The season is over for the Oswego State men’s basketball team. However, there is a lot to be proud of and a lot to look forward to in the future for the Lakers. 

Oswego State finished its season with a 19-8 (12-6 SUNYAC) record, making it all the way to the SUNYAC Semifinals, where it fell to The College at Brockport 82-67. 

Though the Lakers’ season did not end how they hoped, there were several positives throughout the year from individual players, and the team as a whole to take away from it. 

The Lakers began the season 4-0 vs. nonconference opponents and finished their nonconference season going 6-1, something Oswego State head coach Jason Leone was very proud of. 

“I thought we did really good going through our nonconference season, with all seven of our games away from [Max] Ziel Gymnasium,” Leone said. “I think the fact that we got through our non-league schedule at 6-1 was an incredible accomplishment.”

Some notable nonconference wins for Oswego State were against Ithaca College, Montclair State University, Moravian College and Nazareth College. 

“We beat Ithaca this year, who made the NCAA tournament and won the Liberty League at 23-5,” Leone said. “We won games against Montclair State and at Moravian College who are two really great programs. In addition, going to Nazareth, who won 21 games this year, and winning a true road game.”

The Lakers also played very well against SUNYAC opponents throughout the season, finishing with a 12-6 SUNYAC record. They defeated several good teams, including SUNY Oneonta. The Lakers took down the Red Dragons on the road 81-76 in a very exciting game. The game also came with some milestones, as Brandan Gartland scored his 1,000th point in the game, and Leone secured his 250th win at Oswego State.  The Lakers defeated SUNY Cortland twice this year, including ending its season in the SUNYAC Quarterfinals. 

“In the SUNYAC, going to Oneonta, and winning a road game without two starters was really an impressive win for us,” Leone said. “Beating our rival Cortland two out of three times this year was also great.” 

Games vs. The College at Brockport, the SUNYAC Champions, also brought a ton of excitement and competitiveness each time the two met. The Golden Eagles defeated the Lakers in their first meeting 68-67, but the game came down to the final buzzer as the Golden Eagles snuck out of their home gym with a victory after a blocked shot at the buzzer by Justin Summers. The second meeting was also very similar, as the game went to overtime due to some late game heroics from Colby Moultrie, who hit a 3-pointer late for the Lakers to send the game to overtime. The Golden Eagles, however, left Max Ziel Gymnasium with an 85-80 victory. 

There were several individuals who played well for the Lakers this season, and some, like Joe Sullivan and Jeremiah Sparks, were recognized for their play. Sullivan made First Team All-SUNYAC and Sparks made Third Team All-SUNYAC.

Sullivan finished the season averaging a team-leading 14.6 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game. Sullivan’s play all season was great, and Leone recognized that and credited him for the time he has put into becoming a better player. 

“Joe deserves a lot of credit for all the time he put in during the offseason in terms of getting in shape and working on the things we asked him to work on,” Leone said. “He was rewarded by being recognized by the other coaches in the league.” 

Sparks finished the season averaging 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Sparks also scored 30 or more points in two contests this season and exceeded 20 points in several games. Sparks did this all as a freshman, something that Leone was very impressed with. 

“Jeremiah was named third team All-League which is really tough to do as a freshman in such a competitive conference,” Leone said. 

Leone also credited several of his veteran players for their performances this season in terms of both on court skill and leadership. 

“I think that we had some really good contributions from our older guys,” Leone said. “I thought Brandan Gartland provided a tremendous amount of leadership as did Tim Marshall. I thought Liam Sanborn played well at the end of the season. He battled through constant injuries over the last two years.”

Looking ahead to next season, the Lakers as of now have 12 players returning. That number will soon change due to recruiting and possible transfers, but the future is bright for the Lakers. The offseason begins as soon as this spring and will end the day the Lakers touch the court for their first game of the 2020-2021 season. Leone is excited, but knows success comes with offseason work, something the Lakers are ready to begin. 

“Looking forward to next season, we are going to have to have these young guys really take a step forward with their strength and conditioning,” Leone said. “That is always a focus of ours in the spring and summertime and we’re obviously going to have to add some pieces in recruiting.”

Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian