MBB: NESCAC

[D3BBALL]

About half the NESCAC teams have rosters up.  A few notes:

https://bantamsports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster?sort=class - two of the FYs from Trinity's highly touted incoming class ended up not joining the team, the big guy who was previously reported as ending up at URI, and Prosper Sonkoua, a wing from New Jersey.  They still have five highly regarded FYs in a loaded class, several of whom should make an immediate impact. 

https://camelathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster - Conn College as expected loses a ton of guys.  They do bring in Max Portnoy and Jon Nalty, both of whom started last year for Begly and should at least help with depth issues.  Still, it's certainly looking like a few years of rebuilding ahead for Conn given all they lost in the off-season.

https://colbyathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster - while Colby did suffer a huge loss to the portal, and of course has a coaching transition, they do return most of their roster, bring in a solid FY class, and also bring in three transfers to help right away ... Miller, Johnson, and Catchings.  Colby still has plenty of solid talent and looks very deep, and should remain a fairly strong, middle-of-the-pack NESCAC team, despite all the transition. 

Tufts and Williams both have rosters posted as well, but with no real surprises for either. 

On a non-roster note, Williams started a page for its forthcoming half-billion dollar athletic complex:

https://www.williams.edu/athletics-recreation-complex/about/

It's over four years away from completion, but in a few years they can at least start pointing recruits to it being on the horizon.  It will include an entirely new basketball arena.  It looks absolutely massive on the map, and will be in an ideal location at the base of Spring Street, right across from the still new-ish football complex and also near the Williams Inn and across from an existing huge parking lot.  Once this is done, Williams will go from among the very worst indoor athletic facilities in the conference to perhaps the best (or maybe second-best after Colby, but certainly top two), which hopefully makes a big difference for winter sports in particular.  I hope the hoops arena is built with the fan experience in mind, ideally with four sides of spectator seats packed in close around the court to create a real home court advantage. This really should have been built a decade ago, but better later than never!   

Prosper at Trinity has a leg injury and told likely out for season. He is still enrolled. He will be missed, IMO most physically ready to play and could have played multiple positions.
First major (lost season) injury for Trinity in 5 years, been lucky that way, but they do have a very good strength conditioning and training staff.

[nescac1]

One of the most concerning roster situations in NESCAC is Bowdoin.  Bad enough to lose Cuevas to transfer, that alone is brutal, and both their centers to graduation, but two other big bodies with eligibility (Simons and Rey) apparently chose not to return, as well. 

https://athletics.bowdoin.edu/sports/mens-basketball/roster

So, the roster only has 12 guys, one of whom appears to be a walk-on, which is just not a sustainable roster size in NESCAC.  Senior Natrel Allen returns which is good news but he's a senior who has only played five games in his career due I think to injury.  Bleeker is another good player who has had terrible injury luck in his career to date. Bowdoin really needs a healthy year from Bleeker as he is the guy likely to get most of Cuevas's attempts.  Bowdoin returns only one player who made more than 10 three pointers last year, and the situation is particularly bleak on the interior, where the only big man is a FY.

Bowdoin is still very strong on the wing if the guys with injury history can finally stay healthy, as Dawkins, Allen, Bleeker, Maly and Chilson is a big and talented group, but they will need untested FYs to play effectively right away at guard and at center, but if they lose ANYONE in the rotation to injury, it gets dire, fast.

I'm not sure Hamilton (yet to post its roster, but also very limited returning talent and a small incoming class) starts the season with a better situation, and those are the two teams who on paper will be in the roughest position heading into the season. 

On the plus side, Corey Baylor is a FY to watch at guard and I suspect he will play a big role right away, along with Baum inside. I'd put him in the early mix for ROTY watch.   

[quicksilver]

One of the most concerning roster situations in NESCAC is Bowdoin.  Bad enough to lose Cuevas to transfer, that alone is brutal, and both their centers to graduation, but two other big bodies with eligibility (Simons and Rey) apparently chose not to return, as well. 

https://athletics.bowdoin.edu/sports/mens-basketball/roster

So, the roster only has 12 guys, one of whom appears to be a walk-on, which is just not a sustainable roster size in NESCAC.  Senior Natrel Allen returns which is good news but he's a senior who has only played five games in his career due I think to injury.  Bleeker is another good player who has had terrible injury luck in his career to date. Bowdoin really needs a healthy year from Bleeker as he is the guy likely to get most of Cuevas's attempts.  Bowdoin returns only one player who made more than 10 three pointers last year, and the situation is particularly bleak on the interior, where the only big man is a FY.

Bowdoin is still very strong on the wing if the guys with injury history can finally stay healthy, as Dawkins, Allen, Bleeker, Maly and Chilson is a big and talented group, but they will need untested FYs to play effectively right away at guard and at center, but if they lose ANYONE in the rotation to injury, it gets dire, fast.

I'm not sure Hamilton (yet to post its roster, but also very limited returning talent and a small incoming class) starts the season with a better situation, and those are the two teams who on paper will be in the roughest position heading into the season. 

