Colgate Raiders (11-21 overall, 5-9 league)
Projected starting five:
Jr. G Luke Roh
Sr. G Pat Moore
So. G Austin Tillotson
Sr. F Murphy Burnatowski
Jr. F Matt McMullen
Important departures:
Two starters are gone from last season’s team: G Mitch Rolls (7.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.8 apg) and C John Brandenburg (5.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg). Also gone is reserve F Brandon James (8.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.0 apg).
Returning:
70 percent of scoring and 73.6 percent of rebounding
Additions:
Fr. G Andrew Bargmann
Fr. C John Fenton
Fr. F Jack Fleming
Fr. C Wyatt Hagarty
Fr. G Nathan Harries
Jr. C Ethan Jacobs (transfer from Ohio)
So. G Austin Tillotson (transfer from Monmouth)
Schedule Highlights:
The Raiders did well to land five non-league home games, including a visit from Fordham. The season starts with trips to Wake Forest and Syracuse, and they later travel to Georgetown. In league play, after opening with Lehigh at home they go on the road for three of four, including games at Bucknell and Boston University.
Projected finish and outlook:
Matt Langel’s work continues this season, and the Raiders look like they’re making strides albeit at a time when the league as a whole is on a good upswing. They will continue to build around Burnatowski, the league’s top returning scorer. Roh and Moore have shown potential, with the former finishing in the top six in the league in both rebounds and assists last season, and they should be joined by Tillotson, who started 18 games at Monmouth two seasons ago. Junior Damon Sherman-Newsome will probably be the first guard off the bench. Burnatowski will likely be joined by McMullen up front, but they can go bigger with Jacobs and Hagerty, who both stand 6’11”, or Fenton at 6’9″. Colgate still has a lot of areas for improvement, perhaps most notably with the possession battle as they had the worst turnover margin in the league last year. Rectifying that will be a good starting point to move up in the standings.
