Sharks Bolster Roster with Two More Pieces in 2020 Class

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Even late in the recruiting process, head coach Jim Crutchfield has still managed to work his magic, as the Nova Southeastern men’s basketball program officially landed two more additions in Sebastian Griffin and Sekou Sylla to its 2020 class this week.

Griffin and Sylla join Dallas Graziani and Alex Mangold as part of another exciting group after the latter duo pledged to the Sharks in late March.

A 6-foot-3 point guard, Griffin has made a name for himself on the Australian circuit at a very young age. The 18 year-old brings plenty of leadership to the floor, and possesses a hard-nosed style of play typical of most Aussies. Griffin has been a member of both the U16 and U18 Australian National Teams. As team captain, he earned three Australian National club championships, collecting a Finals MVP and an All-Star nod in the process. In 2019, he guided the U18 South Australian state team to a silver medal at the National Championships while averaging a notable 20.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists over the final four games of the tournament. Griffin will have all four years of eligibility with the Sharks.  

What Coach Crutchfield is saying: “Sebastian is what I call a cohesive player. He brings out the best in his teammates. It’s a skill that is generally underrated, but every team needs players on the court that never detract but always enhance the team concept. I think Seb is one of those guys.”

Griffin on signing with NSU: “Coach Crutchfield and Coach (Jordan) Fee really made committing to NSU an easy decision. Aside from the great facilities at NSU, the coaching staff and the winning history, the coaches always put the team first. They consistently promoted the team and made their selling point how team comes first and how close-knit and bought in their guys were. To see the coaches value their team like that really showed how special their program is.”

With three freshmen already in the mix for the 2020 cycle, Crutchfield scanned the transfer portal for a more proven commodity, and reeled in just that in Sylla. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Sylla lit it up in his two seasons with the College of Saint Rose out of the Northeast-10 Conference. As a freshman in 2018-19, he posted 12.1 points and 7.3 rebounds in just 24.8 minutes per contest on his way to earning four NE-10 Rookie of the Week awards before inevitably being selected to the NE-10 All-Rookie Team. This past winter, the 6-foot-4 forward upped those totals to 21.9 points (2nd in the NE-10) and 11.6 rebounds per game (1st in the NE-10), and in the process, racked up 20 double-doubles – tops in the nation during the regular season. Sylla was named to NCAA.com’s National Starting Five during the first half of the season, and was later recognized as the USBWA National Player of the Week in mid-January. Sylla will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Sharks.

What Coach Crutchfield is saying: “Sekou brings added experience to the roster. His ability to score and rebound are well documented. I think he can also be an asset defensively, both as a lockdown defender in the half court and in our full-court pressure.”

Sylla on signing with NSU: “I chose NSU because of its winning culture, its great location, and I know the coaching staff will push me to be the best player I can be. Can’t beat that!”

NSU concluded the 2019-20 season with a record of 23-6, earning its second straight berth to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the South Region.

To stay up-to-date with the Sharks on the recruiting trail, follow them on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.
 

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