2023–24 LIU Sharks men's basketball team

2023–24 LIU Sharks men's basketball
ConferenceNortheast Conference
Record7–22 (6–10 NEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Chris Thomas (2nd season)
  • Sasha Brown (2nd season)
  • Maurice Hicks (2nd season)
Home arenaSteinberg Wellness Center
Seasons
2023–24 Northeast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Central Connecticut 13 – 3   .813 20 – 11   .645
Merrimack 13 – 3   .813 21 – 12   .636
Sacred Heart 10 – 6   .625 16 – 16   .500
Le Moyne* 9 – 7   .563 15 – 17   .469
Fairleigh Dickinson 9 – 7   .563 15 – 17   .469
Wagner † 7 – 9   .438 17 – 16   .515
LIU 6 – 10   .375 7 – 22   .241
Saint Francis 3 – 13   .188 8 – 22   .267
Stonehill* 2 – 14   .125 4 – 27   .129
* ineligible for the 2024 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II
† 2024 NEC tournament winner

The 2023–24 LIU Sharks men's basketball team represented Long Island University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Sharks, led by second-year head coach Rod Strickland, played their home games at the Steinberg Wellness Center in Brooklyn, New York as members of the Northeast Conference (NEC). They finished the season 7–22, 6–10 in NEC play, to finish in seventh place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the NEC tournament to Merrimack.[1]

Previous season

The Sharks finished the 2022–23 season 3–26, 1–15 in NEC play, to finish in last place.[2] They lost to Merrimack in the first round of the NEC tournament.[3]

Preseason polls

Northeast Conference poll

The Northeast Conference released its preseason coaches' poll on October 24, 2023. The Sharks were picked to finish in seventh in the conference.[4][5]

Rank Team
1. Sacred Heart (7)
2. Central Connecticut (1)
3. Fairleigh Dickinson (1)
4. Merrimack
5. Wagner
6. Stonehill
7. LIU
8. Saint Francis
9. Le Moyne

() first-place votes

Roster

2023–24 LIU Sharks men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 2 Eric Acker 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr East New York, NY
F 3 Greg Kenney 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 176 lb (80 kg) Fr Williston Park, NY
G/F 4 Tre'shawn Sheppard 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Brooklyn, NY
G 5 Andre Washington 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 178 lb (81 kg) Jr Staten Island, NY
G/F 6 Tana Kopa 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 178 lb (81 kg) Jr Perth, Australia
F 8 Jason Steele 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Flushing, NY
G 10 R.J. Greene 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So The Bronx, New York
G/F 11 Terell Strickland 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) RS Jr Tampa, FL
G 13 Tai Strickland 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) GS Tampa, FL
C 15 C.J. Delancy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Jonesboro, AR
G 21 Ahmed Essahaty 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 201 lb (91 kg) So Wellington, New Zealand
F 23 Nikola Djapa 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Belgrade, Serbia
C 43 Gezim Bajrami 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 264 lb (120 kg) Fr Tampere, Finland
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: August 17, 2024

