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2024–25 Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball team

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2024–25 Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball
ConferenceNortheast Conference
Record5–11 (0–1 NEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Ben Swank
  • Ben Marello
  • Elijah Burns
Home arenaLe Moyne Events Center
(capacity: 2,000)[1]
Seasons
2024–25 Northeast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Central Connecticut 2 – 0   1.000 11 – 4   .733
LIU 2 – 0   1.000 6 – 11   .353
Fairleigh Dickinson 1 – 0   1.000 5 – 11   .313
Stonehill* 1 – 1   .500 9 – 8   .529
Mercyhurst** 1 – 1   .500 7 – 10   .412
Chicago State 1 – 1   .500 1 – 16   .059
Le Moyne* 0 – 1   .000 5 – 11   .313
Wagner 0 – 2   .000 8 – 7   .533
Saint Francis 0 – 2   .000 5 – 11   .313
* ineligible for the 2025 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II
** ineligible for both the 2025 NEC tournament and the 2025 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II
† 2025 NEC tournament winner
As of January 5, 2025

The 2024–25 Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball team represents Le Moyne College during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Dolphins, led by fifth-season[a] head coach Nate Champion, play their home games on Ted Grant Court in the Le Moyne Events Center in DeWitt, New York[b] as second-year members of the Northeast Conference (NEC) and NCAA Division I. This is the 76th season of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball.

Previous season

[edit]

The Dolphins finished the 2023–24 season 15–17, 9–7 in NEC play, tied for fourth place.[2] As the no. 4 seed in the NEC tournament,[3] they defeated Fairleigh Dickinson in the quarterfinals,[4] before falling to Merrimack in the semifinals.[5]

Offseason

[edit]

Following the 2023–24 season, Le Moyne lost Luke Sutherland, Kaiyem Cleary, Mike DePersia, Nate McClure and Isaiah Salter, who graduated. Sutherland and Cleary were the team's top two scorers, Cleary led the team in rebounds, and DePersia was the starting point guard, leading the team in assists and steals.[6]

Victor Panov, a 6'7" power forward from Saint Petersburg, Russia committed to Le Moyne on November 20, 2023.[7] However, he decommitted on April 10, 2024.[8] Later that month, Panov committed to Drexel.[9]

C.J. Moore entered the transfer portal on March 18, 2024.[10] Jamel Melvin, who was injured and redshirted the previous season season, entered the transfer portal on March 26.[11] After redshirting the previous season, Mason Landdeck transferred to Seattle Pacific on April 3.[12]

On May 8, Le Moyne announced that Jakob Blakley and Isaac Nyakundi had signed letters of intent. Blakley is a 6'0" guard, who was a first team all-conference, second team all-city and second team all-state high school player, scoring more than 1,000 career points. As a senior at Walter Payton College Preparatory High School in Chicago, he averaged 28 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Nyakundi is from Duluth, Minnesota but attended the MacDuffie School in Granby, Massachusetts, where he was a two-year captain. As a senior, he averaged 18 points and 13 rebounds per game. As a junior, he recorded 20 double-doubles.[13]

On June 20, assistant coach Jamie Young left Le Moyne to become an assistant at Villanova.[14] On the same day, Le Moyne announced that Elijah Burns had been hired as an assistant coach. Burns was an assistant at Saint Rose during the 2023–24 season.[15]

Le Moyne announced that six transfer students were added to the team on July 23. These were guards Will Amica from Albany and Robby Carmody from Mercer, redshirt junior forward Dwayne Koroma from UT Arlington, junior forward Freds Pauls Bagatskis, also from UT Arlington, junior guard Zek Tekin from Siena and redshirt freshman forward Trevor Roe from Radford.[16]

Will Amica was at Albany for four years, appearing in 29 games. He is a graduate student with at least two years of eligibility remaining. Amica played in 19 games off the bench during the 2023–24 season.[16]

