St. Josephs University (Brooklyn)
Pre-Season Report 2025
St. Josephs is coming off a disappointing year finishing just 6-19 overall and 3-13 in conference. They only managed to beat The Merchant Marine Academy, Mount Saint Mary’s and St. Josephs (Long Island), all of which finished towards the bottom of the league. Their record doesn’t show the full story although they were streaky and not able to put together good stretches across last season, they brought Yeshiva (the eventual Skyline Champions) to a thrilling overtime game which showed they could compete.
One major advantage they will have this year is they are bringing back their two leading scorers Colin Mills who averaged 17.9 points and Timothy Richardson who averaged 10.6 points last season. They will look to make major strides along with their two captains who will look to take on a bigger role this season, first Justin Nazon who started in all but two games and averaged 7.2 points and 6.4 rebounds last season, but one of his main contributions was his passing last season. Nazon led the team in assists and was key to the flow of their offense. Second Adam Jasaraj who also started all but 2 games and averaged 5 points and 6 rebounds last season. Both will need to step up this season in order to get their team into contention. While interviewing Coach Etheart we also got news on the return of Maven Cummings who missed last season due to injury, he will bring size and scoring to the team they desperately need this season to make a run at the Skyline playoffs!
With both leading scorers returning and key role players this team will look to make a drastic jump this year and put themselves into playoff contention. They are led by their new coach and former player Sebastein Etheart who will look to move the Bears into a new era!
McGovern Sports and Media Prediction-
St. Josephs will make a large stride this season under their new coach finishing the season with a record around 500.
We got a chance to talk with the new Coach Sebastein Etheart about this up coming season! Check it out below
1- How do you look to improve this season, coming off a down year last year?
Last year was a learning experience for all of us. We had moments where we competed at a high level but struggled with consistency and execution down the stretch. This season, our focus is on building better habits — finishing possessions, valuing the ball, and trusting our system. We’ve added depth, more shot-making, and more balance to our roster, and we’re emphasizing accountability and togetherness every day. The goal is to take that next step and turn those close losses into wins.
2- How did recruiting go this past offseason?
We’ve worked hard on recruiting over the past few seasons, and while it’s taken some time to find the right pieces, we feel like we’re finally moving in the right direction. Last year, adding Colin and Timmy was a big step forward, along with the rest of that sophomore class. We also have Maven Cummings, who unfortunately missed last season due to injury, but he’s healthy now and brings size, scoring, and playmaking — all things we needed. This offseason, we landed seven recruits and couldn’t be happier with the group. We know experience will be a challenge early, but we’re confident in our seniors’ ability to lead and help the young guys grow as the season goes on.
3- What challenges does your team face this year unique to years prior?
I think our team goals and expectations have always been high, but we’ve also maintained a realistic outlook on where our rosters lined up with other skyline teams. Our guys always play hard, and we have competed but have been outplayed.
4- How will you look to stimulate the offense this year and increase scoring/ how do you look to improve your defense?
We’re looking to play with more pace and purpose this year. One of our main goals is to improve our decision-making and execution in advantageous situations — that has been a big focus throughout the preseason. Last year, we struggled at times with rebounding and capitalizing on transition opportunities, so we’ve emphasized those areas heavily. Defensively, we’ve been consistently solid, but we recognize that long scoring droughts have hurt us in the past. To address that, we’ve added new concepts to our offensive playbook to keep the ball moving and create better flow, while also adding more shot-making to our roster to sustain scoring across all lineups.
Coach Etheart also had this to say about former Coach Cocozello
Coach Cocozello was more than a coach — he was a mentor and a father figure. A man who never compromised his values and someone I’ll seek guidance from in this life and the next. I was blessed to be under a leader who trusted me to contribute so deeply to this program and ultimately become his successor through hard work and belief. I wish he were still on the sidelines with us this season, but I know he’s at home tying hooks and supporting the Bears every step of the way. I’ll be calling him after every game and I hope to make him proud — alongside Chris Tracy, our former volunteer now stepping into the head assistant role, a young basketball mind I’ll be relying on heavily throughout this journey.
- Coach Etheart