With all five starters returning from a team that captured the program’s first Liberty League title, Vassar College has been selected as the preseason favorite in men’s basketball in a vote of the league’s head coaches. The Brewers, who received 73 points and four first-place votes, edged Ithaca (69 points, three first-place votes), RPI (68 points, two first-place votes) and Skidmore (65 points, one first-place vote) in what promises to be a close, competitive league. Rounding out the top ten were Hobart (49), St. Lawrence (39), Union (36), RIT (22), Clarkson (19) and Bard (13).
The top six teams qualify for the Liberty League championship. The format of the tournament has changed this season. While there will still be two first-round games on Tuesday, Feb. 21, the semifinals will shift from Saturday to Friday (Feb. 24) with the top two seeds now hosting games on their home courts. The higher-seeded team will host the championship on Sunday, Feb. 26. The Liberty League champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.
Vassar (18-9, 11-6 Liberty League), picked fifth in the preseason poll a year ago, exceeded expectations, finishing third in the regular-season standings. The Brewers used a last-second three-pointer to defeat Hobart in the first round of the Liberty League tournament, 71-69. After ousting second-seeded Ithaca, 76-74 in the semifinals, the Brewers clinched their first league title and NCAA bid with a 65-48 victory over Skidmore in the championship game. All five starters return from last season as expectations are high for a Vassar squad in which half of its roster – 10 of 20 players – consists of seniors. Senior 6-5 forward Zach Johnson is the reigning Liberty League Player of the Year. The Brewers’ leading scorer, Johnson averaged 14.5 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 27 games while shooting 51.2 percent from the floor. In three Liberty League tournament games, he totaled 47 points (15.6 per game) and added 25 rebounds (8.3 per game). Fellow senior Avni Mustafaj an All-Liberty League honorable mention pick, also averaged in double digits at 14.3 points per game. Seniors Jack Rothenberg (9.6 ppg), Ethan Ellis (9.1 ppg) and Kevin McAuliffe (6.3 ppg) round out Vassar’s starting five.
Ithaca (17-9, 13-5 Liberty League) also returns all five starters from last season’s team that finished second in the regular-season standings. The Bombers, the top scoring team in the league last season, return 98 percent (2,060) of their scoring and 96 percent (1,033) of their rebounding from 2021-22. Ithaca has four players returning as graduate students, taking advantage of an additional season of eligibility the NCAA has provided as a result of the cancellation of the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19. Forward Luka Radovich and guard Skylar Sinon – All-Liberty League first and second team selections respectively – both averaged in double figures. Radovich, the league’s second-leading scorer at 16.2 points per game, shot 49.4 percent while also draining 37 3-pointers. Sinon (12.2 ppg, 4.2 apg) ranked in the top 20 in the league in scoring while also ranking second in assists and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio. Senior Liam Spellman (7.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg) was the team’s top rebounder while also recording a team-leading 49 3-pointers.
RPI (23-6, 15-3 Liberty League) had one of the top seasons in program history last season en route to the Liberty League regular-season title. While the Engineers fell short of winning the league tournament, they received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championship where they advanced to the Sweet 16 before falling in a one-point game to WPI. This year’s team heads into the 2022-23 season ranked 20th in the D3hoops.com preseason poll. Four players with starting experience return from last season’s team that led Division III in scoring defense at 57.4 points allowed per game. Graduate student Dom Black (11.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.1 apg) was named the Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and All-D3hoops.com All-Region First Team. Black was also All-Liberty League and All-ECAC first team. Senior forward Jonny Angbazo, the top returning scorer for the Engineers, was an All-Liberty League second-team honoree after averaging 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard Will Rubin (7.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.1 apg) also returns to the starting lineup after leading the team in assists.
Skidmore (15-11, 9-8 Liberty League) battled illness and injuries last season, but when healthy, the Thoroughbreds showed that they could compete with the league’s top teams. Seeded fifth in the Liberty League tournament, Skidmore recorded upset wins on the road over fourth-seeded St. Lawrence (67-55) and top-seeded RPI (70-53) to advance to the championship game. Following a 71-69 exhibition loss to Division I UAlbany on Oct. 30 and with four starters returning from last season, Skidmore has high hopes to contend for a league title. Senior guard Tautvydas Kupstas, an All-Liberty League first-team selection, led the league in scoring (17.4 ppg) while ranking second in 3-pointers per game (3.0) and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (33.7 percent). Senior 6-11 center Greg Skoric, an All-Liberty League honorable mention pick, ranked fifth in the league in scoring (15.7 ppg) while leading in rebounding (12.2 rpg), field goal percentage (56.7 percent) and blocked shots (2.0 bpg). Seniors Riley Greene (11.1 ppg, league-leading 118 assists) and Harrison Eichelberger (11.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg) give the Thoroughbreds one of the league’s most experienced starting units.
