The Colgate men’s basketball team finished this past season 11-21; including 5-9 in conference play under second-year head coach Matt Langel. The team steadily improved as the season progressed, and they look to build on this season’s improvement for next year.

The Raiders will miss their senior

players next season including star point guard Mitch Rolls and center John Brandenburg. But they return with a wealth of experience and many key additions that had to sit out the season as per transfer rules, as well as a quality recruiting base. The Raiders seem to have established a blueprint for success and could very well prove to be one of the more lethal

programs in the Patriot League

next season.

Leading the way for next season should be current junior forward Murphy Burnatowski, winner of two Conference Player of the Week awards and a second-team All-Patriot League honoree, sophomore guard Luke Roh and junior forward Pat Moore.

Burnatowski’s offensive output has been the highlight of his game, with his clutch performances in late-game situations and his consistency in draining many difficult shots. His team-leading 17.4 points per game provided the Raider offense with the boost it needed to win the bulk of its games over the past season.

Roh’s consistency during the 2012-2013 season boosted the team’s offense as well, as he created many scoring opportunities for the team. But it is his defense that has always been a highlight. He led the team with 170 rebounds on the season for an average 6.6 rebounds per game.

Moore’s lights-out three-point shooting provides the Raiders with a strong threat on the perimeter as he converted a stellar 40.7 percent of his three-point attempts.

Junior forward Clayton Graham and sophomore forward Matt McMullen consistently improved throughout the season as they each developed a strong interior game, in addition to their lockdown

defense in the paint.

Junior guard Chad Johnson is another key weapon for the Raiders with his lights-out defense. His perimeter defense has shut down many of the Patriot League’s better scorers.

Sophomore guard Damon Sherman-Newsome had a great first season at the Division I level draining many shots and providing the team with additional defensive weapons. His next season should improve as he may assume a bigger role on the team. Junior transfer forward and center Ethan Jacobs will help fill the void left by Brandenburg, as his size and agility will provide additional weapons for the Raider offense and defense in the paint. Another transfer, sophomore guard Austin Tillotson, will look to bring additional depth and create many scoring opportunities for the Raider offense.

The Raiders will also welcome

quality first-years next season that will help fill any voids left and provide

additional depth on the court.

Next season should feature a complete Raider team that offers strong inside and perimeter weapons and depth at all positions. Next season also welcomes newcomers Boston University and Loyola University to the conference; both of these teams have experienced success at their previous conferences and bring a wealth of

competition to the conference as a whole.

The team definitely has some

components of its game to improve upon from this past season. However, there have been many highlights which demonstrated the team’s ability to compete with the conference’s premier powers. The team’s toppling of Lehigh at home during the regular season showed the potential of this team as Lehigh, at the time, was one of the best mid-majors in the country and the best in the conference.

The team has the potential to become one one of the best in the conference next season, and many of its players could very well be some of the conference’s

recognized premier players.

Contact Matt Washuta at

[email protected].