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Nicholas, Tillotson sticking with Monmouth


HERSHEY -- It seems Dave Calloway's resignation as Monmouth men's basketball coach hasn't had any effect on the future plans of Eastern York stars Andrew Nicholas and Austin Tillotson. Both reaffirmed their commitment to Monmouth on Monday, following Eastern York's 41-37 victory over Lampeter-Strasburg in a District 3 Class AAA semifinal. "My heart is pretty set on Monmouth," Tillotson said. "That type of conference, I feel I could be very successful there and play right away and make an impact. My heart is set to stay there. I'm just going to wait it out and see who they bring in." Nicholas had another reason for sticking with the West Long Branch, N.J., school. "It's on the beach," the 6-foot-6 senior joked. Both said they weren't surprised to see Calloway forced to step down Sunday, one day after Monmouth finished up a 9-21 season with a 88-66 loss to Sacred Heart. Calloway spent 14 years at the school and experienced a period of success in the early 2000s, but the Hawks have averaged 20 losses during the past five seasons. Both Nicholas and Tillotson said they spoke with their AAU coach -- Tony Sagona of the Jersey Shore Warriors -- who reassured them that the school was still a good option. Monmouth, which recently opened a new, $57 million arena and is located in a prime recruiting corridor, should attract a strong group of applicants. "He know the candidates that are going to try out for the job," Nicholas said, referring to Sagona. "So he said everything's going to be fine." Nicholas and Tillotson have both signed their National Letters of Intent to play at the Monmouth, meaning they would have to request a release from the school in order to explore other options. That looks unlikely now. On the mend Tillotson revealed Monday that his bout of bronchitis -- which has hampered him the last two games -- was bad enough that he had to visit the emergency room for five hours on Thursday, one night before Eastern's quarterfinal win against Bishop McDevitt. TIllotson had eight points and 11 turnovers that game. He was a bit more efficient Monday (five points, five assists) but still looked less than 100 percent. "I'm getting there," Tillotson said. "I don't know. Right when I started running up and down the floor my legs would get wobbly, and I started getting dizzy. "The past two times, I've been trying to get myself pumped up for the game. I don't know what it is, I just don't have any energy now."