MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (November 7, 2019) – A new-era of Bobcats Basketball begins this season, as D.P. Harris, begins his tenure as the St. Thomas University Head Basketball Coach.

Harris joined St. Thomas in March, following a 22-year stint, including sixteen as the Head Coach at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. While in his position as Head Coach, Harris accumulated a 318-126 record, featuring back-to-back NAIA Sweet-16 appearances.

Having spent over two decades in Pennsylvania, Harris can trace his coaching roots back to Pittsburgh, saying, "Ironically, the first team I coached against was Point Park [Saturday's opponent] and that is the team I make my Bobcats coaching debut. Coming from Pittsburgh, my plan is to bring a "blue-collar" mentality to the program."

St. Thomas returns eight players from the 2018-19 season, in which the Bobcats finished 11-16, advancing to the Sun Conference Championship Tournament Quarterfinals and lost to Ave Maria, 80-69.

Justin Brown, the Bobcats captain, enters his second season at STU and looks to assume the leadership role on the team. Brown led St. Thomas last season in points-per-game (17.0) and earned Sun Conference First-Team honors.

"I am thrilled with the work that Justin [Brown] has put in this off-season", added Harris, "he has taken on a leadership role and what's most impressive is his up-side. Justin has a lot of basketball left in front of him and my only regret is not coaching him earlier."

Returning players, joining Brown, are Aaron Dutcher (10.9-ppg, 131-rebounds), Antoine Joe (8.8-ppg), Daejour Adderley (124-assists), Kheron Millwood (154-rebounds), Fotios Malelis (7.6-ppg), Nick Strawter and Tyrik Waite.

Following being named as the St. Thomas University Head Coach, Harris and his coaching staff had 60-days to put together their first recruiting class. For their efforts, St. Thomas landed four NCAA Division I recruits in Ahmad Gilbert (University of Minnesota), Jahsim Floyd (Saint Francis University, Virginia), Lee Richmond (Jacksonville University, Florida) and Bud Jones (Eastern Michigan University).

The coaching staff is excited for the infusion of talent, with Harris stating, "These four guys have had incredible pre-seasons, integrating themselves into our program. It's a new year for everyone in the program. These four guys, along with the returners, are extremely important in setting our new standard of Bobcat Basketball."

The Sun Conference Coaches released their pre-season predictions for the upcoming 2019-20 season, picking St. Thomas to finish in sixth, in Harris' first season.

2019 – 20 Sun Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll (first-place votes)

Warner	71 (2)
Ave Maria	70 (4)
Coastal Georgia	62 (3)
Keiser	55
Southeastern	49 (1)
St. Thomas	49
Thomas	31
Florida Memorial	27
Webber International	22
Johnson & Wales	14

 
In addition to the Sun Conference schedule, St. Thomas also plays a challenging out-of-conference schedule, which includes the first DI opponent in four seasons. On Saturday, December 21, the Bobcats make the trip up Alligator Alley to take on the Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast University. The last time St. Thomas played a Division I opponent was in 2015, as STU played Florida Atlantic University.

Building a program is never an easy task; Harris builds his program based on the ABCs of Academics, Basketball and Character, "all our guys have embraced the changes and we can't wait to get the season started… we are a team focusing on getting better every day, our style is going to focus on defense, rebounding and fast-paced offense."

Joining Harris on the coaching staff are Sean Kett, Harrison Singer, Lorel Beckford, and Daniel Thomas. Kett, follows Harris from Saint Vincent, making his return home to Miami. Kett was named as an Assistant Coach, this summer, after a collegiate career at SVC where Kett recorded 971-points and 668-rebounds.

"Sean has been instrumental in teaching our players and helping them grow, I was thrilled to have a chance to bring him on staff and proud to have him be part of what we are building in Miami Gardens", Harris said.

The Harris-era and the 2019 – 20 Bobcat Basketball season begins on Saturday, November 9, with St. Thomas taking on Point Park University (PA.) from the Fernandez Family Center, tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.