EASTON, Pa. – Head coach Fran O'Hanlon enters his 24^th year at the helm of a Lafayette men's basketball program in the middle of a youth movement as the Leopards get set to open the 2018-19 season at Saint Peter's on Wednesday.

"This is a new era for us in some ways," O'Hanlon said. "A lot of our guys are going to be asked to up their roles and with the depth we have, we'll have to figure out how to blend them all in. We have six guys on the perimeter that all bring something different and we'll look for our forward group to produce by committee."

Those six guards on the perimeter are headlined by sophomore Alex Petrie, who took home Patriot League Rookie of the Year accolades a year ago. Classmates Justin Jaworski and E.J. Stephens were also impact contributors in their freshman seasons, while junior Kyle Stout looks to solidify his role and freshmen Isaac Suffren and Tyrone Perry look to make their first mark at the collegiate level.

On the block, senior co-captain Paulius Zalys and junior Myles Cherry have the early nod to lead the forward group. Junior Lukas Jarrett, sophomore Dylan Hastings and freshman Sean Good will all see time early and often as well as O'Hanlon looks for his team to gain valuable experience in the non-conference to prepare them for Patriot League action.

Below is a full breakdown of the 2018-19 edition of Lafayette men's basketball.

BACKCOURT

The clear strength of this year's group lies in the backcourt with Petrie leading the way following his sensational rookie campaign. Petrie broke Lafayette's single-season freshman scoring record with 466 points, the single-season freshman three's record with 66 and the single-game freshman scoring record with 29 in both games against Holy Cross a year ago.

"Alex hasn't stopped. He's working just as hard or harder than he's ever worked," O'Hanlon said. "He's a gym rat and not one to rest on his laurels. Teams will game plan more for him this season instead of Matt [Klinewski]. He'll need to respond to the heavier attention given to him."

Petrie's 15.0 points per game last season, including 18.4 points per night in conference contests, earned him All-Patriot League Third Team honors, as well as a spot on the Patriot League All-Rookie Team. The Midlothian, Virginia native clearly has a lot to build on in 2018-19.

Alongside Petrie is classmate Justin Jaworski, who led the Leopards in minutes last season at 28.7 per night despite starting in just 13 contests. A sparkplug off the bench for the Maroon and White, Jaworski finished third on the team in scoring in his freshman season at 10.8 points per night and provided Lafayette with possibly the season's best highlight.

In Hamilton, New York on Jan. 5, Colgate nailed a triple from the right wing with 11 seconds remaining to tie the game at 68. Opting not to call a timeout, Jaworski brought the ball up the left side of the court, sized up a defender and pulled up from well beyond the three-point arc, burying the eventual game-winner with 3.0 seconds remaining in a 71-68 victory. The play made ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 Plays the following day.

The third of the talented guards in the sophomore class is E.J. Stephens, who may have improved the most of the three from his playing experience a year ago.

"E.J. has definitely taken a step," O'Hanlon added. "He was pretty good last year, but he's very confident so far this season and definitely one of our more improved players."

Stephens was fifth on the team in scoring last season at 6.8 points per contest, seeing action in all but one game for Lafayette. His best game of the year came against American on Feb. 17, tallying 16 points on 4-of-5 from three-point range to go along with career-high's in assists (6) and blocks (2).

The upperclassman expected to see the most time is Stout, the leader in plus/minus for last year's Leopards. Seen as a sharpshooter coming out of high school, the Parkland High School (Allentown, Pa.) product has turned into a little things player for Lafayette, which always seems to perform better when he's on the floor. Stout started in 20 of his 28 games played last season, averaging 3.7 points per game.

"Kyle's had a good fall and shown more consistency in his shot," said O'Hanlon. "We're hoping his experience over the last couple of years can help us and he'll be one of our leaders. He's a big wing who can guard some of the bigger wings in our league."

Finally, Lafayette features two newcomers in the backcourt that are likely to see impact minutes. Suffren is the first, coming to College Hill by way of Charlotte, North Carolina where he averaged 18 points, six rebounds and three assists in his career at Providence Day School. Suffren had a 40-point outing during his senior season and was a two-time All-CISAA selection.

"Isaac is probably a top-10 percent athlete in our league," O'Hanlon said. "His quickness is noticeable and he'll be dangerous if he plays under control."

The other is Perry, a true point guard from Apopka, Florida, who averaged 15 points, six assists and six rebounds in his career at Wekiva High School. Perry led his team to a regional championship, a district championship and a state runner-up finish during his four years. Additionally, he played on the AAU circuit for Q6 in Orlando, Florida under the direction of Willie Anderson, former standout at LSU from 1997-99.

