Photo courtesy of Dave’s Joint.
By David Cordova.
Last season, the state of Connecticut had a lot going on in terms of winning when it came to the Division I programs. The most common name in the Nutmeg State is none other than UConn, as they won their second straight national championship and sixth overall in school history on the men’s side.
However, there were other things that went down with the other five schools in the state.
The other schools in question were none other than Central Connecticut State (NEC), Fairfield (MAAC), Sacred Heart (MAAC), Quinnipiac (MAAC) and Yale (Ivy League).
Here is a breakdown of the other schools in the Nutmeg State, as well as what to expect from them this season:
Central Connecticut State
After a long period of losing seasons, the Blue Devils held their own during the season, as they were picked second in the preseason poll prior to the 2023-24 season and went on to finish 20-11 overall and finished in first place in the Northeast Conference with a 13-3 record.
Head coach Pat Sellers, a 1991 graduate of CCSU, had the Blue Devils winning for the first time since the 2010-11 season, when they went 19-12 on the season and finished fourth in conference play with an 11-7 record under former head coach Howie Dickenman, who coached there from 1996-2016.
Although they lost to eventual conference champions, Wagner, they made their presence felt on the court.
This season, the Blue Devils will be returning senior guard Jordan Jones (13.1 points per game), senior guard Devonte Sweatman (4.1 points per game), senior forward Jayden Brown (8.4 points & 4.7 rebounds per game), senior guard Joe Ostrowsky (4.2 points per game), senior forward Abdul Momoh (4.2 points per game), senior guard Jay Rodgers (5.9 points per game) and junior forward Brody Limric (1.6 points per game).
They will have some talented freshmen in forward Darin Smith, Jr. and guards James Jones, Jr., Roddy Jones and Adam Fox, as well as transfers such as sophomore forward Daniele Russo, senior guard Jaelen McGlone, junior guard Devin Haid and sophomore forward Max Frazier.
With the way they ended last year, if they can continue on the same path this year, then the future will be bright up in New Britain.
Quinnipiac
The Bobcats were a force to be reckoned with last season in the MAAC, as they made a statement in Tom Pecora’s first season as head coach with a 24-10 overall record and finished 15-5, as they were in first place in conference play.
During the postseason, they went all the way to the MAAC semifinals and lost and then finished the season in the first round of the CBI (College Basketball Invitational) Tournament.
Heading into this season, they have been selected as the No. 1 team in the MAAC preseason poll.
Amongst the returners are junior forward and MAAC Preseason Player of the Year Amarri Trice-Monroe (12.9 points & 6.9 rebounds per game), graduate student & forward Paul Otieno (11 points & 6.9 rebounds per game), graduate student & guard Savion Lewis (8.1 points & 7.3 assists per game), senior forward Alexis Reyes (7.8 points & 4.2 rebounds per game), senior guard Doug Young (6.3 points per game) and graduate student and forward Richie Springs (3.8 points & 2.5 rebounds per game).
Some newcomers that will definitely make a name for themselves this upcoming season are freshmen such as guards Samson Reilly and Jaden Zimmerman and forwards Braylan Ritvo, Spence Wewe and Akintola Anniyi.
With this group coming up, it looks like the Bobcats will definitely make plenty of noise, just like they did last season.
Fairfield
Another team in the Nutmeg State holding it down in the MAAC was the Stags, who had a tough journey in the beginning of the season with the resignation of their former head coach, Jay Young, in mid-October.
Stepping up to the plate as the skipper was Chris Casey, formerly the assistant coach, who had previously been a head coach at Niagara University from 2013-19.
Despite the coaching change, Fairfield held their own with a 24-13 overall record and finished second place in MAAC play with a 14-6 record. Coming into this season, the Stags were rated as the No. 2 team in the MAAC preseason poll.
They would go on a major run to the MAAC championship game, where they would lose by five to St. Peter’s. Due to their record, they would go on to play in the CBI Invitational, where they would defeat Arkansas-Little Rock & Chicago State and would lose in the semifinals to Seattle.
Some of the returning players that look to make an impact this season are graduate student and guard Louis Bleechmore (7 points & 3.9 rebounds per game), junior forward Payton Smith (6.1 points & 3.2 rebounds per game) and junior guard Michael Rogan (5.8 points per game).
