HAMILTON – It was a special season for Colgate Men's Basketball, and the 2018-19 team gathered one more time on Saturday evening to hand out team awards and honor the senior class at the annual banquet in front of a packed crowd at the Colgate Inn.
 
Colgate went 24-11 overall and 13-5 in Patriot League play, setting the single-season wins record in both categories on its way to its first regular season and tournament title since 1996.
 
The Raiders ran through the Patriot League Tournament, knocking off two-time defending champion Bucknell 94-80 in the championship game and bringing the trophy back to Hamilton for the first time in over two decades in a sold out Cotterell Court.
 
Colgate had won 11 in a row entering the NCAA Tournament, the nation's sixth-longest win streak, and challenged No. 6 Tennessee all the way to the end in the first round in Columbus.
 
Welcomed by Colgate Vice President and Director of Athletics Nicki Moore, Men's Basketball Head Coach Matt Langel honored his four seniors, Francisco Amiel, Dana Batt, Sam Lindgren, and Malcolm Regisford, who built a winning culture over their four years and led the Raiders to new heights in 2018-19.
 
Jack Mitchell Academic Award – Francisco Amiel 



Senior captain Francisco Amiel earned this year's Jack Mitchell Academic Award. Amiel has proven to embody the true meaning of a Colgate University student-athlete. He owns a 3.25 grade point average and was a four-time member on the Raider Academic Honor Roll as an environmental science and Spanish double major.
 
A native of Miratejo, Portugal, Amiel capped his Colgate career as the all-time leader in games played at 130. He averaged 2.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists over his four-year career in the Maroon and White. He started eight contests in 2018-19 and scored a season-high 10 points at Columbia (12/5) behind the game-winning 3-pointer late in regulation.
 
Jack Bruen Most Improved Player Award – Jack Ferguson



Sophomore Jack Ferguson was the recipient of the Jack Bruen Most Improved Player Award. Ferguson had a strong campaign, upping his points per game from 4.2 last season to 7.2 in 2018-19. He averaged eight more minutes per game, emerging as a key reserve.
 
The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native knocked down 3-pointers at a 41 percent clip (56-for-137) and averaged nearly 18 minutes per game, eight more than his freshman campaign. He drained three 3-pointers in a game 10 times this season and closed out the campaign with a trey in 15 straight games, including a pair in the NCAA Tournament game against Tennessee.
 
Hasan Brown Award – Sam Lindgren



Senior Sam Lindgren earned the 2018-19 Hasan Brown Award, recognizing a student-athlete who exemplifies dedication and passion to the program with a team-first attitude. Lindgren saw action in 34 games in a Raider uniform, including 11 in 2018-19.
 
Lindgren also earned the program's Jack Bruen Award in 2017. In Colgate's historic 2018-19 run, Lindgren scored two points on five occasions and posted assists in back-to-back games against Boston University (2/2) and Lehigh (2/4). He finished the season with a 50 percent field goal percentage (5-for-10) in 11 games played.

Bob Duffy - Tucker Neale Most Valuable Player Award – Jordan Burns



Sophomore Jordan Burns was named the team's Most Valuable Player. Burns' red-hot run down the stretch lifted Colgate to its first Patriot League crown in 23 years. He averaged 16.3 points and 5.7 assists for the season, shattering the program record for assists with 171.
 
A San Antonio native, Burns went on a scorching-hot run in the Patriot League Tournament, setting a tournament title game record with 35 points in the championship win over Bucknell. He knocked down 10 field goals and finished 6-of-9 from beyond the arc in the victory.

Burns once again shined on the nation's biggest stage, dropping 32 points on eight 3-pointers in the NCAA Tournament against Tennessee. He staked the Raiders to a lead in the second half over the sixth-ranked Volunteers in a first-round scare. Burns was among the nation's best, as his 32 points ranked No. 3 among NCAA Tournament scoring leaders.



Colgate returns its top four scorers and all All-League selections in 2019-20, including Patriot League Player of the Year Rapolas Ivanauskas and Rookie of the Year Tucker Richardson. Burns and Will Rayman join the strong returning core with two-time defending Coach of the Year Matt Langel at the helm.

Patriot League Tournament Highlights

NCAA Tournament First Round Highlights