NEW PHILADELPHIA — The Schuylkill Firedogs recently announced their roster for the upcoming season, and a pair of former Ivy League standouts and four NCAA Division II or III All-Americans head the 14-man roster.
The Firedogs, who will compete in the Eastern Basketball Alliance, selected their roster after open tryouts Jan. 11 and private negotiations between the team and players, general manager Hank Clarke announced in a statement.
“Not only did we have an exceptional participation at open tryouts last week, but our coaching staff and front office did a marvelous job finding and locking down top local talent,” Clarke said. “I have no doubt that the Firedogs will be keeping up with the top echelon of the league from Day 1.”
Leading the way for the Firedogs will be former Princeton University standouts Douglas Davis and Will Barrett. Davis, a 5-foot-11 point guard from Flourtown, Pennsylvania, played in more games (155) than any Tiger in program history and finished his career as the school’s second leading scorer all-time (1,550 points).
Barrett, a 6-10 forward from Hartsville, Pennsylvania, started all four years for Princeton and netted 13 double-digit scoring games his senior season.
Davis and Barrett will be joined by Darnell Braswell, a former NCAA Division III All-American at DeSales University, and Sharif Bray, a Division II All-American from Cheyney University.
Braswell, a 6-1 guard from Allentown, finished his career at DeSales as the school’s all-time leading scorer (1,745 points) and averaged more than 20 points per game and nearly 10 rebounds per game his senior season. He also can boast prior professional experience as he suited up for the ABA’s Jersey Express in 2011.
Bray, a 6-3 guard from Philadelphia, led the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in scoring at 21.6 ppg and free-throw percentage (89.3) during his senior campaign with the Wolves in 2011. He finished just shy of 2,000 career points with 1,920.
“Hats off to John and Rich, who went out and got these guys for us,” said Clarke, referring to head coach John Plachko and director of player personnel and development Rich Mills. “My job was made all that much easier knowing that we were building our roster around an elite point guard, elite shooter, elite swing man and elite big man.”
Other standouts on the Firedogs’ roster include Ethan Eichhorst, a former Division III All-American forward at Misericordia; Dan Miller, who played at Eastern University; and North Schuylkill product Cory Houser, who finished as the leading scorer in Penn State Schuylkill men’s history with 1,154 points.
In addition to Houser, local players on the team include Pottsville graduate Shavinskin Thomas, North Schuylkill and Lebanon Valley College grad John Rizzo, Panther Valley alum Bekim Mehmeti and Shenandoah Valley graduate Aaron Dombrosky.
“From the top of our roster to the bottom, we have the best that Schuylkill County, the Lehigh Valley and the Philadelphia area have to offer,” Clarke said. “Our community is going to be proud of the basketball that is played here on Saturday nights.”
The Firedogs kick off their season on the road Jan. 31 in Pitman, New Jersey, against the South Jersey Knights before making their home debut Saturday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. against the Columbia All-Stars at the Citadel Athletic Center in the Simon Kramer Cancer Institute, New Philadelphia.
For tickets to the Firedogs home opener, sponsorship opportunities, or more information, call (570) 617-6455, email management@advancedsportsdevelopment.com, or visit www.advancedsportsdevelopment.com.
Schuylkill Firedogs roster
Name # Ht Wt Pos School
Steven Merth 1 6-5 220 F Northwest HS
Cory Houser 2 6-5 205 F Penn State Schuylkill
Lorenzo Carter 4 6-3 185 G Penn State Altoona
Sharif Bray 5 6-3 175 G Cheyney University
Darnell Braswell 12 6-1 185 G DeSales University
Dan Miller 14 6-4 210 F Eastern University
Shavinskin Thomas 15 6-7 209 F Pottsville Area HS
Douglas Davis 20 5-11 175 G Princeton University
Matt Riddick 22 6-0 162 G Allentown Dieruff HS
Ethan Eichhorst 23 6-4 200 F Misericordia University
Will Barrett 24 6-10 210 F Princeton University
John Rizzo 30 6-2 205 G Lebanon Valley College
Bekim Mehmeti 32 5-9 220 G Panther Valley HS
Aaron Dombrosky 33 6-2 205 G Wilkes University
Schuylkill Firedogs schedule
Date Time Opponent Place
Jan. 31 TBA South Jersey Knights Away
Feb. 7 7 p.m. Columbia All-Stars Home
Feb. 14 7 p.m. York Mighty Ants Home
Feb. 21 TBA Columbia All-Stars Away
Feb. 22 2 p.m. Harrisburg Horizon Away
Feb. 28 7 p.m. West Maryland Elite Home
Mar. 7 7 p.m. South Jersey Knights Home
Mar. 14 7 p.m. West Maryland Elite Away
Mar. 21 7 p.m. Harrisburg Horizon Home
Mar. 22 2 p.m. York Mighty Ants Away
Mar. 28 7 p.m. Maryland Bayriders Home
Home games played at Citadel Athletic Center inside the Simon Kramer Cancer Institute, New Philadelphia