The Cabrini men’s basketball team has historically been one of the top Division III programs in the country. This past season, the men’s basketball team earned its fifth consecutive CSAC championship and fifth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance under former Head Coach Marcus Khan. Last year, the Blue and White finished with a record of 26-2 after an early second round loss to Richard Stockton College in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
This year there are a lot of new faces on the men’s basketball team. Tim McDonald is entering his first season as the head coach of the Cavs. McDonald’s team lost key players Fran Rafferty and AJ Picard last season. This season, the Blue and White’s roster is composed of seven freshmen.
Freshmen guards Ivan Robinson and Jair Green are two players who are new to the program for this season. Prior to stepping foot on campus at the beginning of the fall semester these two freshmen were no strangers to one another.
Last year Robinson and Green were teammates at Paul VI High School in Camden, N.J. While in high school they both had a lot of success on and off of the basketball court.During their high school careers both Robinson and Green had the opportunity to get to know one another pretty well.
In any event, for high school star athletes picking a college could be a pretty difficult decision. In the case of Robinson and Green, the decision to attend Cabrini College together was not that difficult of a decision given the tradition of winning that Cabrini College has had for their men’s basketball team. Ultimately, attending a school that was the national runner up just a few years ago in 2012 was a no-brainer for the two former high school teammates.
Both Robinson and Green hope to help contribute to helping Cabrini continue their winning ways for this upcoming season. Because the pair of freshman guards have a pre-existing relationship with one another they feel very comfortable together now playing at the college level.
Freshmen Green said, “It is comforting having my point guard and best friend from high school along with me at college. It keeps the chemistry between us consistent.“
Robinson also had kind words regarding his teammate Jair Green. Robinson had said, ”It has been a fun experience playing with Jair in high school and now in college. It is comforting knowing you have somebody on the floor with you that you’ve played with for so long and you know all of their tendencies, hot spots and where they want the ball. It is almost like an advantage in my opinion.”
Head Coach Tim McDonald added, “Ivan and Jair are both tremendous athletes! Their ability to get out and play in transition is a great fit for our up-tempo style of play. The chemistry they have from playing together in high school has really benefited them as they grow along with the other freshmen and new-comers and learn to play with new teammates.”
The Blue and White look to win their sixth consecutive CSAC title this season. They enter their season ranked as the number 20 team in the country according to the preseason pools from D3hoops.com.
@JosephPacifico1
