November 3, 2016

Gainesville, FL – There will be a lot of new faces on the court when the Saints open their season in Pensacola on Thursday against the Pirates, with just one player returning for Coach Chris Mowry and Santa Fe on opening day.

"We are looking forward to an exciting 2016-17 season," said Mowry.  "We will be a work in progress starting out with only one returner, but this group of guys have the ability to put it together and be a very successful team."

That one returner is a good one in Academic All-American Josh Hawkins.  He will attempt to lead a relatively young Saints team, albeit with some help from transfers.

Hawkins averaged 6.4 points per game in 2015-16, but showed steady improvement and the ability to be a floor leader as the season progressed.

Two transfers hope to play a big role for SF this year, 6-6 Nick Grier (Flagler College) and 6-8 Dylan Causwell (Mississippi Gulf Coast CC).  Their size and experience will be leaned upon, especially in the early going.

"We have a lot of tight competitions for playing time right now, and that's a good problem to have," said Mowry.  "Freshman looking to contribute in the backcourt include 6-0 David Jones, 6-1 Sean Flood, 6-2 Elias Eerikinharju, and 6-3 D-Juan Taylor-Hodge.  In the frontcourt, 6-6 Nick Peacock, 6-5 Darrell Jones, 6-7 Sean Dinkins, and 6-8 Lazar Djurovic are all expected to contribute for us.  They all bring some attributes that can help us win ballgames."

The Saints will open up against Pensacola State on Thursday, November 3 in Pensacola at 8:30 PM EST.  They will continue in the Pirate Classic on Friday, November 4 against Gulf Coast at 6:30 PM EST, and on Saturday battle Faith Baptist Prep at 2:00 PM EST.

"We have been working hard in practice to grow as a team, and are looking forward to our season beginning," Mowry said.  "As the season progresses, we expect individual roles to be better defined, and to see improvement across the board.  We hope our students and fans will appreciate the level of commitment we have put into this season.  It should be a fun year!"

For complete schedules, stats, and more information please visit www.santafesaints.com.  

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