The New York University men's basketball team produced another winning campaign in 2009-10.
Having big shoes to fill following the graduation of All-University Athletic Association (UAA) center John Mish, senior forward Keith Jensen smoothly stepped into the void. Saving his best for last, Jensen became 25th 1,000-point scorer in program history. He averaged 14 points per game while helping to lead the Violets to a 17-10 season. A First Team All-UAA selection, Jensen finished his career with 1,024 points.
In the highly-competitive UAA, the Violets finished with a respectable 7-7 record, which included a 62-50 home win over then-#8 Brandeis University on Jan. 9.
The victory over Brandeis was one of NYU's biggest highlights of the season, and it proved the Violets could not only play with the best teams in the nation, but beat them as well.
"For me, I'm just really proud of our guys because I see us working hard to get better," said head coach Joe Nesci after the win. "Our guys worked hard all week getting ready for this game. I'm happy when hard work translates into a win."
Following the regular season, the Violets were selected for the ECAC Metro Tournament, where they defeated New Jersey City University, 94-72, before falling to York College, 68-61, in the semifinals.
One of the most exciting developments for the program in 2009-10 was the way freshman forward Carl Yaffe debuted. A starter in all 27 of NYU's games, Yaffe led the team in minutes played (30.0). He averaged 10.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, while knocking down 48 three-pointers.
Freshman guard Kyle Stockmal was another pleasant addition to the team. One of the team's most reliable outside shooters, he connected on 22 of 50 three-point attempts. In NYU's ECAC Tournament win over New Jersey City, Stockmal scored a career-high 22 points, including five three-pointers.
Also stepping forward for NYU was sophomore center Andy Stein, who scored 10.6 points per game on 51% shooting en route to earning Second Team All-UAA honors.
Senior Omar Meziab started in the backcourt for the third straight season and once again provided NYU with a steady ball-handling presence. His assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.3 was good for third in the UAA. Meziab also scored when needed, averaging 7.2 points per game. His was successful in the classroom, as well, earning CoSIDA District I Second Team Academic All-America and UAA All-Academic honors.
Starting in the backcourt alongside Meziab, junior Derek Becker put forth a terrific defensive season, as he led the team in steals with 50, averaging 1.9 per game. He also led the team in field goal percentage, making 58.7% of his shots.
Junior forward Richie Polan started 27 games during the 2008-09 season, but was asked to come off the bench in 2009-10. He excelled in his new role as sixth man and led the team in rebounding with 7.4 per game. He also scored 9.2 points per game on 48.4% shooting from the floor.
