One chapter in Pace basketball has come to an end as the men’s team will look for new slots to fill.

The Setters may have finished the season with a 7-19 record, but Head Coach Pat Kennedy considers it to be a huge accomplishment, considering that the team was picked to finish last in their division.

“The fact that we didn’t finish last shows that we overachieved” Kennedy said. “We had a lot of close loses but we also had some outstanding wins. I really would love to have this group of guys for another year but unfortunately we have to move on and form a new team.”

Denzel Primus-Devonish, Jamaal James, Chris Frank, Kai Smith, Ahmad George, and Kevin Berardini will be graduating come May.

Along with two other players who did not get their scholarships renewed, this leaves Kennedy and his team with many gaps to fill.

Despite the setback, Kennedy expresses optimism when looking towards the future of the team.

“The first year will basically be just everyone trying to get acclimated to each other and getting to know the coaches and the other teams we play against, but I think come the second year we can really take a huge step forward,” Kennedy said.

One of the bright sides of having so many spots open is that plenty of scholarship opportunities also become available for prospective student athletes.

The Setters have already signed four players, with each one contributing a necessary skillset to the team.

Kennedy and his team have brought on local players from the New York and New Jersey area in hopes of forming a team that represents the vast talent within the tri-state area.

“Coming here I inherited a lot of players from various parts of the country,” Kennedy said. “But there are certainly a lot of talented players around this area and we want to bring in as many as we can.”

White Plains resident Mike Demello was Kennedy’s first recruit from Westchester County, as he comes over as a future guard for the Setters.

Averaging 17.7 points per game his junior year, Demello also shot 43 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free throw line.

“Demello has had a terrific career so far and we really think that he’s going to be a great addition to the team,” Kennedy explained.

Forwards Vic Jusino and Jared Pearson, from Jersey City and Irvington, New Jersey, respectively, are a couple of 6-8 players who Kennedy believes will the team a slight edge.

“In Division I you usually see teams go after those players with height,” said Kennedy, who spent thirty years of his career coaching Division I teams. “Not all schools here in Division II really have those types of guys, so for us, being able to sign those two gives us an advantage.”

Jusino averaged a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds per game his junior year. Ranked as the 45th high school senior in New Jersey by the NJ Hoops Publication, Jusino helped lead St. lead St. Peter’s to a 23-7 record last season.

Pearson averaged 19 points and nine rebounds per game his senior year, which helped lead him to First Team All-Country Honors. Currently ranked as the eight best postgrad player in New Jersey by the NJ Hoops Publication, Pearson was also named to the Second Team All-Area and Third Team All-State.

The final signing so far has shooting guard as Kyle Menard from North Rockland High School in Thiells, New York.

Two guards and two forwards give Kennedy a strong foundation for the team, but there is still a bit more work to be done.

Kennedy plans on signing another guard and another shooter – two critical positions that will help give the Setters more power on the court.

Negotiations are currently going on with three more players, as Kennedy expresses hope that the signings will be finalized later in the spring

When looking for prospective students, Kennedy makes sure to find players who know their position well, along with four critical factors.

“To me, the most important feature when scouting players is accountability,” Kennedy said. “You have to know that each player will give it their all each and every day no matter what. You need to be able to rely on them. The second thing is having a good character, and third is a positive attitude. Then, I would say skill level would be the fourth thing.”

It’s certainly a building process, but it seems that Kennedy and his team are headed in the right direction.