The Oswego State men’s basketball team is ready to hit the floor once again after a historic previous season.

The Lakers will open up their season on the road at Eastern Connecticut State for their preseason tournament. Their first matchup will be against a familiar opponent in Hobart College. Oswego State played the Statesmen in the preseason tournament they hosted at home at the Max Ziel Gymnasium. A matchup which the Lakers won 63-48 bringing their winning streak against their opponents to three. On the flip side of the tournament bracket, the Eastern Connecticut State Warriors will play the Anna Maria College Amcats. The last time Oswego State played the Warriors was all the way back in 2012 where the Lakers would come up one point short at home losing the affair 70-69.

Despite the preseason label to the matchups, Oswego State head coach Jason Leone is far from taking these games lightly. For the long-serving coach, a win in any non-league matchup is huge come the end of the regular season.

“Everybody in and around our program wants to be playing in March, so these seven opportunities we get in the non-league are critical,” Leone said. “Drawing from last year, we had a game at home that we lost to Nazareth and going into the tournament we only had two losses all year [and that loss] probably cost us a home game in the NCAA tournament. That game was played a week into our season. Our returning guys are fully aware that even though this is a game that will take place on Nov. 11, you’ve got to be pretty close to perfect.”

Leone embraces this pressure at the front end of the season as he is well aware of the talent that Hobart is returning. However, he is not all business as he does admit he is excited to be back on the court with his team.

“Obviously coming off a historic year and returning a core group of our guys, it’s been really pleasing to watch the way these guys have worked during the offseason,” he said. “Not only that but the way that our older guys have led and developed important relationships with our three new players.”

Freshman Josh Thigpen, sophomore Joey Rowback and junior Cartier Bowman are the three newcomers that have been brought into the Lakers program for this season. According to Leone, each brings something different to the program whether it be in size, leadership or intelligence.

“[Thigpen] has been a pleasant surprise,” Leone said. “He may look thin but he plays a lot stronger than he looks, he’s long and he has had an impactful presence on both ends on the court which is not typical for freshmen … [Rowback’s] an elite level shooter who can play multiple positions. He’s got an incredible attitude and I could see him being a captain for us down the road … [Bowman] has found happiness in an increased role and he’s found different ways to impact the game and I’ve been impressed with how smart he is. Typically when you get players who were on full scholarships at a higher level [you might see a bit of an ego]. There has been zero aspect of an ego or selfishness in his approach every day.”

Another addition to Oswego State’s program that Leone has praised is new assistant coach Ryan Rolland. The former graduate assistant was at Le Moyne during the spring semester that saw nobody play due to COVID-19. Rolland then went on to play in a shortened professional season in Columbia. Going back and forth between coaching and playing, Rolland says that his future lies off the court as a coach.

Rolland says that his transition to Oswego has been good as he has built up a good repertoire with both the players and other staff. One thing that did shock him upon arrival was the dedication that this Lakers team plays with.

“I guess I had a preconceived notion of division three,” Rolland said. “Nothing is required of them until practice officially starts on Oct. 15 and I was surprised that they were on a really good schedule that really looks like a division one or division two scholarship level type schedule. They’re playing open gym two or three times a week, they’re getting their two or three lifts in every week, getting their own work in and when Oct. 15 hit [players] were contacting me to set up workouts immediately. I’ve just been impressed by their work ethic and how close the guys are. No issues or anything, it’s a really well run program.”

Rolland has found himself mostly tweaking minor things on the defensive side of the Lakers’ game as the system is similar to that of what he experienced under former Le Moyne basketball head coach John Beilein. However, he is wary of trying to change too much despite knowing he has the complete faith of Leone.

When it comes to the team this year, Leone has seen an improvement within an offense that averaged over 80 points per game last season and beat opponents by an average margin of over 20 points. He said he still sees the defensive identity within the team that was present last year while also knowing that the pace of his team adds another dimension to the game.

Despite all of this Rolland and Leone alike share the understanding that the team will need to take the season one day at a time.

“The biggest thing we’ve been talking about is don’t try to fast forward through the season,” Rolland said. “Play every single game, don’t just think about getting back to that point. I think all the things we did last year we expect to do again.”

The Lakers tip off against the Hobart College Statesmen at 7 p.m. on Nov. 11 for their first game of the preseason tournament. Their first regular season game will come only four days later on Nov. 15 as the team will travel north to face Clarkson away from home. A week later on Nov. 22, Oswego State faces a rematch against the Nazareth College Golden Flyers. The team will not see SUNYAC play until they take on Fredonia at home in the Max Ziel Gymnasium on Nov. 29.