Robby Carmody began his collegiate career at Notre Dame before transferring to Mercer for the 2023–24 season. He has one year of eligibility remaining. Carmody played in 29 games with 19 starts for Mercer during the 2023–24 season, averaging 7.5 points in 17.4 minutes per contest.[16]

After starting his collegiate career playing for Iona and then Salt Lake Community College, Dwayne Koroma spent the previous season at UT Arlington. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. Koroma played in 33 games with 14 starts during the 2023–24 campaign.[16]

Freds Pauls Bagatskis played for Latvia at the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship Division B and averaged a team-high 17.3 points per game and led all players in the tournament with 27 three-point field goals. He has at least two years of eligibility remaining. Bagatskis started his collegiate career at Georgia Tech before transferring to UT Arlington for his sophomore year and becoming Dwayne Koroma's teammate. He played only two games during the 2023–24 season, before suffering an ankle injury in practice that ended his campaign.[16]

Zek Tekin has two seasons of eligibility remaining after playing two seasons for Siena. Tekin played in 23 games with 20 starts as a sophomore during the 2023–24 season, averaging 9.0 points, a team-high 3.0 assists, a team-high 1.1 steals and 2.1 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game.[16]

Trevor Roe, who was a 1,000-point scorer and an All-Central New York honoree at Fayetteville–Manlius High School, returns to the Syracuse metropolitan area after spending his freshman season at Radford in 2023–24 and has four seasons of eligibility remaining. Roe's whose father, Matt, played basketball at Syracuse from 1986 to 1989. The younger Roe scored 500 points as a high school senior and earned first team all-league and first All-Central New York honors.[16]

The Dolphins also announced that Sam Donnelly, a graduate student at Le Moyne, who was a practice player with the Le Moyne women's team the previous two seasons, had been added to the roster.[16]

Departures

[edit]
Le Moyne departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight 2023–24 class Hometown Reason for departure
Kaiyem Cleary 2 G 6'6" 185 Grad student Manchester, England Graduated
Mike DePersia 3 G 5'11" 175 Grad student Cherry Hill, NJ Graduated
Mason Landdeck 4 G 6'2" 170 Junior (redshirted) Cashmere, WA Transferred to Seattle Pacific[12]
Nate McClure 35 G 6'4" 190 Grad student Houston, TX Graduated
Jamel Melvin 10 F 6'11" 210 Junior (redshirted) Upper Marlboro, MD Entered transferred portal[11]
C.J. Moore 14 G 5'8" 160 Sophomore Lancaster, NY Entered transferred portal[10]
Isaiah Salter 5 G 6'0" 160 Grad student Charlotte, NC Graduated
Luke Sutherland 23 F 6'7" 220 Grad student Syracuse, NY Graduated

Additions

[edit]

Incoming transfers

[edit]
Le Moyne incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight 2024–25 class Hometown Previous school Years remaining Date committed
Will Amica 22 G 6'0" 170 Graduate Syracuse, NY Albany 2 June 10, 2024[17]
Freds Pauls Bagatskis 12 F 6'8" 180 Junior Riga, Latvia UT Arlington 2 June 1, 2024[18]
Robby Carmody 11 G 6'4" 195 Graduate Mars, PA Mercer 1 May 31, 2024[19]
Dwayne Koroma 3 F 6'8" 205 Redshirt Junior Berlin, Germany UT Arlington 2 June 7, 2024[20]
Trevor Roe 5 F 6'8" 205 Redshirt Freshman Syracuse, NY Radford 4 June 4, 2024[21]
Zek Tekin 4 G 6'2" 170 Junior Istanbul, Türkiye Siena 2 May 31, 2024[22]

Recruiting class

[edit]
Le Moyne incoming recruits
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Hometown High school
Jakob Blakley[13][23] 10 G 6'0" 170 Elgin, IL Walter Payton Prep
Sam Donnelly[c][16] 33 F 6'2" 200 Vernon, NY Vernon-Verona-Sherrill
Isaac Nyakundi[13][24] 13 F 6'9" 220 Duluth, MN MacDuffie