On the plus side, Corey Baylor is a FY to watch at guard and I suspect he will play a big role right away, along with Baum inside. I'd put him in the early mix for ROTY watch.   

Yes -- all very concerning, starting with just 3 recruits. With a 5-member senior class and the departure of Cuevas, there should have been something more like 5 recruits.  FWIW, Chris Rey was injured early in the season in 2025 and never came back. Chris Simonds was also injured, perhaps even in preseason as he did not appear in any games until January and then only for very limited minutes and with a substantial brace around one of his knees.

[D3BBALL]

Rey I believe had/has concussion issues, which is too bad, the kid could shoot the ball.

[nescac1]

Very quiet here considering the season starts tomorrow!  An updated shot at a pre-season ranking, including some (very speculative) guesses on a FY to watch on each team:

1. Wesleyan - to me the clear favorite at this point, as the top three were close last year and Wesleyan returns the most, led by pre-season all-American Wolinski, Edelman, and Lyttle.  Reilly has been killing it the last few seasons and Wesleyan always seems to have a strong plan on defense.  I expect their soph class to take a leap as Plankey and Waatson both had some big moments last year.  Cameron is an ace in the hole as he can lock down any wing in the league.  They should get some scoring off the bench from the FY guards.   
FY to watch: Kyle Dillon

2. Tufts - Lose a ton up front but a lot of depth and balance.  Ricardo Nieves could emerge as a go-to guy as soon as this year.  Even if he doesn't, Medley, Reilly, Watt and a healthy Kennelly (who was missed last year) give them a versatile, balanced seniors class to lean on.  The upside case is with a big jump forward by a loaded sophomore class, a few of whom should crack a ten-deep rotation this year.
FY to watch: Mert Gocer (but probably all will be sitting the bench behind a very deep team)

3. Trinity - after dominating the league for three years, finally poised to take a step back after a legendary class graduates.  Still plenty of talent and the incoming class should help early, although losing two key recruits (one to D1 and one to injury) will sting a bit.  Jared Berry should score a ton of points, but who will be the second option on offense?  It's quite possible Trinity could drop a few spots further, but the Bants have earned the benefit of the doubt. 
FY to watch: all of them, but I'll go with Treyton Jones

4. Amherst - Sears finally seemed to figure out how to use the considerable talent on the roster last year.  Elias Chin and KJ Neville are just too big and strong going to the hole for most guards to deal with, and should continue to lead a resurgent Amherst team, and there is plenty of shooting around them.  There are some questions up front but also a lot of big bodies, if the center position looks strong early in the year they could rise. 
FY to watch: Hunter Stoll

5. Bates - Pouye, O'Leary and Robinson can match up with any top three in the league, and Robinson is a guy who could take a major leap forward.  Bianco also impressed as a sparkplug guy as a FY last year.  A lot of speed on the perimeter but not much shooting, and the depth up front is questionable, Pouye really needs to stay healthy. 
FY to watch: Alex Gordon

6. Williams - the Ephs should be much improved this year, but with only one returning rotation senior, this is a young team that is still likely a year away from a return to contention.  Jackson Rein should be one of the top two-way forwards in the league but the Ephs will need to figure out the scoring around him.  Guard play was a disaster last year due in large part to a wave of injuries and can only get better, especially with some added talent. Enough upside that they could move up a few spots if everything goes right, but the top five will be tough to crack this year. 
FY to watch: Dev Williams

7. Colby - definitely the hardest team to predict with a new coaching staff, some big losses, and a slew of intriguing new players on the roster.  There is no clear go-to guy, but a lot of depth of talent here, although center is a big question mark after Civello left and rebounding/interior defense could be an issue unless the FY frontcourt guys can help right away. Overall should be a solid team, but it's going to take a few years to rebuild under the new coach.
FY to watch: Ty Landers

8. Conn College - this season looked like a disaster in the making for Conn with so much of the roster transferring out and a coaching change, but the new regime may have steadied the ship just a bit with some late recruiting additions who should fill out the rotation.  Dylan Watson and Greg Cantwell may be just enough of a strong 1-2 to help them squeeze into the NESCAC playoffs, but it looks like a long, multi-year rebuild ahead for Conn.
FY to watch - Finn Brennan

9. Middlebury - Midd still seems a long way from the frontrunning days of yore.  But who knows, Amherst turned things around quickly and surprisingly last year.  Midd is strong on the wing but last year got shredded in the paint and all of its big guys on last year's squad other than one deep bench player are gone, so hard to see that changing.  Midd will need to shoot the lights out to steal some games against the teams above it. 
FY to watch: Pharoahe Dixon
 
10. Bowdoin - as mentioned a few posts back, some solid talent on the wing led by Mason Dawkins, but a perilously thin roster, especially on the interior.  Making the NESCAC playoffs would be a huge victory for this team which got decimated by off-season losses. 
FY to watch: Corey Baylor

11. Hamilton - ugggh.  Yet to post its roster, but it's clearly a LONG way from the days of Kena Gilmour and Hank Morgan for Hamilton.  I believe, based on social media, that Ridenout is not returning, and if so it's unclear where the outside shooting or scoring in general is going to come from on this team, which struggled mightily last year and could be one of the worst NESCAC squads in awhile. 
FY to watch: Cyrus Hutchinson

[D3BBALL]

NESCAC1, pretty good scouting report on all teams. I would just flip flop Middlebury and Colby and I think Bates is going to end up the last weekend of the season to be top 3. Boy that is probably a kiss of death!

