Before school started in August of 2012, the offseason saw Maalik Wayns leave for the NBA, Dominic Cheek did not return to the Mainline, Ty Johnson and Markus Kennedy all leave the program. Jay would start the new season with only one legitimate ballhandler - an incoming freshman - Ryan Arcidiacono, who didn't even play his senior year of high school due to back surgery. Would he even be able to play? For backup measures Jay accepted two transfers - Tony Chennault, a point guard from Neuman-Goretti in Philly, who did his first two years of college ball in the ACC at Wake Forest. Chennault would be granted a waiver to play immediately without sitting out a year since his mother was dying of cancer. The other transfer was Dylan Ennis, who had just completed his freshman year at Rice but would have to sit the year out.
Since Jay's offense was now changing from his guards breaking down the defense and dribble-drive to the hoop to more of a perimeter attack, he added another late recruit to solve his shooting woes by signing Mislav Brzoja.
Thus, Jay entered the 2012-2013 season with 11 scholarship players with 10 being eligible to play. There were 2 seniors in Mouphtaou Yarou and "Moe" Sutton, who was actually a graduate student. Two Juniors in James Bell and the Wake Forest transfer Tony Chennault. Three Sophomores - JayVaughn Pinkston, Darrun Hilliard and "Ash" Yacoubou. Three freshmen - Ryan Arcidiacono, Daniel Ochefu and Mislav Brzoja. The one ineligible transfer would be Dylan Ennis.
This team would upset two teams ranked in the Top 5 of the country in Philadelphia within a week of each other - Syracuse and Louisville and return to the NCAA Tournament as a 9 seed playing #8 seed North Carolina where the Cats would lose in the first round, 78-71. The gutsy freshman Ryan Arcidiacono with his "take no prisioners" approach to the game (everyone remember his bloody face in the UNC game?) became the team leader and would be the face of the program for the rest of his career. Check out his number of minutes played - this was truly HIS team.
Pinkston - 34g - 26.1mpg - 13.3ppg
Arcidiacono - 34g - 34.0mpg - 11.9ppg - 32%3
Hilliard - 34g - 29.9mpg - 11.4ppg - 31%3
Yarou - 34g - 28.1mpg - 9.9ppg
Bell - 34g - 28.5mpg - 8.6ppg - 36%3
Chennault - 34g - 18.5mpg - 3.6ppg - 28%3
Ochefu - 34g - 17.5mpg - 3.5ppg
Sutton - 31g - 9.5mpg - 3.2ppg
Yacoubou - 31g - 12mpg - 2.9ppg - 39%3
Pat Farrel - 3g - 1.3mpg - .3ppg
Brzoja - 17g - 2.4mpg - 0.1ppg - 0%3
Henry Lowe - 3g - 0.7mpg - 0.0ppg
Nick McMahon - 4g - 1.3mpg - 0.0ppg
OK, Beef, I included games played this time for everyone. Again all starters got over 20 minutes of playing time and Sutton and Yacoubou were DNP in only 3 games. Thus we have a 9 man rotation. With Dylan Ennis becoming eligible next season and all reports said he was the "best" player on the team and with two stud guard/forward recruits from D.C. coming in for the next year, Ash Yacoubou and Mislav Brzoja (overmatched by the speed of the college game at the Big East level) saw the handwriting on the wall and transfered out. With the "type" of players from last year's 13-19 team and the number of transfers (5 in 2 years) Jay would change his style of recruiting.
Darrun Hilliard would walk away with the Most Improved Player in the league going from 18.1mpg to 29.9mpg and 4.8ppg to 11.4ppg.
Watch what happens next year to Hilliard, Ochefu and Bell along with a surprising new recruit.
Oh yea, the Cats finished the year at 20-14 but had to get ready to play in a "new" Big East.