"Ty's a very good on-ball defender and has played point guard his whole life," added O'Hanlon. "He's got good quickness and tenacity, and he's extremely aggressive on the ball."

Rounding out the backcourt group is senior co-captain Auston Evans, junior Cal Reichwein and freshman Jay Vaughan. Evans missed 26 games with a knee injury during his junior season, while Reichwein has played sparingly over his first two years, scoring a career-high four points in the playoff game at Colgate last season.

FRONTCOURT

Replacing Matt Klinewski '18 will be the difficult task of the Leopards' frontcourt this season. Klinewski was an All-Patriot League Second-Team selection a year ago and led the team in both points (16.8 ppg) and rebounds (5.8 rpg).

Zalys is the most-likely candidate to replace the offensive production as the most-skilled player the Leopards have on the block. He put his plethora of inside moves on display in a career-high 25-point effort against Navy last season that Lafayette hopes just scratched the surface of what his potential could be as the main option inside.

"Paulius is our best post-up player and our best option down low, so we'll need him to show consistency there," O'Hanlon said. "We're expecting leadership from him and with five guys fighting for those two spots, we'll see how it shakes out."

Zalys started in 27 of the 31 games for the Maroon and White last season, finishing fourth on the team in scoring at 8.3 points per outing. In addition to his work on the offensive end, he also sits 32^nd on Lafayette's all-time career blocks list with 30 stifles over his three seasons.

Cherry will likely be Zalys' frontcourt partner at least to start the year, one of the more reliable players in O'Hanlon's system. While his offensive game may still be coming along, O'Hanlon likes the poise with which he plays and the way he passes in the complex motion offense. Rebounding production will be key for Cherry to earn his minutes, as he's the top returner in board work, ripping down 3.6 rebounds per night as a sophomore.

Jarrett and Hastings will be the next options for O'Hanlon off the bench with each bringing different skillsets. Jarrett has proven an ability to protect the rim, 20^th on Lafayette's all-time blocks list with 45 over two seasons, and saw action in all but one game a year ago, starting in nine contests.

O'Hanlon calls Hastings the most improved player on the roster as the 6-8 sophomore played sparingly during his rookie season. Possessing an ability to hit shots from beyond the arc, which he showed with a 3-for-4 effort from distance against NJIT on Nov. 14, 2017, Hastings will be relied upon for more at both ends as his role continues to move up the depth chart.

Finally, 6-11 freshman Sean Good will be hard to keep off the floor if he continues to develop in time for Patriot League action. Good was the only player in Trinity High School (Camp Hill, Pa.) history to finish with more than 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 blocks in his career.

"Sean is someone who runs the floor extremely well, has good hands and can pass the ball well," O'Hanlon said. "He needs to continue to learn what we do and there will be some growing pains with that, but by January, we hope to have him in a position where he's going to be helping us and giving us meaningful minutes."

Freshman Michael Anekwe rounds out the forward group as the Leopards look to replace Klinewski by committee in 2018-19.

COACHING STAFF

In his 24^th year at the top of the Lafayette men's basketball program, O'Hanlon is the longest-tenured coach in the Patriot League and winningest coach in Lafayette basketball history. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native and Villanova alum has been named Patriot League Coach of the Year four times and lays claim to three Patriot League regular-season titles, seven conference title game berths and three NCAA Tournament appearances.

O'Hanlon's entire coaching staff returns in 2018-19 with top assistant Jimmy Fenerty leading the charge in his fourth season. Jarren Dyson returns for his second campaign, while Justin Burrell is in his third season and Director of Basketball Operations Andrew Radomicki begins his second year.

SCHEDULE

Lafayette will have 14 contests inside Kirby Sports Center in 2018-19, but begins the season with three straight on the road, beginning with the opener at Saint Peter's. The Leopards kick off their home slate on Nov. 18 against St. Francis Brooklyn and the remainder of the non-conference schedule is highlight by a trip to UConn on Dec. 8.

The non-conference slate wraps up with a home contest on Dec. 21 against Princeton before the league schedule begins with a bang as the Leopards travel across town for round one of The Rivalry against Lehigh on Jan. 3. Four more home league matchups will occur during the month of January, with the home meeting with Lehigh scheduled for Jan. 30.

Four more home conference contests are slated for February preceding the final regular-season game and Senior Day for Zalys and Evans on March 2 against Colgate. The Patriot League Tournament is set to begin on March 5, concluding with the championship game on March 13.