HAMILTON – Nearly eight month since Colgate Men's Basketball claimed its second Patriot League championship in three years, the Raiders are ready to hit the court for the first time in 2021-22 when they host Northeastern on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Cotterell Court.

Prior to Tuesday night's game, the Raiders will unveil their championship banners celebrating last year's Patriot League title and NCAA tournament appearance. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as the first 250 fans in attendance will receive replica mini banners.
 
Despite the shortened 2021 season, Colgate managed to make its way into the record books by matching the best win percentage (.875) in program history with a 14-2 record and earning its highest seed ever (14) in the NCAA tournament.
 
The Raiders lose a program hallmark, Jordan Burns '21, who led the team in scoring and was named the Patriot League Player of the Year. But they return four starters and six of their top seven leading scorers, including All-League guards Nelly Cummings and Tucker Richardson.

"What any coach wants for his or her team and their program to be is in position to compete for championships. Over the last few years Colgate Basketball is thought of in that light and that's important.
 
"Records and results are a residue of the process that we're in, and that's what we focus on as a team: controlling what we can control. The records are nice to hear, but they're not an evaluation of how we're doing as a group. We're focused on this season."
 
The veteran-laden Raiders boast six seniors in 2021-22 under 11th-year head coach Matt Langel, who enters the season needing just 13 wins to become the program's all-time winningest coach.
 
Back Court
Colgate was one of the most balanced programs in all of Division I last year. The Raiders led the nation in 3-point field goal defense (26.4) and ranked third in points per game (85.2) and 3-point field goal percentage (40.3).
 
Colgate's stacked back court features returning All-League senior guards Cummings and Richardson, plus fifth-year senior Jack Ferguson, who led the country in 3-point field goal percentage but fell just shy of the NCAA minimum per game. Ferguson connected on 50.7% of his attempts from behind the arc and was second on the team in scoring (12.5 ppg). Cummings averaged 12.4 points per game and shot 46% from the field on his way to 11 games in double-figure scoring. He scored a team-high 14 points with four made 3-pointers in Colgate's NCAA tournament game against Arkansas.

Richardson enters his senior season with a wealthy list of accolades, having been named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2017 before hauling in All-League and All-District honors in 2021. The three-year starter is averaging 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists for his career.

Another senior, Oliver Lynch-Daniels, served as a key reserve off the bench, playing in all 16 games and averaging over 13 minutes per game. He connected on 61% from the field on his way to averaging 3.7 points per game. Sophomore Alex Capitano, junior Pearson Parker, senior Zach Light, and first-year Nicolas Jacques-Louis will look to provide valuable minutes for the squad this season.
 
On the back court, Langel said, "I love the guys that we have. This group specifically – four guys with tons of life experience, tons of college experience, and tons of winning experience. Having the ball in their hands as the back court to be responsible for the decisions and what happens on the court – you feel good about the chances of playing well day in and day out."
 
Front Court
Colgate's front court staples include juniors Keegan Records and Ryan Moffatt and sophomore Jeff Woodward. Records posted two double-doubles in 16 games last spring, averaging 9.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while leading the team in blocks (18).
 
Moffatt started every game and averaged 22.4 minutes, 5.3 points, and 3.3 rebounds per game. The junior forward was strong on both ends of the floor, shooting 57.1% from the field and racking up 19 steals, good for third best on the team. Woodward's 65.8% field goal percentage paced the Patriot League. The 6-11 center averaged 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He shined in the NCAA tournament against Arkansas, connecting on 5-of-6 from the field on his way to 11 points in 12 minutes off the bench.
 
Sam Thomson also saw big minutes off the bench and Malcolm Bailey, a 6-10 forward, is healthy leading into his junior season.
 
Excited about the young front court, Langel said, "Our front court is young, which sometimes we take for granted. For a young front court with no seniors, there's a handful of guys who we wouldn't trade for anybody. The balance between the front court and the back court is poised to do good things."
 
Coaching Staff
Langel became the first-ever Patriot League coach to win three straight Coach of the Year honors in 2020. Assistant coach Dave Klatsky has been with Langel every step of the way, coming to Hamilton the same year in 2011, and Mike Jordan is back at Colgate for his ninth season after spending last year at Drexel. Assistant coach Pat Moore '15 (fourth season) and director of operations Sean O'Brien '18 (first season) both played for Langel before returning to the staff.
 
Season Outlook
The Raiders were picked second in this year's preseason poll, just one behind Boston University with 153 points and nine first-place votes. Colgate's 2021 schedule follows a traditional format with 13 non-league games before conference play begins in January. The tough non-conference slate features bouts at NC State, Syracuse, Pitt, and St. John's. Along with Northeastern twice, Colgate will face Harvard, Cornell, and Columbia, Monmouth and Vermont before the year turns to conference play in 2022.  
 
"The schedule is different than a lot of schedules we've had in the past. We are playing a lot of championship-caliber teams – more than any other time in my tenure and maybe in the history of the program. We're going to have our hands full every time we're out there and ultimately that will prepare us for what our goal is and that's to compete for another championship."
 
The Raiders during the regular season will play 13 games in the friendly confines of Cotterell Court, a place where they have gone 38-4 over the previous three seasons.
 
"This is always about the players," said Langel. "For our guys to be able to get back out there in front of fans on Cotterell Court and to go on the road and play in front of family and friends, to play outside of the conference against premier teams across the country, that's what it's all about.
 
"Getting the group those experiences, that's where you build memories and become a true team. It's going to be different. There are a lot more games and a lot less preparation time but you also have the chance to get those experiences that ultimately help you continue to grow and develop into a team we know we can be."