Head coach: Jon Furbush (9th year)
Last year: 10-14, 2-8 in NESCAC
Key returners: Marcus Delpeche (Sr., F), Malcolm Delpeche (Sr., C), Jerome Darling (Sr., G), Quin Leary (Sr., F), Connor McLeod (Sr., G), Shawn Strickalnd (Jr., G), Justin Zukowski (Jr., G), Nick Lynch (So., F)
Key loss: Mike Boornazian (G), Josh Britten (G), Mike Newton (F)
Key newcomers: Tom Coyne (Fr., G), Nick Gilpin (Fr., G), Areohn Harrison (Fr., C).
Outlook: The Bobcats took a step back in 2015-16 after setting a school record for wins (21) and reaching the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time in program history. Finishing at the bottom of the conference in shooting percentage and second-to-last in turnovers had a lot to do with that. They hope to return to NESCAC contention with a veteran nucleus led by three of their top four scorers last year — twin brothers Marcus and Malcolm Delpeche and Strickland. Darling, Leary and Zukowski were key contributors off the bench last year. With a tough non-conference schedule that includes Babson and the University of Southern Maine, they should be prepared for a formidable conference schedule that includes preseason DIII No. 1 Amherst.
Coach’s comment: “If we’re focused on the process of getting better, the results will happen. We can’t win a NESCAC championship in today’s practice, but we can get a little better and put ourselves in a better spot for that run. We can beat anybody from the neck down. From the neck up, we’ve got to get mentally tougher and handle adversity better.”
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