Zach Quattro The 'Ultimate Shot Maker' For Ursinus

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Ursinus College men's basketball team is looking to make some noise this season in a very talented and deep Centennial Conference.

The Bears, who call Collegeville home, have already had several players step up as they have battled their way to a 6-5 record while working their way through a very challenging non-conference schedule.

Last time out on Wednesday night, the Bears went on the road and beat Rosemont College, 77-59 behind a 20-point performance from senior forward Zach Quattro. This was just the latest big performance for the 6-7 Quattro in a season which has seen him average a team high 16.6 points a game while shooting 54% from the field.

"I think it's going pretty well," Quattro tells KYW Newsradio about his season so far. "Transferring in last year, I think this year I'm a lot more comfortable with the offense and some of the guys and the coaches. So I think it's been a good season."

Quattro, a Hatboro-Horsham High School product, started his college career at Division II Le Moyne.

"Out of high school, [Bears head coach Kevin Small] was recruiting me to come to Ursinus," Quattro says. "It was one of my favorite schools that I visited, so when I knew I was going to transfer, it was like pretty much the first school that I called. He was like the same guy that I remembered coming out of high school and he was great and he brought me in. So I couldn't be more grateful for that."

Small says that Quattro really fit in well once joining the program.

"He's just a really nice guy and understood the nuance of joining a roster that had been together for a couple years and understanding how to do that, knowing how talented he was," Small tells KYW Newsradio. "He was very humble in the face of that, has always really put his teammates first, he's very well liked. You know, I've been at Ursinus a long time now and we've only had three transfers, Zach is our third, and every one of them has gone really well. I'm really happy that Zach chose to come to Ursinus after breaking my heart a bunch of years ago when he chose Le Moyne."

In that game on Wednesday night against Rosemont, Quattro really helped the Bears take control when he scored eight straight points early in the second half on a variety of moves around the basket and in the lane. Small says that was a window into Quattro's polished offensive game.

"He's the ultimate shot maker," the coach says.

Quattro didn't hit a three against the Ravens, but he can bury it from deep. He's shooting 44% from behind the arc. He also is solid on the glass, averaging 5.7 rebounds a night. All these numbers are impressive, but Quattro says he still has room to improve, specifically getting to the foul line more.

"I haven't really shot that many [free throws] this season," he says. "I know I'm a pretty good foul shooter so I think I should get to the foul line a little bit more."

Quattro and the Ursinus Bears return to action on Saturday when they play a key Centennial Conference game on the road against Johns Hopkins.