Last season was a special one for the men’s basketball program. Quinnipiac finished first in the MAAC for the first time in program history, going 24-10 with a program-best 15 conference wins. Head coach Tom Pecora took home MAAC Coach of the Year honors in his first season at the helm. Quinnipiac entered the MAAC tournament as the favorites for the title but lost a 62-60 heartbreaker to Saint Peter’s in the semifinal round. This year, they hope to come back even stronger.

“I hope that what we left here is able to stay with these dudes and create something that hasn’t been here for a while,” said outgoing 2024 MAAC Player of the Year Matt Balanc after the loss. “I’m praying and hoping that will lead them to a great season next year as well and they can go win it.” 

If you put a lot of stock into the preseason awards cycle, the Bobcats look like the favorites. Quinnipiac came first in the preseason coaches poll. Junior forward Amarri Monroe was named the preseason player of the year after his breakout campaign last year. The team’s two returning captains – point guard Savion Lewis and center Paul Otieno – also made the All-MAAC Preseason Teams. 

Here’s how the Bobcats are shaping up for 2024-25: 

Who’s out?

Balanc is the biggest name departing the program. The guard spent six seasons in Hamden and signed his first professional contract with Horsens IC in Denmark this summer. He averaged just under 18 points a game on 42.6% shooting last year. He also finished his career second on the program’s Division I scoring leaderboard. His leadership, physicality and sixth sense in the clutch will not be easy to replace. 

Also on the way out is wing Ri Vavers, who jumped to Washington State in the Pac-12 via the portal. Vavers dealt with various injuries that hampered his playing time, but he was easily the Bobcats’ best sixth man. He shot 37% from three and averaged just under eight points a game.

Fan-favorite J.J. Riggins, bench wing Daemar Kelly and bench guard Arion Lewis also left the program over the offseason. 

Who’s back?

Savion Lewis has one more in him. The graduate point guard returned to Quinnipiac for a seventh year after initially testing the waters of the transfer portal. 

Lewis set a program record with 248 assists last season and ranked fourth in the country with 7.3 assists per game. He’ll get the chance to chase Mike Buscetto’s all-time career record of 621 this year – something he’s less than 200 assists away from. Lewis gives Quinnipiac veteran leadership and elite offensive facilitation. Both those factors will be key to the Bobcats’ title odds. 

Quinnipiac’s big returning three – Lewis, Monroe, and Otieno – will likely be the captains this year. Otieno’s reliable interior presence and Monroe’s star power give Quinnipiac big advantages in their starting five. Expect Monroe to take Balanc’s spot as the number one option in the offense. 

Seniors Alexis Reyes and Doug Young will also be important returning role players this season.

Who’s new? 

Pecora has flipped the script when it comes to bringing talent to Hamden. His first big recruiting class features five talented first years who could all fill roles this year. 

Three-star recruit Braylan Ritvo is probably the most well-known first year coming in. The 6-foot-8-inch combo forward from Harlem, New York put his name on the map with a 27-point performance at the Hoophall Classic for Archbishop Stepinac. Ritvo plays with a ton of physicality. He’s a major threat both inside and as a shooter. He creates his best openings off screens, especially on pick-and-pop plays. He’s also a good rebounder, especially on the offensive end, and is a disruptive defender on-ball. Ritvo should compete for heavy minutes right away. 

Grant Randall is another New York product, playing his prep ball at Putnam Science Academy. Randall stands at 6-foot-9-inches but has the skills of a guard. He can play anywhere from the two to the four and gives the Bobcats a ton of versatility. Randall is explosive with the ball in his hands and has good handles for his size. He plays well at the rim and does his best shooting off the catch. His length makes him a disruptive defender and a good rebounder. He’s still raw, but his physical attributes and positional flexibility should get him plenty of minutes this year. 

Pecora also landed 6-foot-5-inch combo guard Jaden Zimmerman. Originally from The Bronx, New York, Zimmerman attended Cushing Academy in Massachusetts. Zimmerman plays with a lot of energy. He can posterize opposing players and isn’t afraid to challenge bigger defenders at the rim. He also has fantastic handles and moves well on off-ball cuts. Zimmerman creates well for himself on drives. He’s a good shooter, especially off the catch, and he’s shown some flashes of creating outside openings for himself. He’s deadly on the fast break and plays disruptively on defense. Zimmerman is more of a scorer than a facilitator and projects best as a two-guard option.

Spence Wewe might be the most intriguing recruit for the Bobcats this year. Wewe was born in Nigeria but grew up in England. The 7-footer played prep basketball in Toronto last year and spent time with the Austrian U23 national team over the summer. He’s extremely physical on the inside and is a fantastic paint defender. He has great defensive instincts and is a block machine. On offense, Wewe is a force on the inside. He sets good screens, moves well off-ball and creates opportunities off the pick-and-roll. He’s an explosive finisher who scores well through contact and vacuums up rebounds on both ends. He’s great at getting second-chance opportunities off offensive rebounds. Wewe has also been working on adding a three-point shot to his game. He’ll start the year playing behind Otieno at center.

Rounding out the first-year class is guard Samson Reilly. A local product, Reilly played at East Catholic in Manchester. At 6-foot-2-inches, he can play point or shooting guard but projects better at the point for Quinnipiac. He’s quick and plays with a lot of energy, relying on his shifty handles to create openings. Outside shooting is one of Reilly’s biggest aspects. Mechanically, he can be a little inconsistent, but he’s got the ability to make it rain from deep. He does a fantastic job getting himself open looks and he’s got a knack for knocking down tough shots over bigger defenders. Defensively, Reilly does a good job being a pest on-ball and intercepting passing lanes off-ball. The biggest growth spot for him will be as a passer. He has good instincts and does a good job finding open teammates but he wasn’t the primary point guard during his time at East Catholic. He’ll be able to learn a lot behind Lewis this year. 

Quinnipiac also added two players from the transfer portal. Pecora snagged junior Ryan Mabrey from Miami, Ohio. The 6-foot-5-inch guard was an All-MAC freshman in 2023 and averaged 7.7 points on 37.7% shooting in his two years with the Red Hawks. Mabrey shoots well both off the catch and dribble. He can score inside on both cuts and drives and likes to shoot from midrange too. Mabrey isn’t the quickest or most physical player, but he makes good decisions with the ball. Despite being from New Jersey, his family has some other big Connecticut basketball connections. His sister Marina Mabrey plays in the WNBA for the Connecticut Sun. 

Lastly, Akintola Akinniyi rounds out the Bobcats’ incoming class. Akinniyi spent last fall at Army West Point. The 6-foot-7-inch combo forward is an intriguing physical prospect – at Army, he was his company’s powerlifting champion. Akinniyi transferred to Quinnipiac last spring and walked onto the team as a redshirt first year. He plays with high physicality but doesn’t display a ton of quickness. He’s not much of a shooting threat either. Most of his damage is done by wearing down defenders on the interior. His 7-foot-2-inch wingspan gives him fantastic defensive length. Akinniyi is a great rim protector for his size and his strength makes it tough for guys to get through him. He impacts the game as a rebounder too and can create second-chance opportunities on the offensive end. Akinniyi will be an interesting project player to keep an eye on this season. 

Season-opening depth projection:

The Bobcats will begin play on Oct. 30 for their preseason game against Albertus Magnus. Their regular season tips off Nov. 4 at Yale.