2021-22 Towson Men’s Basketball Season Preview

It is finally that time of the year again as coach Pat Skerry and the Towson Tigers prepare for the start of the men’s 2021-22 NCAA college basketball season.

Following last season’s 4-14 finish, the new-look Tigers are looking to bounce back in a major way as they pursue a chance to be in the mix atop the Colonial Athletic Association.

With that, let’s deep dive into some of the primary factors and storylines that will play a pivotal role in Towson’s journey to become 2021-22 conference champions.

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Coach Skerry Gets Active in the Transfer Portal

One thing that was unique about this past offseason for the Tigers was their activity in the transfer portal.

With the NCAA allowing a free year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of players used this opportunity as a chance to move to a better situation without the consequence of being forced to sit for a year.

Many schools dabbled in the sweepstakes and Towson welcomed four newcomers as a result of doing so. The four players in question are senior guard Antonio Rizzuto (University of Albany), grad student guard Terry Nolan Jr. (Bradley University), junior forward Chase Paar and senior guard Cam Holden (UT Martin). Despite being new to the block, these guys are all going to play important roles for this team from Day 1.

Antonio Rizzuto is the shooter of the group and will come in and provide floor spacing next to guys like junior guard Jason Gibson in the backcourt.

Rizzuto is coming off of being named to the America East All-Conference second team and was also named to the All-Defensive team. As a 6-foot-3 guard, he gives the Tigers efficient scoring while also being a scrappy defender on the other end. Last season he averaged 12.5 points while finishing top-15 in the America East in field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage.

Do not be surprised if Rizzuto plays big minutes in the season opener against his former team, the Albany Great Danes.

Next is the Baltimore-born, Terry Nolan Jr. who can act as a steady hand for coach Skerry off the bench.

With the departure of Jakigh Dottin, Towson needs someone at the point guard position who can step in and keep the ship afloat when the second unit is on the floor. Nolan Jr. is coming off of a solid season at Bradley University where he was named to the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete team.

Similar to Rizzuto, Nolan Jr. plays with balance on both ends of the floor as last season he averaged 11.2 points and 3.3 assists all while leading Bradley in total steals with 25. As he looks to return to his hometown in style, look for Nolan Jr. to put on a show in his final year of eligibility and make the most of every possession he has on the floor.

Third on the list is Chase Paar who could arguably be the most impactful transfer of the group.

After a big offseason, Paar has grown slightly and bulked up a bit going from 6-foot-9, 220 pounds to now standing at 6-foot-10, 250 pounds. With that, Paar stands as the tallest member of the Tigers squad and addresses much needed depth at the center position. With the loss of Solomon and Victor Uyaelunmo, Paar steps in as a physical big body that will primarily be asked to protect the rim and rebound.

In his two seasons as part of George Washington University in the Atlantic 10, Paar started in 32 of 38 games and in that time he averaged 5.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and shot nearly 55% from the floor. To go with his “low volume, high efficiency” play style, he also tallied 33 blocks in those 38 games putting him at nearly a block a game.

As one of only five forward/centers on the roster, Paar will probably play heavy stretches with the second unit while returners Juwan Gray and Charles Thompson will start at the 4 and 5. But it also should not shock anyone if Skerry leans towards playing Paar next to Thompson for a more defensive lineup.

Would not be the first time as back in 2019-20, Skerry played two high energy forwards in Dennis Tunstall and Nakye Sanders together and it paid heavy dividends in the rebounding department for the Tigers (1^st in the CAA in offensive, defensive and total rebounds that season). Just something worth considering.

Lastly is 6-foot-5 guard Cam Holden. Holden is a do everything guard that knows how to fill up the stat sheet in a hurry.

Last season he was named to the All-Ohio Valley Conference second team and the All-Newcomer team. He is only the second player in UT Martin program history to earn All-OVC status since the 2015-16 season.