Then there are some newcomers that will make some noise on the court this season with transfers such as guards Jamie Bergens (Drexel), Deon Perry (Loyola-Maryland), Braden Sparks (Indian Hills Community College), Prophet Johnson (Southern Utah) and Noah Best (Fordham) and forward Kyle Jenkins (Lafayette), and also freshman forward Isaac Munkadi.
Look out for the Stags this upcoming season, as they plan on doing some big things on the court in Coach Casey’s second season.
Yale
As one of the two teams in the state of Connecticut that made the NCAA Tournament, the Yale Bulldogs were a force on the court and played hard every time out.
Since becoming the head coach of the Bulldogs in the fall of 1999, Joe Jones built a solid program up in New Haven and had gone to the Big Dance three times prior to last season, making it to the second round in the 2015-16 season.
This past season, the Bulldogs went 23-10 overall and finished in second place in the Ivy League during the regular season with an 11-3 record. During the Ivy League tournament, the Bulldogs had a great run, knocking off Cornell and going toe-to-toe with Brown into the final seconds of the game, in which then-senior Matt Knowlings would hit a floater to send the Bulldogs into the Big Dance.
They would then go on to upset the No. 7 seed Auburn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, out in Spokane, Washington, before losing in the second round to San Diego State.
Coming into this season, Yale was rated at No. 2 in the Ivy League preseason poll behind Princeton.
Some returning players looking to put in work for the Bulldogs this coming season are senior guard John Poulakidas (13.4 points per game), senior guard Bez Mbeng (11.1 points & 4.2 rebounds per game), senior forward Nick Townsend (6 points & 3.9 rebounds per game) and senior forward Casey Simmons (3.5 points per game).
Some newcomers looking to make an impact are three freshmen in guards Riley Fox and Jordan Braithwaite and forward Isaac Celiscar.
One thing to know about Yale is that even though they’re considered a preppy school, the program is tougher than they look. They’re not a team to be taken lightly, as they will give it their all on the court. Although they were rated second in their preseason poll, it wouldn’t be shocking if they finished first when conference play ends and even during Ivy League play.
Sacred Heart
This season, Sacred Heart will be venturing into a new territory, as they have joined the MAAC after almost 25 years of being in the Northeast Conference (NEC).
Last season, the Pioneers were selected as the No. 1 team in the NEC preseason poll. They then went on to finish 16-16 overall and 10-6 in conference play, which was in third place behind Merrimack and Central Connecticut State.
Always a tough and gritty team, the Pioneers fought tooth and nail in the NEC quarterfinals, losing to the eventual conference champions, Wagner, by only three, 60-57.
This season, they will have some talented returners such as senior guard Aidan Carpenter (9.7 points per game), junior forward Tanner Thomas (10.8 points & 5.6 rebounds per game) and junior forward Raymond Espinal-Guzman (3.7 points per game).
There are also some talented players in transfers such as Anquan Hill (St. Bonaventure), Keyishon Miller (Northwest Kansas Technical College) and freshmen such as guards Taj Bryant and Mekhi Conner and forward Fallou Gueye.
Although they will be joining a new conference this season, one thing that Anthony Latina’s troops will do when they hit the court is compete for 40 minutes. This season, they will continue to do just that.
For all five of these teams, there will be plenty of competition taking place between the in-state teams.
Central Connecticut State will be playing three of their in-state foes during the non-conference portion of the season, as they will be playing Sacred Heart (Nov. 21st) and Fairfield (Dec. 18th) on the road and will be hosting Quinnipiac (Dec. 21st).
In addition to their matchup against the Blue Devils, Quinnipiac will be playing another non-conference matchup on the road against Yale (Nov. 4th). And then there will also be the games against their conference foes as they will be playing Fairfield (Jan. 31st at home, March 8th on the road) and Sacred Heart (Dec. 8th at home, Feb. 14th on the road).
In regards to the Stags, they will be playing against Yale at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville on Nov. 23rd in the Naismith Hall of Fame Tip-Off and during conference play, in addition to their matchups against Quinnipiac and will also play against Sacred Heart twice (Feb. 8th at home & March 2nd on the road).
With all of the games taking place this season, it will be great to see all of the parity in the Nutmeg State.
Dave's JOINT 
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