Season notes

[edit]

Pre-conference season

[edit]

The Dolphins traveled just over three miles for their season opener at Syracuse on November 4, 2024. Le Moyne shocked the Orange by holding them to 32% shooting from the floor in the first half and led by five points at intermission. With the Dolphins leading by a point, a 9–0 Syracuse run gave the Orange a 76–68 lead with 4:31 to play. However, Le Moyne responded with a 6–2 spurt, getting three points each from Will Amica on a triple and Freds Pauls Bagatskis on three free throws. Trent Mosquera's three-pointer cut the Syracuse lead to two points with 1:02 left, and another triple from Bagatskis made it 83–82 with 22 seconds on the clock. After the Orange hit one of two from the line, the Dolphins turned the ball over with six seconds to play, and Syracuse hit two more free throws, handing Le Moyne a heartbreaking 86–82 loss. Bagatskis scored 18 points to lead five Dolphins in double figures.[25][26][27]

Will Amica and Zek Tekin were named NEC Prime Performers for the first week of the season. Amica averaged 14.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game and shot 52.6% from the floor and 83.3% from three-point range. He came off the bench to score 12 points in 13 minutes on 5-for-9 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 from beyond the arc at Syracuse. He was 3-for-4 onn three-pointers in a 16-point, eight-rebound performance against CSUN. Tekin averaged 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game, shooting 64.7% from the field. He had 10 points, four rebounds and a game-high six assists at Syracuse and led the Dolphins with 17 points, including a 10-for-12 mark from the free-throw line against CSUN.[26]

Roster

[edit]
2023–24 Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 AJ Dancler 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Southport High School Indianapolis, IN
G 1 Darrick Jones Jr. (5Y) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Towson Richmond, VA
G 2 Kaelin Thomas (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) RS So Seton Catholic Central Binghamton, NY
F 3 Dwayne Koroma 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Jr UT Arlington Berlin, Germany
G 4 Zek Tekin 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Siena Istanbul, Türkiye
F 5 Trevor Roe Injured 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Fr Radford Syracuse, NY
G 7 Trent Mosquera 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Belmont Hill School Brookline, MA
G 10 Jakob Blakley 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Walter Payton Prep Elgin, IL
G 11 Robby Carmody (C) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) GS Mercer Mars, PA
F 12 Freds Pauls Bagatskis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr UT Arlington Riga, Latvia
G 13 Deng Garang (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 165 lb (75 kg) RS Fr Bishop Grimes High School Syracuse, NY
F 15 Nate Fouts (FW) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS So Kimball Union Academy Skaneateles, NY
F 22 Will Amica 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) GS Albany Syracuse, NY
F 24 Ocypher Owens 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Indian River State Orlando, FL
F 32 Isaac Nyakundi 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr MacDuffie Duluth, MN
F 33 Sam Donnelly (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) GS Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Vernon, NY
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on
  • (FW) Former walk-on
  • (5Y) Fifth-year senior
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: August 19, 2024

