College Hoops Top 50

Last Year: 26-9; Patriot League Regular Season (17-1) and Tournament Champions, lost in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament

Head Coach: Matt Langel (13th Year; 202-174 at Colgate with four NCAA Tournament appearances)

Projected Starting Lineup

PG Braeden Smith – 6’0″, 180 – Sophomore

SG Chandler Baker – 6’5″, 185 – Junior

SF Ryan Moffatt – 6’7″, 220 – Senior (5th)

PF Sam Thomson – 6’9″, 230 – Senior

C Keegan Records – 6’10”, 250 – Senior (5th)

Experienced Reserves

C Jeff Woodward – 6’11”, 270 – Senior

G Nicolas Louis-Jacques – 6’4″, 195 – Junior

G Kyle Carlesimo – 6’2″, 180 – Sophomore

W Brady Cummins – 6’6″, 195 – Sophomore

G Alex Capitano – 6’4″, 205 – Senior

Experienced Reserves’ 2022-23 Stats

Jeff Woodward: 6.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.8 bpg, 58.9% FG

Nicolas Louis-Jacques: 1.9 ppg, 0.3 rpg, 0.2 apg – 42.1% 3FG

Kyle Carlesimo: 4.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.5 spg – 36.4% 3FG

Brady Cummins: 1.6 ppg, 0.3 rpg, 0.2 apg

Alex Capitano: 1.0 ppg, 0.3 rpg, 0.1 apg, 0.1 spg

Freshmen

G Jalen Cox – 6’3″, 165

W Cooper Wright – 6’5″, 195

W Parker Jones – 6’6″, 190

F Sam Wright – 6’8″, 240

Colgate has got to feel a bit overdue. The Raiders have won five straight Patriot League titles and been to the last four NCAA Tournaments which were played. They set a conference record last season with 17 in league play. The Raiders have won 112 games overall in the past five years…and not one of them was an NCAA Tournament game. 

Colgate plays a finely-crafted style of basketball. Head coach Matt Langel’s teams have finished among the nation’s top ten teams in assists per game each of the past three years, and have been either 1st, 2nd or 3rd nationally in 3FG% as well – and last year was the season when they led the nation. All five guys on the floor – at all times – can pass, shoot, and tend to stay in good defensive position. “We have good shooters who have confidence, so when we move the ball and you have enough of them, you can have success,” Langel after his Raiders beat up Syracuse on their home floor in November of last season. “We feel good that the people in Hamilton are flying Colgate flags and not Syracuse flags.” The Raiders shot the ball so well as a team that they even pulled Jim Boeheim’s Orange out of his vaunted 2-3 zone. 

Despite having a freshman running the point, the Raiders gave away the 18th-fewest turnovers in the country last year. Colgate ranked 230th in possessions per game, so as ever, the Raiders had to make their shots count. It’s important to understand, as much as anything else, that Colgate attacks with a plan, and they always keep some backup schemes in their back pocket. The Raiders move the ball in the halfcourt, the players screen well, cut decisively and pass unselfishly. 

Langel looks to have another excellent team this season; good enough to expect that maybe this can be the year. While there are stars on this Raiders team, the collective means as much as the individual to Langel, and his players have bought in. 

One of the best of those players almost got away this spring, as star big man Keegan Records entered the Transfer Portal after graduation. Despite high major interest, Records decided to stay where he is loved by local fans and pursue the goal of leading Colgate to NCAA Tournament success. If he happens to sell a few headbands along the way, all the better. Colgate’s top pivot is a frontrunner for Patriot League Player of the Year after being named first team all-conference and to the Patriot All-Defensive team last year in a breakout campaign. Records has developed steadily within Langel’s offense and is now a proven go-to guy who plays an absurdly efficient game. A career 65% shooter from the field, Records upped that figure to 67.5% overall last winter – and he cashed in 74.5% of his 216 attempts at the rim, per Barttorvik. “Through hard work, he’s become an exceptional player. His field goal percentage, his rebounding, his ability to anchor the defense. But far greater than that is his mentality, his work ethic, his belief in team over self, and he leads by example,” Langel said in an article for Colgate University this summer.

Records has developed steadily within Langel’s offense and is now a proven go-to guy who plays an absurdly efficient game

Surprisingly nimble, Records utilizes excellent footwork and serene confidence in the lane to open up great looks, and is very comfortable playing with his back to the basket. Records owns a reliable hook shot that he can get to from either block, and last season became more confident using his dribble to set up his shot attempts inside. Adept at drawing defenders in the high post and dropping off passes to cutting teammates, Records also has top-notch awareness and the willingness to pass out of the post to open shooters. And while he’s not a tremendous threat to shoot triples, Records has done so before – and he’s got a fairly reliable fall-away jumper inside the arc. Defensively, Records provides a physical deterrent in the middle to the offset otherwise perimeter-oriented Raiders, and though not an above-the-rim flier, Records is a stout rim protector who leads the Patriot League in blocks the past two seasons. 

