HAMILTON – The three-time defending Patriot League champion Colgate men's basketball team gears up for another season with high expectations. The Raiders open the 2023-24 season Monday, Nov. 6, hosting Brown at 7 p.m., their first of 13 regular-season home games.
Colgate returns three starters from last year's squad that broke program records for total wins (26) and Patriot League wins (17) on its way to its fourth Patriot League title in five years. The 17 conference wins were also the most by any men's basketball team in Patriot League history.
Along with Colgate's three returning starters and key reserves back in 2023-24, the Raiders welcomed a large class featuring five incoming first-years and a sophomore transfer. Chemistry development and culture building has been an important focal point for 13th-year head coach Matt Langel and company.
"We like our team and are excited for the season," said the reigning Patriot League Coach of the Year. "Internally, the guys have significant expectations and have been doing the work required to prepare. With that said, we also recognize that this group is different from recent years with six new faces and our most experienced returning players in the front court."
Fifth-Year Raiders
Under Langel, the Raiders were voted as the unanimous favorite in the preseason poll conducted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Keegan Records was named the Preseason Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, while Ryan Moffatt joined him on the Preseason All-League team.
Records is coming off All-Patriot League First Team and All-District honors after setting the Patriot League record for the best single-season field goal percentage (.675), which ranked in the top five nationally. He averaged 13 points and 6 rebounds per game in 2022-23.
Moffatt's career three-point shooting percentage (.441) ranks third all-time in the Patriot League and second nationally among active Division I players. Last season he averaged 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game en route to All-League Third team honors.
Backcourt Preview
Colgate will undoubtedly miss graduates Tucker Richardson, the most decorated player statistically in Patriot League history, and Oliver Lynch-Daniels, the best three-point shooter statistically in Patriot League history.
Richardson was a common denominator in all five of Colgate's titles since 2018, last year sweeping the Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Lynch-Daniels ranks atop the Patriot League in career three-point shooting percentage (51.5) and was instrumental in the Raiders' last three championships.
Sophomore point guard Braeden Smith is back after leading all freshmen nationally with 155 assists. He was named a National Freshman of the Year finalist by College Insider after averaging 11.6 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 35 games.
Smith, an All-Rookie selection, was a four-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week. He anchored Colgate's offense which ranked first nationally in three-point field goal percentage, second in field goal percentage, and second in assists per game.
Senior guard Chandler Baker returns after playing in all 35 games as a key reserve for the Raiders. Baker was third on the team in three-point shooting percentage (42.3) and averaged 5.1 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 12.4 minutes per game. He scored in double-figures five times, including a career-high 17 points in Colgate's non-conference win over Monmouth.
Returners Nicolas Louis-Jacques, Brady Cummins, and Alex Capitano join incoming first-year guards Jalen Cox, Julian Scott, Parker Jones, and sophomore transfer Kyle Carlesimo in the backcourt. Carlesimo appeared in 26 games at Eastern Illinois, averaging 4.0 points per game.
"Obviously, no one will be expected to fill the shoes of Tucker or Oliver, but in their departure, there is significant opportunity," Langel said on the backcourt. "Braeden will have to assume some more of that decision-making and leadership role as the most experienced returner in the backcourt and I expect some combination of the new guys and returning guys to give us production and depth at those spots."
Frontcourt Preview
Records and Moffatt headline Colgate's familiar frontcourt which also features senior Jeff Woodward. The 6-11 Woodward appeared in every game with five starts last year, averaging 6.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. Woodward scored in double-figures eight times, including a season-high 14 points against Boston University.
Records, Moffatt, and Woodward enter the season with 305 games played and 175 career starts combined. The veteran trio is joined by returning forward Sam Thomson along with first-years Cooper Wright and Sam Wright.
"The four returners have worked extremely hard throughout their careers to help this program reach the levels it has. They have produced significantly on both ends of the court and we will rely on them heavily to do so again this season."
Schedule Outlook
Colgate's 31-game regular season begins at home against Brown Nov. 6. The Raiders visit the Dome on Nov. 14. More non-conference highlights include a three-day tournament in Moncton, New Brunswick, for the Atlantic Slam, where the Raiders face Yale, Weber State, and Gardner-Webb Nov. 17-19.
December road trips feature games at Arizona (12/2), Vermont (12/9), Illinois (12/17), and Iona (12/21). Colgate hosts Harvard, Binghamton, and Vermont State before conference play commences at the beginning of the new year. Colgate opens its title defense Jan. 3, when the Raiders host Loyola for the first of 18 Patriot League contests during the regular season. The conference schedule features a home-and-home format, where Colgate faces each team twice.