Schedule and results

[edit]
Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2024*
6:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Mansfield W 116–67[28]  –
  19 – Bagatskis   10 – Nyakundi   6 – Amica  Ted Grant Court (348)
DeWitt, NY
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ 		at Syracuse L 82–86[25]  0–1
  18 – Bagatskis   5 – Bagatskis   6 – Tekin  JMA Wireless Dome (19,619)
Syracuse, NY
November 6, 2024*
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Cal State Northridge L 75–97[29]  0–2
  17 – Tekin   8 – 2 tied   4 – Tekin  Ted Grant Court (497)
DeWitt, NY
November 9, 2024*
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		SUNY Polytechnic W 107–73[30]  1–2
  17 – Koroma   6 – 2 tied   6 – 2 tied  Ted Grant Court (507)
DeWitt, NY
November 13, 2024*
7:00 p.m., FS1 		at No. 3 UConn L 49–90  1–3
  13 – Koroma   5 – Koroma   3 – Dancler  XL Center (15,664)
Hartford, CT
November 16, 2024*
4:00 p.m., YES/ESPN+ 		at St. Bonaventure L 52–71  1–4
  11 – Jones Jr.   4 – Bagatskis   4 – Amica  Reilly Center (4,239)
St. Bonaventure, NY
November 22, 2024*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		vs. UT Martin
Island U Invitational 		W 65–53  2–4
  16 – Dancler   9 – Owens   5 – Tekin  American Bank Center (490)
Corpus Christi, TX
November 23, 2024*
4:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
Island U Invitational 		L 61–82  2–5
  14 – Owens   7 – Fouts   3 – Tied  American Bank Center (881)
Corpus Christi, TX
November 25, 2024*
7:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UT Rio Grande Valley L 77–97  2–6
  14 – Tied   8 – Tied   5 – Koroma  UTRGV Fieldhouse (1,658)
Edinburg, TX
November 29, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Manhattan W 81–77  3–6
  18 – Owens   9 – Owens   8 – Tekin  Draddy Gymnasium (450)
The Bronx, NY
December 3, 2024*
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Army L 100–103 3OT 3–7
  19 – Tied   15 – Koroma   5 – Tekin  Ted Grant Court (803)
DeWitt, NY
December 7, 2024*
6:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Binghamton L 62–72  3–8
  12 – Owens   10 – Koroma   5 – Tekin  Ted Grant Court (1,162)
DeWitt, NY
December 14, 2024*
2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		SUNY Delhi W 106–51  4–8
  28 – Blakley   8 – Fouts   6 – Tied  Ted Grant Court (306)
DeWitt, NY
December 18, 2024*
11:00 a.m., ESPN+ 		at Dartmouth W 80–76  5–8
  20 – Dancler   7 – Koroma   6 – Tekin  Leede Arena (1,400)
Hanover, NH
December 22, 2024*
6:00 p.m., ACCN 		at Notre Dame L 62–91  5–9
  22 – Koroma   8 – Koroma   4 – Tekin  Purcell Pavilion (5,396)
South Bend, IN
December 29, 2024*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Niagara L 69–88  5–10
  17 – Dancler   10 – Owens   3 – Tied  Gallagher Center (476)
Lewiston, NY
NEC regular season
January 3, 2025
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at LIU L 62–78  5–11
(0–1) 		 19 – Owens   12 – Owens   4 – Dancler  Barclays Center (350)
Brooklyn, NY
January 10, 2025
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Fairleigh Dickinson       Ted Grant Court 
DeWitt, NY
January 12, 2025
2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Mercyhurst       Ted Grant Court 
DeWitt, NY
January 18, 2025
2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Chicago State       Jones Convocation Center 
Chicago, IL
January 20, 2025
7:30 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Stonehill       Ted Grant Court 
DeWitt, NY
January 24, 2025
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Central Connecticut       Ted Grant Court 
DeWitt, NY
January 30, 2025
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Fairleigh Dickinson       Bogota Savings Bank Center 
Hackensack, NJ
February 1, 2025
1:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Wagner       Spiro Sports Center 
Staten Island, NY
February 6, 2025
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Saint Francis       DeGol Arena 
Loretto, PA
February 8, 2025
3:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Mercyhurst       Owen McCormick Court 
Erie, PA
February 13, 2025
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Wagner       Ted Grant Court 
DeWitt, NY
February 15, 2025
2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Chicago State       Ted Grant Court 
DeWitt, NY
February 20, 2025
7:00 pm, NEC Front Row 		Saint Francis       Ted Grant Court 
DeWitt, NY
February 22, 2025
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		LIU       Ted Grant Court 
DeWitt, NY
February 27, 2024
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Central Connecticut       William H. Detrick Gymnasium 
New Britain, CT
March 1, 2024
4:30 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Stonehill       Merkert Gymnasium 
