If familiar faces in new places is an equation for competitive basketball, then the 2011 Crowne Plaza Albright Holiday Tournament will feature some must-see action on Dec. 29 and 30.

This year's tournament features four squads from around the Mid-Atlantic region including Berkeley (NJ), Medgar Evers, Stockton and host Albright. The four teams represent three states and four Division III conferences, not to mention four diverse styles of play.

Berkeley (NJ) College Knights (3-7 Overall)

Berkeley is without question the youngest squad in the tournament as its roster features just one junior and is devoid of any seniors. Head coach Anthony Calabrese's second season leading the Knights is a rebuilding one, as his 14-player roster features 10 freshman.

Six-foot, four-inch sophomore center Terah Mingo will be the focus of the Berkeley offense as he enters the game as one of teams leading scorers, averaging more than 10 points per game underneath. He is assisted by six-foot, four-inch freshman forward Daniel Waynick in the front court.

Junior starting guard Gary Williams, Jr. tied Waynick for the team lead with 15 points in a 64-62 road win against Rutgers-Camden. The combination of these three offensive players' abilities to exploit the weaknesses in the opponent's defense will determine how far they go in this tournament. Despite their youth, the Knights will be hungry and looking to pull an upset or two.

Medgar Evers College Cougars (8-3 Overall, 0-1 CUNY Athletic Conference)

The Cougars represent the pride of New York City and are coached by Chris Pursoo. Pursoo holds a 38-29 record in his third season as head coach. In two seasons, his team has earned one ECAC Metro Tourney Appearance, won the second CUNYAC title in program history and achieved its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

The ME roster is loaded with play-makers including guards Tony Sims and Sharif Boone, who respectively won Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors from the The City University of New York Athletic Conference for the week of December 9. Sims is the quarterback of the offense, delivering 11.2 points per game as well as dishing 3.3 assists per game. The freshman Boone has also been a key contributor in his rookie season, averaging 4.4 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while appearing in all 11 contests.

Six-foot, three-inch junior forward Jovan Deare leads the team with 16.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game to anchor the Cougars in the paint. He is joined underneath by 6'4” junior forward Winston Douglas, who has tallied 14.1 points and 9.5 boards per contest while adding nearly three blocks per game in his eight starts. These two form the heart of a Medgar Evers offense that should be tough to beat, with depth in both the back and front courts that could cause problems for teams with inferior skill players.

Richard Stockton College Ospreys (4-5 Overall, 1-0 NJAC)

The Ospreys are coached by Gerry Matthews in his 26th year at the helm. He coaches a team led by six-foot, three-inch senior forward DiAndre Brown, who Matthews indicated would need to be a team leader in the preseason. Brown has delivered, averaging 16.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while leading the Ospreys with nearly 32 minutes per game.

Brown is assisted by transfer junior forward Salman Yusuff, a six-foot, five-inch product from Cumberland County College who has started all nine games. Yusuff has performed well in his inaugural season with the Ospreys, averaging 8.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in almost 31 minutes per contest.

Sophomore guard Rich Suhr has proven to be the top bench player for Stockton, appearing in all nine games and averaging 8.7 points and 1.6 rebounds per contest. Suhr has been an effective shooter, sporting a 50% field goal conversion rate, while shooting 80% from the free throw line.

Gerry Matthews is on the verge of two major coaching milestones coming into this tournament. The long-time coach enters the Bollman Center with 497 career wins, just three shy of 500. Also, he is the second-winningest men's college coach in New Jersey history. A solid performance in this tournament and a strong finish to 2011-12 could leave him just a few wins shy of the state record of 514 held by former Princeton head coach Pete Carrill.

Albright College Lions (6-2 Overall, 0-2 Middle Atlantic Conference)

The Lions are coached by Rick Ferry in his 11th season at the helm for Albright. He holds a lifetime record of 151-116 at Albright including two MAC championships and two NCAA tournament appearances. He also serves as co-Director of Athletics.

Ferry's 2011 squad features talent up and down the lineup. The strength of the 2011 squad lies in its big men, with the best inside depth in the league. Albright returns two of the top front court players in the Middle Atlantic Conference in six-foot, 11-inch center Derek Hall (13.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks per game) and six-foot, five-inch forward Shane Irwin (9.5 PPG/5.1 RPG/0.88 BPG). Irwin has also been an asset at the foul line, shooting a team-leading 80 percent from the charity stripe.

Sophomore Kyle Jordan and junior Cornell Mickens have already offered a highlight reel of top plays throughout the season, contributing a combined 18.8 points and 10.4 boards per game and filling the void left by a roster with just three seniors.

Softening the blow of a team that returned just three seniors has been the emergence of 6-1 sophomore guard Reuel Moore. Moore is third on the team in scoring at 10.3 points per game despite appearing in all eight games as a reserve and averaging just 14.4 minutes per game. He also has been a consistent shooter for the Red and White, shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Although the Lions have opened their conference schedule with two consecutive losses, they are looking to continue to build momentum on their current three-game winning streak with a successful tournament. The two conference losses were by a combined total of 10 points.

Richard Stockton plays Medgar Evers tonight at 6 PM, while Albright hosts Berkeley at 8 PM. The championship game will be tomorrow at 4 PM, after a 2 PM consolation match-up.