UMass Basketball Player Salovski Transfers to Sacred Heart

Aug. 24, 2005

FAIRFIELD, CT (August 23, 2005) - Sacred Heart University men's basketball coach Dave Bike today announced that 6'11, 285-pound center Jeff Salovski (Bristol, CT / Bristol Central) has transferred from the University of Massachusetts to Sacred Heart University for the fall 2005 semester. He will sit out the 2005-06 season under the NCAA transfer rules.

"With 12 returning players, we had a scholarship available that we had decided to hold on to incase someone became available late," says Bike. "That someone turned out to be Jeff. My assistant coach, Anthony Latina, had been involved with Jeff when he was coming out of high school and Anthony was at Central Connecticut. When he found out Jeff was planning to leave UMass, he got back in touch and renewed the relationship."

Salovski, known as "Deli", played in 28 games for the Minutemen last season and averaged 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.5 minutes a game. In a triple-overtime game against Xavier, Salovski scored a career-high 21 points on nine of ten shooting in 27 minutes. He also grabbed nine rebounds - the second straight game he had accomplished that.

Salovski played scholastically at Bristol Central High School for coach Pete Winninger. He scored 1,260 points in his high school career and averaged 17 points, ten rebounds and four block per game in his senior season when his team finished 19-6. He was named First Team All-State twice by the Hartford Courant, New Haven Register and the Connecticut High School Coaches Association.

When "Deli" Salovski becomes eligible to play in 2006, the Pioneers will have quite an impressive frontcourt after the signing of 7', 235-pound freshman Liam Potter from Lincolnshire, UK and the Tilton School in New Hampshire this summer.

The Pioneers will be entering their seventh season of Division I play this season and are members of the Northeast Conference. SHU finished with a 4-23 mark a season ago with a team comprised mostly of freshman and sophomores, after posting 12 wins in 2003-04 - a school high in the Division I era.

Coach Bike has been at the helm for 27 years and has a 416-370 record. He guided the Pioneers to a Divison II National Championship in 1986.