New look X-Men ready to tip-off AUS season

By Corey LeBlanc

ANTIGONISH – With a mix of talented and experienced newcomers – not to mention returning players with a championship pedigree – head coach Tyrell Vernon expects his STFX X-Men to be in the hunt, once again, for an Atlantic University Sport (AUS) basketball crown.

"We are definitely going to have a fresh look. We have a bunch of new faces," the fourth-year leader of the White and Blue said.

Six student-athletes graduated from an X-Men roster that finished first in the AUS regular season in 2024, with a 12-8 record, before bowing out to the Dalhousie Tigers in the conference championship game.

"We are going to be younger and more athletic," Vernon said of his 2024-25 line-up.

That list of "new faces" is highlighted by a pair of Division 1 transfers.

"He is going to be a force in the paint," Vernon said of Jeff Ngandu (Lubumbashi, Congo), who started his collegiate career with the NCAA's University of Missouri KC Roos.

He added that the 6'9" forward will be a key contributor defensively – with his shot blocking and rebounding – while the latter will also be an asset offensively.

"DJ is going to be a big piece for us," Vernon offered of DJ Jackson (Mississauga, ON), who checks into the X-Men line-up after playing south of the border with the NCAA's IUPUI Jaguars in Indianapolis.

With his size and strength – at 6'4" and 190 pounds – he added that Jackson brings a new element to the X-Men roster at that position.

Vernon noted that, only a couple of days earlier, Jackson helped lead the X-Men to a 90-87 come-from-behind road win over the rival Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers with a double-double performance – 26 points and 10 rebounds – in the pre-season match-up.

"He is going to do a great job for us," the former X-Men point guard offered of transfer Tariq Armstrong (London, ON), a guard who starred last season in the ACAA with University of King's College in Halifax, where he earned the conference's rookie of the year award.

Speaking of top freshmen, Koat Thomas (Waterloo, ON) – the AUS recipient of that honour in 2024 – has returned for his sophomore campaign.

"We are confident that he is going to have a big season," Vernon noted.

The 6'6" guard averaged 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, with his best statistical performance of last season – 17 points and 10 rebounds – coming in an 87-80 win over the Acadia Axemen on Jan. 31.

When it comes to other key returnees, the X-Men boast a trio of fourth-year seniors – Gatluak James (Windsor, ON), who gained professional experience this summer with the Calgary Surge of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL); Matt Pennell (St. John's, NL) and Bennett Grumbach (Toronto, ON).

Grumbach and James – with 11.8 and 11.3 points, respectively – were the second and third-leading point-getters for STFX last season.

"Bennett has been doing an amazing job so far," Vernon offered of his 6'5" guard, not only on the court, but also in the locker room, as the program transitions with new pieces to the puzzle.

He noted these three veterans are expected to be leaders on and off the court.

When the X-Men are playing well, Vernon explained, the White and Blue faithful should expect to see "a lot of ball pressure" defensively, while "limiting turnovers" will be paramount on the offensive end.

He added that rebounding will be "really important," on both ends of the floor.

"We will be moving up and down the court," Vernon said, adding his and the X-Men coaching staff's confidence in the team's ability to score.

He noted that this is the tallest and strongest roster STFX has assembled since he took the helm.

"We have the size and athleticism," Vernon noted of what the White and Blue will be able to lean as they continue to "gel as a team," especially when dealing with mistakes stemming from their "lack of experience" as a group, with players coming from different systems and coaching philosophies, especially in the early going of the AUS regular season.

He stressed that – no matter who is in the line-up – the focus for the X-Men remains "winning every game," with an eye towards being ready to compete for a conference banner and a spot on the national championship stage in March.

"How we are able to impose our will is going to define our season," Vernon said.

The X-Men will tip off the 2024-25 AUS regular season on Friday, Nov. 1, with a road game versus the defending champion Dalhousie Tigers in Halifax.

The White and Blue will host the rival Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers in their home opener on Thursday, Nov. 7, on Coach 'K' Court at STFX's Saputo Centre.

Both games will get underway at 8 p.m.

As usual, Vernon expects another highly competitive campaign in the conference.

"Nothing comes easy in the AUS," he said.

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