After a big turnover of the roster, a lot of players on the 2014-15 Saint Joseph's Hawks will have expanded roles. Sophomore Brendan Casper will see one of the biggest changes in playing time now that he's one of the veteran bench players on a team of mostly freshmen and sophomores.
“We're a very young team,” Casper said, “so I have to act a little bit older than I actually am. Winning the (Atlantic 10) championship last year with all of our senior leaders, they really led the way and showed you how it should be done, so I'm just trying to show that to our freshman players. My relationship with the players and coaches has been great. We're all close friends and I really enjoyed myself over the last year. I couldn't have asked for a better freshman year.”
The team lost senior leaders Langston Galloway, Ronald Roberts, Jr., and Halil Kanacevic. The three combined for close to 59 percent of the team's points and 56 percent of its rebounds last season. They now have only two starters left on the roster from last year's Atlantic 10 championship team. The 13-man active roster is comprised of five freshmen, three sophomores, three juniors, and two seniors. The team also has three players sitting out the season due to injury, academics and transfer rules.
Coming off the bench last season, Casper, a 6-foot-6 forward and business administration major, played eight games, scored seven points, and grabbed two rebounds. He also had academic success, being named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for the Fall 2013 semester.
“It was a great learning experience,” Casper said about last season. “Coming into this year, my knowledge of the game has grown so much. Being on a veteran team last year, I had to play against those guys in practice and that made me a lot better. Seeing them play on an everyday basis shows you how senior leaders should play, and we have to strive to get there with our young team.”
Casper joined the team as a walk-on out of Methacton High School in Audubon, Pa. In his senior season he averaged a double-double, with 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. He was a First Team All-Area selection and First Team All-Conference honoree. He was part of the best season in his school's history, finishing with a 19-3 record, undefeated in conference play, and an appearance in the state playoffs for the first time ever. He graduated as the school's second all-time leading scorer with 1,163 points.
He was also recruited by Division II schools West Chester and Kutztown, but chose St. Joe's partly because his father, Rob, played for Head Coach Phil Martelli at Kenrick High School in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
“I love the school,” Casper said. “I wanted the opportunity to play at the Division I level. I had other scholarship offers to go to Division II teams, but I really liked St. Joe's and being close to home. My mom and dad can come and watch. I have a lot of friends and family in the area. I grew up in the area and have played here my whole life. The Philadelphia area has a great basketball tradition and I just thought it was a really good fit for me.”
The new season brings new responsibilities for Casper, and he is ready to step up and help lead the Hawks back to the NCAA Tournament.
“I want to improve in all aspects of my game,” Casper said. “I think I did a good job this offseason; I'm in the best shape I've ever been in, and I want to keep building off of that and get stronger and faster. I just want to keep improving so by my senior year I'll have no regrets about what I could have been.”
