FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University men's basketball team looks to keep their postseason hopes alive and will honor four of their own prior to a Senior Day matchup with conference-leading and No. 24 Eckerd on Saturday.
The Sharks (10-14, 5-9 SSC) enter into the 2016 home finale in a three-way tie with Florida Southern and Lynn for fifth place in the Sunshine State Conference, but just a half-game separates those three from 5-10 Florida Tech, and a full game from the team currently in ninth, 4-9 Tampa. Before the 4 p.m. game tips, senior squad members
Mike Chalas (Pembroke Pines, Fla.),
Albert Nassar (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.),
Chris Page (Plainfield, Ind.) and
Nick Pendergast (Bridgewater, Conn.) will have their day in the spotlight as they take the NSU Arena floor for the final time.
The last time the Sharks took on the team atop the league standings, they defeated No. 12 Barry a week ago, 105-91. In order to keep pace with the bunched-up ledger, they would hope to do the same against the Tritons (20-5, 10-3) ahead of just one more game remaining in the regular season.
These two teams met up on Jan. 6 in St. Petersburg, with the then-No. 12 Tritons pulling away late to win 70-60. Over their last five conference games, Eckerd is 2-3, their only three losses against league foes. However, they still lead both Barry and Rollins by a game in the loss column.
NSUSharks.com and head coach
Gary Tuell spoke about the Senior Class and the matchup with the Tritons:
Q: Saturday is the final home game for four seniors, two of which have been multi-year contributors, and two that joined the squad this season. Can you talk about the 2015-16 class? GT: "Four guys anyone would be proud to have for sons. Just great people who we feel very fortunate to have in our program and representing the university. Obviously
Chris Page has had a sterling career here. During his three years he's been one of the best players to ever wear an NSU uniform. A first-team all-conference player last year and in contention to repeat that honor this year. A prolific scorer who does a lot of things for us besides put the ball in the basket. I'm most proud of Chris' growth and maturity off the floor and in the classroom. He's a special player who has grown into a more mature, responsible young man. I think he's one of the great success stories for our program and our entire athletics department.
Mike Chalas has been with us two years and been a very good, very underrated player and as good a teammate as you could ever hope to have. He does everything right, from the way he goes about his business on the court every day to the way he conducts his life in the class room and off the court. I don't know anyone who could ever say a bad word about Mike. He doesn't just talk it, he lives it.
Nick Pendergast has been a wonderful addition to our program after transferring into NSU for graduate school following his playing career at Temple. Nick brings so many intangibles to our team and he just keeps getting better and better. My only regret is that we didn't have him longer because he's another one who has an unselfish attitude, a great work ethic and who handles his business on and off the court in a manner that makes us proud.
Albert Nassar, like Nick, has only had a year with us after transferring into grad school following his undergraduate years at Syracuse. Albert is one of the most popular players on our team. He's selfless, he's funny, he keeps our guys loose and he quietly does whatever is necessary to help our team. He's an exceptional teammate, outstanding student and great character guy who has been so valuable to our team chemistry. All four of these guys have been a joy to coach and to be with every day. We're going to miss them."
Q: Of course, losing players each year is an inevitability, what have these four done to help cement the future of the program? GT: "They all have great work ethics, they care about the program and they care about their teammates. A lot of teams have packed it in by this time of the season, but we're still working hard, still improving, still striving to win games and to get better and a lot of that is because of the leadership and the contributions these guys make to our team every single day. It's easy for seniors to be selfish or to become a distraction if they aren't playing as much as they think they should. But these four guys contribute something positive to the team every day. They set good examples for the younger players and they certainly have shown the young guys how to be good teammates."
