UNB Saint John Athletics
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The UNB Saint John men’s basketball team can’t just show up and shoot the lights out.
Success will come more from substance than style. Wins will generally be ugly instead of pretty.

“I think we’re going to have to be a gritty team to play against,” said Seawolves head coach Peter Vincent. “We’re going to have to work hard and be physical. We’ll have to be very methodical and execute well in order to score.”
The Seawolves have taken their lumps in the early going of the ACAA season, but hopefully that experience will help moving forward.
“What we learned in those early games will translate into something we can use the next time we see those opponents,” Vincent said. “If we can fix the fundamental issues that we’re having, hopefully it changes the outcome for us in the future. I never go into a game thinking we’re outmatched. I always believe we have a chance to win our games.”

 While not a favourite to contend for a conference title, the Seawolves know the underdogs can fight and claw their way to the top. Fifth-seeded Mount Saint Vincent University did it last year, defeating UNB Saint John in the play-in game before besting Mount Allison and Holland College en route to an ACAA championship victory over St. Thomas.
“Once you’re in the playoffs, anything can happen,” Vincent said. “The quality of play has gotten better and better over the years. The size of the gap between what would have been first place and sixth place five or six years ago is now not there. The gap is so much tighter.
“Back when I first came into the league, we were getting spanked by 40 and 50 points by the first- and second-place teams. That kind of gap in a game rarely happens now. We’ve received a lot more recognition where players are starting to look at the ACAA as a good place to go play. The ACAA is quality ball.”

The Seawolves will need strong contributions from the quintuplet of Adam Lambert, Ethan Szemerda, Aiden Connors, Colin Loughery and Austin Brun. The roster is rounded out by Max Hammer, Jacob McNeil, Ewan Robertson, AJ Nash, Alex Ariola, Keegan Their, Tyler Duprey-Steinman, Lance Keddy and Dov Kahn.
“Everybody is facing the same issues coming out of the COVID years,” Vincent said. “The guys that haven’t been at this level have to learn how to play at this level, and they also have to come together with the guys that are leftovers. They’ve got to help each other moving forward.”

Vincent’s charges let their coach know how they feel about things during a pre-season trip to Maine. Players completed questionnaires, addressing both team and personal goals.
“It’s always nice to get feedback,” the coach said. “What we see as coaches may not necessarily be what the players see and feel. They all seem to want to be known as good defenders. Our focus is trying to keep things reasonable as far as points (allowed) on the board.”