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 8, 2023*
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Fisk Canceled Steinberg Wellness Center 
Brooklyn, NY
November 10, 2023*
1:00 p.m., SNY 		Air Force L 67–82  0–1
 Steinberg Wellness Center (812)
Brooklyn, NY
November 13, 2023*
10:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Pepperdine L 53–88  0–2
 Firestone Fieldhouse (327)
Malibu, CA
November 15, 2023*
10:00 p.m., P12N 		at UCLA L 58–78  0–3
 Pauley Pavilion (4,751)
Los Angeles, CA
November 22, 2023*
7:00 p.m., SNY, ESPN+ 		at Columbia L 67–77  0–4
 Levien Gymnasium (622)
Manhattan, NY
November 24, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		vs. Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
NKU Thanksgiving Tournament 		W 83–68  1–4
 Truist Arena (358)
Highland Heights, KY
November 25, 2023*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Northern Kentucky
NKU Thanksgiving Tournament 		L 64–72  1–5
 Truist Arena (2,340)
Highland Heights, KY
December 2, 2023*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at FIU L 59–74  1–6
 Ocean Bank Convocation Center (681)
Miami, FL
December 6, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		at No. 15 Miami L 49–97  1–7
 Watsco Center (5,818)
Coral Gables, FL
December 12, 2023*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UMass Lowell L 65–78  1–8
 Costello Athletic Center (475)
Lowell, MA
December 16, 2023*
1:00 p.m., BTN+ 		at Rutgers L 61–83  1–9
 Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000)
Piscataway, NJ
December 23, 2023*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Mount St. Mary's L 59–87  1–10
 Knott Arena (1,782)
Emmitsburg, MD
December 28, 2023*
7:00 p.m., SNY 		Albany L 69–86  1–11
 Barclays Center (1,704)
Brooklyn, NY
NEC regular season
January 4, 2023
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Wagner W 69–67  2–11
(1–0) 		Steinberg Wellness Center (489)
Brooklyn, NY
January 6, 2024
2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Stonehill W 73–68  3–11
(2–0) 		Merkert Gymnasium (340)
Easton, MA
January 13, 2024
2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Sacred Heart L 55–89  3–12
(2–1) 		William H. Pitt Center (485)
Fairfield, CT
January 19, 2024
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Saint Francis (PA) L 66–72  3–13
(2–2) 		DeGol Arena (640)
Loretto, PA
January 21, 2024
7:00 p.m., SNY 		Central Connecticut L 63–72  3–14
(2–3) 		Steinberg Wellness Center (458)
Brooklyn, NY
January 25, 2024
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Stonehill W 63–60  4–14
(3–3) 		Steinberg Wellness Center (534)
Brooklyn, NY
January 27, 2024
2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Le Moyne L 74–87  4–15
(3–4) 		Ted Grant Court (943)
DeWitt, NY
February 1, 2024
7:00 p.m., YES 		at FDU L 75–82  4–16
(3–5) 		Bogota Savings Bank Center (557)
Hackensack, NJ
February 3, 2024
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Saint Francis (PA) W 70–67  5–16
(4–5) 		Steinberg Wellness Center (792)
Brooklyn, NY
February 8, 2024
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Merrimack L 79–82 OT 5–17
(4–6) 		Steinberg Wellness center (521)
Brooklyn, NY
February 10, 2024
8:00 p.m., SNY 		Sacred Heart W 75–58  6–17
(5–6) 		Steinberg Wellness Center (366)
Brooklyn, NY
February 15, 2024
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Fairleigh Dickinson L 82–84 OT 6–18
(5–7) 		Steinberg Wellness Center (251)
Brooklyn, NY
February 17, 2024
3:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Merrimack L 68–83  6–19
(5–8) 		Hammel Court (1,347)
North Andover, MA
February 22, 2024
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Le Moyne W 76–64  7–19
(6–8) 		Steinberg Wellness Center (347)
Brooklyn, NY
February 25, 2024
1:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at Wagner L 57–72  7–20
(6–9) 		Spiro Sports Center (1,276)
Staten Island, NY
February 29, 2024
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Central Connecticut L 64–78  7–21
(6–10) 		William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1429)
New Britain, CT
NEC tournament
March 6, 2024
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		(7) at (2) Merrimack
Quarterfinals 		L 66–72  7–22
 Hammel Court (1,076)
North Andover, MA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Sources:[6][7]

References

  1. ^ "Merrimack 72-66 Long Island University (Mar 6, 2024) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  2. ^ "2022-23 LIU Sharks Men's Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "Merrimack 91-76 Long Island University (Mar 1, 2023) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  4. ^ "In Pursuit of First-Ever #NECMBB Crown, Sacred Heart Enters 2023–24 Season As Clear Favorite". Northeast Conference. October 24, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Federman, Sam (November 3, 2023). "NEC Season Preview: Sacred Heart, Merrimack aim to make last run memorable". Mid-Major Madness. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". Long Island University. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  7. ^ "Long Island University Sharks Schedule 2023-24". ESPN. Retrieved August 17, 2024.