days later.

All three of the Monks' top scorers from a year ago are back, as seniors Matthew Medeiros (Westport, Mass.) and Nicholas Jobin (Westbrook, Maine) and junior Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine) return to help bolster a potentially-potent SJC offensive front.

Other returners include senior forwards James Philbrook (Auburn, Maine) – the Monks' team captain – and Krubiel Workie (Denver, Colo.), juniors Zach Blodgett (Glenburn, Maine) and Jordan Tripp (Maspeth, N.Y.), and sophomore guards Jerome Diggs (Washington, D.C.) and Craig Luschenat (Boston, Mass.).

BACKCOURT

Saint Joseph's features a deep and talented backcourt with players who can fill in a variety of roles, and it all starts with Medeiros and Simonds – one of the most potent guard pairings in the region.

Medeiros, a 2013 First Team All-GNAC and First Team All-State honoree, looks to leave his mark on the program and seems poised to put up his finest numbers yet. The senior sharpshooter, who led the Monks in scoring (15.3 PPG) and three-pointers made (70) and ranked second on the team in assists (58) and free throws made (81) last season, is at or near the top of the list for every SJC career three-point shooting record and is most certainly a player opponents will attempt to contain.

Simonds emerged as one of the Monks' top players last year, averaging 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest as a first-year starter. He paced the Royal Blue in three-point (41.3%) and free-throw (89.3%) shooting and was second on the team in threes made (57) and rebounds (113) as a sophomore. With a year as a full-time starter under his belt, Simonds could very well improve on his impressive numbers from last winter and emerge as one of the top players in the conference in the process.

Diggs and Luschenat will also see expanded roles this season. Diggs, a quick and athletic point guard who can play above the rim and also connect from downtown, started a handful of games as a freshman and showed flashes of things to come last winter. Luschenat is a pure shooter and heady two-guard who connected on 38.9% (21-54) of his three-point attempts as a rookie and expects to contribute more in his second season.

Also look for Tripp, sophomore Davis Tucker (High Point, N.C.) and freshmen John Crawley (Fitchburg, Mass.) and Andrew Ruffen (Salem, N.H.) to log valuable minutes this season. Sophomore Jake Downing (Simsbury, Conn.) and freshmen Drew Baker (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Sean Ford (Auburn, Maine) could grow into roles as the season progresses.

FRONTCOURT

A veteran frontcourt group will grace the court this season for the Monks, as Jobin, Workie, Philbrook and Blodgett figure to work in a rotation of sorts in order to best utilize the unique talent possessed by each player.

Jobin, a Third Team All-GNAC choice as a junior, paced the Royal Blue in rebounds (149), field goals (144) and free throws made (85), and field goal percentage (56.5%) during the 2012-13 campaign. With a 6'6, 245-pound frame, the senior post player is difficult to handle under the rim – on both ends of the court – and has lofty goals, both for the team and personally, this season.

A lanky 6'6 small forward, Workie played in 26 games last season after coming to Saint Joseph's as a junior college transfer. He showed the ability to knock down a variety of shots, including mid-range jumpers and even three pointers (10-24 from downtown), in 2013 and will likely fill a larger role for the Monks this year.

Philbrook played in 23 contests with 16 starts while averaging 3.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game as a junior. An excellent mid-range shooter, Philbrook drained 67.5% (27-40) of his attempts as the Monks' fourth or fifth offensive option during the 2012-13 campaign. A true defensive stopper who is often asked to contend with the opponent's best post player, Philbrook is an unselfish player who will fill whichever role he is asked to fill and do so quite capably.

Blodgett, who played in all 27 tilts with 11 starts a year ago, could be the Monks' top breakout candidate this winter. As a sophomore, he averaged 5.3 points and 2.4 boards per contest while shooting 44.5% (53-119) from the field and seemed to have a knack for making big shots in important situations. Touted as the hardest working player during preseason, it is reasonable to suggest that Blodgett may very well be in line to explode on the scene as a junior.

Freshman Danny Fitzgerald (North Reading, Mass.) could also earn minutes on the post for Saint Joseph's this winter.

Saint Joseph's will open the 2013-14 campaign with a non-conference contest at Bates College on Tuesday, November 19th at 7:00 PM.

Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.