Easton, MA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Source:[31]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Le Moyne did not play during the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, this is Champion's sixth year as the team's head coach but only his fifth season.
  2. ^ The campus, including the Le Moyne Events Center, has a Syracuse mailing address but lies within the adjacent town of DeWitt.
  3. ^ Graduate student who did not play college basketball as an undergraduate.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Le Moyne Dolphins 2024–25 Men's Basketball". NCAA Statistics. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  2. ^ "2024 NEC Men's Basketball Championship". Northeast Conference. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  3. ^ "2024 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Field Set". Northeast Conference. March 2, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  4. ^ "#NEC24 Men's Quarterfinal Recaps: Top Seeds CCSU, Merrimack & Le Moyne Prevail, Wagner Pulls Off NEC's First Upset Since 2019". Northeast Conference. March 6, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  5. ^ "#NEC24 Men's Semifinal Recaps: Defending #NECMBB Champion Merrimack Set to Face Upset-Minded Wagner in Title Game on Tuesday". Northeast Conference. March 9, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  6. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Cumulative Statistics – Individual". Le Moyne Dolphins. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  7. ^ Le Moyne College Men's Basketball [@LeMoyneMBB] (November 20, 2023). "Victor Panov" (Tweet). Los Angeles, California. Retrieved August 19, 2024 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Panov, Victor [@VictorPanov13] (April 10, 2024). "After talking to my coaches and family" (Tweet). Retrieved August 19, 2024 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ "Victor Panov – Activity". VerbalCommits. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "C.J. Moore – Activity". VerbalCommits. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Jamel Melvin – Activity". VerbalCommits. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Mason Landdeck – Activity". VerbalCommits. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Lane, Craig (May 8, 2024). "Men's Basketball Signs Two Student-Athletes for 2024–25". Le Moyne Dolphins. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  14. ^ "Wildcats Add Young as Assistant Men's Basketball Coach". Villanova University Athletics. June 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  15. ^ Singelais, Mark (June 21, 2024). "Troy's Elijah Burns Hired As Le Moyne Basketball Assistant Coach". Times Union. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i McGlynn, James (July 23, 2024). "Men's Basketball Adds Six Transfer Student-Athletes for 2024–25". Le Moyne Dolphins. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  17. ^ "Will Amica – Activity". VerbalCommits. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  18. ^ "Freds Pauls Bagatskis – Activity". VerbalCommits. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  19. ^ "Robby Carmody – Activity". VerbalCommits. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  20. ^ "Dwayne Koroma – Activity". VerbalCommits. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  21. ^ "Trevor Roe – Activity". VerbalCommits. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  22. ^ "Zek Tekin – Activity". VerbalCommits. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  23. ^ "Jakob Blakley – Activity". VerbalCommits. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  24. ^ "Isaac Nyakundi – Activity". VerbalCommits. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  25. ^ a b "Syracuse Avoids Scare Escaping NEC-Member Le Moyne for 86–82 Win". The Associated Press. November 4, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  26. ^ a b "Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Weekly Release (11/11)". Northeast Conference. November 11, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  27. ^ Lane, Craig (November 4, 2024). "Syracuse Holds Off Men's Basketball, 86–82, in Season Opener". Le Moyne Dolphins. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  28. ^ Lane, Craig (October 30, 2024). "Men's Basketball Downs Mansfield in Exhibition". Le Moyne Dolphins. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  29. ^ Sacco, Mario (November 7, 2024). "Le Moyne Men Fall at Home to Cal State Northridge". LocalSYR.com. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  30. ^ "Le Moyne Earns 107–73 Victory over SUNY Poly". The Associated Press. November 9, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  31. ^ "2024–25 Men's Basketball Schedule". Le Moyne Dolphins. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
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