In an offseason with much player turnover, Central showed on Nov. 3 that its goal of winning the NEC Championship hasn’t changed. The team has ten new players on the roster and showcased their depth against their Division III opponent.
In their 117-55 win, sophomore forward Darin Smith Jr. led Central in scoring with 20 points. He also grabbed seven rebounds and stole the ball twice. Junior forward Max Frazier stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a block while shooting 100% from the field in just 15 minutes of play. 12 Blue Devils put up five or more points.
Senior guard Jay Rodgers finally made his return to play after tearing his ACL against Maine in December 2023.
“First, thank God, man. [What] I’ve been through, it’s hard sitting out for that long watching,” he said. “It was fun being a part of a winning season [last year] but [not being able to play] it’s tough.”
Even though he was able to score 11 points in his first game in nearly 23 months, he still critiqued his performance.
“I missed some shots that I should’ve made and I’m mad about my two turnovers at the end of the game,” he said. “But it felt good just being out there with my teammates.”
With a big season in mind, Smith scored the first points of the season with a putback layup. It then turned into an 11-3 run heading into the first media timeout of the game. Freshman guard Roddy Jones checked into the game for the first time as a Blue Devil at the 13:17 mark of the first half and was able to sink a 3-pointer 16 seconds into his career. Key transfers Melo Sanchez, Ja’Kobe Williams and Jayden Mott proved that they belonged, combining for 18 points in the first half.
At the end of the first half, CCSU led 67-29. Central shot the lights out, shooting 26-for-38 from the field (68.4%) and 9-for-15 from beyond the arc (60%). They were also stout on defense, forcing six turnovers and blocking three shots, all by transfer Nico Ashley. Smith was tied for the leading scorer at the half with 14 and Rodgers added nine.
In the second half, fans were able to see some more of the new faces that Sellers recruited. For the transfers, Ashley, Gabe Spinelli, Sanchez, Williams, Mott and Daniel James finished the game with a combined plus-minus of +149. Freshmen Jones, Parker, Ashton Reynolds and Adam Fox were all able to make their debuts. Central finished the game shooting 60% from the field and 38.7% from 3-point range.
Central head coach Pat Sellers spoke about his team’s performance after the game.
“We were the better team, [and] we shared the ball, which is what we wanted to do,” he said. “We wanted to play disciplined, [and] for the most part we played that way.”
He said he loved seeing Rodgers back on the court and jumping in traffic. He mentioned that it’s a tough mental battle to overcome, and Rodgers did it.
Smith talked about how he’s taking on more of a leadership role this season.
“I had a lot of great leaders, great teammates along the way, and our coaches are keeping me confident and motivated,” he said. “I know the system so well and I love the game so leading will be fun for me.”
Central will now turn to Quinnipiac for their first game on the road at M&T Bank Arena on Thursday, Nov. 6 and Sellers predicted how the game will play out.
“They got picked in the top of their league this year, Coach Pecora is a really good offensive coach. They’re always good on the offensive end,” he said. “So, I think it’s probably gonna be a game that’ll go down to the wire.”
He also mentioned that since he and his coaching staff have been at CCSU, they played Quinnipiac twice on the road and lost both down the stretch, so they need to defend and rebound to get their first win at Quinnipiac.
