Santa Fe men’s basketball tips off season

The Santa Fe Saints open up their season Nov. 1 against Pro Holmes Sports Academy. But the squad has already tipped off.

Meet the Team: 2021-2022 @SFsaintsMBB!

Story: https://t.co/0cGjBWoE8G pic.twitter.com/DunuYQmiML

— Santa Fe Saints (@santafesaints) October 26, 2021

Preseason

The Saints participated in two junior college showcases: the Southeastern Jamboree Oct. 10 in Tallahassee, Florida, and the All-American Jamboree Oct. 16 in Tavares, Florida.

Most notably, Santa Fe captured a win over the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie. The Saints topped the Indians 53-35.

Saints take game 1 vs USC Salk 53-35 in the first game at the @JUCOShowcase. Back in action at 1:20 on Court 5 vs Mississippi Gulf Coast

— Santa Fe Saints Men’s Basketball (@SFsaintsMBB) October 16, 2021

Who to watch

Head coach Chris Mowry’s roster is filled to the brim with skills. Yet one player’s name rings a bell in Gainesville: Nasir Mann.

Nasir is the brother of Tre Mann, former Florida Gators men’s basketball star. Tre is now a point guard with the Oklahoma City Thunder. But Freshman guard Nasir is his own person, though, Mowry said.

Notable mentions:

• Bradley Douglas returns to the lineup this season. With an average of 15 points per game, the point guard claims the title of the leading scorer.
• Hasan Abdul-Hakim hails from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The six-foot-seven guard averaged eight points, four rebounds and two assists per game last season.
• Forward Leonardo De Campo is six feet nine inches tall and 35% from the three-point line. During the 2020-21 season, De Campo averaged seven points and four rebounds per game.
• Redshirt freshman G’Shan Aldridge transferred from Florida State College Journalism. At FSCJ, the guard posted 11 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game last season.
• Brandon Farmer’s six-foot-seven frame averaged 12.2 points 6.4 rebounds per game with Florida Gateway College. The forward was 36% from the three-point line last year.
• Guard Nicolas McCain executed a game-high against Hillsborough Community College with 15 points. Similar to his new teammates, the three-level scorer is 35% from the three-point line.

https://twitter.com/abirge40/status/1446142659790184456?s=20

What to expect

Head Coach Chris Mowry begins his 19th season with the Saints. He said he’s excited about the squad he has this year.

However, with depth comes challenges. Mowry said each of his players deserve playing time.

With Nov. 1 right around the corner, Santa Fe’s starting lineup will be revealed versus PHS Academy at 7 p.m. at home.