College Men’s Basketball Preview: Bryant Bulldogs

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Jean Harris, Sports Contributor

Bryant University is coming off of a tough year in 2009-2010 – just there third season in division one basketball, and this season they have plenty of room for growth.

The Bulldogs are still the “new kid on the block,” and are looking to become competitive in 2010-2011 season.

Bryant has a range of prospects that can serve as the building blocks for a new era. Cecil Gresham, a senior forward, is the program's 31st 1,000-point scorer. He was Bryant’s leading scorer, putting up big numbers to start last season, before being sidelined with a season-ending injury. He is looking to return this year to reestablish his dominance and try and help put Bryant on the map.

Also full of potential is Bryant’s sophomore guard Frankie Dobbs. Dobbs, the son of super athlete and ex-Brown coach Frank “Happy” Dobbs, is a transfer from Ohio University. Dobbs will be asked to shake things up and help Coach Tim O'Shea, who recruited him to Ohio University, turn Bryant’s basketball program around.

Another X-factor may be Michael Chroney, a senior forward. Chroney appeared 28 games as a walk-on junior, earning the first starting spot of his career against Yale. At 6-2, he led the team in rebounds while boasting a shooting percentage of .417 last season.

An up and coming underclassman, Raphael Jordan, is also not to be overlooked. This sophomore guard finished last season with 217 points. He led the team in shot attempts and saw more minutes than any other rookie.

Finally, a key piece to the Bulldogs season may rest with Vladyslav Kondratyev, a sophomore forward from Nikolayev, Ukraine. As a freshman, Kondratyev led Bryant in scoring, averaging 8.9 points per game to earn the first-ever Northeast Conference postseason recognition for the men's basketball program. Now a little more seasoned, Kondratyev will seek to further assert himself on the court.

The Bryant Bulldogs open at home versus Army on Saturday, November 20th at 3:30 pm.