Sorry I meant flip Middlebury and Conn, not Colby

[SpringSt7]

1. Trinity - 3 straight final fours, they get the benefit of the doubt with no clear top alternative
2. Tufts - Tons of athletes, not saying they will be better without Gyemesi and Bernstein but there is a world in which they are tougher to guard
3. Wesleyan - feels disrespectful, Reilly has done more with less, but not sure who the second scorer is
4. Amherst - could be higher if they had a more proven coach
5. Williams - ended the year on a high note, can't be any worse than it was last year and they have better players and a good coach.
6. Bates - I personally think last year was a bit of a fluke and they graduated a lot of backcourt minutes.
7. Colby - they have about 15 guys who could get minutes and none of them seem like go to guys but I think they will be solid and respectable
8. Middlebury - Goldsmith is a good coach with a year of familiarity under his belt
9. Conn - Dylan Watson staying is why they aren't 11
10. Hamilton - Coinflip with Bowdoin but I like Stockwell
11. Bowdoin - See above

Most wide open year of POY I can remember in a while but I would be surprised if it wasn't one of Wohlinski, Watt, Nieves, Berry, Neville, Chin, Rein, or Pouye.

[D3BBALL]

Trinity total different look from last year. 2 starters injured in Ayles and Berete. O'Connor transfer from Assumption injured as well. Started freshman Spinosa at small forward.
The one thing they still do is play defense.
Player to watch maybe sophomore Closeil, plays a lot like Lazarre.
Not playing a very talented team.

[SpringSt7]

Might need to update the bottom of those power rankings already. Bowdoin hung tough with Endicott for 38 minutes before running out of offense late. Mason Dawkins went toe to toe with All American Elijah Kinney to the tune of 25 points and 7 rebounds while Conn College handled Worcester St by 20+. First year Gabriel D'Alessandro had 19. Meanwhile Colby is struggling with Maine Augusta, who I am just now realizing is not a division 3 school

[nescac1]

Watched some of Bowdoin-Endicott and I'm a bit higher on Bowdoin than I was pre-season.  Elijah Kinney is awesome, but I'm a bit skeptical about Endicott really being a true top 25 team, as the drop-off after him looked huge and Montagnino was insanely good last year. 

Still, Endicott is a good team and Bowdoin while concerningly thin has some strong high-end talent.  Mason Dawkins looked flat nasty, there may not be a more alpha athlete anywhere in D3 (Endicott looked terrified of him on both ends), he absolutely has the size and athleticism of a mid-major D1 guy, and his skills especially ball-handling seem much improved from last year, though it still would be nice to occasionally see him hit one from long distance.  Three assists vs no turnovers was especially impressive and he should have had more assists the way he was setting guys up for easy looks.  His floor this year is first team all league (and on a better team he'd be in the POTY discussion) and while I'd love to see him be a four-year guy, if he keeps playing like that a WIDE array of D1 coaches will be scouting his games thinking about what he could look like with another summer to work on the outside shot. 

I liked Maly as a FY as an energy guy and he looks like he's added some craft to his size, effort and athleticism.  I was surprised Corey Baylor did not start, sat behind another FY guard who seemed steadier, but man he is going to be fun to watch, explosive player.  It's really a shame Cuevas did not return, as with him, even without any inside game at all and little depth, they could have done some real damage. 

Speaking of Cuevas, he had his first strong game for Brown (10 pts, 4 boards, 2 steals on 3-6 shooting, third-leading scorer playing as the sixth man).  I expect more of that will come as he continues to get comfortable with D1 speed, the kid can flat-out score the ball. 

Conn's first result was definitely eye-popping, Worcester State is usually decent.  Kudos to Begley for salvaging what could have been a total disaster by keeping Dylan Watson in the program, adding the very late FY recruit who lit it up in game one, and bringing in the two transfers from his old program, both of whom started.  Cantwell didn't play and Conn will definitely need him, and they seem small and not terribly deep, but tbere is a decent amount of talent on hand to survive a transition year after the roster got decimated.

Trinity seems to once again have plenty of dudes who can play and at worst will be a top 25-ish team, but yeah, that's a fair number of early injuries, and they will need some guys back especially Ayles who runs the show.  They have a reasonably tough six-game stretch ahead which will better illuminate where they stand, highlighted by a loaded Babson team.  Trinity had ridiculously good injury luck over the past three years (I'm sure conditioning etc. played a role too), I'm not sure I've ever seen a run like that where basically every rotation guy stayed healthy during three years of deep contention, certainly a factor in their success, but can't last forever.