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The 2006-07 edition of the Gwynedd-Mercy College Men's Basketball team brings many questions: will this be the team that started 2-7 last season or the team that came together late in the season and rallied to qualify for the PAC Tournament?

With just two departing letterwinners, fifth-year head coach John Baron believes his Griffins can play like the team that fought and scrapped its way to a playoff berth, where they won a road game in the first round and advanced to the tournament semifinals.

In the backcourt, two experienced guards in seniors and four-year starters Chris DelBrocco and Rashid Santiago will continue to lead by example. DelBrocco was a second-team all-league selection last season after leading the team in scoring and three-pointers made. Additionally, he also spent time this past summer over in Europe, recruited by USA Basketball to join a team of top Division III standouts to face local club teams in France and Spain. Santiago will be the primary ball-handler after dishing out 74 assists and notching 41 steals, both team highs. The resilient guard has missed just one game in his career. Sophomore Jack Forth also gained valuable experience in limited action last year and will push for playing time. Newcomers Corey Rich, Matt Johnson, and Lemeire Talley will look to contribute right away. Rich transferred from Arcadia where he started 24 contests two seasons ago while leading the team in scoring.

Up front, junior Kevin Lauer came into his own halfway through the season. Returning after the holiday break from injury, the forward saw his first action of the season and did not disappoint. His play over the next 18 games was good enough to warrant an all-league honorable mention pick. Joining Lauer will be senior Dave McFadden who contributed in his first season as a Griffin. Sophomores Haven Wroten, and Larz Jeter, both played significant roles a year ago gaining valuable playing time and will only get better. Sophomore Dennis Delli, transfers Mitchell White and Ryan McCarty, along with freshman Jim Shaffer, will look for minutes from the veterans. White comes from Immaculata while McCarty spent his first season at Utica.

Coach Baron will have two new faces in the coaching ranks. Jonna Pento returns for this third season while Corey Lord and Bill Wiley, who coached at Neumann a year ago, round out the staff.

The schedule has the team traveling as far north as Boston, in the season-opening tournament at Emmanuel College, and south as Orlando, where they'll play two solid midwest teams over the holiday break. The Griffins will also take on two NJAC teams in Rowan and Richard Stockton in non-league action. On January 29th, Gwynedd will get its first crack at defending champs Alvernia, in which they took to triple overtime last year at the Griffin Complex. The season finale pits GM against Cabrini at home on February 15th. Last season, the Griffins rallied from a 22-point deficit to defeat the Cavs in overtime.

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