Mendell spent his first season in Middletown surprising the entire NESCAC with his scoring ability.  He averaged 14.5 points per game as a freshman, finishing seventh in the conference in that department.  Mendell averaged more than two three-pointers each game, which was good enough for fifth place among NESCAC players, and he shot a remarkable 81.9 percent (sixth in the conference) from the free-throw line.  As one of only two freshmen on the squad last year, he started all but seven games for a team that went 7-17 and 2-7 in the NESCAC.

This season, he won’t be able to sneak up on anyone.  In coach Joe Reilly’s second year, Mendell will again be the featured player in crunch time and he is more than up to the challenge.  His sweet shooting stroke is reminiscent of the New York Knicks’ Danilo Gallinari, Mendell’s favorite player.  But even Mendell knows that it won’t be all up to him this year.  Nine freshmen are on the roster, and they can all shoot from long range and run the court, both of which Reilly emphasizes daily in practice.  According to Mendell, the team’s game plan will frequently be to “push the ball upcourt.”

“ We’re going to play fast and it’ll be exciting,” he said.

Look for an improved record out of the Cardinal men this year, starting with the Inn at Middletown Tournament this weekend.  Their first opponent will be Johnson State College, this Friday night at 6 P.M. in Silloway Gymnasium.