Hobart (12-14, 9-9 Liberty League) returns its top three scorers from last season and five of the top six. The Statesmen are looking to build on a strong finish that included six wins over the team’s final nine games. The top two returning scorers, senior forward Jackson Meshanic and sophomore guard Aidan Rodgers earned postseason honors from the Liberty League. Meshanic, an All-Liberty League first-team selection, ranked third in the league in both scoring (15.9 ppg) and rebounding (8.9 rpg) while ranking fourth in field goal percentage (54.6 percent) and second in free throw percentage (76.1 percent). Only two players got to the line more than Meshanic last season. Rodgers, the Liberty League Rookie of the Year, was the only Statesman to start all 26 games. He was second on the team in scoring (11.1 ppg) while leading Hobart in assists (69). Senior Patrick Walker (7.9 ppg) and sophomores Carter Meshanic (7.0 ppg) and Pat Healy (6.8 ppg) all saw regular playing time and will compete for starting spots. Evan Goldberg, a 6-10 graduate transfer from Division II Queens College, may also bolster Hobart on the interior.
St. Lawrence (16-10, 10-8 Liberty League) finished fourth in the league last year and returns eight of its top nine scorers and six players who started at least ten games. Junior forward Trent Adamson, an All-Liberty League second-team selection, ranked eighth in the league in scoring (15.1 ppg), fourth in rebounding (8.2 rpg), second in blocked shots (1.9 bpg), fifth in field goal percentage (54.2 percent) and third in free throw percentage (75.4 percent). Senior forward Will Engelhardt was also a double-digit scorer (12.3 ppg) while also ranking second on the team in rebounding (5.4 ppg). Adamson and Engelhardt should provide the Saints with one of the best frontcourt duos in the league. Senior guard Miles Davis, a starter in 11 games last season, will be looking to make a jump this season after averaging 4.6 points per game as a junior. Brothers Gavin and Aidan Macauley started 15 and 10 games respectively as first-year players and will look to build upon their scoring averages of 5.8 and 5.9 points respectively.
Union (11-13, 8-10 Liberty League) narrowly missed a Liberty League tournament bid last season, but the Dutchmen return four of the team’s top five scorers from last season. A pair of All-Liberty League performers – seniors Mike Manley and Brian Noone – lead an experienced roster that counts nine seniors among its 19 players. Manley (15.9 ppg) ranked fourth in the league in scoring, first in 3-pointers made (3.1 per game; 75 total) and second in 3-point field goal percentage (39.9 percent). He also ranked second on the team and fourth in the league in assists (3.3 apg) and 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio. Noone also ranked seventh in the league in scoring (15.2 ppg) and tied for the team lead in both rebounding (5.8 rpg) and steals (38). The Dutchmen are also bolstered by the return of senior guard Mike Concannon, an All-Liberty League second-team selection as a sophomore in 2019-20 when he led the team in scoring (13.4 ppg), assists (65) and steals (31). After the 2020-21 season was cancelled due to COVID, Concannon was sidelined with an injury last year. His return strengthens an already talented Union backcourt.
RIT (8-14, 6-10 Liberty League) saw a four-win improvement in Liberty League play from the previous season and will look to continue its ascent up the league standings. Senior forward Kevin Ryan led RIT and ranked sixth in the Liberty League in scoring (15.2 ppg) and also led the league by shooting 78.9 percent from the free throw line. He was second in the league, shooting 56.2 percent from the floor and led the Tigers, averaging 5.8 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Brock Bowen was an impact player in his first year at RIT. Bowen led the Liberty League by shooting 42.1 percent from 3-point range while also finishing second on the team in scoring (10.0 ppg). He was also seventh in the league and led RIT averaging 3.1 assists per game. Senior guard Keegan Ocorr was the lone Tiger to start all 22 games last season, leading the team in minutes played. Ocorr finished second on the team and tied for 10th in the league in assists (3.0 apg).
Clarkson (6-19, 3-15 Liberty League) was competitive in league play last season, but dropped a total of seven games by eight points or less, including a two-point loss at league champion Vassar. The Golden Knights return four starters from last season, including a pair of double-digit scorers in seniors Blake Gearhart and Ryan Miles-Ferguson. Gearhart led Clarkson in scoring (14.3 ppg), assists (3.2 apg) and steals (1.4 spg). He also led the league and ranked fifth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.2). Miles-Ferguson averaged 12.1 points per game while also leading the team with 5.9 rebounds per contest. Graduate student Kreem George joins the team from SUNY Fredonia, where he averaged 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a senior, starting 15 times in 24 games and averaging 19 minutes per game.
Bard (8-17, 4-14 Liberty League) made solid strides in Michael Lenahan’s first season as head coach. The team’s eight-win improvement from the previous season was the best in the Liberty League. With four starters returning from last season, the Raptors are looking to continue their upward trajectory. Junior guard Elliott Harris led Bard in scoring at 11.4 points per game while ranking third in the Liberty League in 3-point field goal percentage (36.6 percent) and fourth in 3-pointers per game (2.3). Sophomore guard Greg Farrow (10.2 ppg) also averaged in double digits while connecting on 36.2 percent of his 3-point attempts. Senior forward Tyler Bruns (9.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 16 blocks) was productive form both inside and outside, where he drained 29 shots from beyond the arc. Junior guard Azriel Almodovar (7.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.6 apg) ranked in the top 20 in the league in assists.
2022-23 LIBERTY LEAGUE MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
1. Vassar, 73 (4)
2. Ithaca, 69 (3)
3. RPI, 68 (2)
4. Skidmore, 65 (1)
5. Hobart, 49
6. St. Lawrence, 39
7. Union, 36
8. RIT, 22
9. Clarkson, 16
10. Bard, 13
(First-place votes are in parentheses)