In his final season with the Skyhawks, Holden averaged 14.9 points (9th in the conference), 8.3 rebounds (4th in the conference) and 1.7 steals (7th in the conference). This was all done with Holden mainly coming off the bench as he started in only 12 of the 21 games he played in last season.

He is pretty much a burst of energy off the bench and has the positional size to play the 1 through 3. Coach Skerry will like his versatility and his commitment as a rebounding guard is definitely a plus. One could argue that with former lead guard Zane Martin gone, Holden has a really good chance of leading the team in scoring or at least being top-3.

All four of these guys came to Towson for one reason: To make an impact. With their diversified skill sets along with the already pre-established depth on the roster, the Tigers may have at least one impact player at each position and could be working with their deepest bench in years.

Nicolas Timberlake, Charles Thompson Headline Notable Returners

Alongside the new group from the transfer portal, the Towson Tigers also have nine returners from last year’s team.

With the loss of guys like leading scorer Zane Martin, it will be up to junior guards Nicolas Timberlake and Jason Gibson to hold things down in the starting backcourt.

Timberlake is coming off easily his best season as he started all 18 games last year after only starting in five total over the previous two years. Timberlake finished as the team’s second leading scorer by posting a career-high 12.1 points per game along with 3.9 rebounds.

The confidence surely grew in him last season as season by his jump in field goal attempts as he went from 5.8 shots a game in 2019-20 to nearly doubling it last year (11.1). With Martin gone, the green light for Timberlake is only going to get brighter.

My prediction is that after finishing Top-20 in CAA scoring last season, Timberlake will take another solid step forward and finish somewhere in the Top-10 this year with around 15-16 points a game.

Then there is Jason Gibson who has been on a steady incline over the last two seasons but is still looking for that breakout year. This could be the season.

Last year, Gibson was already knocking on the door with his 9.6 points a game. The key to maximizing him though is going to be creating opportunities for him to shoot from distance.

Gibson was one of only five players on the team that attempted at least 1.5 threes a game and of the group, he shot the best at 33.3%. Now that is not great, but the upside is that we know he has the capability to shoot better.

When he was named to the CAA All-Freshman team back in 2019-20, he shot 36.6% from beyond the arc on nearly four attempts a game. The shooting stroke is there, and the team has some athletes around him that are highly capable of creating drive-and-kick opportunities. Gibson just needs to step up to the plate and embrace his role as the team’s shooter.

On a team that is not littered with high-volume shooters, guys like Gibson and newcomer Antonio Rizzuto are going to have to step up in a major way to give the Tigers a much needed outside presence.

Then there is the big guy down and possibly the team’s biggest wildcard: Charles Thompson. If there is anyone who may potentially have the most influence on the results of this season, it’s Thompson.

As a high energy big man, Thompson is oozing with potential as a versatile two-way center and the best way to describe his playstyle is to compare him a bit to Robert Williams of the Boston Celtics. He plays with an extremely high motor, has a bunch of raw talent and in Year 2 he took a huge leap statistically.

Last season, Thompson averaged 9.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, nearly a steal a game and nearly two blocks a game in around 29 minutes a night.

By year’s end, Thompson was in the Top-10 in the CAA in a handful of statistical categories. 7th in rebounds per game, 5th in total offensive rebounds (49), and 2nd in both total blocks (28) and in blocks per game. He capped off the season as a member of the CAA All-Defense team all while being a Top-10 player in conference in terms of player efficiency rating.

Now without the distractions of Covid and a potentially deeper team around him, it will be interesting to see how his role expands in Year 3.

Top-5 Notable TU Games to Watch

× November 9th – Season Opener on the Road against the Albany Great Danes on ESPN3

× November 13th – Home Opener at SECU Arena against Monmouth

× November 25th – Game 1 of the Las Vegas Invitational against San Francisco on FS1

× December 11th – Local Battle in Baltimore against the Coppin State Golden Eagles

× February 12th – Last Home Game of the Year aka Senior Day against Elon

*Here is the link to the rest of the team’s schedule: https://towsontigers.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/2021-22