The freshman point guard who stepped seamlessly into Langel’s lineup is back to orchestrate the Raiders offense, but this year he will be doing so without the team’s top veteran playmaker to help conduct the symphony. There wasn’t much more Braeden Smith could have done in his first year as a Raider. He started every game, averaged 32 minutes per tilt, posted a 48/36/83% shooting line, and handed out more than twice as many assists as he committed turnovers. “Looking back on the season, there is lots to be impressed about specific to Braeden. On a championship team that yet again broke program and conference records, his statistical production is remarkable,” Langel told Omar Ricardo Aquije for Colgate Athletics in May. “Even more impressive for me, however, was his ability, as an 18-year-old first year, to assimilate to a group of experienced, productive, and veteran players. His basketball acumen, passion for learning and commitment to winning fit the program’s culture extremely well.”

He shot the ball confidently from deep and chose his spots to drive well, using his dribble, poise and pace to open up great passing lanes. When the defense started anticipating his passes, Smith pulled up for jumpers around the lane and showed that he could adapt. Smith made an excellent 52.7% of his 110 mid-range attempts as a rookie, per Barttorvik, and loves to side-step away from pressure into fadeaway shots which opponents will be keying on this year. The Raiders as a team finished 336th in the country in free throws, 312th in free throw attempts and 333rd in FT%. Smith led his team in both freebies made and attempted in his first year, and was second in percentage at 82.6%. Smith’s ability to both create his own shot and to draw defenders off the bounce were pivotal additions to the Colgate rotation following the loss of star guard Nelly Cummings to Pitt via the Transfer Portal, and Raiders fans are excited to see Smith’s next step. 

The third proven star Langel returns from last season’s historic lineup is forward Ryan Moffatt. While he’s been more of a glue guy much of his career, Moffatt has started 83 career games; and the past two years, he’s shown that he can really shoot the ball. Moffatt has knocked down 119 triples the past two seasons, and he’s made a blistering 45+% of his attempts in both campaigns. “When I came here as a freshman, I wasn’t really shooting, even in practice, that well or that often,” Moffatt told Jason Guarente for his hometown newspaper, Lancaster Online in Pennsylvania. “We have so many good offensive players they can’t really guard everybody. Once I had the open shots, I wanted to make sure I could step up and make them.” While Moffatt doesn’t prefer to play with his back to the rim, his outstanding shooting makes him a dangerous player for the opposition to try and guard. He cuts smartly and cleanly, and Moffatt makes defenders pay by losing them running around screens more often than with his dribble. In fact, while Moffatt converted a strong 67.9% of his shots at the rim, he made just ten shots which weren’t treys or didn’t come within arm’s reach of the hoop, and he took just 44 trips to the foul stripe in 1,008 minutes played a season ago. While his familiarity with Langel’s system and his own much-practiced skills will keep Moffatt clean looks at the rim, the Raider attack would be more dangerous if he began to drive his man occasionally. While he isn’t terribly fleet of foot, Moffatt is a tough and very smart defender who takes on mismatches with some regularity in Langel’s 4-out lineups without complaint. 

Jeff Woodward has had a terrific three years so far as the 1-B to Records in the post, and returns to bewilder opposing bigs with his nifty passing for another season. With an even bigger frame than Records, Woodward is also an effective shot-blocker and post scorer. While he’s not going to set any records running the shuttle drill, Woodward has tremendous vision and patience, which he pairs with that size and reach to make sweet, sweet music in the halfcourt. Woodward is selective and smooth inside, and made 60.3% of his shot attempts near the cup last season. He has also helped his buddies to increase their own shooting marks from his spot in the high post, dishing pinpoint feeds to the tune of 170 career assists already. He is also an important co-rebounder with Records, and Woodward gathered 57 friendly misses a year ago; some of which he turned immediately into slick setups. While both of Colgate’s centers have their limitations athletically, they are both quite skilled players whose attention to detail and experience have carried them to tremendous and consistent success already. 

With veteran guards Richardson and Lynch-Daniels exhausting their eligibility, Langel must find someone – or mote likely a coalition of other players – to match the 2,402 career points that his graduated stars scored. First in line to step up is sophomore Chandler Baker, who showed genuine bucket-getting instincts in his first year after arriving from Division II Belmont Abbey. A talented wing with good length and the most potent dribble-drive game on the roster after Smith, Baker put up the highest percentage of mid-range attempts of any Raider last year. Despite playing just over 12 minutes per game, Baker scored nine points or more in a contest nine times. With a nice fall-away jump shot and some creativity getting looks when his dribble is stopped, Baker also hit 33 triples at a 42.3% rate in his first season. Baker is quick and aggressive defensively, and wasn’t overmatched by his step up in competition.

Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks)

58.2 – Team Effective FG% (1st)

52.2% – Opponent Effective FG% (275th)

+8.1 – Average Score Margin (27th)

18.0 – Assists Per Game (3rd)

14.5 – Opponent Assists Per Game (303rd)

Sam Thomson played a larger role as the first forward off of Langel’s bench last year, and returns to push for a full-time gig in his fourth season. With the size to help in the post against bigger teams, Thomson can stay out there in a variety of lineups. If Langel wants to use a big lineup with Moffatt at the 3, Thomson has the strength to defend post players and the length to keep stretch bigs honest. Thomson only scored double figures once last season, and then suffered a season-ending injury just before the postseason began. He’ll be looking to finish his Raiders career with a strong, healthy extra season, and Thomson’s presence solidifies a strong, veteran core for Langel in the paint. Nicolas Louis-Jacques may have only averaged 7 minutes per game in his two years as a Raider, but he played in 32 of Colgate’s 35 tussles and showed that he can keep the rhythm going from outside. Louis-Jacques attempted almost twice as many shots from three as he did inside the arc last year, and canned 42.1% of those tries. He made just one of his 2FG’s away from the rim, though, and will look to show more as a consistent, three-level scorer in his third season. 

Alex Capitano and Brady Cummins return after occupying deeper reserve roles last year, but Langel plays all of his guys. Since Moffatt is an example of a player who used to average 6 minutes per game making good, there’s always a chance for the reserves to grow their roles. At the very least, they figure to see some extended mop-up time at the end of the usual Raider blowouts. 

Four freshmen and a sophomore transfer will arrive in Hamilton this fall, looking to earn minutes among all of the veterans. While freshman post player Sam Wright – whose mother played hoops for Colgate in the 90’s – may largely sit and watch the more experienced bigs eat up minutes, the other four newcomers will have their chance to carve out some halfway consistent minutes. Kyle Carlesimo is well acquainted with two pretty important hoops figures; his father, former Seton Hall and NBA head coach PJ Carlesimo, and one Braeden Smith. The younger Carlesimo played on the same Seattle (WA) Prep team as Smith, and after spending his freshman season at Eastern Illinois, Carlesimo has returned to the same backcourt as Smith. Carlesimo scored in double figures only three times as a freshman, but averaged 14 minutes per game and hit 20 triples at a 36.4% rate. Given his familiarity with Smith, Carlesimo will have an inside track towards fitting into the rotation, and if he can keep on splashing deep jumpers, Carlesimo will soak up more than a few minutes per game. 

Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on

@ Arizona – December 2

@ Illinois – November 27

@ Syracuse – November 14

N – Yale – November 17

@ Vermont – December 9

Jalen Cox and Parker Jones are another pair of former teammates who will look to earn spots in Langel’s backcourt this year. The duo first played at Loyola Prep in Los Angeles, then signed on at Colgate. Cox is a combo guard, while Jones is a wing with some playmaking skill and, Langel expects, a solid outside jumper. “His ability to shoot with range is something that sticks out to many in watching Paker, but we are most excited that his skill set, basketball IQ and approach to the game,” Langel said when the once and future teammates signed on in Hamilton. Commenting on Cox, Langel likes the young guard’s two-way potential. “We are looking forward to seeing how his speed, length and athletic talents can help us on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.” With an upgrade of size and athleticism arriving with this class overall, the Raiders have a newly-stocked cupboard of hungry-to-learn talent. Another Wright is joining the party, as wing Cooper Wright will also be fighting for a spot off the pine. He’s a solid defender with perimeter skills and some range on his jumper. Since the newcomers will experience a culture that’s been established by successive waves of conference champs and then add to it their own abilities, Langel is building a bright future at Colgate. 

And at a time when non-major coaches are moving up at ever-intensifying rates, Langel may actually stick around to see his vision for the Raiders through. He’s been building this program for more than a decade, and signed an extension through 2030 last March; and there have been significant plans and donations made towards upgrading the Raiders’ facilities. 

Back on the court in the here and now, Colgate’s experienced core is back with eyes fixed on the NCAA prize which has so long eluded them. “A lot of it comes back on me and Ryan, the fifth-year leaders to lead the group and take those challenges head on going into this year,” says Records. Colgate is a tight-nit, veteran group. So much so, that they led the nation in assist to turnover ratio as a team, in addition to all of their sharpshooting. If Langel’s craftsmen can get rolling like usual, the Raiders will be a dangerous matchup once again come March. And this group is talented and experienced enough that they aren’t going to be satisfied with the same old titles.