Q: The last time you faced the conference's No. 1 team, you won in pretty convincing fashion a week ago. You will take on the new team atop the leaderboard, Eckerd, on Saturday. How can your team pull that off again? GT: "I'm so proud of this team. With one or two exceptions, when fatigue or the grind and wear and tear of a long season bit us in the rear end, this team has been remarkable. In our win against Barry last Saturday we played our finest offensive game of the season. Great focus, great execution, great unselfishness that resulted in one of the best performances by a team I've coached anywhere, not just at NSU. We followed that up with a four-hour bus ride to Embry-Riddle Wednesday night, got off the bus and turned in the best defensive performance we've had this year and maybe one of the two or three finest defensive efforts of any team I've ever coached. We were exceptional, and I don't say that often. You probably have to understand and appreciate basketball to truly grasp how good we were Wednesday night on the defensive end of the floor. Our offense was not good and you have to give a lot of credit to Embry-Riddle for that. The game took me back to my days as an assistant coach at the University of Miami when we were playing in the old Big East Conference. In those days, when you played Georgetown or Pitt or Syracuse or St. John's or anyone in the Big East, every game was an absolute physical war. In those days, Big East games were not for the faint of heart. Our game at Embry-Riddle reminded me of those old Big East battles. It was so physical the players on both teams probably should have been wearing helmets and shoulder pads. I don't think people realize how well they (Embry-Riddle) are playing right now. But in the last month they've beaten Eckerd, Tampa and Saint Leo – and they won that won by 40. Those guys are good. Very few teams could have beaten Riddle Wednesday night, and most would have lost by a bunch.
"Despite struggling offensively, we were beautiful on the defensive end. Just exceptional. To have a team play that hard and fight that hard and be mentally tough enough to ride the bus four hours and engage in that kind of game tells you a lot about the character and toughness of our guys. To give us their best offensive and defensive performances in back-to-back games at this stage of the season speaks volumes about where we are right now relative to our competitive spirit and our will to win. We are improving and we are working hard and playing together. I don't know what we can do to pull off an upset Saturday, but I'm so proud of what we've done late in the year, how we've stayed together through some adversity and how we have continued to strive to improve. I hope we can give the same kind of effort we've given in our last two games because the guys have worked hard and they deserve to feel good about themselves. Win or lose, it would be a shame if they didn't play – and play well -- in their final home game together.
Q: The first time against Eckerd was a defensive struggle, and you described the Tritons as a tough matchup and the best rebounding team in the league. Having had the run of the conference now, do you still feel that way about them?GT: "Best team in the league. Period. That's why they're in first place on February 20. They've proven it over the long haul. Well-coached, disciplined, outstanding defensive team, extremely efficient offensively, and both physically and mentally tough. You have to match their toughness and their effort, you have to limit your turnovers and you have to find a way to scratch out some points. You need 40 minutes of total focus on both ends of the court. They make you earn every basket. They also take advantage of any defensive mistakes you make, so to beat them you have to play as close to a perfect game as you possibly can. Playing well against Eckerd is the supreme test for any team and that's a compliment to their coaches and players. If you beat them, you know you earned it because they don't give you anything."
Q: Finally, with your 29th season coaching coming down the homestretch, how do you view this year as a whole? GT: "In some ways this has been the most challenging season I've had. We've faced some unexpected adversity, worked through some growth pains and some chemistry issues and definitely have had to overcome some immaturity issues. We've lost eight or nine games by single digits and we could easily have won all of those games with a little better execution, a little better effort, a few smarter decisions. Nothing has come easily for this team, that's for sure. In some ways it's been very frustrating, especially knowing we're so close to having a wonderful record and being in the mix for the top tier of this league. We've been on the cusp of being a very good team but for one reason or another we either shot ourselves in the foot or we just didn't grab some opportunities by the throat and finish the deal. But I love this team and I've thoroughly enjoyed the players and the coaches and the people around our team. We have great guys. We've experienced a lot of growth as a team and seen a lot of growth in our young guys. The thing I've enjoyed the most about this season has been the way we've remained competitive and positive and continued to strive to be better. No one has hung his head or packed it in. No one has given up on the team or on teammates. If anything, the opposite has happened. We're an improving team and we're still working to get better.
"We're coming off two of the best games any team of mine has played in my 12 seasons here, which says a lot about the commitment of the coaches and players to finish this season the right way. If we have the opportunity to play in the conference postseason tournament, I have all the confidence in the world that this team can do something special. A lot of teams in our situation would have given up on their season or just showed up and gone through the motions, played out the schedule and moved on. But this team has continued to listen and learn and continued to try to be the best they can. If we can finish the year still working to get better, if we can finish the year still striving to be the best we can be, then that will be the thing that I will remember most about this group. And nothing they've said or done tells me they're ready to stop. They still want to play and compete. They still want to get better. They still believe. That's a heck of a testament to their character and that's why I believe they have a chance to be special before it's all over with. We have two HUGE challenges in front of us with Eckerd here Saturday and finishing on the road at defending national champion Florida Southern next Saturday. But I wouldn't want to be coaching anyone else's team right now. I like mine."
